Civilization arises from agreements about shit

Cory Doctorow 4:37 pm Thu Jan 8, 2004

"Shit and Civilization" is a course offered at the London Consortium; the syllabus looks very good indeed. Lenny Bruce once did a bit about how all civilization begins with a social contract regarding where you shit and where you don't. Living as I do in the public defecation capital of North America, I'm inclined to agree: I think that this course should be a prerequisite in all post-secondary degree programmes.

Our societies are, quite literally, founded on shit. Civilization means living in cities and cities are confronted, in a way more dispersed settlements are not, with heaps of garbage and ordure. Ancient cities are now identified by the mounds raised above the surrounding terrain, called tells. Tells are heaps of rubble, garbage and ordure into which cities have crumbled. Cities have always left the poor to scavenge and to live from re-cycling garbage. In many contemporary third world cities slums have been built on and around the town dump.

Link

(via Blackbelt Jones)

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