SMILE!

This is in response to Andrew's "Smile and Wave" blog. I've been thinking about similar things since I've returned to Cape Town--how people, strangers, interact in different environments. In Gisenyi I became accustomed to, and quite enjoyed, not only meeting people I knew as I walked around town, but greetings between strangers. Now that I'm back in a "big" city (and a fairly hostile one at that) I'm again faced with a very different reality. One in which those who can afford it avoid walking or public transport, and those who chose to walk (or have no other choice but to walk) must constantly be aware of the potential dangers they will face. As a result, people are not only withdrawn as you commonly see in cities, but they intentionally avoid interaction (apart from the street sellers and beggars of course). One finds themself suspicious of everyone. The suspicion is not unwarranted--as you often hear here, it's not a question of IF you will be mugged or otherwise attacked, it is only a question of WHEN.
When, for Rich and I, was last night--we were fortunate that no one was hurt and nothing was taken. Rich was able to fight the guy off and chase him away, but what struck him the most was the anger in the boys eyes and his willingness to use violence--which caused Rich to question why that was the case. It began a brief discussion of how violence can become the norm, as opposed to an extreme, when it is so common in your daily existence for a long period of time. I often wonder though, why is violence so common here? Yes, one can argue that there is a long history of violence rooted in the apartheid struggle, but other areas have long histories of political struggle, and also continue to face extreme poverty, but do not exhibit the extreme violence that is so common here.
In several countries in Eastern Africa, protecting people and punishing criminals was taken into the hands of the community. They decided that if they couldn't depend on the police to protect them, they would protect themselves. If someone sees something happening (usually a pickpocket or the like), they start yelling and everyone else around chases down the criminal, returns the goods if necessary, and inflicts punishment (according to the story I heard in Rwanda, the punishment was a beating and public humiliation, I've heard that in Uganda the criminal is often killed). Last night when I repeatedly screamed--within hearing distance of a guest house and an open gas station, and as it turned out a taxi driver sitting in his car--no one responded. Why is it that the public here takes extreme steps to protect themselves (car alarms, high walls, barb wire, electric fences, home alarm systems, private armed guards, etc), but shows little interest in building systems to protect the community at large? Granted, the criminals in Eastern Africa tend not to be armed, so the people running to assist are not necessarily putting themselves in harms way.
I have no good solution or suggestions. It does seem to me that getting a car or taking cabs everywhere, the response of most Capetonians, is not a solution. I do think that rather than putting on a bad-ass don't-mess-with-me face, a smile and greeting could help both myself and other innocent pedestrians to feel a bit more positive about our commute around the city. And maybe, maybe, it would catch a potential attacker off-guard enough to ward off the threat. Perhaps that's impossibly optimistic of me. But I know I feel better when someone randomly greets me with a happy smile, so why not share a tiny dabble of something positive to balance out the negative vibes?