In addition, whenever the everyday routine is disrupted, whenever conditions are collectively defined as extraordinary, almost all stranger interaction is expected and legitimized. An electrical blackout may be one such “disruption”: … It seemed to me that the blackout quite literally transformed the people of New York. Ordinarily smug and comfortable in the high hives of the city where they live and work, they are largely strangers to one another when the lights are on. In the darkness they emerged not as shadows, but far warmer and more substantial than usual. Stripped of the anonymity that goes with full illumination, they became humans conscious of and concerned about the other humans around them. (L. Wainwright, “A Dark Night to Remember,” Life, November 23, 1965:35)

XREF: Connects to the broader literature on extraordinary-togetherness and disaster sociology — how breakdowns of routine surface latent generosity. QUESTION: Does this observed warmth generalize beyond romanticized 1965 reporting, or does it discount real examples of panic and looting during blackouts?

Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order a…, loc. 998