Svalbard, The Perfect Town?

        "No Job? Get Lost!" by Andrew Higgins talks about a remote quiet town called, Svalbard, Norway, were unemployment is illegal. It is said to be, "a very quiet and law-abiding society." The reason for this has to do with the geography and climate Svalbard has to offer. The government says that banning homelessness  and unemployment-a problem plaguing much of Europe-is meant to ensure that none of Svalbard's nearly 3,000 residents freezes to death. Higgins is trying to convey that the idea of making unemployment illegal is to prevent poverty, leading to a crime-free society.

        Higgins uses imagery as a type of craft to depict the "pureness" of Svalbard and the residents living in it. For example, he states, "Residents regularly leave their car and snowmobile keys in the ignition and don't bother locking their front doors. Coffee shop patrons leave their computers unattended, never worrying they might get stolen." This shows the residents trust throughout the community as well as the low crime rate recorded. Higgins is trying to make the reader feel comfortable and safe with Svalbard. This example is showing the goodness of Svalbard, but secluding the bad parts about it.

         After reading, "No Job? Get Lost!" by Andrew Higgins I realized how the "perfect" town isn't considered by the unemployment rate, but by the crimes being done. A part that struck out to me was that the police enforce a rule that anybody moving outside the city limits of Longyearbyen must carry a weapon and know how to use it. The reason for this is that me, living in New York, find it peculiar that the police enforce instead of ban the usage of guns. Although the ideal of this "perfect" society sounds good, it also sounds pretty boring as if you're living in this Utopian society. I, on the other hand prefer living were I am and wouldn't like to change that even if it's not "perfect."