
《門牌下的真相》
門牌號碼在某種程度上跟識別證依樣,隱含著「你是誰」這樣的身份辨識。
但更讓人意想不到的是,門牌號碼竟然還能當作商品一樣買賣。
買不到地段就買門牌號碼
作者提到,在紐約,門牌號碼造成的迷思最終使它商品化,像車牌一樣可以自由買賣(就像我們也會去競標1688、8888等車牌,而避開4444等不吉祥的數字),某某大道1號時常是最熱門的選擇。
這種事在台灣大概很難發生。
當住址門牌可以被自由買賣,可以想見的是,它再也不是單純的住家標誌,而是披上一層「財富證明」的面紗,只有足夠有錢的人才能得到1號或777號,事實上美國前總統川普就是箇中好手。1997年,他在曼哈頓上西城區興建大樓,大樓的「地址」在「中央公園西大道一號」但是這棟真正位置在哪裡呢:哥倫布圓環十五號,這座大樓就是紐約川普國際酒店大廈(Trump International Hotel & Tower New York)。
對富人來說,房地產最重要的就是位置與地段,如果不能得到黃金地段,我至少還能把住址買下來迷惑一般人,有了門牌號碼,就有了位置。
但是買來的地址未必是好事,當一個大樓地址名不符實,會讓郵差無法順利把信寄出去、一般人找不到路,更糟的是,萬一意外發生,消防隊與救護車能否及時趕到?在美國芝加哥還真的發生過這樣的事。
比貧富差異更危險的事
本書的後半段,作者開始探討階級、種族造成的差異,這是一個不容易的嘗試。
近年來的BLM(Black Lives Matter,黑人的命也是命)運動,說明了種族議題的敏感性,但是作者仍不避諱地提及這個議題,最具代表性的大概就是馬丁路德大道。
馬丁‧路德‧金恩是上個世紀60年代美國的標誌人物,他不僅帶領民眾爭取黑人平權運動,還發表了最著名的演講「我有一個夢」,訴說美國黑人與白人之間和平的願景,也促使1964年美國通過民權法案,宣布所有種族隔離和歧視政策為非法政策。
1968年,馬丁‧路德‧金恩遭人暗殺,使全美國掀起一陣動亂,後人為了紀念他的事蹟,便以他的姓名來為街道取名。
作者提到,像這樣的平權運動家,以他為名的大道有數百條,但是卻帶來了反效果。
原因在於,時至今日黑人仍被貼上許多負面標籤,包含吸毒、酗酒、犯罪等刻板印象,新來乍到的居民若是黑人,心中想的是「這個地方就是我的應許之地」;但心中存在偏見的白人則害怕此處未來將會充滿危險,便默默搬離。最後預言成了現實,馬丁路德大道成為了新的黑人社區,不僅所得下降、罪犯滋生,黑人受迫而成為弱勢的狀況反過來加重身上的標籤。
就連一開始繁榮的社區,在被命名15年後,都免不了衰敗的命運。
甚至一個簡單的街道命名,都能使政府官員或政客吵得不可開交,大打出手。
造成這種變化的,並非街道名稱本身,而是人們心中的偏見。

image credit: Pixabay via Pexels
我從這本書學到什麼
《門牌下的真相》從許多角度剖析門牌與街道所承載的故事與角色,不管是階級、貧富或政治,有趣的是這些課題在台灣也都會出現,這塊土地融合了原住民、殖民時代到今日政府的歷史,於是我們可以見到凱達格蘭大道、經國路、介壽路等路名,更有中山高速公路、豐原地區、鹿谷等具有歷史感的命名,說明其實台灣的故事還真不少!
另一個讓我覺得佩服的地方是,作者並非都市計畫或地理專業出身,但是他卻能抽絲剝繭,將各個城市的街道歷史逐一萃取,並結合各種面向編輯成冊,裡頭不乏冗長的古人故事或是專業知識,她都能以平易近人的方式說明,真的很不容易。
本書最後也提到為了實現人人有住址的願景,許多組織開始推行三字編碼的方式,藉由堆疊三個不重複的單字,達到全世界地點皆有門牌的目標,雖然作者不喜歡這種方式,但她也承認某些程度上這還是有推行的必要。
至於為何作者不喜歡,這個謎就等待各位親自翻閱這本書吧!
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