some societies still define themselves by the exclusion of others. this is point o’ woods, fire island, long island. while i can somehow get used to the idea that the older generation still wants to live in their own enclave, where members are voted in by secret ballot, and the community is, in all essence, entirely white and protestant, it continues to astonish me that the younger generation actively makes the same choice. friends who still have ties to this community tell me so. young families move here, embracing their seclusion. i can walk along the walkways, passing one tasteful cottage after another, practically hearing the echoes of a memory that took place here, and i can think of it as quaint, like the venice walking streets, almost like a scandinavian summer house community, but it’s also intensely repugnant and bewildering and sad. alas. woody allen said about the ku klux klan: “i think you should defend to the death their right to march, and then go down and meet them with baseball bats.” (Taken with instagram)