As the Sunset Dunes conversation enters its third year, many citizens say they have lost the ability to process any additional updates regarding the road vs. park debate and would like to officially move on. If approved, Prop SH would enshrine that right, and – crucially, advocates say – drop the requirement to have an opinion on the issue one way or another.
Those in support of the measure say that’s long overdue. “Despite not even living in that neighborhood, I used to care about this,” said Joe Bernot, a once stridently pro-park resident of Noe Valley. “But if someone brings it up now I quietly begin to ostracize them.” Experts say that’s due to the onset of topic fatigue, which causes people to lose interest in a storyline that refuses to come to a satisfying conclusion. “There comes a point where the amygdala steps in to initiate a mental shut-down process,” said Dr. Bernie Harpins, who studies civic disengagement. “Much like during a long and evidently pointless European film.”
Even as Prop SH gathers steam, those who want to keep the debate front-and-center are proposing a hybrid approach, which would welcome people to talk about Sunset Dunes on the weekend, while proceeding with their normal lives Monday-Friday. "That way people can take breaks, and come back to the dialog refreshed and ready to argue online," said proponents of the counter-measure.
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