This weekend I went to New York City to attend a club event. On Saturday, I spent the late afternoon reading at the Rose Reading Room. When the library closed, I then headed for dinner in Bryant Park. There was an event happening in the main open greenspace and it got very crowded, very quickly. The green chairs that NYC Parks provided for free became a commodity, a privilege.
Someone had left his seat to drop his trash and on his return found someone else had taken it for his family table. An argument ensued. Shouts and cursory words were in the air. You could sense the anger palpitating in his jugular. The police got involved.
If people got mad for a green chair, one wonders the implications when the resource in question is more serious, like water or food. Scarcity does summon the devils of our nature.