NIMBY

NIMBY is an acronym for "not in my backyard." This is the term usually given to arguments from groups or individuals who demand a controversial development be built, as long as it is not built anywhere near where they live and work. NIMBY arguments generally follow requests for jails, necropolises, airports, highways, mass-transit lines, power plants, rehabilitation facilities (such as methadone clinics), sewage treatment plants, recycling centers, and affordable housing projects, but have been stretched to include corporations such as Wal-Mart.

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History of the Term

The first recorded instance of the term NIMBY comes from a 1980 issue of the Christian Science Monitor[1], although it was then used in a way that suggested that others already knew the term. It was also used in a stand-up comedy routine by George Carlin.[2] The term and idea are not limited to one location or country, but instead seems to be a common sentiment.

Synonyms and similar terminology

NAMBI

"Not Against My Business or Interest" is a more abstract variation on this theme, in which someone is against a proposed regulation or plan because it could directly hurt one's business, despite being a good idea for the whole community.

BANANA

"Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything". This is one of the most extreme groups of opposition to development or changes within a particular area. Opposition of this kind typically involves ill-thought out protests that, if taken to their logical conclusion, would mean that utilities, public housing and other such "undesirable" development would be located in the middle of nowhere.[3]

YIMBY

"Yes In My Backyard". Exactly the opposite of NIMBY. It is used to describe groups who actively campaign in favour of particular developments going ahead. YIMBY is particularly useful when a community group forms to oppose the original NIMBY group.[4] Sometimes you get a third-tier group opposing this second organisation. The situation then tends to rapidly deteriorate into Judean People's Front territory.

gollark: What, so if you break one block of stone your pickaxe breaks and you suddenly made a giant hole?
gollark: Evil idea #12591250125: turn on veinmining on stone.
gollark: Do you plan to also make your own `type` and `==`? Because that would be neat.
gollark: Also, *how* is it based on Linux?
gollark: <@185901063755268097> Why is learning the overly specific and not very transferable commands of your specific CC "OS" more useful than learning the usual CC Ones?

See also
  • Wind Turbine Syndrome
  • Emotional appeal
  • Nuclear power
  • Guantanamo Bay: Nearly all political opposition to closing the prison is related to this.
  • Pork is in a sense the NIMBY principle in reverse.
  • Special pleading is a fundamental element of almost all NIMBY debates. "While I fully support the need for halfway houses, they should not be allowed in this neighborhood because of (some usually unquantifiable characteristic obvious only to the speaker)".
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References
  1. "Hazardous Waste", Christian Science Monitor, November 6, 1980
  2. George Carlin Using the Term
  3. 'From NIMBYs To DUDEs: "The Wacky World Of Plannerese", Planetizen, 26 July 2005
  4. "Rise of the yimbys: the angry millennials with a radical housing solution", The Guardian, 2 October 2017
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