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“Civil servants” are employees of the municipal, state, or federal government. Within cities they often live in far-flung areas that are colloquially referred to as “police neighborhoods" or “firefighter neighborhoods.” The tendency of civil servants to live amongst each other has caused them to develop a distinct set of customs and norms that can be described as “civil servant culture.”

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin by discussing whether civil servants constitute their own subculture or social class. They then talk about the symbols they use to identify one another such as thin line flags, punisher symbols, and regional accents. They then survey the areas that civil servants tend to cluster in Chicago (Beverly/ Mt. Greenwood, Garfield Ridge/ Clearing, and Norwood Park/ O’Hare) and NYC (Staten Island, Breezy Point), before concluding with a discussion on the differences between public facing and administrative civil servants.

Links:

Residency Requirements for City Employees by Connie M Hager

Mayoral challenger outlines plan to ease police staffing shortage by Fran Spielman

The thin blue line: The history behind the controversial police emblem by David Hernandez

The Thin Blue Line (1988)

Thin Line Flags Infographic

First Responder American Flag, 3 x 5 Feet

Man walking to every CPD station to raise awareness for police mental health

The Punisher Skull - 99% Invisible 

Italian cop in NYC

Infographic: Where Cubs and White Sox Fans Live

City Active Employees: Map and Census Data

Hey Jackass’s 2025 homicide map

"Cop neighborhoods" in NYC?

Why is there no outrage over the Breezy Point Cooperative?

Burn After Reading (2008)

Toward a Theory of Street-Level Bureaucracy by Michael Lipsky 

Bangladeshis Build Careers in New York Traffic by Jodi Kantor

How Stereotypes of the Irish Evolved From ‘Criminals’ to Cops by Livia Gershon 

Cops Rarely Pull Over Drivers In Their Own Neighborhoods, Data Shows. Motorists In Black Neighborhoods Aren’t So Lucky by Pascal Sabin

Chicago’s first firefighters entrance exam since 2014 draws diverse pool, but rules have changed by Fran Spielman

Artwork:

ThrowbackThursday: Weekly Garbage Service - Eltham District Historical Society

Recorded on 10/5/2025