Reading Glickman’s article about consumerism and the modern home has made me think about our modern homes today, including subdivisions that seem to spring up overnight.Glickman references a speech from our lovely president Richard Nixon, whereas he states, “You will see a house, a car, a television set- each the newest and most modern of its type we produce.But can only the rich in the United States afford such things?” (298) His notion still holds extremely true today, that we are a nation of consumers, who, throughout history have competed with one another and attempted to reach the highest living standard possible for all people.
Reading about the suburban sprawl of the 1950’s made me think of the rural-suburban sprawl I have noticed in the areas around here.The descriptions of the goods that were purchased and the testimonial quotes from everyday citizens have made me realize that our lifestyles aren’t much different from those of the mid twentieth century.In the article, it was mentioned that the suburban lifestyle promoted homogeneity and practical racial segregation.I see the suburbs as a sort of safe haven for families, where children can be sheltered from the realities of the outside world and where keeping up with your neighbors can be the quintessential purpose in life.
When I see these “suburbs” spring up around here, on what was once rural farmland, it makes me wonder what kind of people will be living there.I can think of a number of places in Ross, Harrison and Hamilton which used to be dominated by farmland , now covered with prefabricated homes “starting around $200,000” as the sign says.I think that suburbs are ultimately a bad idea.I think the notion of homogeneity and segregation are the primary figures of my reasoning.I know a lot of people from the suburbs who are sheltered, ignorant of other cultures and entitled to everything because of how “affluent” they see their families as being.I also think that the article does justice to reflecting how people in suburban fantasy realms were ultimately unhappy; the craving for material possessions can only make you happy to an extent, it cannot make you a fulfilled human being.What do you guys think, are suburbs a good idea?
Clay
I agree completely with you. Living in Liberty Township close to Monroe for 23 years I have seen first hand how much the layout of the land has changed. While I was growing up Voice of America was still a radio station and going to church would pass the forest of radio antennas. These subdivisions take away peoples individuality and chances to see nature. People are cooped up on these half acre plots surrounded on all sides by the exact same houses with different colored shutters maybe. Being one of the fortunate few that had plenty of land and got to play in the woods, it is strange to see kids who have never had the experience to do the same. Even though it does allow families who didn’t have the funds to buy plots of land and build houses to move out of the city and possibly start a better life for them. I do not feel that this is what people are really thinking when they have the “American Dream” since the majority of people see these as starter homes or say they are unhappy with where they are.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. The suburbs were at one point a great place to live back when I was growing up; I lived in an old neighborhood with big lots and large trees and loved it. But the neighborhoods that are being put up today are cookie cutters, were every other house is the same with a half-acre of land. The America dream in my eye is not to be like the Jones. But your own person with your own dreams not the ones of your neighbors.
ReplyDeleteClayton, I do agree that suburbs are grounds for segregation, however, it is not with malicious intent that this happens. For example, I'm of the opinion that most of the time the people that live in the suburbs usually have a very steady job and the income to afford the housing that they live in. Unfortunately, other races or cultures do not make as much money on average as white people in our country right now. However, it's not as though these communities don't allow black, hispanic, polish, ethnicities, much of the time these more people of this descent can't afford the housing. This is not to be politically incorrect, I'm just observing the state of how things are right now in our country.
ReplyDeleteNot only is this happening however, I believe that suburbs are creating a culture of laziness in America's youth today. Along with this suburbian culture is reaching outside of the suburbs into smaller communities in America. The culture of technology, nice cars, and "keeping up with the joneses" has penetrated even small farming communities. In suburbs many kids these days stay inside and play on their computers, or video game systems. This causes many separate problems. A few of these problems are entitlement and laziness, which both are poison to our country and to the so called American Dream. This sort of suburbian culture of laziness and inactivity leads to entitlement, which overall hurts our future as a country. In short Clay, Suburbs are not a good idea as they are now. The culture of suburbs need to change for them to be a better place in communities surrounding cities.