Posted by Barry Lloyd Wright on April 04, 2003 at 09:10:14:Maybe it’s my screwed up, weird & strange way of thinking, but as I look around me wherever I go, seeing 1000’s of homes & housing developments, I no longer see kids playing, neighbors talking, etc. Have we become a very anti-social society? Even when you do go out to a public place people still have that stuck-up anti-social attitude also. Often I try to strike up conversations with people & it’s almost as if they are afraid to speak & believe me…it’s not me. People have no sense of humor either. Everyone else I know often run into the same problem. Has our way of living made us creatures of comfort that only want to stay home to watch TV rather than get to know their neighbor? Is that why porches are no longer used? Things are so bad now that some people do not even know who is living next door to them, nor do they care. Why? Because they would rather stay indoors & be anti-social. Their attitude is to heck with everything. I have a nice home with electricity & all the modern conveniences of technology. Why do I care about my neighbors? Kids have changed drastically too. When I was a kid I had many friends & practically lived outside playing, riding bikes, building tree forts, making pathways in the woods, etc. I knew how to play. Today’s kids don’t. Maybe they would rather sit inside not willing to work on their social skills & play the latest game on a PC.
This is a subject for a Sociologist I know, but it relates to architecture too in many respects. Have we really become an anti-social civilization? Will things continue to get worse? Is our style, way of living & architecture making us who we are? Is our surroundings, laws, environment, etc. governing the kind of people we are? Is it really freedom? I think not. Heck, in my town they even have an ordinance against clotheslines or having a car parked up on concrete blocks. If you told our ancestors they couldn't hang out clothes they'll freak. Not everyone has a dryer you know.
In essence, the problem is this. With a more crowded environment, people become like rats & their behaviors reflect that. Thus, the name “Rat Race.” If we all would suddenly become more sociable, lots of trouble would be brewing for sure as in reality…WE REALLY CANNOT GET ALONG UNLESS WE REMAIN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS! Also, the more people there are & the more crowded an area becomes; the more laws are set, enacted & enforced.
If I hit the lottery, I’m moving to Holland or Denmark!
|
ArchitectureWeek
Buildings
Architects
Types & Styles
Search
Library
Places
Pix
Free 3D Models
Archiplanet
|
|