Ai, meu Deus do céu!
I hate suburbs. I really, really do. In my childhood, I was lucky enough to grow up in an urban city and a small town, and I have to say that the suburbs were possibly the worst place that I have ever lived (Hint: The place rhymes with “Moss Haygrass”. Ok, not really, but…
Until I started college last year, I’d lived my whole life in the suburbs of the Midwest. It wasn’t so bad, for me, anyways - there’s such a great amount of diversity between different kinds of suburbs it’s hard to generalize. I do know, however, that I am very glad to have grown up in the suburbs, particularly my own - at college I’ve heard many stories of small-town life, and, well, small-town life - in my state, at least - does not sound very pleasant.
My own street is a slightly older neighborhood for the area, having been built around forty years ago. The houses are unremarkable, mostly ranch houses and ranch-like two-floor homes, but hardly lacking in personality. The trees are all about as old as the houses, or a bit older, and have grown to great heights. Overall, not particularly ugly. So it very much depends on the area. Some older suburban neighborhoods can be legitimately beautiful.
The lack of history in suburban areas is somewhat disappointing. But sometimes there’s more history than you think; you just have to know where to look. There are older houses and cabins and churches and other landmarks scattered throughout the area.
As for food and businesses, it completely depends on the suburb. In the newest, least-dense areas - the “exurbs”, filled exclusively with McMansions - there are almost no independent or family-owned establishments. But pretty much anywhere, if you drive into the suburbs from the exurbs, you’ll find a good variety of non-chain places.
Living in my area of suburbia offered me the opportunity to interact with an enormous variety of people of many races, religions, ethnic groups, and nationalities. This is not typical of all suburbs, but it’s hardly unusual. If I’d lived in a small town, that could never have been possible, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I would probably have much less adventurous tastes in different national cuisines, as well.
Regarding fake people - I disagree. Small towns, cities, and suburbs are all filled with fake people. You hear complaints all the time about arrogant yuppies and vapid hipsters flooding working-class urban communities and gentrifying their neighborhoods, or any other type of “fake” people. Suburbia may encourage particular kinds socio-/psychological malaise, but, nonetheless, suburbia is a continent - a universe, in fact, with all kinds of people, from the poorest to the richest and from the most authentic to the most shallow. The best and the worst.
And regarding transportation - you’re absolutely right about that. One of the biggest faults of suburbia. Even when neighborhoods are well-supplied with sidewalks, it’s still far too inconvenient to walk to jobs or to do errands for most, and the mass transit system is weak or nonexistent. That is something about suburbia that must be fixed.
And perhaps “I hate X. I really, really do” could be your catchphrase.
Yeah, I agree with what you say. I think that I am talking more on the exurbs, especially the ones on the west coast and the rapidly developing cities of the southwest, especially in Cali. I agree with the hipsters, they’re horrible. But I guess the quality of small towns are dependent on the region. In the east they’re great because they’re old, historical, and close to major cities because all the cities on the east coast all so close to each other. At leazt in that circumstance, I think they’re one of the best places to grow up.
via Tumblr http://annonavi-barocco.tumblr.com/post/62827612215
No comments:
Post a Comment