The up side for me is that the units near me that are within "open your curtains and look at me in my underpants" distance are now unoccupied. See?
Yes, now I can pick my nose, scratch my tuckus, and pluck my facial hair, all with blinds akimbo and patio door wide open. And more importantly, at least for a while I don't have to endure the bad music, arguments, and monkey sex of my neighbors.
It's not that I don't like the idea of neighbors, mind you. When I moved into my condo, in fact, I was excited at the prospect of having cool, trendy neighbors with whom I could drink mojitos on the lanai.
But it hasn't worked out quite that way.
I'm sure the folks around here are just ding-dilly-dang nice, but we don't socialize so much. I was envisioning a 90210-type scenario when I moved in, and instead what I got was the Addams Family 'hood. I'm not really complaining so much as it sounds, me being the recluse that I am, but it gets me curious about neighborly relations. When I was growing up, there were no fences and people actually walked around and talked to each other. My parents knew the name of every family in our little two-block radius and we meeted and greeted on a regular basis. Now it seems that most folks stick to the inside and only come out to collect their mail or bring in their groceries from the car.
What's changed? Is it the internet? Is it satellite TV? Is it Alan Greenspan? Why won't we just go outside and talk to each other? I think we're missing out on a fundamental human connection here, folks. Come on, at least throw a beer bottle at a passing kid--you know it's the right thing to do.
13 comments:
Personally, I'm all for blaming Alan Greenspan for much of what's happened in society for the past fifteen years. But, yeah. I'm not sure what's happened to the concept of "neighborly." I've been thinking about that myself a lot lately . . .
Good post girl, sorry about the exodus or...maybe not. When i left Wis., I left a real-live neighbor hood-we had a round robin for everyone over the holidays, summer get together's at the lake access and a dozen helping hands for any home project. Yeh, I do miss that.
I composed my longest comment ever - and then it didn't appear. So I'll re-summarize:
I bought a house 38 years ago north of San Francisco and the day after I moved in I went and introduced myself to my neighbor - she said, "Oh! Nobody knows their neighbors anymore!" So this is not new.
So many causes: mobility - people don't stay in the same place or even in the same marriages or jobs anymore. Migration: both from other countries as well as from east to west, country to city. You never know if THEY are like US. Television and the automobile separate us. Sprawl wipes out smaller businesses so we can't walk to the store but need to drive to the mall where no-one knows us. The shifting of economic and racial barriers. The demise of the front porch for the front garage. Big business and big-money politics - as well the polorizing rhetoric of talk radio - makes us feel disempowered and discourages civic discussion and involvement with neighbors.
Thank God for blogs and Halloween! In West Hollywood they block off Sant Monica Blvd and the police patrol on horseback. Yes, everyone except the gawkers are masked, but you see every type, age, color, nationality, sex, and in betweener. And the social and political commentary of the costumes is top notch!
Also our neighborhood of homes and apartments formed a non-profit, renamed itself and has a neighborhood watch which meets monthly WITH FOOD and speakers (police, fire fighters, town reps). We have several block parties every year with games, barbeques, prizes, music etc. This in the heart of LA. We know the names and numbers of all our neighbors. So it can be done - if a few people stay put and commit!
I can actually relate to this one. Our next door neighbor is a nice old lady who is the grandmother of two friends at my school... sweet woman... but on the other side, is a couple that owns a local French restaurant and are stinkin' rich with several sons (I haven't counted). Everyone in the neighborhood talks about how nice this family is and we've lived here for over a year and we can't get a single wave out of the mother. And the boys are a bunch of skateboarding punks that look about 12-13ish. I hate them. Last winter we were babysitting two big, mean-looking dogs and it had snowed and of course the dogs wanted out. Well, I looked out te front yard to admire our untouched sheet of snow, when those boys ran into our yard and started playing in it because the already destroyed theirs up. I was so mad, I opened the fence to the front yard and let the dogs chase the brats away.
Bastards...
I blame Alan Greenspants.
You should know that this is only because I like referring to him as Alan GreensPants. Or Alan GreenPants. Take your pick.
i have just thrown a beer bottle at a passing kid, per request.
and you were correct: it was the right thing to do. it *felt* right.
To Zak: Pity them! They are Fwench! Maybe Fwench folks are not allowed to wave - maybe it's uncool there. Go make a batch of cookies (see Pioneerwoman's site) and give them to all your neighbors including the Fwench family. Ask the mother if she has any great French (don't say Fwench to them - that's just between us) cookie recipes - that you're doing a dessert project - and see what she says. You just might learn a lot and make some life-long fwends!
a.fanny has such good ideas to perhaps melt the Fwenchie's heart. Moi, I have known many, many of these people in my lifetime. They are problematic. They invented modern culture don't you know, a terribly exhausting task and now, nous reposerons maintenant. And sit back and make fun of the rest of us. But not in a jolly American kind of way. In a talk-to-the-hand-while-disdainfully-smoking-Galoise kind of way. Yes, pity them. And then go be all American on their asses.
you gals --f'**n cwack me up!!!
I'm not a gal.
suit yourself...
You people are endlessly entertaining! Your collective wit is truly awesome. I bow to each and every one of you.
Moi & DR: maybe it's time for that commune we keep talking about. *We'd* be neighborly with one another--wouldn't we??
a.fanny: see, you're the type of person who organizes things and follows through. I admire your community spirit so much and hope someday to get me some. Please send a pic of you in your Halloween costume.
zak: Your cursing is getting out of hand, young man. Does Susan know about this? I hope that your Frenchy neighbors soon open their hearts to the fascinating person you are. Their loss if they don't, bucko. They'll be crying when you're rich and famous. As will I.
Pirate: I choose Alan GreenPants! It reminds me of Mr. Green Jeans (ala Captain Kangaroo). Thank you for giving me one more thing to laugh at when I watch the news, because Lord knows I need it.
aj: Glad to be of service. Throw another one and see how much better it makes you feel. Hell, if you're going to have the neighborhood watch on your ass, make 'em *work* for it.
Thank you all for the endless bright spots you provide in my day!
mmmm, throwing that second one *was* even better.
also, i hereby declare zak a gal. well, an honorary gal; and probably only for a week or so. kinda like being a guest host on the mickey mouse show or having you're picture taken with an astronaut but not getting to tour inside of the space capsule. still--kudos, zak!
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