You know why I wanted (and now have) a house and two cars? Because living in an apartment sucks (financially as well as in terms of space/land/customization/privacy) and because with two cars, no one ever gets trapped at home - we both have the freedom to do what we want (including go to work and share the chores that require a car...)
I can appreciate that. But it's not really the house and the cars (personally, I'd prefer the downtown apartment from which I can walk) that are bothering me, it's the whole system of isolation and segregation. It's the green lawn moat and the generational rifts and the taboos about speaking of sex and violence. It's the whole notion of living on our little islands in rigidly-defined social roles.
'd prefer the downtown apartment from which I can walk
To where? Not everyone works within walking distance of where they live, even in the downtown, especially not when there are two workers in the family. Moreover, in some cities, living downtown isn't a reasonable option for many people. We could live within walking distance of WSU - we could have a house there, even, since Detroit's real estate is so depressed, or an apartment, or condo, or whatever. We looked at it when we moved here. All of the apartments and condos in that area are gated, high-security buildings, and the houses are old and run down. Living there would mean Steve would be able to walk to work, but it would also mean not being able to safely walk outside after dark or send Arthur to public school. And we would still be 30 minutes by freeway from my current job
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> To where? Not everyone works within walking distance of where they live, even in the downtown, especially not when there are two workers in the family.
Brad didn't say "we should all prefer the downtown apartment from which we can walk", he said what he would prefer. I assume this is because the places to which he would personally like to walk, with his own two feet, are within range and it would please him to do so.
In his original post, he pondered the question of why "we" desire these particular things. I was answering for myself, from my own situation. It's super that he's able to live in a place where everything he wants is within safe and convenient walking distance. All I'm saying is, this is certainly not the case everywhere in the world.
I think phrased this post badly--or maybe just insufficiently. What I'm really feeling annoyed with is our society's general (though not by any means completely pervasive) sense of rigid social roles. I am amazed by how many secular feminists cling ferociously to Christian ideas of monogamy and 1950s notions of child-rearing in the nuclear family.
I'm not saying people shouldn't be allowed to live in the suburbs, or have nuclear families, or be monogamous. I just don't get why that's still our society's default--even expected--model after everything we've been through in the last fifty years.
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I'm oversimplifying, of course.
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To where? Not everyone works within walking distance of where they live, even in the downtown, especially not when there are two workers in the family. Moreover, in some cities, living downtown isn't a reasonable option for many people. We could live within walking distance of WSU - we could have a house there, even, since Detroit's real estate is so depressed, or an apartment, or condo, or whatever. We looked at it when we moved here. All of the apartments and condos in that area are gated, high-security buildings, and the houses are old and run down. Living there would mean Steve would be able to walk to work, but it would also mean not being able to safely walk outside after dark or send Arthur to public school. And we would still be 30 minutes by freeway from my current job ( ... )
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Brad didn't say "we should all prefer the downtown apartment from which we can walk", he said what he would prefer. I assume this is because the places to which he would personally like to walk, with his own two feet, are within range and it would please him to do so.
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I'm not saying people shouldn't be allowed to live in the suburbs, or have nuclear families, or be monogamous. I just don't get why that's still our society's default--even expected--model after everything we've been through in the last fifty years.
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