Observations on Population Increase in Sanborn, NY
Sanborn is arguably one of the most rural towns in western new york. coincidentally, they decided to construct the NCCC campus here. I can say without a doubt that this town that I currently reside in exists within the "Gemeinschaft" category. People who live here know each other on a first name basis, the roles here are strictly on a person to person basis. The community was chosen as the location of NCCC because it is bordered, and located at equal distance from the towns of Cambria, Lewiston, and Wheatfield. Thus making it equally accessible for residents of all neighborhoods.
I think that the idea to build the school here was well intentioned, however not well thought out. Much more could be done to support the increase in population brought about by the addition of the dormatories which I estimated to be roughly 1,000. I decided to look up some data in order to attempt to confirm my estimate, and found out that the town's estimated population is 5,470 yet it says here that the total CURRENT population of sanborn is 6,218. Could this extra 740 people or 13.6% of the town's total population be accounted for by the addition of the dorms?
If so, then that is a significant portion of the town's population. Yet, there was no increase in jobs or anything re-invested into the community to support this population increase. There is a supermarket, a tanning salon, a CVS, a Subway, and a Gas station. I was told by a friend who used to work at the Supermarket that they have a hidden policy of not hiring the residents because of a fear of theft. I found that to be a rather harsh assumption, that we are all thieves. I don't know what to make of this, obviously becuase I want to work, I am a little irritated because I am a Veteran and I can't find employment in my own town because of an assumption. I must first question whether or not their fear is justified I suppose, I mean, let's face it we get a lot of kids from the ghetto living here right now. Theft is a problem here, and people get robbed all the time. I have personally witnessed a group of kids steal cases of beer from the local gas station, so I can't really say that their fear is COMPLETELY irrational. I do, however think it is wrong to punish people such as myself as a result of such incidents.
This way of thinking, of shunning the outsider I find to be very indicative of the Gemeinschaft society as well. They are so connected to each other by their close social bonds that anybody new is immediately identified as a threat, however they built their stores here in order to capitalize on the demand for goods that we bring, yet we city folk are still recognized as "them" or the "other" that is shunned in secret.
Where I came from prior to living here was the complete opposite of what I see today. Having lived in a "Gesellschaft" society in the past, I recall feeling much more anonymous against the clutter of people's everyday lives. In more urbanized areas, you see more extreme behavior and appearances begin to flourish as people strive harder and harder to develop their sense of individuality amidst the clutter hustle and bustle of everyday life. People exist within a network of social scenes that they escape to in order to gain that same sense of Gemeinschaft solidarity that can only be found in the rural atmosphere such as Sanborn NY. I think that Gesellschaft creates more room for intellectual growth because of the sheer volume of information that one is subjected to on a daily bases. The competitive atmosphere of the city also creates a synergistic relationship which fosters even more intellectual growth. I miss it very much and although work is not easy to find there either, there is enough ebb and flow of industry in order to enable anyone who is more determined than the average person to find work, the problem is, statistically, not everyone can be in that upper echelon, and it mirrors an essential flaw of capitalism which is inequality. Like a game of musical chairs, not everybody can win, inadvertently we are pit against each other and becing to view everyone as competition but not in such a way that prevents us from making social bonds like I find common in the judgemental rationality of the typical Gemeinschaft neighborhood.
http://www.zip-codes.com/city/NY-SANBORN.asp
I think that the idea to build the school here was well intentioned, however not well thought out. Much more could be done to support the increase in population brought about by the addition of the dormatories which I estimated to be roughly 1,000. I decided to look up some data in order to attempt to confirm my estimate, and found out that the town's estimated population is 5,470 yet it says here that the total CURRENT population of sanborn is 6,218. Could this extra 740 people or 13.6% of the town's total population be accounted for by the addition of the dorms?
If so, then that is a significant portion of the town's population. Yet, there was no increase in jobs or anything re-invested into the community to support this population increase. There is a supermarket, a tanning salon, a CVS, a Subway, and a Gas station. I was told by a friend who used to work at the Supermarket that they have a hidden policy of not hiring the residents because of a fear of theft. I found that to be a rather harsh assumption, that we are all thieves. I don't know what to make of this, obviously becuase I want to work, I am a little irritated because I am a Veteran and I can't find employment in my own town because of an assumption. I must first question whether or not their fear is justified I suppose, I mean, let's face it we get a lot of kids from the ghetto living here right now. Theft is a problem here, and people get robbed all the time. I have personally witnessed a group of kids steal cases of beer from the local gas station, so I can't really say that their fear is COMPLETELY irrational. I do, however think it is wrong to punish people such as myself as a result of such incidents.
This way of thinking, of shunning the outsider I find to be very indicative of the Gemeinschaft society as well. They are so connected to each other by their close social bonds that anybody new is immediately identified as a threat, however they built their stores here in order to capitalize on the demand for goods that we bring, yet we city folk are still recognized as "them" or the "other" that is shunned in secret.
Where I came from prior to living here was the complete opposite of what I see today. Having lived in a "Gesellschaft" society in the past, I recall feeling much more anonymous against the clutter of people's everyday lives. In more urbanized areas, you see more extreme behavior and appearances begin to flourish as people strive harder and harder to develop their sense of individuality amidst the clutter hustle and bustle of everyday life. People exist within a network of social scenes that they escape to in order to gain that same sense of Gemeinschaft solidarity that can only be found in the rural atmosphere such as Sanborn NY. I think that Gesellschaft creates more room for intellectual growth because of the sheer volume of information that one is subjected to on a daily bases. The competitive atmosphere of the city also creates a synergistic relationship which fosters even more intellectual growth. I miss it very much and although work is not easy to find there either, there is enough ebb and flow of industry in order to enable anyone who is more determined than the average person to find work, the problem is, statistically, not everyone can be in that upper echelon, and it mirrors an essential flaw of capitalism which is inequality. Like a game of musical chairs, not everybody can win, inadvertently we are pit against each other and becing to view everyone as competition but not in such a way that prevents us from making social bonds like I find common in the judgemental rationality of the typical Gemeinschaft neighborhood.
http://www.zip-codes.com/city/NY-SANBORN.asp