It would be nice to live in a time and place where villages were the norm, where people could go out to the street for company, have a chat about anything, with people that are lifelong friends about whatever is on your mind. In today’s time and place, having friend contact needs special planning and arrangements and it’s rare to have them all in one place and know each other. I wonder if this modern life with lack of social contact is contributing to mental health epidemic.
Which is kinda romantic to think about. I expect the reality was quite a mixed bag. EVERYONE knew exactly what all your problems were, what your kids were getting up to that they shouldn’t have, and everything that you SHOULD have been doing and weren’t. Both your friends AND your enemies. And there’s a much higher level of social control and huge consequences for stepping outside the agreed upon social norms. Reading the Miss Marple stories - you realise just how much filthbaggery went on in a village. And Jane Austen and Mrs Gaskell’s works are full of the consequences of living in a very small social circle that you couldn’t escape from.
When people in the street ask you how you’re doing and they name your parents and ask how they’re doing and you have no clue who the fuck they are so you run back home to tell mum and dad and they ask “well who was it?” and you reply with “I don’t know” and they spend the rest of the night trying to work out who I spoke to.
I’ve lived that “village” life. I wouldn’t say it contributes to better mental health but it doesn’t hurt to know your neighbours a bit more.
Yeah. People working all the time, being forced to move wherever they can afford (and move frequently), opposing shifts, car dependence, the norm being nuclear families with little support meaning people pair off and disappear into their immediate family. Every outside space except libraries being monetised. In some places anti-homeless architecture means a place isn’t inviting or there’s nowhere comfortable to sit…
It’s the loss of community and third places.
Also it’s self reinforcing. My neighbourhood is quite rough (frequent issues with mental health and resulting violence/antisocial behaviour) so I don’t feel comfortable going out. Other places might not have anywhere for local people to go, period.
So then you get everybody having heavy reliance on the increasingly corporatised social media hellscape, creating new issues.
before television people used to go out and visit friends, family and neighbours after work. To chat, play cards, have a cup of te
now everyone sits at home watching tv
but we are such a social animal that the first chance we had of connecting again we grabbed it, we went on the net
but net is being abused by some people, it’s too private, and defending yourself from manipulative words is hard , even adults have trouble with mean people
It would be nice to live in a time and place where villages were the norm, where people could go out to the street for company, have a chat about anything, with people that are lifelong friends about whatever is on your mind. In today’s time and place, having friend contact needs special planning and arrangements and it’s rare to have them all in one place and know each other. I wonder if this modern life with lack of social contact is contributing to mental health epidemic.
Which is kinda romantic to think about. I expect the reality was quite a mixed bag. EVERYONE knew exactly what all your problems were, what your kids were getting up to that they shouldn’t have, and everything that you SHOULD have been doing and weren’t. Both your friends AND your enemies. And there’s a much higher level of social control and huge consequences for stepping outside the agreed upon social norms. Reading the Miss Marple stories - you realise just how much filthbaggery went on in a village. And Jane Austen and Mrs Gaskell’s works are full of the consequences of living in a very small social circle that you couldn’t escape from.
When people in the street ask you how you’re doing and they name your parents and ask how they’re doing and you have no clue who the fuck they are so you run back home to tell mum and dad and they ask “well who was it?” and you reply with “I don’t know” and they spend the rest of the night trying to work out who I spoke to.
I’ve lived that “village” life. I wouldn’t say it contributes to better mental health but it doesn’t hurt to know your neighbours a bit more.
Yeah. People working all the time, being forced to move wherever they can afford (and move frequently), opposing shifts, car dependence, the norm being nuclear families with little support meaning people pair off and disappear into their immediate family. Every outside space except libraries being monetised. In some places anti-homeless architecture means a place isn’t inviting or there’s nowhere comfortable to sit…
It’s the loss of community and third places.
Also it’s self reinforcing. My neighbourhood is quite rough (frequent issues with mental health and resulting violence/antisocial behaviour) so I don’t feel comfortable going out. Other places might not have anywhere for local people to go, period.
So then you get everybody having heavy reliance on the increasingly corporatised social media hellscape, creating new issues.
before television people used to go out and visit friends, family and neighbours after work. To chat, play cards, have a cup of te
now everyone sits at home watching tv
but we are such a social animal that the first chance we had of connecting again we grabbed it, we went on the net
but net is being abused by some people, it’s too private, and defending yourself from manipulative words is hard , even adults have trouble with mean people
a balance would be good
I just try to gravitate to the places with the least amount of arseholes :'(
Same and that’s at home. Much prefer the one human soul mate and my animals here