the Problem Of Place In America And my Neighborhood: The Breakdown :: essays research papers

"The Problem of Place in America" and "My Neighborhood" The Breakdown ofCommunityWR 121 Paper 2     In Ray Oldenburgs "The Problem of Place in America" and Ishmael Reeds"My Neighborhood" the authors express thier dissatisfaction with the conjunction.Oldenburg focuses on the lack of a "third place" and the effects of consumerismon the suburbs, while Reed recalls his experience with injustice communities.Their aim is to identify enigmas in our society that they find to be a problem.Although neither of these authors offer solutions, the fact that these problemsare addressed is enough.     Some basic similarities surrounded by these two authors is they are bothattempting to identify problems in our society today. There are many that areailing our society at this time, yet I agree with them in their deductions. Itseems that they have addressed two of the main ills today, prejudice andconsumerism. These ke ep our communities from becoming unified. Fear is one ofthe prevalent themes in both essays. In Oldenburgs essay the suburbanite fearsthe unknown, his neighbors. People feel threatened by the size of thecommunities and they do not know anyone. These is due partly to consumerism,which keeps peck indoors. Reed was feared because of the color of his skin.Dogs would clamber at him as he walked by, cops would enter his own home to harasshim, people would yell racial slurs, and he was even watched closely to make incontestable that he did not abduct a child off the street. These fears are a result ofthe media and our society telling us to fear certain types of people. tv often portrays the black man as a dope dealing slander who hangs outon corners with a forty of "Old E." Soon people begin to believe all that theyhear and begin to discriminate against others.     One glaring difference in the two authors essays is that they bothaddress the same problem yet t hey touch on differing aspects. Oldenburg talksabout the deterioration of the suburbs. One reason is that there is no thirdplace. This is where we come to grips with our lives, relax, and reflect. Thiscould be a community center, a secluded spot in the woods, or a coffee shop atthe corner. The problem is that these places simply do not exist in the suburbs.One must get in their car, use gas, and drive to a place of meeting. Thismeans planning out the whole rendezvous point in advance and making sure thatthe person you want to meet can be there. Consumerism also keeps the community