The Problem of Place in America

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The Problem of Place in America

Ray Oldenburg’s essay, “The Problem of Place in America,” is a well written essay about Americans and how we need to build a tripod, which would assist in balancing family, work, friends, and neighbors. In his essay he explains we spend much of our time at work and what is not spent at work, Americans spend at home with their families. You may be thinking, what else is there time for in our daily schedules? According to Oldenburg, we need to spend more time with our friends and neighbors. He believes Americans become bored and spend their money on materialistic things rather than meeting some friends at the local taverns/parks to simply relax and help relieve the daily stress. He also goes on to say, “that Americans would not be so stressed if they would complete this tripod and keep a healthy balance between friends, family, and the work force.” According to his essay, more time should be spent with neighbors and friends, whether it is at a local pub or coffee shop. Does Oldenburg have some good points? Yes, however this essay does not address some important factual information. In reality, Americans have extremely busy schedules. Therefore the main question is; is it possible to spread our time between family, friends, and work equally? According to Ray Oldenburg it is, but if you were to take a close look at the essay you may question his reasoning and his solutions for completing the “tripod.”

In his essay he states several times Americans are unhappy. He exhibits this through one observer’s written comment: “A man works in one place, sleeps in another, shops somewhere else, finds pleasure or companionship where he can, and cares about none if these places.” First of all, this is just one observer’s opinion, also we know nothing about this individuals credentials or his experience. Also we must realize all the tasks he listed have to be done in separate places. You can not work, sleep, and shop all at the same place. If you were to talk to different people or observe several people you would find some who would be very happy and content with work, rest, and companionship, while others may not care about these issues. Besides being unhappy, Oldenburg also believes Americans spend little or no time trying to get to know our neighbors.

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