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

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"The Problem of Place in America" and "My Neighborhood": The Breakdown of Community WR 121 Paper #2 In Ray Oldenburg's "The Problem of Place in America" and Ishmael Reed's "My Neighborhood" the authors express thier dissatisfaction with the community. Oldenburg focuses on the lack of a "third place" and the effects of consumerism on the suburbs, while Reed recalls his experience with prejudice communities. Their aim is to identify problems in our society that they find to be a problem. Although neither of these authors offer solutions, the fact that these problems are addressed is enough. Some basic similarities between these two authors is they are both attempting to identify problems in our society today. There are many that are ailing our society at this time, yet I agree with them in their deductions. It seems that they have addressed two of the main ills today, prejudice and consumerism. These keep our communities from becoming unified. Fear is one of the prevalent themes in both essays. In Oldenburg's essay the suburbanite fears the unknown, his neighbors. People feel threatened by the size of the communities and they do not know anyone. These is due partly to consumerism, which keeps people indoors. Reed was feared because of the color of his skin. Dogs would bark at him as he walked by, cops would enter his own home to harass him, people would yell racial slurs, and he was even watched closely to make sure that he did not abduct a child off the street. These fears are a result of the media and our society telling us to fear certain types of people. Television often portrays the black man as a dope dealing slander who hangs out on corners with a forty of "Old E." Soon people begin to believe all that they hear and begin to discriminate against others. One glaring difference in the two authors essays is that they both address the same problem yet they touch on differing aspects. Oldenburg talks about the deterioration of the suburbs. One reason is that there is no third place. This is where we come to grips with our lives, relax, and reflect. This could be a community center, a secluded spot in the woods, or a coffee shop at the 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. This means planning out the whole rendezvous point in advance and making sure that the person you want to meet can be there. Consumerism also keeps the community

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