THINQon : The decline of American community

The Living Room General The decline of American community

THINQon is a platform for a more intelligent web. It aims to replace the ruling paradigm of the web – that of sharing and gathering information – with a sharing and achieving of understanding. Instead of the Q&A model it offers an experience. A platform for discovery of ideas, people, and yourself. Continue >

William Sanguine

The decline of American community

Latest Post: December 16, 2011 at 7:48 AM

16 followers

I have been reading some nonfiction social science books by David Halpern and Robert Putnam, and I have been curious about what you would think of their ideas. They say, essentially, that community in America has been vanishing over the past 30-40 years. People are less likely to say they trust others (when surveyed) and less likely to get involved in anything voluntary. This could be attributed to income inequality, or to a decrease in religious faith. It has negative effects on health, crime, and the effectiveness of government.

In your experience, what makes community work? Does Halpern and Putnam's claim seem plausible, and if so, what do you think is the cause of this trend?

Reply to:

Molly Bloom

November 28, 2011 at 9:24 AM

37 followers

What a vast and important question. There are a lot of things to discuss, e.g.:
--what is real community?
--what is it based around?
--how long must it endure?

For instance, is the camaraderie of college campus a "community"? On one hand, people's social groups over the course of their lives are more fragmented than ever; on the other, the number of people now partaking of the four-year social experiment that constitutes most undergraduate experience is larger than ever before. The college experience is powerful and, for many people, ephemeral. Is this a typical example of the way our relation to community has changed?

Is the cohort of people who gather to campaign for an official a community? This is even more fleeting than the example of college. What's strange in political movements nowadays is the willingness of people to campaign outside their own backyards, or even regions (think of the traveling community of young people roaming about on the Obama trail). This may increase the sense of community among the volunteers, but it also constitutes a certain rip in the social fabric in the country more generally.

Does the rise of evangelical Christianity constitute a community? Is it reasonable to only accept others emotionally and socially if they profess the same belief as you? What role does the acceptance of difference (which is to say, the acceptance of someone as an entire human being, across the spectrum of his or her life) play in the creation and maintenance of "community"?

--------

There are no easy answers but having exponentially expanded William's set of original questions I feel I should at least say something.

I'm reminded of the fragment of Heraclitus to the effect that when awake we are all part of the same world, while when we dream, we dream alone. To me community is something one belongs to when awake. There are moments in college like this, but there are likewise many moments of fantasy. The campaign trail is almost entirely a web of dreams. Evangelical Christianity points towards a world to come. Thus, for the sake of provocation, I think the second and third examples I have given are populated by Heraclitus' dreamers. I am not sure it is entirely possible to be awake together under such circumstances (note: this is certainly not a remark a priori against Christianity: there were certainly times and places in history where it served as an enormous force for social justice, but I don't think it's clear that the megachurches and the prosperity gospels are such an example).

That leaves the example of the university. I would say the educational experience is one of the few places left to us to be awake together (perhaps a provisional definition of community?). Of course, that said, there is a lot that goes on in the guise of the "university experience" on fraternity rows around the nation which is entirely escapism, fantasy and dreaming.

Reply to: or

William Sanguine

In response to Molly Bloom

November 29, 2011 at 3:15 AM

16 followers

I think it's sad that college only lasts four years. From Putnam's description of a megachurch, it sounds to me as though it supplies a college-like experience to those who participate. For instance, it targets different worship environments to different customers. (Just as a college allows you to choose which courses you want to take.) Want to listen to rock n' roll before a sermon? They have a room for that. At the heart of the megachurch experience are the small groups of worshipers who meet to share an interest and to connect on a more personal level. (College, after all, would be nothing without friend groups, sports teams, musical groups, and so forth.) People in the small worship groups have personal conversations in which they share real details of their life that trouble them, much like one would do in a late night dorm conversation. The megachurch is also very corporate, just like a college. Its administrators sit behind desks, on comfy chairs, in plush offices. Its messages embrace America's corporate ethos ("Jesus, be the CEO of my life") just like a college tries to match its graduates with jobs in the real world. Much of its message is educational in a "self help" sense -- talking about how to apply your talents optimally. God really wants you to get rich, after all, and so does the dean of students, because you might choose to give back.

So as much as I would like the megachurches to be more inclusive, and as much as I am sad that they partly mirror the secular world's obsession with power and status, nevertheless I can't help but feel they are better than the total absence of meaningful community that many people experience after college ends. I shouldn't criticize them unless I know of a better alternative, which I don't.

For a definition of community --

Putnam (and other researchers in social capital) often ask people "do you think others are generally trustworthy?" One could also ask whether the people in the community can accomplish things together. Another question might be whether people willingly sacrifice for their community. I like the idea of "wakefulness." I associate community values with: humility, friendship, nurturing, loyalty, fairness, equality, etc.

Reply to: or

Tom Kimmel, Who am I to say that I am not the center of the...

November 28, 2011 at 5:18 PM

15 followers

I suggest that a common thread among both victims of disunity and champions of common cause, (often the same people) is a sense of having been lied to.
Not just that the broad world or religion or family has failed to present its search for truth that is consistent with a unity that includes us, but being actively lied to. Separated and divided to the point where no sense of belonging pertains.
Perhaps it is usual for the liars to believe the lies are necessary to maintain the established order or even for the greater good. Still, regardless of what liars want to believe, lies are always deceptive, by definition, and so destructive.

Community is dissolved by lies. Why do we lie or accept being lied to? Fear mostly, I guess, and isn't that the height of irony?