A Conversation for MVP's NaJoPoMo - A is for Avocado

B is for Boring Suburbs

Post 1

minorvogonpoet

The place I live could be described as a dormitory town. When I look out of my window, I see a row of similar houses, with white plastic windows. Most have paved front gardens, used for parking two or more cars. People leave by about eight in the morning, driving to work. I'm not sure where they go. Gatwick Airport is a major employment hubub, but some people go to Brighton and it is possible to commute to London. I used to do it. There is a junior school round the corner, so I see mothers, fathers and sometimes people who look like grandparents, drive up, usher their children to the school and leave again. I know some of my neighbours but it remains true that most people come and go without exchanging greetings. What is more, anonymous housing estates like ours are being built around the town and in other parts of south-east England.

Do people have a sense of belonging to a community? There is a proposal for a community centre in a new estate being built across the road. However, I wonder if people will use it, or continue to drive to Brighton or elsewhere for a social life. There are plenty of clubs and associations round the town: football, karate, local history, nature conservation, political parties, Guides and Scouts, playgroups and the University of the Third Age are all flourishing. It seems people are forming groups round interests rather than locality. However what happens if you have, for example, an extreme right wing organisation and a group of vulnerable refugees in one neighbourhood? And, as a writer, can I think of stories in which there is a terorist or spy living in one of these boring suburbs?


B is for Boring Suburbs

Post 2

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

Stephen Colbert, the television personality, lives in a very upscale neighbourhood where the adults ride a rather exclusive bus into New York City to work. A year or so ago, they found Russian spies operating from their fancy suburb. They thought it was kind of funny. smiley - laugh


B is for Boring Suburbs

Post 3

minorvogonpoet

Funny Russian spies? smiley - laugh I don't think I could write about that.


B is for Boring Suburbs

Post 4

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

smiley - laugh I did, once. A71384222 Of course, that's actually funnier if you're from the US, and have watched 'Rocky and Bullwinkle'. Boris and Natasha are the comic spies voiced by June Foray and Paul Frees. When we imagine Russian spies, we usually think of Boris and Natasha and their feud with 'Moose and Squirrrrrrel'.

Suburbs are odd places. I sort of grew up in one - but the houses were built on land from old farms, and the farmers were still around, and we knew them, and there was a small town attached that was ancient by our standards - pre-Revolutionary War - so it didn't really work like a suburb at all. smiley - laugh

We have a new term in the US - exurban. Exurban areas are not really attached to big cities. It's just more of the Miracle Mile, I guess.


B is for Boring Suburbs

Post 5

cactuscafe

It is interesting thinking about what makes a sense of community.

Perhaps it depends on the neighbours. Those spies next door might not want to do too much talking in the community centre. smiley - rofl

I saw an interesting programme on TV recently about New Towns, featuring Milton Keynes. Really a very fascinating story, with a lot of vision. MK has been misunderstood.

Depends on the people around I think. Mind you, we don't know half the people who live in our street, although it doesn't make us lonely because we like where we are. We've lived too closely with waaay too many people in the last twenty years, so we are choosing a bit of anonymity.

Also, we're fifteen minutes from the city centre, so we cheat.




B is for Boring Suburbs

Post 6

SashaQ - happysad

Yes, I'm lucky to live in the best of both worlds - quite a green and rural area, but only 15 minutes from town. There are a few local social groups that meet in the community centre, and I am a member of a few of those, and I see neighbours occasionally. I enjoy internet socialising the best, but it is good to do a mixture of things smiley - biggrin


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