The more we discuss the superficiality, conformity, and comsumerism that seem to define the suburbs, the more I think that our society has underestimated the integrity of the suburbanite. Its true we live in a "bubble," sheltered from the dangers and complixities of the outside world. It is true that there is little cultural variation, and it is true that one who seeks acceptance feels pressure to conform (mostly just in high school). However, I believe suburbanites are happy and not just because they are clueless. They are more socially and politically aware than they are given credit for and their lives are not empty or meaningless. In my experience the suburban dream of settling down, raising a family, and providing a bright future for the next generation is not lost in the homogeneity. As for my "not-so standard words":
1) Adopted Asian Kids- The majority of my suburb is white. But of my younger sister's 6 best friends, 4 are Asian, and of 2 of them were adopted. They were adopted by people who desperately wanted to build families and who embrace the fact that theirs is ethnically mixed. As a result the kids, in my sister's age group significantly more than my own, treat cross-cultural friendships as natural and normal.
2) Mom Makes More Money Than Dad- I try to fight the gossiping, latte-sipping, stay at home mom image, which is difficult because in her retirement my mom is becoming one of them. But many moms have high-paying jobs, intellectually stimulating jobs that even allow them to travel the world. Others are ex-hippie school teachers who truly believe that "children are the future." In my suburb women are encouraged to be independent and involved in both the local and world community, rather than aspiring to go to college for an "MRS."
3) The Arts- At my high school the cheerleaders were lame and the choir kids were cool. The high school musical was a bigger event than homecoming. Perhaps this is a movement towards "higher culture" but more than that I think it encourages self-expression through art as opposed to the competitive nature of sports.
-Ultimately I think that happiness and fulfillment can be found in the suburbs as long as suburbanites don't lose sight of what they really want out of life.
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5 comments:
I think the point about the arts is quite valid. It was true of my high school too. We had almost NO team spirit, and the cheerleaders were no more prominent than say the gamers. (not the jocks, but the actual, "OMG no lightsaber games for Wii!" folks). The drama and music people took up the majority of the school.
I'd hate to say it but it seems to me that the only reason why this suburb might regard "the arts" (high-school musicals) higher than cheerleaders is probably because its a relatively wealthy, "cultured" community. My town could care less about anything besides the friday night football game. While I do think adoption is admirable, I just find it interesting that its become such a trend. The visible race celebrities partake in to be the next adoptee of a child from an even more obscure third world country is something I admire, yet find problematic. Its problematic in that I feel that its the result of "white man's guilt" and assumes an sense of superiority or "making it right" by Americanizing the child of a different culture. This probably sounds way worse than I mean it to, I'm just intrigued with adoption as a form of charity thats becoming a trend. I don't mean to assume that the people in the blog are examples of this.
I think you bring up some good aspects about the suberbs. Because of most suburbs like those in the OC and in Fresno are better funded, programs such as the arts do thrive and are big parts of students lives. I don't know one person from fresno that wasn't in dance or cheer or drama. On the other hand, there is something to be said about the adopting aspect. I have a cousin in Fresno that lives in the subrubs, and on her street alone there are 3 families that have adopted asian children. They act no different and are seen no different then any other the other children. In addition, you are right, they may have been blessed with better lives. HOWEVER, adopting shildren from other countries has been commercialized. Celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Madonna adopt children in order to give them an opportunity to a better life. Yet, it is hard for me to believe that this is an completely selfless act. Maybe its the skeptic in me talking, but young hollywood and the elite nowadays would prefer not to put their bodies through the pangs of mother hood. I feel there may be an aesthetic and socially pleasing reasoning behind this noble act.
My highschool was kind of like this too- the cheerleaders and football players were more or less known but not god-like, and the drama kids were seen as way cooler than them. From where I stood, the sphere of not-cool-but-not-uncool, I didn't really see any power imbalance between different groups. Eveyrone had a place that was respected by those around them, and nobody "hated" on anybody else- everything cliche about high school was collectively treated as a big joke.
It is refreshing to read a less cynical view of the suburbs. It seems that most of our discussion has just turned into huge bashing sessions and a lot of times I leave feeling that it was pretty unfounded. I'm glad your post directly and indirectly points out that we have been focusing on stereotypes and hyperbolized media images and they don't necessarily hold true.
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