5 ms·
Bring up communes in America and everyone assumes you are crazy or in a cult. It's not like I just think it would be optimal to share a kitchen or bulk meals a
by Joof 11y ago
Bring up communes in America and everyone assumes you are crazy or in a cult.
It's not like I just think it would be optimal to share a kitchen or bulk meals and maybe actually talk to my neighbors.
Living in tiny isolated groups is the American dream.
- marssaxman 11y agoIt is an American dream, maybe, but not the only one. It's certainly not the one prominent among my friends and family, who are steadily clustering ever closer together. Cohousing is popular. I didn't buy a house because I wanted a place to myself; I bought a house because I wanted to have enough space to have people over for dinner and throw parties. A house big enough for that is too big for just me, so I share it with friends. Much better than all of us living separately in apartments, or (ugh!) in entire separate houses.
- zhemao 11y agoJoof means the classical American dream, which involves owning a house in the suburbs with a spacious well-groomed lawn and white picket fence. And of course a car, because absolutely nothing is in walking distance anymore. I agree this is no longer the most prevalent aspiration among Americans younger than 30.
- aswanson 11y agoI'm a gen X human that wishes I had bucked that script. It's socially isolating and an outdated economically given the dynamism of employment these days. Shout out to gen y on for calling bullshit on that schema.
- Joof 11y agoOh god, the lawn. I'll never understand the lawn thing. Space to hangout outside is good, a garden or landscape is a cool hobby, but a lawn is a time/money sink that doesn't look that great, is a poor use of water and I'm allergic to anyway. It's also a great way to get passive aggressive letters from the home owners association.
- makomk 11y agoI think it's something you brought over from England, which actually has the right climate for lawns.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- fweespeech 11y agoTbh, I've only lived in places with every bedroom rented to a different tenant after I moved out from home. Communal living is very good but I'd much prefer the "American" version where its essentially 3-5 roommates I can trust than a much larger version like in the article.
- ryandrake 11y agoGreat if it works for you, but buddy I could never go back to having roommates, sharing a bathroom or a kitchen, or even having a shared wall with a neighbor. I like my privacy and security, and no, "my bedroom door closes" doesn't meet the bar.
- toomuchtodo 11y agoI'm considering building a tech worker commune in the mountains of North Carolina. Solar/wind generation on site, fiber connectivity, etc. Communal kitchen/coworking space. Your home would be a tiny house you build or pull to the site. Your living arrangements are what you make of it. I've lived in a 4000 sq foot home in the suburbs, and I've lived in a condo in a major metro (Chicago). Nuts to possessions and competing on living space, I just want to spend time with good people.
- vijayr 11y agoI just want to spend time with good people This! Your idea is awesome. But why restrict only to tech workers? At the least, you could let all digital workers stay?
- toomuchtodo 11y agoHonestly, its open to anyone. Not many non-folks have a need for solid connectivity in the middle of nowhere though.
- AnimalMuppet 11y agoThere are two problems here. One is when the people are less than good. You get 5% jerks, and they can ruin your commune. The second problem is when you're at least somewhat introverted. There comes a time when I no longer want to spend time with people, even if they're good.
- jpmec 11y agoDo you have a wife or children? What about senior relatives? What about childrens' children? I think we Americans will soon see the multi-generational household as more the norm, especially with the high cost of care for our elderly.