5 ms·
> "American towns and cities aren’t really built for lots of free time: Public spaces tend to be small islands in seas of private property, and there aren’t man
by buckbova 10y ago
> "American towns and cities aren’t really built for lots of free time: Public spaces tend to be small islands in seas of private property, and there aren’t many places without entry fees where adults can meet new people or come up with ways to entertain one another."
Unsubstatiated bull. I've hundreds destinations near me with no entrance fees, beaches, trails, clubs, churches, libraries, parks, etc.
> The primary purpose of the educational system is to teach people to work.
And that's why the curriculum includes civics, american history, geography, literature? K-12 does not perpare students to become workers aside from providing a struture of authority and some discipline.
- ch4s3 10y agoPerhaps you don't live in a typical town. Most small towns don't have beaches, and most have tiny parks. Trails aren't the most common either.
- buckbova 10y agoMost have lake, rivers, or access to an ocean. If not this, they have mountains or other natural features. If you're living in a barren wasteland, I suggest you get outta there! Let's take a typical american city, cleveland ohio. Plenty of trails: http://www.traillink.com/city/cleveland-oh-trails.aspx http://www.traillink.com/city/cleveland-oh-trails.aspx Beaches: http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2015/06/the_10_best_beaches_on_ohios_l.html#0 http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2015/06/the_10_bes... Parks: http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/Recreation/Hiking-and-Walking-12.aspx http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/Recreation/Hiking-an...
- Throwaway23412 10y agoWhat makes a typical American city? One could argue that the second largest city in Ohio is not a typical city.
- wdmeldon 10y agoCleveland doesn't have much going for it, but our parks and trails are truly incredible. The Cleveland Metroparks are a definite source of pride for North East Ohio.
- ItsDeathball 10y agoTennessee Williams certainly agreed with buckbova: “America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.”
- greenshackle 10y agoYou're not wrong, but then again, the typical American doesn't live in a typical city (where typical = median). The average American city/town has a population of 20,000, yet 80% of the population lives in a metropolitan area. (http://www.newgeography.com/content/00242-america-more-small-town-we-think http://www.newgeography.com/content/00242-america-more-small...) If that's counterintuive, imagine the extreme case of a country with 100 cities of 10,000 residents, and one city of 10 million residents. The median city has 10,000 residents, yet 10 out of 11 millions live in the big city. If you are interested in the experiences of people as opposed to statistics about cities, the sort of city a typical American lives in is more interesting than a typical city.
- squozzer 10y agoOne might say the subjects taught have no bearing on the purpose of school. I would say some subjects have more utility than others. But schools primarily provide babysitting and psychological conditioning services, so that we are ready for the grind when it's our turn.