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My whole life growing up I was taught about how repressive the socially integrated model was, where everybody knows everybody, and how we should celebrate that
by ip26 6y ago
My whole life growing up I was taught about how repressive the socially integrated model was, where everybody knows everybody, and how we should celebrate that the modern world has left it behind.
As time goes by, I'm starting to realize that while it can be very repressive for people who don't fit in, in trying to discard that model outright we've lost something incredibly important.
- jacobr1 6y agoI think what is important is that everybody find community. And it shouldn't be a surprise that that is easiest in the smaller settings that most humans have lived their lives in before the modern era. But we can have both. The great cities of the world have vibrant local neighborhoods AND "scenes" based on common interests. And for the smaller towns and villages the internet enables both online communities, and more importantly, the coordination of regional communities of shared interests. More Meetup.com, less twitter.
- arethuza 6y agoFor the avoidance of doubt, Edinburgh as a city is about as vibrant as it is possible to be, just that the achingly pretty neighbourhood we lived in was a bit stuffy. :-)
- ip26 6y agoWell, we've gone all-in on "digital community", which has the unfortunate outcomes of 1) easy to find your echo chamber of choice and 2) limited in-person interaction. In-person community can still be found, but it seems to be in decline. For example, teenagers are spending less & less time with their friends, and church congregations continue to shrink.