Bowling Alone and modern day social isolation

[BeachGurl2]

Great Thread! My wife and I were just discussing this the other day, and I agree whole heartedly with what others have said about the growing isolation in our society. There is one other factor I think that is also an important contributor; that being the loss of traditional social customs. I notice this a lot here in Alaska with the Alaskan Native people. They (and many indigenous and emigrant groups) are striving to maintain the traditional cultures of their people. Unfortunately it seems like they are trying to stop the flow of the ocean's tide, what with all of the "mass media" influence our young people face today.

It strikes me that the world is in upheaval. Everywhere you look people are moving from village to town to city trying to find a better life (and often even from country to country). However, in the exchange for more "goods" and/or an easier life they loose family, tribe and culture. For most of us raised in this country we lost those things that rooted us to our people and defined "who we are" many generations ago. And now the things that defined "our people" have been replaced with stereotypical substitutes created by corporate marketers and delivered to us in the isolation of our living-rooms. I can remember traveling as a youth in the 1960's, of how one never knew what one would find in the next town. Each one had it's own "flavor" and each had a small cafe, a bar or two and other small independent businesses. And even back then the loss of culture had already begun. Now, if you travel you can hardly tell one town from the next - all the same stores and fast food joints.

Oh well, it helps just to know a lot of you are feeling the same way.

It's funny, when I was a kid - way back in the 70s - every summer we'd load up the station wagon - red with the wide wood grain stripe down the side - and drive cross country. We'd stay in Holiday Inns all the way from Alabama to the West Coast. Or we'd head up the East coast or down into Florida. We didn't have a true itinerary in mind, just and end result, and we would stop whenever we saw something interesting. Every town we visited was different. But all the people were welcoming and nice. Now, when Bratgirl and I drive like that, ever town we visit looks largely the same, only the landscape changes.