This is a topic that has been on my mind for quite some time, since ive created this blog it seems more than appropriate for it to be addressed. The two environments are polar opposites, hell look at the photographs. Most of my friends and I are more familiar with the suburban scene, the type of areas where someone walking along the street immediately steals your attention as your drive by. The long streets with the original and at times comical names, that go on for the better part of a mile without the interruption of a stop sign or traffic light. Its likely you'll find a pool in the backyard, a basketball hoop in the driveway and the occasional misleading cul de sack . Homes come equip with lots of living space, everyone within the household has an adequate amount of it to themselves. Crime is typically not a problem, the suburbs are a great place to raise a family and enjoy life. I planned to choose the suburbs as the place i wanted to start a family and raise my child. Until recently ive been working towards this goal while spending a lot of time downtown. Doing so has revealed to me that the suburbs lack an element paramount to any environment. Personality. As you drive down the long street/road/avenue/blvd/court or circle with the comical name variation's absence is apparent. An increasing amount of open uninhabited space left in suburbia is being replaced with neighborhoods composed of identical homes that simply vary in color.
Weed's Intro portrays its perfectly:
Its a little exaggerated but the point is conveyed intelligently.
The same independence that accompany suburbs, the fact that everyone has everything they need within their home & makes it unnecessary to leave is what fuels the tediousness. Suburban residents are for the most part on the same schedule, therefore its unnecessary for businesses & other entertaining establishments to be open after a certain hour, meaning life has left those long oddly named streets around 10pm. Suburbs are designed for families, cities are designed to create revenue. Cities are dynamic epicenters of creativity. From the architectural diversity to the population, cities are uniquely beautiful if you have the eyes to see it. Theyre full of lively attractions, museums, theaters, bars, clubs, concerts. Theyre composed solely of infrastructure and entertainment. The population is more diverse because it has to be. Every age & ethnic group meshes with a city like interlocking fingers. People are accepting of more progressive ideals because theyre more evident. What we see in news good or bad typically happen in cities so the people are more in touch with current events and the advocates of both sides are apparent in the population. Its hard to feel separated from a story about the mayoral race when one candidate is purposing a 20% tax increase you'll be paying. Cities are filled with both ends of the socio-economic spectrum. Its not uncommon to see a homeless person walk by a building that houses $3000/month apartments or asleep behind the four seasons hotel. Its hard to ignore a juxtaposition as powerful as this. It humbles you, it reminds you people are succeeding, but some, hell most, aren't. You know crime exists, and not to flash large amounts of money on the streets, because most arent. It fills you with appreciation for your possessions. And the fashion is such a spectacle, you have different people of different ages and races in one place. You'll see a stock broker in a prada suit walk past a student in LRG. Then you have the people who've created theyre style with the best elements of both.
I previously disliked cities because i saw them as cramped dirty areas. They are, but everything has its place and the evils are necessary. Upon this realization i discovered that this is where i want to raise a child. The role of a parent is to prepare their child for independent living in every way possible. It would be irresponsible of me as a parent to make my child ignorant to crime & poverty. I want to raise them in an environment that mimics the "real world" as closely as possible. i want him to see social & racial diversity and extremes, i have to make every possible social option & way of life available to him so he's well informed & such is reflected in the path he chooses. I want to raise him in an area that has history & character. A place that is safe but not sheltered. A place where he can perceive the world as close to its actuality as possible, because as we all know...
Perception is reality.
Ds&Ps
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