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What state fits the American suburbia stereotype most?
By that, I mean working class/middle class family, married couple 2 kids and a dog, house in the suburbs, white picket fence, a image that was present most in the 1950s-80s but can still be seen today. When I think of that, I think of 1950s Cleveland and modern Columbus Ohio, but also California Texas NJ and suburban Chicago, or in a broader sense Great Lakes cities during the 40s 50s 60s or modern day Sunbelt. Most sitcoms from the 70s-2000s show this to a certain degree, Home Improvement, According to Jim, That 70s show, Family Matters, Fresh Prince, Growing Pains etc. What states/metro areas come to mind for you?
It’s called that because it’s literally the only non-coastal region in the US. And it includes the Great Plains states which are the geographic center of the L48. Not because it is more American than anywhere else. My childhood of being born and raised in Arizona, despite being a less populated area of the country, is not any less American. And these superiority complexes developed by marketers who say “come live in crappy weather Ohio so you can live this ‘idyllic’ lifestyle” was just created by the people hired for those municipalities to get people to live there. Anyone who actually lives in the US knows you can get the American experience anytime any place in any part of the US. 2 kids? Sure, procreate enough times or adopt. You can buy a house anywhere with a good enough job. Nothing is stopping you from placing your own white picket fence, unless you bought in an HOA and that would be your fault. Work a 9-5 job and own a car and sit in commuting traffic? Easier done than said these days.
People still listen to television broadcasters? Who even still has cable these days? Better yet, why should I care about where a handful of people are born as if that changes any implications on the lived experiences of millions? Accents and birthplaces mean nothing this is about a lifestyle experience which can be experienced anywhere in the US because it’s asking for an American lifestyle. An immigrant couple can move here and do all of these things in Texas and it would be just as much as an American dream as Minnesota. Then again, why am I arguing this with someone who doesn’t even live in the US to begin with? What do you know of the lived experience of a country that you don’t even live in yourself?
But places like Arizona and Texas have architecture, landscapes and climates that are foreign to the average American. The average American lives in Craftsman-style or Gothic Revival houses and somewhere with a humid continental climate. Saying someone can’t know what a country is like or a time they didn’t live in because they haven’t lived there or weren’t alive is a very poor argument to use in the 21st century when movies, videos, articles, photos, map street views are all available to you at your fingertips. It's also quite insulting and reveals a lot about you as a person as well.
Last edited by Doughboy1918; 08-07-2023 at 07:54 PM..
I agree – California-style suburbia is almost instantly identifiable even if it's supposed to be depicting somewhere else in the US.
You see this all the time in movies or TV shows that are supposed to take place in the Midwest or out East. For instance, a lot of movies/shows depicting suburban high schools show students eating lunch or walking around in expansive outdoor common areas, which doesn't exist in most of the country.
Another example is Pam and Jim's house from The Office – even though the house looks like it maybe could be in Pennsylvania, it's got one of those flimsy "car ports" on the side of the house which might protect a car from a bit of winter rain but would be useless in a colder climate like Scranton.
It's certainly no small wonder that foreigners associate American suburbia with California because it's basically all you see in American popular media.
I always thought it's funny when watching Halloween how obviously it's filmed in California even though it's set in Illinois.
To me nothing says more about “suburbia” than the Show Time show Weed where the fictional town Agrestic (set in San Fernando Valley CA) and its dysfunctional craziness.
The opening song Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds said it all:
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
And the people in the houses
All went to the university
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same
And there's doctors and lawyers
And business executives
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
Pet Shop Boys also has a song called Suburbia, different tune, similar sentiment.
To me nothing says more about “suburbia” than the Show Time show Weed where the fictional town Agrestic (set in San Fernando Valley CA) and its dysfunctional craziness.
The opening song Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds said it all:
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
And the people in the houses
All went to the university
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same
And there's doctors and lawyers
And business executives
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
Pet Shop Boys also has a song called Suburbia, different tune, similar sentiment.
While I find the burbs boring, the only thing more boring and overdone is poking fun at them. An in some areas the suburbs are becoming more diverse than gentrified urban areas, so I'm not even sure the critique is relevant.
What's ironic to me is how the counterculture has become just as predictable and uniform. They all get tattoos and piercings. They all dress the same. They all put the same Buddha statue in their house. They all go to the same music festivals. You get the point. I suppose that's what Portlandia was doing.
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