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Agreed. In my experience growing up in Maine, houses were spaced widely but neighbors knew one another, were generally on good terms, and helped each other out if there was need. Kids, at least, got together to play often.
But it is very different here in Japan. Rural villages are packed tightly together, surrounded by fields and forests that are virtually empty of houses.
That was my experience too in the Midwest growing up. There was plenty of yard to play or the neighbor friend's and surrounding farm or private land was free for neighbor kids to roam around in. It was pretty much stable nuclear families and often housewives then.
It is nice to have some space from people, but I agree with others that neighbors still get to know each other. Sometimes maybe more than what you see in a city or suburban area. It depends. If you are in a rural area that gets bad weather the residents help each other a lot in fact. I don't live where it floods, rather on a mountain ridgeline where we get a lot of snow. I get calls after a snowstorm from neighbors with big 4WD trucks asking if I need anything when they go to the store. We got a huge storm with 2 ft of snow a few years ago and a neighbor with a backhoe (not too many in the city would own one of those) helped dig everyone out.
Power goes out a lot too from storms. A tree down can knock out power for just a portion of homes and it could be out for a day. I have gone to the neighbor's to charge my cell phone (just a few months ago actually) when that happened. I am a homebody and rarely travel due to my pets. I return the favor by keeping an eye on neighbor's property when they vacation. I even know where all my immediate neighbors hide their spare house keys. Over the years things come up for everybody. One called recently asking me if I could close the door of their chicken coop and take their dog out as they were stuck at the hospital for a family emergency.
One thing that I have come to like about rural living is being exposed to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. I think I am pretty open minded due to growing up like that. By contrast, if you are living in a housing development all of the homes are cookie cutter and cost roughly the same. Most living there are going to be making about the same amount of money.
It's a different story in many rural areas. We have everything from $700K homes to mobile homes all in proximity to one another. There are quite a few wealthy people who prefer to live in the country. Some want to keep horses and not board them. You can't do that in the city limits where there is zoning. Somehow everyone all gets along with few issues. I do find it interesting that I live in an area where a wealthy doctor/lawyer/engineer can be living beside a janitor.
I Grew up in rural America. WE knew our neighbors and they us for miles around. Country people need to rely upon one another. As you said, big storm hits and those that can help those who can't. It's automatic.
I used to mow my neighbor's 2 acres on top of my own 10. They got to old to climb up on their mower. I cleared their snow, cleaned their gutters. If I was working one of the other neighbors got their snow. I have no idea where the OP gets their ideas but it sounds like they watched Grand Torino and assumed that Walt must reflect all country folks, even though he was supposedly a city guy.
Property boundaries.
Yeah country folks know where their property lines are, so do city people. Do country folks let someone come plant a garden on their property? Why would we when everyone around us has land enough to use for a garden.
Do we let strangers trespass? No because if they fall down they want to sue us.
All those anti-social stereotypes the OP used really reflect what I have observed when visiting friends in the city.
You want to see a sheet storm? Park in someone else's spot. Fights break out where people pile the snow they shovel. Finally it isn't country folks who need bars on their windows and doors. Drive through Brooklyn or Jamaica NYC. You feel like you are driving through a prison colony.
I Grew up in rural America. WE knew our neighbors and they us for miles around. Country people need to rely upon one another. As you said, big storm hits and those that can help those who can't. It's automatic.
I used to mow my neighbor's 2 acres on top of my own 10. They got to old to climb up on their mower. I cleared their snow, cleaned their gutters. If I was working one of the other neighbors got their snow. I have no idea where the OP gets their ideas but it sounds like they watched Grand Torino and assumed that Walt must reflect all country folks, even though he was supposedly a city guy.
Property boundaries.
Yeah country folks know where their property lines are, so do city people. Do country folks let someone come plant a garden on their property? Why would we when everyone around us has land enough to use for a garden.
Do we let strangers trespass? No because if they fall down they want to sue us.
All those anti-social stereotypes the OP used really reflect what I have observed when visiting friends in the city.
You want to see a sheet storm? Park in someone else's spot. Fights break out where people pile the snow they shovel. Finally it isn't country folks who need bars on their windows and doors. Drive through Brooklyn or Jamaica NYC. You feel like you are driving through a prison colony.
Great, so people own 10 acres of land and plant bobby-traps to stop trespassers. How friendly/sarcasm.
Look, in every other country rural towns have land owners and farms, but the homes are close together. America's physical separation is a sign of social isolation.
I'm curious why you think country people are socially isolated. Most of us have been telling you we know and have relationships with many of our neighbors. Perhaps more than city folk have with their neighbors.
If someone actually mentioned booby traps... I must have missed it. I did hear about respect for other people's boundaries. Respect is good.
OP what is it about America you actually object to? I'm not getting it.
I'm curious why you think country people are socially isolated. Most of us have been telling you we know and have relationships with many of our neighbors. Perhaps more than city folk have with their neighbors.
If someone actually mentioned booby traps... I must have missed it. I did hear about respect for other people's boundaries. Respect is good.
OP what is it about America you actually object to? I'm not getting it.
Listen friend, if houses are not in walking distance, people are naturally isolated. The whole world knows this, America is no different.
They can still have a community, but social isolation is naturally increased, there is no two ways about it.
You've all heard about the Mayor of Colorado City in Texas and his letter accusing the citizenry of being lazy and calling the ice storm a "survival of the fittest".
Most people on this thread and in this country shrugged their shoulder, for rural America is a bastion of libertarian thought and "do it on your own philosophy".
What is so strange is that outside of this country rural areas could not be anymore different.
In Shirgah for example (a village in northern Iran) the community does not have state infrastructure so they pool together capital to provide some sort of stability.
In villages in Bolivia they typically share housing with those in their community, most of the communist rebels in central America come from the indigenous territories away from the city.
In Siberia villagers typically don't mind sharing their property to help each other.
In America, rural areas are less united, more individualistic, and more skeptical of providing public help to their neighbors. They don't like public institutions of any size, and lecture people who can't carry their own weight.
Looking at the images, it is striking. Shirgah for example is by a mountain pass. The houses are near one another, and people/kids spend time in common areas.
American rural towns, each house is 20 feet apart, people don't wander off their space, no walkable areas, no common places besides the Walmart or the local church.
Why is rural America so different from rural areas in the rest of the world.
Excerpt: In America, rural areas are less united, more individualistic,
Response: Opinion
The concept Here?
Independent Thought
Collective family.
Capitalism.
A Success Story.
Conquer and Eat.
Shirgah,Bolivia,Siberia? typically share housing with those in their community
America...........no walkable areas, no common places besides the Walmart or the local church.
The Concept Here?
Communal Thought.
Tribal Family.
Socialism.
A Failure.
Conquered and Eaten.
If things are so great in South America why are thousands running towards our borders.
All one has to do is ask them. The answer is always the same.
Excerpt: In America, rural areas are less united, more individualistic,
Response: Opinion
The concept Here?
Independent Thought
Collective family.
Capitalism.
A Success Story.
Conquer and Eat.
Shirgah,Bolivia,Siberia? typically share housing with those in their community
America...........no walkable areas, no common places besides the Walmart or the local church.
The Concept Here?
Communal Thought.
Tribal Family.
Socialism.
A Failure.
Conquered and Eaten.
If things are so great in South America why are thousands running towards our borders.
All one has to do is ask them. The answer is always the same.
In search of a better life in America.
Most in south America are imbeciles who are jealous of American wealth. That is all.
I've been across rural America, New Hampshire has plenty of these places.
The people don't look out for one another, their defensive of their property, none of the towns are walkable, the people are hyper individualists.
In the rest of the world rural towns are more tight knit, have collective land, support one another regardless of the situation, and pool together resources.
So what makes rural America so different? Also note much of the liberal places are more economically left wing, but in the USA they are a bastion of social darwinism.
Why?
Yawn....
"According to Times columnist Paul Sullivan, 'Red counties, which are overwhelmingly Republican, tend to report higher charitable contributions than Democrat-dominated blue counties.'”
"The capacity of religion to motivate pro-social behavior goes way beyond volunteering. Religious people are more involved in community groups. They have stronger links with their neighbors. They are more engaged with their own families. Pew has found that among Americans who attend worship weekly and pray daily, about half gather with extended family members at least once a month. For the rest of our population, it’s 30 percent. (See graph 8)"
I've been across rural America, New Hampshire has plenty of these places.
The people don't look out for one another, their defensive of their property, none of the towns are walkable, the people are hyper individualists.
In the rest of the world rural towns are more tight knit, have collective land, support one another regardless of the situation, and pool together resources.
So what makes rural America so different? Also note much of the liberal places are more economically left wing, but in the USA they are a bastion of social darwinism.
Why?
Even if y0u’ve been to every rural hamlet and rural area in New Hampshire, you haven’t been ‘across rural America’.
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