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Keeping up with the Jones’s?

I took a drive today meandering around town, roads I don’t usually pass through. My town is kind of out in the country. I drove down one small street of very old looking, ramshackle homes, visibly falling apart, yards cluttered with items and cars.

Then one road over, I see houses the same size and shape as the first road, but they’re all meticulously maintained, painted prettily, with neat lawns and perfect roofs.

What do you think this phenomenon is about?

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TheHammer · M Best Comment

Poverty and gentrification.

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TheHammer · M

@Magicianzini
Jesus Christ man.
Poverty and gentrification don't care about race. Look into what happened in Colorado.
There are plenty of white and Latino neighborhoods being gentrified right now.

Akimbo75 · 46-50, F

@Magicianzini I think you are conflating observing something and judging it. observing and naming what’s happening is not racist. what’s happening could be racist.

Convivial · 26-30, F

Pride and a belief in the future....

TheHammer · M

@Convivial
Belief in the future. That's a hell of an insight there.

Convivial · 26-30, F

@TheHammer I think it's the overriding thought... If there is no future why do anything?

TheHammer · M

@Convivial I understand

buriedalive · 51-55, M

Sounds like detroit. My street is pretty decent but a street over is another story

Floki · M

think pride is contagious and so is neglect. People tend to rise or fall to the standard of the street around them.

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Floki · M

@TheHammer No worries, appreciate you saying that

TheHammer · M

@Floki
I do reluctantly, give one point. There are people that despite their struggle had enough pride to not live like that. I was not one of those. After a day of work and hustling for basic needs I was like fuck the lawn.

Floki · M

@TheHammer Yeah that tracks. Not everyone’s got the same in the tank after a day like that, doesn’t mean anything about who they are

DareToSayIT · M

They are called cookie-cutter neighborhoods. Usually built for middle-class families, first-time homebuyers, and suburban commuters. Not saying all, but most of them lack trees.

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DareToSayIT · M

@Akimbo75 I see!!

Could be a historic Company town then. I’m not entirely sure but these were entire communities built by a single mining, textile, or automotive company in the late 19th or early 20th century to house workers.

Akimbo75 · 46-50, F

@DareToSayIT that’s possible. and gentrification seems to be happening in a very strategic way.

DareToSayIT · M

@Akimbo75 It is for sure. I think older properties look much better than newer ones. Plus, they actually have decent-sized yards, while most new builds are completely cramped.

There’s a movie about it that I regretted watching.

AthrillatheHunt · 56-60, M

I’ll take your bait and explain it like this : education. One side has it and the other doesn’t ? I mean , what else could it be , based on the limited details you gave

Akimbo75 · 46-50, F

@AthrillatheHunt they are literally one street over. how is it that one side has it and the other doesn’t

AthrillatheHunt · 56-60, M

@Akimbo75 education. Maybe different school zones ? That happens where 1 side goes to 1 HS the other side goes to another HS. What else could it be ?

bijouxbroussard · F

One can’t know who lives where, what their circumstances are, their resources, what’s going on in their lives.

You can’t even know for certain who owns vs. who rents, where seniors have been living vs. new, younger buyers.

Makes judgment problematic…so perhaps one shouldn’t judge. 🥺

Akimbo75 · 46-50, F

@bijouxbroussard I realize describing what I was seeing sounds like judging but I was really just curious about the social implications of what it meant.

all of the houses looked as if they had been built around 60 years ago, all very similar in style. it’s the same neighborhood. I wonder what happened that made such a stark difference.

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