Comments on: A decline of community

By: L Taussig

L Taussig — Thu, 14 May 2009 09:57:20 +0000

Residential streets should be returned to people to create living streets, a public realm which improves our quality of life rather than degrading it. Our roads are valuable public space and should allow children to play out, and should be usable by people of all ages, abilities and wealth. Highways engineering in the UK remains largely committed to the 1960’s principles of providing for the motorist first and foremost. But this approach fails to take account of those, possibly the majority of society, who may not drive – the under 17’s, disabled, and the 25% of all households that can’t afford a car. Trafficked roads have been shown to statistically reduce the frequency of social interactions and increase obesity rates because they prohibit active travel. Possible solutions to reduce car use and car dominance include a radical change in the highways engineering approach e.g.: psychological traffic calming or home zones, but also better walking and cycling facilities, better public transport and car clubs, ie: offering a healthy and sustainable alternative to the private car of motorcycle. Streets should be for all people, not just those in cars.

By: Edward LaRochelle

Edward LaRochelle — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:23:45 +0000

I’d have to say that society’s growing obsession with MySpace and Facebook is a MAJOR factor in the decline of friendships in terms of real life person to person contact. The intrigue and mystery and ease of meeting so many different new personalities/strangers online are the cause and effect of a person neglecting the quality time that they normally would have had for their friend(s) in real life. It doesn’t matter how long the friendship has been, but the person being slighted will notice how your priorities have shifted to the incessant need to be in front of a computer monitor linked to the internet opting to make friends online based on a “made up” profile. This is especially difficult for the people who have zero interest in the deceitful evils of mySpace and Facebook and the equivalent; they feel a sense of loss when a longtime friend is more concerned about their online friends, for the most part for flirtatious and immoral reasons, over the quality time we used to have. I speak from experience, and am currently dealing with this sense of loss. I think it is how sad how humanities obsession with cellphones, ipods, blackberrys and now internet social sites are major factors in the decline of real life relationships – my favorite talk radio host Alex Jones calls it ‘The Dumbing Down of America’. Someone please help to rescue real life person to person friendships as well as the art and intimacy of the hand written letter. I cannot do it alone.

By: Matt Scott

Matt Scott — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:07:48 +0000

Noting the request for solutions we need to take collective action as people and as a community sector to ensure our freedoms are not eroded. The apparent lack of community is part of a wider malaise that is structural and related to the uses and abuses of power. I am not going to get into the spirtual dimensions of all of this because that’s a much longer debate and mostoften a cul de sac I fear.

Historically change has come about not through altruism from above but through collecitve action from below. It has been messy, ridden with conflict but always a shared endeavour. NOt that we have a DCLG with local councils whose main buisness, would you believe, is ‘community empowerment’ community is managed from above, or as Prof Niklas Rose would have it, community is a zone of government intervention and we now have the death of the social.

As a voluntary and community sector, we have sat on our hands whilst the majority of small groups have got smaller and poorer over recent years – where are the voices protesting the growing inequality in the rebranded third sector? How can community be championed when its leaders are pursuing contracts over and above a shared and collective vision for the poorest in their sector, and by extenion the most marginalised in society?

In some ways I think people and communities are doing what they have always done, which is to be part and adrift from stautory and academic imaginations and are mostoften better of for it. The civil realm is not the market and is not the state but what I fiond problematic is those who mostoften discuss and disect the community are deeply implicated in the political economy and ideological reproduction of that world. The community sector as with the european social forum tells us that ‘another world is possible’.

Maybe community happens when the state / policy boffins aren’t watching… Just a thought

By: Maufe

Maufe — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:53:37 +0000

I very much agree with some of the comments here about cars destroying communities. One man mentioned that he would like to see a return of playing fields – and I agree – but it is no good having any of these kinds of play facilities for children if they can’t reach them independently.
The street used to be a place of play and socialisation for all ages, but particularly of benefit to children. If you could let your children play out (and my 4 year old already wants to go out and play on the road with her bike) then life would be much less stressful for the carers of children too. I am sure that if child care was less stressful, if children could be allowed out to be free-range, as nature intended, then more women would choose to stay at home than work. As it is, the streets are totally uninhabitable for people.
The solution to this problem is Home Zones. Here people have priority over motor vehicles. The roads are completely redesigned with benches and trees for example in the middle of the roads. Home Zones re-instate communities, facilitating the casual day-to-day interaction which has been shot apart by speeding motorists. Alternatively car free streets, as are common in Scandinavia work well.

By: KIRTI

KIRTI — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:51:00 +0000

THIS IS VERY GOOD TOPPIC AND A GOOD THEME ALSO

By: ann

ann — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:35:01 +0000

Living in the East End and being elderly Im am seeing a gang culture forming. Young people aspecialy. They are getting the family and attention and the closeness form the other Gang members.They are forming there own culture and needs that they should have at home. I feel that respect in there eyes means one must give all or nothing and is a distructive force.I see more young people will die before we find the salution.

By: J Eayrs

J Eayrs — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:05:31 +0000

I have been looking at the issues of community and people with a long term health disability for a few years now. I have been writing about this with the help of volunteers who have been checking my work and ensuring what I write is understood across the various peer groups.

The difference between my research and university research is that I have been asking open ended questions that could take ten hours of serious thought to answer. This questions are being asked of people in my local community.

What I find is coming to light is frightening. There are many people who have spoken the truth as they see it about a particular issue only to find that people in local councils, large voluntary organisation, statuary bodies and some members of parliament alter what they say to mean something else. Their response is:if I try to do something I will become a victim. So the safest obtion is not to care.

This situation affects people with the lower educational achievements more than those with higher educational achievements.

What is the answer to this? I do not know at this stage. All I can do is to keep bringing this to the attention of the local health departments. The local health departments have been pared down to the bone so there is no spare capacity to seriously look at community mental health issues.

I will stop at this point and I await people’s responses to what I have said

By: L Hoyle

L Hoyle — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:40:12 +0000

A decline in community is not only the decline of neighbourliness, friendship and support offered by people living there. The managed decline by local authorities breaking up long standing communities and separating them out to ‘new’ places. One result of this is a false housing market economy in areas of deprivation and significantly contributing to decline in communities.

Evidence can be seen in the towns of South Bank and Grangetown, where families were intially offered a princely sum of £1,000 to sell their homes or face compuslory purchase. This is after £10’s of millions had previously been invested in the areas, specifically housing from SRB and other budgets.

Community decline is much broader than the impact of the people who live within the area.

By: Jackie Morrison

Jackie Morrison — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:15:37 +0000

I represent the Disabled Persons Housing Service (Fife) and can comment on one scheme which can make a difference – in Fife the Community Safety Partnership have a scheme called Nominated Neighbour Scheme – it assists elderly people or disabled people who may be vulnerable (or feel vulnerable) in opening their door to someone. By agreement, one of your neighbours will “field” your door callers – ask for id etc before introducing them at the door – this can work well in practice and also simply in the approach of getting to know each other better! What a shame that such “assistance” has to happen by a government scheme! Now, about “communities” – can governments and organisations really enforce a sense of community on us all? On a personal scale we can all tackle this kind of thing one by one – take personal responsibility to say hello to someone each day…know who your neighbour is. Introduce yourself to a new neighbour – I have a new neighbour this week and I will make a point of going over to their gate to tell them something simple like which day the refuse collection is done – where the recycling is – anything in order to introduce myself. There is no good moaning about people not speaking or not being friendly and being unwilling to take the chance yourself. For many of the people I work with, a friendly “hello” in passing can make their day. If frightened of crime then get together with your neighbours to set up a neighbour watch scheme – get involved in a community event to organise at your local community centre or park so you can get to know about different cultures – ensure your locality has opportunities for sport and arts. Each year there are events in our local parks – last year the Polish Club arranged a Polish day with food, music and expected around 300 people to attend – they got 2,500 people attending – and most of them weren’t Polish, we just all wanted to go along and find out more and enjoy it! Unfortunately these things don’t just happen – they need all of us to participate. How many of us moan about the decline of communities and then do nothing about it? Just a thought – smile and speak to a neighbour today! ANd let’s please not demonise all teenagers! I have 2 teenagers and I would be very worried about them walking out alone in an evening – I am quite glad if they are out as a group of 4. However, they are then instantly viewed as a threat! What nonsense! My local minister leaving the church one evening had to walk through a large gang of “hoodies” and was petrified but lifted his head to say hello and one of the youngsters said “oh you’re the minister who used to come to the primary school to tell us stories!” The minister asked how the lad was doing and found out he was just finishing up at secondary with several good grades. A kind exchange that cost nothing but nearly didn’t happen out of unfounded fear! I would point out that that particular exchange was not prompted by fear, aggrevation or anything like that…it was young lads walking down the road. I’m not trying to say that crime isn’t out there – I have been a victim of crime myself, but I would not let it stop me being a concerned and willing citizen. We can only do it ourselves…noone else will do it for us, not governments, not media propoganda….only us, one by one or by getting together in our local communities and setting up events, etc. Have a good weekend….hope the sun shines….and, invite a neighbour to your barbecue!!!!!!! x x

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:16:46 +0000

I am an old fashioned liberal who is astonished to find himself increasingly agreeing with (some) aspects of conservative [small 'c'] diagnoses of our current problems. Maybe it’s age.

Where the left, including left liberals like me, have erred is in creating new identities of ’social victim’ which are applied regardless of motive, values or beliefs. Let me illustrate what I mean.

The left-liberal diagnosis of the decline of community is that poverty, educational/’opportunity’ inequality and the exercise of political power by a minority middle class fuels alienation, rootlessness and anti-social behaviour. In the best left-liberal tradition the decline of community ‘happens to’ (or is the inevitable consequence for) communities.

Now where I am beginning to part company with my liberalism is this notion that communities are bound to endure alienation, anti-social elements, disaffection, and social isolation. I am not certain that any of this is a given.

I think communities can choose to be different. They can choose to ostracise the anti-social; they can choose to turn their back on elements in the community that make life less pleasant for the rest, and we need laws to help them do that; they can (and should) use their influence and political clout to demand the funding to invest in community development. Moreover that funding should not be given on the basis of some fixed socialist notion of ‘whose victimhood is greatest’ but on the basis of how much effort communities themselves put into to wresting back their social lives.

I want to see a new politics of community develop in which we empower those who choose a way out of social sclerosis and back to community integration. That means no longer believing that ‘bad things happen to good people’ but that ‘good people can stop bad things happening’. We have to find community champions, support them, build them up and encourage them. We need to do this on the ground, not in Whitehall. Moreover we need to ensure that the rest of our policy development supports them too (there is no point encouraging communities to challenge isolation, for example, only to find government reducing the number of post offices – vital rural centres – or ’slimming down’ transport networks to a few big ‘hubs’).

I’m still enough of a liberal to want to mend what is broken, ameliorate poverty and inequality, and fight against overweaning, unfair power. Unlike the current government or all but the right of the Lib Dems, I don’t think that those things ‘lead to’ a decline of community. Communities can choose to be different – but, like the old joke about how many psychologists it takes to change a light bulb, the light bulb itself must want to change.