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We must ponder why these changes happen. They don't come about from a vacuum. Perhaps we are finding that apartment living is more practical in some key ways. Take a look at the big unit on the old school property in Morris. Might this be the wave of the future?
Outmoded way of life?
Consider the seemingly endless rows of small homes in the south part of Morris, near Green River Park. One might argue that the houses are just too close to each other. Generally speaking, older neighborhoods are like that. Perhaps in long-ago times, like when I was growing up, the congested arrangement was practical because we were less mobile - our vehicles were less able to handle the wear and tear of regular commuting. We all stayed closer to home. A trip to Alexandria then might be considered a big deal. In recent years we've seen people commuting daily over distances that seem quite long, at least through the older lens.
But change has become such a constant, hasn't it?
Here's another point to be made: technology has helped us overcome boredom so convincingly. We have overcome it with such triumph, that the opposite problem has emerged, that of distraction. Just think of the South Dakota attorney general and the circumstances that appeared to lead to his tragic incident of striking and killing a pedestrian. It appears the AG may have been reading a conspiracy blog about Biden and China. The AG is a Republican who is quite in line with the typical mindset of that species today. He faces charges but not in direct connection to killing anyone. South Dakota does not have a negligent vehicular homicide law.
The law has needed time to catch up to the hazard of distracted driving, has not caught up fully yet.
So to finish my point about the lifestyle of today: all the entertainment we require is available from a simple online device, 24 hours a day. Has it dawned on you what a revolution this is? It didn't happen overnight, so it might have been hard to appreciate the gravity of it all.
As an amateur sociologist, let me opine that because of this overwhelming triumph over boredom - over the ennui of life that used to bother us so much - we no longer care about the old status symbols. Like, a nice single-family home with noticeable amenities. Such amenities might keep you one step ahead of your neighbor. But it hardly matters in an age where communications have become so revolutionized. No one has any excuse to be bored, ever.
We retreat into our own world which we set up through online access. Online Christian worship is not merely a supplement to the in-person experience, it can be fully its own experience. Extrapolate from there.
Insights from the big screen
The Clint Eastwood movie "Gran Torino" gave us a look at the phased-out generation. My late father was exactly like the Eastwood character. The Hmong boy neighbor was mystified by all the tools in the garage. Eastwood as "Walt Kowalski" explained to the boy about the "trowel." My father had endless tools and stuff, including an emery wheel, and why in the year 2021 would I want to have an emery wheel in my garage?
The father character in the TV series "The Wonder Years" was like this too. He had gained so much knowledge about household maintenance matters. He explained to his son about the difference between latex and enamel paint.
What does a "trowel" do? I have no idea. Living in an apartment relieves you of virtually all obligations to master such things.
I would argue that it's risky for a homeowner with novice knowledge of home maintenance to do a lot of stuff anyway. You can do more harm than good. What if I misuse a trowel?
It used to be a badge of masculinity to understand such things. Just like it was a prime badge of masculinity to "pop open" the hood of a car to diagnose a problem and maybe fix it. Alan Jackson wrote a sentimental song about his father in which he said "people came from miles around to have him look under the hood."
Remember "Gomer and Goober" from the Andy Griffith show who would talk about a car needing "a new set of rings?" Remember "grease monkeys?" People my age do. It seems gone with the wind now.
And you can find stories online about men "wanting to act like men" to fix their own car troubles, when they should just take it to the dealer or qualified service person. Some of these men have caused terrible damage!
Once the norm, now not so much
What is the future of the single family home in America? Is it actually imperiled? Will the cost of upkeep just be too daunting? Millennials appear to be shaking their heads. Should we judge the dense housing of south Morris and elsewhere as just plain inefficient? I can't help but think of each home having an array of assets for property maintenance - e.g. lawn mower, air conditioner - whereas a large apartment unit would consolidate all this.
And is living in one's own single-family home really that much more pleasurable? I don't think it is.
Perhaps millennials are discovering how expensive it is to have any sort of contractor show up. Should we be bitter about this? We need to understand: part of the problem with contractors' prices, I would argue, has to do with how they are probably required to buy a lot of insurance. And isn't this a good thing? Ah, insurance. Can't live with it, can't live. . .
The list of things where you're expected to have insurance gets longer and longer. Pet insurance? I never heard of it when I was a kid. If you took your pet to the vet, it was a nominal cost. Oh, just like getting a routine filling at the dentist. Let's not even get into dental expenses! Hoo boy. But where does it all end? Thing is, people have finite means, especially I presume millennials. And they are taking a long look and wondering if single-family home ownership is even practical or desirable any more. It may cease to be a "status symbol" at all. Maybe it will grow into a liability.
The government's urge to regulate more and more doesn't help either. Here in Morris the city government put out an onerous edict on water softeners. This is the way of the world now, and not even Republican politicians can stop it. Not even the South Dakota attorney general.
I am hesitant to get another pet. I wouldn't want to get insurance for it. Here's a key problem: a dog can grow very old today because vets are capable of doing so much, and they surely charge well for it. But it's only an animal. And though we love them dearly, once a dog gets into its mid-teens, frankly it's a burden. And then the dog probably will require surgery at some point. We still love them but this is primarily based on our experience years earlier when the dog was younger. We don't stop loving them but honestly, they become a burden. I have experience.
We're supposed to buy "vision insurance" too. Hell's bells, where does it stop?
Addendum: The manner in which Eastwood as "Walt Kowalski" spoke to his barber was stereotype, just like how Minnesotans were portrayed in "Fargo" and a couple subsequent movies. The crusty older men would in fact not be that disagreeable with each other.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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