Editorials featured in the Forum section are solely the opinions of their individual authors.
By The Tartan Editorial Board
Typically in American history classes, around the era of the 1960s, we are introduced to this idea of peak American living, more generally considered the concept of white suburbia. We learn about suburban conformity and how millions of Americans moved their families into these rural towns with nothing to do, being forced to shift their lives to fit into these idealized standards of life. Over time this ideal has shifted for many Americans, becoming less of a monolith advertised to all. But now, we’re beginning to question if there is any desire for one specific idea of traditional Americana among our generation.
This week, our editorial staff discussed where we all came from, how we ended up at Carnegie Mellon, and what we want our future homes and lives to look like. For the most part, we had a decent range of backgrounds spanning across the United States. Some of us live in houses with backyards and no grocery store for miles, while others live 50 feet from one in cramped city apartments. While we all didn’t have one agreed-upon idea of where we want to end up, we all shared one similar sentiment: a place that reminds us of our childhood home.
The bulk of what we discussed hinged on what we believe is the reason for this shift in future planning, the prospect of money. Houses nowadays cost a lot more than they did in the 1960s, and they also typically cost a lot to upkeep.
One of our editors discussed wanting a garden with her future home, with better soil than the one her family already has.
Another editor reminisced on a house they lived in in Florida on an acre of land they were free to frolic and trampoline in. Their dream house emulates this one (including the trampoline), which their family lost at the hands of a crappy landlord. Unfortunately these dreams become less probable due to the current housing crisis.
The remaining editors in this discussion had dreams more geared towards city living. The New York Ci-diots of the bunch expressed wanting to get away from the chaos of NYC, opting for a calmer vibe for their future, though still wanting to be in a city, like Pittsburgh.
The last two were quite the opposite, feeling fond of NYC and wanting to either live in the heart or close-by enough to reap the benefits.
At the end of our discussion it became clear that the concept of the white picket fence and the nuclear family were not present in a lot of the ideas for our future, or otherwise completely absent. Could it be that our sample size was too small to get an accurate picture of what our generation wants when we grow up? Definitely. However, this discussion definitely made us a bit existential about the prospective future and made us think about how affected we are by nostalgia.
Leave a Reply