Fifty years of growth; Seeking a human community

Out of the complex incoherent urbanized America out of the suffocating pressures of people out of tension and anxiety and the social shuffle a search a search for an integrated life. People searching. Seeking a human community. The search side tracked by things in the way traditional values of an earlier day are forgotten for a time as the conflicts of mid-century communities close in. The tie binding man to nature in close harmony is broken and personal relations sink away to anonymous cooperation. Tradition gives a way to

instability the simplicity of a former time is lost in the complex confusion of mid-century America. Groups in conflict. The family the workers the schools the churches. Groups that represent cities as communities of functions not communities of people. This document after technological influences and social changes in community life was produced and recorded by the University of Southern California under a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center in cooperation with the National Association of educational broadcasters. Three. When the first world was over the breakdown of the social pattern that seemed to be so

prevalent everywhere it was was quite a tremendous thing. And Andy you read about the gate. You have no idea what a tremendous thing it was Prohibition let out came on I mean. And. People started to storing up liquor in their homes. And people went to speakeasies they seem to fly before a lot was a very stable thing in people's mind instability of urban living. The specialized community forces upon people in personalized control technological progress pushes forward. But the human community a community of people takes refuge only in the minds of a few. The traditions of moralism stability personal ism and the close relationship of man and the processes of nature. These traditions appear less often and then only to start conflicts with urban

life in motion. Thank the First World War was the first disruption of a continuity of life in one little community in the deep south went way up north and they got adjusted to them and found out that the people weren't just they have Yankees. The Northerners went down south and saw that they weren't just poor white rice mostly or the aristocrats they were just people Western East met and got used to each other. So many many traditional things that were just a way of life and taking for granted has has been disrupted that way. These people have learned to think and talk much more alike. And you find the same problems now. North south east and west. It's Made. A lot of. I suppose you could call them settled in the judging of values of things that people used to just take for granted.

The pride of family and traditions and knowing the next turn neighbor's grandpa and grandma used to be such a. Matter of fact sort of thing. And now for her to even know their grandparents as it is the unusual and if they do know them is under rather an artificial situation where they come to visit for just a short while and they don't really get comfortable with them as they think they have. It's a strained relationship and sort of a natural one. Springing from an earlier role like the conflict with the demands of mid-century America for which the president has little use values which the president should strive to reach. LOL LOL LOL Or.

Earth the World Heritage America as it existed until the early years of this century springing from the traditions of a rural nation. Our values are values that reflect the freedom of space. The warmness of personal relationships of Sunday company and the moral responsibilities of daily chores the hardships were there. But life was enjoyable. I was born in a little coal mining town and I remember it at the time I thought it was very rugged but as I look back on it way it was of a wonderful time too because I mean we had a little woods and little creature and just the back of our house most the time that's been down in the woods with a gang of boys. We had tree houses and caves

and played cowboys and soldiers and everything else. And. I had a lot of rumors he had a little five room house and we had a well in the back yard and it was my job to draw all the blotter. And there we had a big old stove range and I had a big water heater on my knee and I had to keep that bowl of water so we had hot water. Saturday night we all took a bath in the bath in the Borscht. That was quite a joy in Leatherhead. Drive me on Saturday night you had to locate me down in that little woods and drive me back home and force me to call him a little. Girl. All in all it was was I had a wonderful time.

I think I have. Actually I think we had more fun then and children of today because there weren't any toy stores. On Christmas I got usually got a pair of shoes. Yeah I know orange earth that was a big treat because that's the only time I ever saw and this was on Christmas with us. We had oranges and a few nuts. And another thing is that we only saw one Christmas and Thanksgiving with celery. That's something I can remember as being base special design. Oh and there's another thing that. You're talking about the changes in the way we do things now I can always remember that on Sunday we always had a great big Sunday dinner that was that big meal of the of the week. Everybody went to Sunday school and church and then when we came home we had this big meal and that's the

day that the company always going and you always said two tables. The children always said wait for the second take. We go out with leftover that was still a wonderful meal. Right. Concentrate on the job. Specialized labor or urban existence. So specialized is each segment of urban community life that man can't relax. Concentration. Values of a specialized urban center of the present. Conflict with tradition or specialization of interdependency of existence. Yes I'm a physician but this integration of community life technology and centralization contributing to the conflict that we usually say are the most important problem is the problem of disorganization as evidenced by our divorce rate.

Our divorce rate has steadily increased except during the period of the Depression. We exceeded the 200000 mark just before the depression then dropped 260000 by 1950 to 32. But their rate had increased to about two hundred sixty four thousand by 1940 the year after the war reached the highest point in our history. We had over 600000 divorces. That meant over a. Million two hundred thousand persons were divorced. Wow. The American character relating himself to machines and people rather than natural processes people living in cities are overwhelmed by people and machines. People see changes in living changes from a human to a specialized community.

Changes in the family in work in community affairs in education in the appreciation of beauty in religion. Changes in family living the loss of certain traditional elements cause conflicts within the family. Yes the I think that very often parents will try to carry along their own ideas of family traditions but they don't give into that to their children enough that they have meaning to the children the children. Either room or just think they're an important or even are rebelling against some of the things that it has really been the wolf and warp of their lives that they just throw off these family pet and I have a particular family in mind right now of the mother what what he did to demand that our daughter had a certain type of wedding and they were people who came from New Orleans where tradition is very very strong.

And the daughter wanted just a plain simple type of wedding that was more to the liking of her fiance and they had a terrific struggle over that. It was an enormous thing. And to this day the mother is balking at this because she feels that her daughter is is living a very. Or also be bohemian life. This girl's a young teacher. She left home and her mother. In fact it was everybody because she was marrying at the age of 28 and although there are so many many conflicts of these two ahead because the daughter didn't appreciate her mother's New Orleans background urban center demand specialized demands for time outside the home family is influenced by external groups. A cause for rebellion against tradition and if not rebellion at

least a demand upon time. David and I like to come in mothers we eat out out in their backyard and the kids aren't around. Dave likes to go fishing. Television. Got to show the children to the drive they're trying to get four children asleep in the car it's. Pretty tough. We know nothing could be taken to heart. Changes the nature or. Changes that stem from a specialized labor. Changes in a mechanized industry changes that bring people closer to machinery. But separate from the interests of others.

Well the role of the worker is changing many many ways but I think the most significant change that has occurred is the result of our technological developments. They operate machines especially in our factories automation has progressed at such a rapid pace that in our factories and even in business offices people have to handle machines and these are persuasion machines these machines have affected the personal problems of these workers. The last thing you can. Change is in the campus community. Schools and specialized groups replacing Parents as Teachers. Education as a separate

function in the community. And no longer integrated with work to the extent of earlier years. Well of course we were more largely rural nation at the beginning of the century boys learned by doing in the field in the bun in the machine shop in the breeding pains in the feeding pans. Girls learn by doing in the house in the kitchen in the dining room in the bedroom. In a sense we have lost something of the interest on the part of the younger generation in this type of teaching because the character of everyday living has changed considerably. The boy is no longer expected to follow his father in trade or industry or

profession. He makes a choice of his own probably with some advantage to himself and his advents mentor if he chooses that profession or trade or industry which is father. Practices. On the other hand the present plan makes for a wider area. Understanding life even organize life as I see it. And did the earlier methods of education and more is expected of the young graduate of an educational institution demands by family demands by work and demands by the community in which he lives. But I think the university conceives itself as an agent through which the student

comes to know life in the way in which it did not before. In other words a student is going to become a member of the community. Community has certain requirements. It makes certain demands. It gives certain rewards. All of this could be understood more or less by the student before his day of graduation so he goes not as a lamb to be fleeced but as a partly trained partner in the business of life. People buying products products for the home. Away from the rule relationship of man and nature people tend to lose an appreciation for beauty. Purchasing art objects for the home centers around technical considerations not matters of beauty or greatness. What do people look for in an art object.

What do they want to leave. Yes your hair usually don't have they want goes with a fury of their phrasings. If they have provincial furnishings they want to know if it will tie in with that particular type of furniture. Same way with this matter and they will put a provincial level but it was the first thing they look for it is the type of planning they second. Color and size and then perhaps. Such as three way switches and. That's. What about. What we don't have we have Prince rejections. What do they look for in. Pictures they look for pictures that can be grouped in pictures they want something that has to do with. I suppose you call it again there. The period of their furnishings would enter into it. They don't know. What I'm getting at here they're not particularly interested in where there is good art or they don't.

Very few people come in and ask for a picture by an artist's name. We have a few people who ask for her for example or for Robert Wood because Robert Wood isn't even a beach artist and people are familiar with his work. But aside from that we very seldom have anyone who actually wants a good painting we do have calls for Blue. I think mostly because that they're in the Huntington Library and they know that people are familiar with. People seeking security seeking an integrated way of life. Complex urban living makes demands on people demands that increased difficulty in arriving at an integrated spiritual coherency problems created by changes in community living. Changes in work and play changes in family life. People with problems tensions anxieties each

person is an individual and each person has many different problems I suppose. For the most part you can say that they have to do with stress and strain and undoing Ziad is wrong. As a result of the demands of society but then too there are many things that will cause a person to need counselling. He may have had marital trouble he may have had a and unsatisfactory relationship with other members of his family his children or his parents. He may have neighbor trouble may not be able to get along with the people in the office with the people across the fence.

He may not be able to really get along with the people who serve a mother the postman the milkman. People in the story may feel that constantly he is at odds with society in general. And so as a result of this he may just feel frustrated where every turn is not accepted not belonging not really at one with the savvy. His problem may be that is too concerned about these people maybe that he is overly concerned about what people think about him what they expect of him. He may be aware that he is falling short of some of the standards that society sets for. And all this may so pile up inside in that comes right down to it he is very unhappy individual.

Changing major changes relating to life in the specialized community change is contributing to the conflict between present demand and traditional values still present in men's minds. Changes reflecting the very atomization view of community life. People are arranged by groups and people arrange groups changes in the family in work in play in education and in religion. And the problems the specific problems arising out of this urbanization this specialisation this tension this mid-century America traditional values must be integrated with present demand solutions to the existing incoherence of life must be found.

Some groups attempt to solve specific problems of community life the social workers the welfare workers. Well there are all sorts of problems and problems of family relations is a very crucial one. Supervision of children under the present day conditions where women are increasingly seeking employment to supplement their income for the family problems of health so serious and of mental health. We're increasingly aware some of those problems take the problem of the youngster whose mother is working. That's a very Come on and it is related to juvenile delinquency about which we hear so much although it's the fact the mother works isn't the sole reason for delinquency but often that situation is complicated by the fact that they live in a neighborhood which is a good deal of perhaps a low income and which the

associates of the child after school are poor and he gets into first just minor trouble and later it becomes serious he's taken to court and then there's a long term problem of institutional care sometimes and going from one institution to another. But of course we have agencies that are trying to do something about these conditions before they occur. It was. A yearning for traditional simplicity in the midst of present complexity. City planners attempting to solve the greater issues of metropolitan areas a desire to reach stability with maximum centralization. The

proponents of the larger community. Let me cite an example. While in many parts of Los Angeles County were increasing at very rapid rates and this is true of other large metropolitan centers as well other central part of the city has been losing population. And the problem of not knowing the facing the planner is to whom is to determine how to bring back some of that population into the center. And I mentioned that as a desirable effort because there are many job opportunities in the central part of the study and it seems only reasonable that the people have to live closer to their jobs. That's that's one of the problem that that is one of the problems that has been the emerging as a result of the huge widespread use of the automobile. Also the people have been moving into the outskirts and this has meant they have been driving great distances

to come to and from work. We as planners feel that people have to live as close as possible to their place of employment and is also as close as possible to the place where they're going to shop and where they're going to enjoy their social and cultural outlets are opportunities. While the social workers work on the planners plan the individual intention and complexity meeting the demands of urban life as best you can it seems to me that he would have to be a very flexible person to begin with and be able to assume different kinds of roles that are required to fit into these new patterns and had to broaden the base of his whole attitude toward society. What happens if he doesn't do it then it can be quite destructive because new develop psychosis.

Tension and social shock of organized America. Somehow through the maze of incoherent search the search for an integrated life. Search. Side tracked by things on the way but yet still present in the minds of men yearning for warmness people searching seeking a human community. Institutions and personnel cooperating in the production of this program where the Los Angeles Regional Planning Commission the department store the

faculty of the University of Southern California the university Methodist Church and the American Institute of family relations. This program was written by Donald price directed and rated by Edward de Rue and produced by Stuart. Seeking a human community was recorded by the University of Southern California under a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center. This program is distributed by the National Association of educational broadcasters. This is the AMA E.B. Radio Network.