Horror novels, as well as their accompanying movies, always have this way of picking out unique little villages for the horror scenes to come to life. These villages are usually ones that actually exist and they are often perfectly scenic in every other way. When we watch the horror movies, or read the books, we are tempted to never succumb to the invisible threats that lie under the lakes or that creep in the woods that always accompanies these little villages. Even Jaws made its mark on a little village set on the coast.
Why do these little villages make such great places of horror? Generally because they are also places that seem so perfectly picturesque that the author can’t help but shatter the idea that America’s sweet little village are as perfect on the inside as they appear on the outside. All of these little villages are places that look like the right place to raise a family, to put down roots, and to live simply. What better place for an author to throw a little chaos and fear into that the perfect little American village?
We still drive through these villages of horror, but we have a renewed sense of perspective. We have, through the horrors written in fantasy, learned that there are problems everywhere and the perfect little town or the perfect little house can not erase the problems we all face. Rather, we all have to deal with our own horrors in order to make sense of them and prevent them from creeping into our white picket fences.
четверг, 14 января 2010 г.
Greenwich Village: Thriving Artistic Colony or Overpriced Museum?
Greenwich Village, known as “the village”, invokes a certain image of a bohemian quarter, as it was for the first half of the 20th century. The home of the beat generation literary movement, a common stomping ground for the innovative musicians and songwriters of the midcentury, the village carries an image of a counterculture paradise. These days, the streets of the village are far different. The gentrification process which has swept much of New York City has been alternately applauded and condemned.
No more in the village do you find the starving artists and aspiring musicians. They simply can’t afford it. Still, many who live there as well as the tourists appreciate the gentrification and feel the streets have become cleaner and safer. For the tourist, there are still the landmarks to be seen, the relics of the old days of bohemia. The poets may not roam the streets, but the streets still proclaim the place of past glory. The commercialization of the village partly washes out and partly preserves the famous artists of past times, while the artists of the present day have moved on, to cheaper areas. Perhaps in fifty years, these areas will be inhabited by the affluent and brag of past artistic glories. The village may have changed a great deal in recent decades, and the artistic soul should perhaps look elsewhere for kindred spirits. Still, the process is ongoing and the spirit the village supposedly possessed is probably not in the streets themselves but in those artists that passed through, long ago.
No more in the village do you find the starving artists and aspiring musicians. They simply can’t afford it. Still, many who live there as well as the tourists appreciate the gentrification and feel the streets have become cleaner and safer. For the tourist, there are still the landmarks to be seen, the relics of the old days of bohemia. The poets may not roam the streets, but the streets still proclaim the place of past glory. The commercialization of the village partly washes out and partly preserves the famous artists of past times, while the artists of the present day have moved on, to cheaper areas. Perhaps in fifty years, these areas will be inhabited by the affluent and brag of past artistic glories. The village may have changed a great deal in recent decades, and the artistic soul should perhaps look elsewhere for kindred spirits. Still, the process is ongoing and the spirit the village supposedly possessed is probably not in the streets themselves but in those artists that passed through, long ago.
Returning to the Village
Urbanization has been one of the dominant processes of modernity, with workers leaving the village for the city, usually never to return. While urbanization has been ongoing for several centuries, the 20th century saw a particular mass movement from the village to the city. Urbanization in developing countries has been especially relevant in recent decades, and all over the world massive urbanization has resulted in rural depopulation and the development of sprawling slums around major cities with poor living conditions. The village is dying.
In the early days of the internet, people began to wonder if the urbanization process might be reversed. The possibilities provided by the internet, such as flexible telecommuting jobs, might make it possible for people to return to the village and work from home offices. The internet could make it possible to live in rural areas, and returning to the village would not necessarily mean being cut off from the world, with all kinds of information at your fingertips. In a sense, the internet could improve both job flexibility and quality of life to such a degree that some might reject the high prices and crowded atmosphere of the big city to return to the village.
So far, the predicted reverse urbanization has not occurred to any great degree. Still, the internet has transformed the workplace and contributed to greater job flexibility and access to information. While the cities may not empty out in the near future, a transformed wired world might curb the urbanization process and keep the village alive.
In the early days of the internet, people began to wonder if the urbanization process might be reversed. The possibilities provided by the internet, such as flexible telecommuting jobs, might make it possible for people to return to the village and work from home offices. The internet could make it possible to live in rural areas, and returning to the village would not necessarily mean being cut off from the world, with all kinds of information at your fingertips. In a sense, the internet could improve both job flexibility and quality of life to such a degree that some might reject the high prices and crowded atmosphere of the big city to return to the village.
So far, the predicted reverse urbanization has not occurred to any great degree. Still, the internet has transformed the workplace and contributed to greater job flexibility and access to information. While the cities may not empty out in the near future, a transformed wired world might curb the urbanization process and keep the village alive.
It Takes a Village
We’ve all heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child”. What this speaks to in a more general sense is the need for a healthy community, but for all of us in our daily lives. While not many people nowadays live in an actual village, it is important to create community bonds that offer the same support structure of the proverbial village. Recognizing the importance of community, we then must figure out how to build a village. Today, a personal village can stretch across the globe, though real interaction on a day-to-day basis is still important for inter-personal bonds.
Modern society is quite different from a village. With the internet, we can reach across the globe in seconds. Increased mobility and urbanization mean that many people are leaving their home communities to pursue different job opportunities or lifestyles. The individual and his or her individualized choices have taken precedence over the village. While this can offer great opportunities for self-discovery and fulfilment, the deprivation of support structures can be frightening.
Today’s village may be built through individual choices, yet it is always necessary to consider the needs of others. Not everyone can fit perfectly into a world we build ourselves, yet with the traditional village hardly possible, we must to some extent take an active role in constructing our own community bonds. These may take different forms from that of the proverbial village, but the function is the same, and we, like the child, are all greatly affected by the community around us – or the lack thereof.
Modern society is quite different from a village. With the internet, we can reach across the globe in seconds. Increased mobility and urbanization mean that many people are leaving their home communities to pursue different job opportunities or lifestyles. The individual and his or her individualized choices have taken precedence over the village. While this can offer great opportunities for self-discovery and fulfilment, the deprivation of support structures can be frightening.
Today’s village may be built through individual choices, yet it is always necessary to consider the needs of others. Not everyone can fit perfectly into a world we build ourselves, yet with the traditional village hardly possible, we must to some extent take an active role in constructing our own community bonds. These may take different forms from that of the proverbial village, but the function is the same, and we, like the child, are all greatly affected by the community around us – or the lack thereof.
Village
Anyone seeking out one of the best vacation spots need look no farther than the little villages that crest through Brazil. Here a rather inexpensive vacation can be had while wandering through a village or two that is filled with heart, beautiful people, and a welcome mat that extends all around the world. Many of the small villages of Brazil have been untouched by the modern conveniences of the world while the cities bustle in the distance. It is like the perfect yin and yang vacation destination that is just a short plane ride from the United States.
The small villages of many of the Brazilian towns are hosted by native people who are more than ready to share a meal, a story, and companionship with weary travelers. Here you can find some of the most delightful people in the world living against some of the most incredible scenery backdrops imaginable. Very few people consider the potential for a vacation in a Brazilian village, but these are the places that make the country so inviting. Often not far from the luxurious beaches these little villages make the perfect rest stop for just about anyone who wants to find the heart of one of the most incredibly beautiful vacation destinations in the world. One visit to a small Brazilian village and your entire perspective on this awesome country will change, as will your perspective on life. That is where the heart of each village lives.
The small villages of many of the Brazilian towns are hosted by native people who are more than ready to share a meal, a story, and companionship with weary travelers. Here you can find some of the most delightful people in the world living against some of the most incredible scenery backdrops imaginable. Very few people consider the potential for a vacation in a Brazilian village, but these are the places that make the country so inviting. Often not far from the luxurious beaches these little villages make the perfect rest stop for just about anyone who wants to find the heart of one of the most incredibly beautiful vacation destinations in the world. One visit to a small Brazilian village and your entire perspective on this awesome country will change, as will your perspective on life. That is where the heart of each village lives.
Nature all around
When at the city you see no trees at all and you see only concrete and asphalt and the whole high-tech iron and glass stuff but there is no nature around you when at the city. But, people sometimes miss nature and they need to see those real trees and they want to feel grass under their feet and see flowers all around and so on. And when people have such a desire they usually run away from town and go to the place where nature is still alive. And it is village that place that hasn’t kill nature and that let is breathing and develops. When in the village the first think you notice, the first difference you notice is air. It is different from the city air because it is sweet and clean. And there are trees all around you and there is nothing that holds those trees and they grow just like that. And there is grass under your feet and in case you take your shoes off you can feel that grass and that is the feeling you will never get in the city. Village means nature and village can help you to remember which thing is the main thing in this life.
Peace and calm
Two typical features of any village are – peace and calm. Nothing ever happens there and there is nothing that strikes people. It is like those villages have a schedule about this life and they live according to that monotonous and common schedules and that is why nothing ever happens there. There are sometimes people who deal with local news and they publish something like newspaper though, there is nothing interesting in those newspapers because nothing happens there. They are people who live in the calm ocean of their lives and they have nothing to worry about and they never even lock their doors because they know that there are no bad people in the village and no one will ever come to steal something or to do something bad. You may say it is a boring life I’m talking about but I guess it is great when you can let your children go anywhere they want to go because you know that nothing bad will happen to them. Village is like another world, the world of peace and people who never hurt each other because all of them are friends.
Подписаться на:
Сообщения (Atom)