Won T You Be My Neighbor Analysis
What is Community? What kind of impact can it have? These are questions that aren’t as easy to answer in today’s world, opposed to just a decade ago. The biggest change in that time, is the introduction of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. Many of the brightest minds are taking conflicting sides on the topic. Some will argue that we are more disconnected then we’ve ever been as a result of social media. On the other hand, people will swear that we have never been closer due to social media. Let me tell you, I know first-hand how much of a positive impact social media is having in our friendships and communities. With sites like Facebook, you have the ability to build relationships and therefore your community as well, like
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Peter Lovenheim, the author of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” tells the story of how he wasn’t interested in getting to know his neighbors until a murder-suicide occurred on his block. What happened next was he was inviting himself to sleep over his neighbors to finally get past the boundaries that divided them. He described the boundaries that kept him from getting to know his neighbors as “property lines that isolate us from the people we are physically to; our neighbors.” (458) With regards to this, those lines will always be there, but social media doesn’t have boundaries. You can connect with anyone, not limited to just your neighborhood but the whole world. After Lovenheim learned about his neighbors and one in particular who was battling cancer. He recalls “my goal shifted: could we build a supportive community around her—in effect, patch together a real neighborhood?” (460) To answer his question, yes and in fact very easily. A practical and painless solution would to be, create a private Facebook page for your neighbors who are willing to help. Even Silver would be impressed how people who weren’t great friends could bond together and really make a difference. Those invisible lines would be no more, but in place of them a community ready to help better each other. Carpooling, babysitting, among countless other problems could be solved just from reaching out to your neighbors on Facebook. Furthermore, Facebook is just one tool to be used. There are countless other outlets of social media able to help unite us
Peter Lovenheim, the author of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” tells the story of how he wasn’t interested in getting to know his neighbors until a murder-suicide occurred on his block. What happened next was he was inviting himself to sleep over his neighbors to finally get past the boundaries that divided them. He described the boundaries that kept him from getting to know his neighbors as “property lines that isolate us from the people we are physically to; our neighbors.” (458) With regards to this, those lines will always be there, but social media doesn’t have boundaries. You can connect with anyone, not limited to just your neighborhood but the whole world. After Lovenheim learned about his neighbors and one in particular who was battling cancer. He recalls “my goal shifted: could we build a supportive community around her—in effect, patch together a real neighborhood?” (460) To answer his question, yes and in fact very easily. A practical and painless solution would to be, create a private Facebook page for your neighbors who are willing to help. Even Silver would be impressed how people who weren’t great friends could bond together and really make a difference. Those invisible lines would be no more, but in place of them a community ready to help better each other. Carpooling, babysitting, among countless other problems could be solved just from reaching out to your neighbors on Facebook. Furthermore, Facebook is just one tool to be used. There are countless other outlets of social media able to help unite us