Man, you nailed it on the head talking about how American society is ageist in a way. I agree that it's partly about how late-stage capitalism has caused us to value everyone by virtue of their income (potential consumer!). I think the same dynamic has really just turned us all into homo independicus or something along those lines...independent to an extreme. So independent, so individualist, we imagine that everything – every product, every experience, every activity – must be tailored to us. Specifically us. The Consumer. The Customer. The Market. The Generator of Wealth. So if I'm at a cafe that serves wine, well, your toddler certainly doesn't belong there (or so I imagine the reasoning goes).
When really, having children, the elderly, a good cross-section of humanity interacting in a single shared space is great for building community. You know, the sort of thing that would really benefit mothers.
Excellent! Thank you so much for writing this!
Man, you nailed it on the head talking about how American society is ageist in a way. I agree that it's partly about how late-stage capitalism has caused us to value everyone by virtue of their income (potential consumer!). I think the same dynamic has really just turned us all into homo independicus or something along those lines...independent to an extreme. So independent, so individualist, we imagine that everything – every product, every experience, every activity – must be tailored to us. Specifically us. The Consumer. The Customer. The Market. The Generator of Wealth. So if I'm at a cafe that serves wine, well, your toddler certainly doesn't belong there (or so I imagine the reasoning goes).
When really, having children, the elderly, a good cross-section of humanity interacting in a single shared space is great for building community. You know, the sort of thing that would really benefit mothers.
Thank you Leah! Yes that’s a good way to articulate it - products and services are individually tailored rather than designed for the collective good.
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