There Goes the Neighborhood

There are, of course, many troubling and peculiar aspects of the recent story of the three abducted women found in Cleveland, OH.  And, amazingly enough, this all sounds so similar to the Jaycee Dugard abduction and rescue story from 2009.  But, the one fact that seems so odd to me is that these women were not imprisoned in isolated homes out in the middle of nowhere, but they were kept – for some ten years, without anyone knowing – in neighborhoods with houses practically right on top of one another.

Maybe “odd” is not the right word; maybe I find this to be more “sad”.

Now this is not to say that I blame the neighbors.  And, this is not to suggest that I think we should be watching or spying on our neighbors.  I find it sad that our society has developed into one that easily allows this to happen and makes people feel comfortable that they can live in neighborhoods like this and get away with this type of behavior.  These stories make me reflect on how our society has changed over the past century or so and how our social norms have evolved over time. 

Prior to World War II, most homes in America were built with large front porches.  People tended to live a large part of their lives outside.  People sat on their front porches and greeted neighbors as they walked by.  You would socialize, have refreshments and mingle while watching the sun go down and, often, listening to a radio playing in an open window.

Post World War II, accompanied with the Great Red Scare empowered through McCarthyism, people became mistrusting of their neighbors; they moved inside of the house; and front porches became a thing of the past.  The neighborhood became less of an extended family and people started "minding their own business".  But still, neighbors could be neighborly and those families that were total recluses stood out from the others. 

My family moved around quite a bit through my younger years.  I remember every new home we moved to, we were greeted by neighbors with casseroles, pies and cakes, and invitations to cook outs and barbeques.  And, every time a new neighbor moved in, my mother would return the hospitality she received by doing the same for the new family.  Yes, perhaps there was a bit of curiosity involved with a touch of nosiness mixed in, but, for the most part, the motives were genuine and the hospitality sincere.  I just don’t notice that type of behavior so much anymore.

I currently live in a neighborhood of about fifty homes.  We have lived here for five years.  Of the fifty families that live in my neighborhood, I can honestly say there are no more than 5 homes that I would feel comfortable saying are absolutely not harboring captured women.  Now, I would be jaw-dropping, knock-me-over-with-a-straw surprised if any of the other homes were doing just that, but, the fact of the matter is – I would have no way of knowing one way or the other.

This includes my two side-neighbors and across the street neighbors.  We are, what I like to call, driveway acquaintances.  That is, we see each other every now and then when walking to or from our cars in the driveway, share our how-do-you-do’s, maybe ask a question or two about the spouse and kids, then continue on to our car or front doors after the requisite five minutes of pleasantries have been exchanged.  Nice folks – I like them – but, I don’t know them a lick.

Now, I am not saying this is a bad thing.  I am not blaming anyone – if I did, I would have to blame myself.  I am simply making an observation.  This is the new social norm.  Neighborhoods are no longer neighborhoods; they are just collections of closely located, isolated homes.

Is it surprising that these women could be kept captive in homes with neighbors just a few feet away on all sides?  No, not in today’s society.  But, like I said above, I think it is kind of sad.  If my home had a front porch, I might go sit out front and ponder the thought some more and, if you were to stop by, I could pour you a nice cup of iced-tea while we chatted about it for a while.