Block Party
Growing up, block parties were the place to be at. Everyone would bring a dish for dinner or a plate full of desserts to share, there'd be a bonfire, games with water balloons and scavenger hunts, and of course a thrilling game of cops and robbers. Block parties were always something to look forward to. I remember how neighborly everyone was and how they brought everyone together. As schedules changed and the kids that were participants in the nightly games went of to high school and college, the block party moved away from our block. But to me, in just stopped happening all together. With the younger kids, the block parties have just started.
The bass of "Blurred Lines" soars through my open window from four blocks away. After hearing my parents talking about it I decided to walk over. To my surprise, it was nothing like the games and bonfires we had. Instead, I was shocked to see a DJ, a dunk tank, a Spider Man jumpy house, and three food trucks: Coffee & Donuts, Salsa, and Jamaican Jerky. The whole thing felt so strange at not at all what a block party is. The feeling of community was different, and more focused on buying the "necessities" to make it a fun evening. One would expect that these attractions would get more people to come but rather, it took away the neighborly feeling.
 |
| Food Trucks |
The intent of a block party is to bring the community closer together. The feeling of togetherness was so much apparent with our traditional block parties. All the things that parents payed for now to get it all together brings more of a divide with in the community. Talking with my mom, she reminisced about the times when all the parents would find little toys around their homes and use them in the scavenger hunt. Even the planning of the block parties brought the neighbors all together. But now, if you can just order everything and pay for it in the end, why would you waste the time planning it out as a community? I find it very disappointing that not only are people taking such short cuts, but that they find these new attractions necessary for their kids to have fun.
 |
| Jumpy House |
Even further back when my mom was a child, she would spend her time with her friends playing "kick the can" or other simple games. Even when I was younger the whole block would play different games outside; those were some of the best times for everyone. Now, kids rely on video games and technology to have fun. Although we are advancing in technology and the new inventions are very useful and interesting, I think that the simpler games and activities were more rewarding and generally better. This new version of a block party is foreign to me and I think that while we should keep advancing as a society, some things are better left as they are. Not everything has to change as generations pass. Is it possible to in some way, ignore the new technology that is continuously coming out? Should younger generations be introduced to these things (i.e. iPads) so early on? Is there even a purpose in trying to keep these old traditions and games alive?
 |
| DJ |
1 comment:
Like you stated, to me it also seems like such a weird concept to have all this glamour at a block party, as I come from such a traditional block as well. Unlike your block however, my block still does have block parties, and even the kids who are in high school and college still attend the annual August event. For me it seems that what block parties stand for means much more then the simple presense of a food truck, like you said block parties bring neighborhoods together. Block parties stand for community and family. I think that every block should hold an annual block party, because neighbors live so close to eachother but rarely do their paths intersect. If there was one event a year that a neighborhood can just all sit back and chat about the things they have in common, I think nieghborhoods would be stronger. If this means bringing a food truck, or hiriring a DJ to get more people to attend, then so be it. The important thing is that people come and hear about what is happening on the other side of their fence!
Post a Comment