Lack of street parties is not antipathy towards the monarchy

Sick of hearing that people are against the monarchy or the royal wedding because there are less street parties than in the day of the wedding of Charles and Diana.

The reason why there are a smaller number of street parties booked is because a decline in community spirit and community cohesion. Could you honestly see yourself having a street party with your neighbours on your street? Do you even know your neighbours?

Neighbourly spirit is a relic from a by-gone era and rarely exists today.

Indeed, many people will be staying in and enjoying the royal wedding, so to claim that a smaller number of street parties compared to 1981 equals antipathy towards the monarchy is a fallacy, in my view.

Reply 1

L i b

19

You're entirely right, of course. Most people don't socialise with their neighbours as much as they did a generation ago - hell, most people don't socialise as much, full stop: people are far more private now.

Moreover, street parties? Maybe it was all well and good in the 1940s when nearly no-one had a car, but in the 2010s, people actually use their streets.

I suppose it's nice proposing street parties as a sort-of retro thing, but it's certainly not tailored to our present social environment.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 2

Aphotic Cosmos

17

Original post by L i b

You're entirely right, of course. Most people don't socialise with their neighbours as much as they did a generation ago - hell, most people don't socialise as much, full stop: people are far more private now.

Moreover, street parties? Maybe it was all well and good in the 1940s when nearly no-one had a car, but in the 2010s, people actually use their streets.

I suppose it's nice proposing street parties as a sort-of retro thing, but it's certainly not tailored to our present social environment.

Indeed. Even compared to the marriage of Chazza and Diana in the 80s, the number of cars on the roads has more than doubled. It's not exactly helpful to start closing lots of suburban roads.

I also don't think that the loss of "community spirit" is anywhere near as dire as some suggest. People now tend to socialise through the internet and through travelling regularly to see friends and family because they now have the money to. The reason why people in the 50s socialised more in their geographical neighbourhoods was because they didn't have the technology and money that we do today that links us to lots of friends in lots of places rather than lots of neighbours in one place.

Although I still don't get why people are making a fuss about all this wedding crap. Good for them, I even support the monarchy, but it's not a big deal.

Reply 3

milkytea

16

I agree, but there is also the fact that poorer families are going to be less likely to be enthusiastic about the royal family living in luxury whilst they struggle to make ends meet, considering the economic climate. I'd say it's a mix of both factors.

Reply 4

tehFrance

17

Original post by storna

Do you even know your neighbours?

Yes, yes I do... in Paris :tongue:

here I don't... but from what from I have seen walking the dog they are all old and not my kind of people :colondollar:

Reply 5

Martyn*

13

Original post by GwrxVurfer

Storna, I'm fine if people don't care about the Royal Wedding, I'm just a bit bemused by people who say how much they hate it, and then use it as an excuse to get a day off work. Hypocrites.

The are not necessarily hypocrites. They may be opportunistic or simply pragmatic.

Reply 6

gladders

16

I think opinion is split between the 5% who hate the monarchy, the 5% who adore it, and the 90% who don't think about it much but express a vaguely positive opinion of it. They'll grumble about it as they grumble about everything, but push comes to shove they'll dislike picking on something that does no harm.

Reply 7

wildrover

19

The oly thing which has the remotest chance of getting people to have street parties across the country is if the England football team every reach another world cup final, people just don't care about enough about two people born into riches getting a marrige out of their taxes.

Reply 8

concubine

17

I smoke weed and BBQ with my neighbours on both sides.

I live in a detached house in an upper middle class area.

As far as I'm aware, none of us give a **** about the royal wedding and will not be celebrating it.

Weeeeeeee.

Reply 9

tieyourmotherdown

14

Everybody down our road knows everybody else, we're just not having a street party because I guess people, whilst they're not opposed to the wedding, aren't exactly overwhelmed with joy at the prospect of it either.

Plus we don't really need an excuse to have a get together and get drunk because we have the Eurovision Song Contest every year anyway.

Reply 10

Oswy

15

Original post by L i b

You're entirely right, of course. Most people don't socialise with their neighbours as much as they did a generation ago - hell, most people don't socialise as much, full stop: people are far more private now.

...

As you'd expect, a Marxist like me would put much of that down to the various atomising effects of industrial (and post-industrial) capitalism, but I'm interested in hearing how you'd explain the trend.

Lack of street parties is not antipathy towards the monarchy

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