• ameancow@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Even in the deepest suburbs it’s not that hard to form community and connection with your neighbors. Hold a few yard sales, make small talk, greet people walking their dogs, get to know who lives where. That’s literally all it takes, that and actually going out.

    We complain endlessly, particularly on sites like Lemmy, about the US’s lack of “walkable cities” and other systemic obstacles to having better sense of community and social contact, but we hardly ever see people doing something about it.

    I get that it’s less “fun” to go out and make friends if you don’t got a riverwalk and cafes, but the most important ingredient is still there, which is other people you just need to step up and make things happen.

    • insomniac_lemon@lemmy.cafe
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      3 months ago

      Even in the deepest suburbs it’s not that hard to form community and connection with your neighbors.

      I get that it’s less “fun” to go out and make friends if you don’t got a riverwalk and cafes, but the most important ingredient is still there, which is other people you just need to step up and make things happen.

      A man in a suit (John Mulaney) on a stage with a blank/serious expression on his face. The words "Not unless everyone gets real cool about a bunch of stuff really quickly." are displayed.

      There are so many angles to why isolated people don’t “just go out and talk to people”, though I will spare the rant as I live in an area likely much less densely populated than a suburb so I’m not sure how well my experience would map to what you’re saying.

      Well, other than it’s a lot easier for some people than others due to many aspects (like the bit you mention about dogs will work better for someone who also has a dog) but those are already the sort of things that are the difference between someone with some sort of social life vs someone with none.