![]() ![]() A recent census report states the average American commuter now spends over 100 hours a year getting to and from work - longer than the typical two-week yearly vacation. Williamson also blames the typical commute for a decline in civic participation. "Americans are filling their hours with solitary time in front of the television, rather than time with friends and neighbors." "Technological developments such as television have privatized our leisure time," said Williamson. The powerful impact of telelvision, however, is near the top of everyone's list. Various factors like commute times and households with two working parents have been blamed for shrinking the membership rolls of civic clubs. ![]() And in some communities with strict liquor laws, he said, "they were the only place you could get a drink." "That's a great loss and it's been suffered already."īeito also noted that civic groups were often a primary means of entertainment in smaller towns. "In poor neighborhoods, lodges used to be very important," Beito said. Most clubs offered medical care and health benefits to members and their families, in addition to building hospitals and orphanages.Īmong poor families, the loss of these membership benefits is felt most sharply. Beito, associate professor of history at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Members of civic groups, many of whom were uninsured working fathers, were eligible for important financial benefits, according to David T. The loss to some communities includes more than intangibles like social networking. "This is contributing to greater inequality in America, dividing the highly educated and professional managerial class from everyone else." "A lot of these fellowship organizations have been replaced by professional organizations that cater to the educated middle class," she said. "For so much of American history, they were a way for men of different occupational backgrounds to come together," said Theda Skocpol, professor of government and sociology at Harvard.īut now, according to Skocpol, people are more likely to participate in professional societies related to their occupations, where they meet people with similar backgrounds, education and income. President Calvin Coolidge, according to legend, was inducted into the Elks by his chauffeur. "For a country that relies on participation for democratic legitimacy, participation in clubs can serve as an entree to political participation, such as voting, advocating for local change or even running for office," she said.Ĭivic and fraternal organizations were one of the few places where men of varying educations and social backgrounds would socialize and network. ![]()
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