Final Analysis

I had an idea of the differences of lifestyles between rural and urban communities, but never realized how much connection there can be in larger cities. Societies have had a long time to change since the idea of gemeinschaft and gesellschaft came to Ferdinand Tonnies. In europe, even today, it can be very easy to distinguish gemein
schaft and gesellschaft between the small villages and the large cities. It can be quite different in the United States, where even farmers in the smallest towns can show signs of gesellschaft through self interest of preservation and being owned by a larger entity. However, gemeinschaft makes its way into urban lifestyles. One way we see this is through Jane Jacobs essays. In 'The Uses of Sidewalk: Safety' neighborhoods create safer streets by using them more and spending more time outside your house. If neighbors didn't create bonds with each other, they would have no reason to be a part of the everyday happenings of a streetside. This loss of gemeinschaft would affect the safety of neighborhoods.

Wherever you look you should be able to see signs of gemeinschaft. Whether it is groups of people talking to each other or a sign designating a community center, it has stayed and survived the expanse of society. The common beat I have takes me through several areas on the UMD campus where I see gemeinschaft, from the GIS lab and my small classes of 20-30 students to the sports and health center and field house. I think it is interesting how gemeinschaft can be constructed, and completely random. Sarah Plys talks about seeing gemeinschaft in her small private school. She has been a student there since preschool, so she would have strong bonds to other students and a closer relationship to the teachers there than I would with my professors here at UMD. Her school is a great example of a small tight community in an urban setting and a sense of how gemeinschaft has been constructed. This is similar to how I feel about the track team. We have our lives outside of the team, but we have 4 years to create strong relationships within the team. Between the GIS lab and classes is where I feel I have developed random connections of gemeinschaft. All 5 of my classes are in the same general area so I see a lot of the same classmates and professors. I have started constructing friendships within these classes, but they developed due to having several classes together. This never happened last semester due to my classes being much larger and located all over campus. Living in the dorms, Cody Olsen is subjected to the same circumstances. He sees the same people everyday and feels that his floor has developed into its own small community on campus.

Very prevalent in our society is the idea of gesellschaft, and the effect of widening gaps in society that destroy levels of shared interests and beliefs. When we graduate from high school and move on to college, we leave a community we have become a part of and face new challenges in life. Hallways and classes fill with random students. Most you will never know, some become familiar and a slight wave or short 'hello' becomes commonplace. It is funny how in urban areas the same places can become settings for both gemeinschaft and gesellschaft. Although my classrooms and the GIS lab create a feeling of gemeinschaft on the campus for me, they also have aspects of gesellschaft. Some students I only see in certain classes, others always have their group they sit with. A lot of students, including myself, also see this separation when renting. My last two landlords I got to know personally, but my recent one is a larger company and it is harder to build a connection this way. Laura Folkerts describes the same issue in her beat. There is gesellschaft in her home through the monotony of rent and her neighbors lifestyles. There is no relationship built with her landlord so they don't care as much when she has issues with the house, and the renter downstairs only shuts of their music when the time hits 'quiet hours'. There can be great distance created when you don't build connections or if people only have interest in themselves and not the benefits of a community, whether it involves classmates or neighbors or even landlords and bosses.

I don't feel that techno$chaft can be an entirely separate typology, and I'm curious what Tonnies would think of the term. It plays an active role in both gemeinschaft and gesellschaft. Living at one of the off-campus apartment communities, Erin Smith notices techno$chaft at the clubhouse in her turf with public computers, free printing, and wireless internet. Cody Olsen sees it within the library with wireless internet and computers in individual cubicles. However, I don't see these as individual techno$haft. Having a building with wireless internet can bring people together, creating the opportunity for stronger relationships. On the other hand, libraries tend to create separation for the reason of a more idle and relaxed atmosphere.

Moving from a town of 2,000 residents to Duluth has shown me that gemeinschaft has stayed with people and develops even in urban communities. There hasn't been much change in the idea of gesellschaft. People are motivated by money and they will take daring steps towards their own self interest to develop a higher quality of life, but not necessarily a better life. Tonnies talked about gemeinschaft as the strength and relationship of a community with similar beliefs and ideas. These smaller communities rarely worried about crime and control of social norms. People lived together to better the community and in helping others, you ultimately were helping yourself. As times change, I believe certain terms with societal connections change along with them. The world has seen many changes since his time, and we have developed massive urban lifestyles, but gemeinschaft has remained with people and always will.