zel_cole

Well - glib repliers are still readers, so I can't complain :). I agree with what you say and sympathize with that struggle to maintain public spaces. I imagine COVID threatened the pubs' position as well.

The cultural/economic elite are, like you say, cushioned somewhat from this. For example, a membership to "The Wing" in NYC or other expensive social clubs provides that physical space based in a shared identity. In my town, an area that was once a thriving arts district with inexpensive warehouse spaces for galleries, co-ops, etc. has been replaced with numerous luxury hotels and housing/businesses that cater to well-off students.

I'm left wondering how we can create popular alternatives that provide the basis for social cohesion. Re: the mall, if people can't at least have a place to bump into each other in line or sit at the food court together, I worry we'll continue along a bad path. I work in parks and recreation so I gravitate to public parks as a solution. They're places where it's normal to strike up a conversation with a stranger, there's no pressure to spend money and so on. There's been a conflict here over a restaurant and apartment/business complex being built into our main downtown park, drawing criticism that the park is effectively being privatized.

Obviously I'm not a social scientist, these are things I'm exploring from my perspective while watching a city change over the years. But COVID especially has me thinking about how we will rebuild public life and avoid an existence where we are connected primarily by social media and understanding life through the superficial aesthetic/media categorizations it fosters.

Thanks for reading and sharing your experience! I go to a gym that's in Northwood Mall, and there are a couple other businesses survive. I should've written about that one too, wish I could've seen it back in the day. The City just bought Northwood and they're turning it into a big police station.

Great points -- I especially like your note about how that transportable schtick can play completely differently depending on the location (and how much value you see in the mall). My city has a lot of problems, but the mall isn't one of them. If he'd picked on the creepy luxury student housing going up all over and pushing people out of their neighborhoods, my perspective wouldn't be the same. And I think what you say about Sedaris and suburbia is part of what makes him a perfect "villain" for the pettier parts of the essay. I'd like to give a more thoughtful response to match yours, but it's late here. You've given me something to think about, so thanks!

Glad I'm not alone! Thanks for reading. Like I've commented elsewhere in this thread, I by no means hate David Sedaris. I think he of all people would appreciate a nobody taking potshots at a famous writer, and hopefully value my criticism. That criticism is genuine but ultimately lighthearted and an avenue to discuss other feelings.

Hi, thanks for reading. You're right, but the mall golden age was before my time. What I like about the mall I wrote about is that it doesn't feel dead, it still has some of the essence captured in Fast Times or this video, which is one of my favorites: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_q7zfJwQIsg

Hi, author here. Thanks for reading! Glad to see the article getting interest here. I do in fact like and respect Sedaris and have read several of his books. Commenter throwanem put it well when they wrote that Sedaris is a metonym. What Sedaris said at the talk gave me a certain feeling, and I wanted to explore that. I think it's also a testament to his skill as a speaker that he was interacting with the audience so much, and his interaction left an impression on me.

Hi, author here. Thanks for reading! Glad to see the article getting interest here. I do in fact like and respect Sedaris and have read several of his books. Another commenter put it well when they wrote that Sedaris is a metonym. What Sedaris said at the talk gave me a certain feeling, and I wanted to explore that. I think it's also a testament to his skill as a speaker that he was interacting with the audience so much, and his interaction left an impression on me.