Revised Community Paper

Michelle Forrest

Professors Smith and Wells-Edwards

English 101D OL

8 Feb. 2011

The Function of Community

It is an inherent need for humans to relate to one another. We are social creatures who naturally seek relationships in our quest for significance, security, and acceptance in life. Considering that we don't all have the same desires, interests and habits, we tend to form communities with like-minded people. Communities function as a way for people to participate in society and to express their identity, thus giving them a sense of value. This process inherently offers the opportunity to build relationships.

Communities vary from the very large, such as race, religion, and where we live, to the small; our soccer team or office buddies at work. All of these communities, large and small, are places where we express who we are. The fact that communities are a vital part of one's life is often recognized at a fairly young age which is evidenced by 17-year-old college student and rower, Charles Forrest, when he said, “I row because I enjoy it. I like to socialize with those who have a like interest and with whom I can work toward a common goal.” People have always sought out one another, although it has become much easier in our present society. David Brooks, in his essay titled Our Sprawling Super-sized Utopia says, “..in the age of the great dispersal, it becomes much easier to seek out and congregate with people who are like yourself....you don't have to travel very far in America to see radically different sorts of people, most of whom know very little about the communities and subcultures just down the highway. (p. 186).

Being accepted and being a part of something larger than ourselves is a common need and/or desire among people. It is partly that expression of identity that gives us a sense of value. Although communities come in all shapes and sizes, a commonality among them all is the opportunity to express one? identity in some way. We see this premiss in large scale in Our Sprawling, Supersize Utopia, when Brooks talks about the different types of cultures among suburbs. He discusses the differences in people, their values, and their chosen activities. He differentiates among the 'crunchy suburb', the 'up-scale suburban town center' and the 'suburban light industry zones'. Each of these places is somewhere a person can choose to live in expression of his or her identity, and is therefore comfortable within the community.

We see expression of identity in community on a much smaller scale when we consider clubs, activities and even support groups. In her essay, A Secret Society of the Starving, Mim Udovitch quotes 18-year-old Claire, who is referring to her online community when she says, “ .. at the end of the day, it would be really nice if you could share with the whole world how you felt. I can go online and talk to them there, and they know exactly what I'm going through and how I feel.”(p 151.) Claire's need for self-expression is evidenced by her words. We have a need to know people and be known by them, thereby experiencing a form of cohesiveness with others. This may explain our desire to congregate toward (form community with) those who are like-minded in a particular area. We see this in Shari Caudron's essay, Befriending Barbie. Shari observes a large group of Barbie lovers during a Barbie convention. While the members of the Barbie community are somewhat fanatic, Caudron ends her essay with a telling comment about the sense of value relationships which can be formed in communities of common interest. “I envy their enthusiasm, their deep connection with one another. Their ability to shriek with delight over a pair of Patio Party earrings just marked down 20 percent. I want what they have....and am willing to go to extraordinary lengths to get it.”(p. 175).

Even though most of us tend to move toward others and participate in some form of community, this process often comes with certain drawbacks, such as conformity. Conformity can actually be seen as a cost or a benefit, depending on the motive for conforming as well as the nature of the community. In his interview, Charles Forrest states, “While I certainly have to conform to certain rules and social expectations in my community (rowing), I don't have to conform in terms of morals or character.” While we may not have to conform in some areas, often we do, due to the influences in that community and our natural tenancy to seek value and a sense of belonging. We see an example of this tenancy in some college initiations as noted by David Berreby in his essay, It Takes a Tribe. “A subconscious clue for perceiving a tribe as real and valuable, then, may be expending sweat, tears, and embarrassment to get in.” (p.122).

An example of conformity in the negative sense can be seen in a high school environment where young people are often willing to enter a clique in order to belong somewhere, even if that clique requires some social conformity and sacrificing of self to be able to maintain a place in the group. At times, the overwhelming need to belong can override the need to be accepted as we are. There are also situations when conformity can play a healthy role in one's life. Charles Forrest had to conform to certain rules and socially acceptable behaviors in his rowing community, but in his case, he was conforming to positive behaviors that uphold his personal values, rather than detract from them, such as patience and commitment.

It would appear that the need for self-expression and relationship are foundational drivers for the forming of community. While communities vary widely in their makeup, they certainly serve these purposes. It is true, in my experience and observations, that we move toward communities in an effort to be accepted and express our identities in a place where we feel we can be valued and while we are there, we seek out and experience relationship with those who are like-minded. Therefore, the general function of the community is to meet these goals of the persons who created it.