The State of Windsor |
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When I was younger, I always imagined me missing Windsor fondly, but now I don't: I have just a scanty few signatures in my yearbook. So what happened? Many things happened, but I will analyze only one cause: the state of Windsor. Windsor, to be quite honest, is a small dismal town. It started as a refuge from religious persecution and a mine for capitalist interest. Soon, it turned into a suburban haven. Oh, suburbia! Post-WWII, the men returned home and the women were waiting for them...in bed. The war made people sick of excitement and spontaneity; they wanted normalcy and a return to the wholesome image of apple pie goodness that they were defending during the war. So they retreated from the cities for the suburbs and Levittowns. God forbid there is excitement. God forbid we break the wholesome image. God forbid we encourage children to bathe in culture and learn. No, it must be repressed. Housewives and their office husbands perpetuated their image of a child's haven: bland. There are some good things about Windsor: I feel safe. I do not have to worry about getting shot and Windsor is more comfortable than other towns, probably due to the profileration of trees and good traffic management. Few towns have managed to create the perfect mix of suburban comfort and safety with the culture and spontaneity of cities. Northampton and Amherst are two such prime examples, but they have the advantage of a vibrant college population. Windsor's attempts to an arts center (ie-the cafes) hae been hokey, probably because squares run the joint. Windsor needs a sudden movement of self-governing responsible youth and nice non-restricted place for them to socialize to improve and pull itself out of this pit. But everybody knows this will never happen and Windsor will never improve. -Emily, 08/21/2001 |
