Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 11, 1993 TAG: 9310280326
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROBERT BENNE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The implication is that if you're not, something very serious is wrong with your mind.
I often take the easy way out. Sure, I say, we're glad to be back.
If I were more straightforward, of course, I would exhibit a more ambivalent attitude. After all, living in Cambridge, one of the most charming and lively (in a cultural and intellectual sense) cities in historic England, is not exactly like being sentenced to one of the lower levels of purgatory. Indeed, it is a wonderful place to spend a year.
Nevertheless, there is real truth in the Roanoke Valley chauvinism of our conversation partners. This home is sweet; it is a wonderful place to live and work.
I love the space of the place. What a blessing it is to be located in a less-densely populated area where people aren't crammed together, where a 10-minute drive will take you into unspoiled and unpopulated forests and mountains. What a pleasure to be able to drive on wide, relatively uncrowded streets. What a joy to rediscover that parking places are plenteous and you can actually open the doors of your parked car to get in and out.
And the mountains and valleys! The landscape makes most other terrains seem bland, boring and plain. The array of great views is a local treasure. We have outstanding natural beauty here.
But our blessings are also social and cultural. We have a relatively intact community life in the great valley that is far superior to the decaying circumstances of so many cities.
People care about families; they sustain wholesome activities for their kids. Church life is strong, providing the necessary religious and moral formation to sustain stable, decent community life. (Remember George Washington's remark that religion and morality are the two pillars upon which the republic stands.)
City and county governments - despite the constant bickering - are, for the most part, accountable, non-corrupt and genuinely devoted to providing good services to their citizens.
Voluntary associations organized for many purposes - running from recreation to advocacy - abound in this valley. (It's a sad reality that not everyone enjoys all these goods, a fact that we need constantly to address.)
Added to these are the specific gifts of a comfortable home, good friends, rich family life, meaningful work at college, vital spiritual life at church and plenty of good tennis partners.
What more could one ask?
Yet, there are things that make it hard to come back, that give this sweet home a bit of a sweet-sour taste. The oppressive heat of July and August, for example, compares unfavorably with the natural air conditioning that characterizes England. This summer has had a particularly gruesome combination of heat, humidity and drought.
Other irritants go beyond nature and are more characteristic of America in general, but are certainly present in the Roanoke Valley.
Our deep involvement in automobile culture is particularly noticeable. It's virtually impossible to walk to a business enterprise. Our sprawling, ugly strips of commercial development are a peculiarly American insult to civic beauty.
Further, the noise pollution issuing from the gigantic speakers of young men's cars is an annoying affront to civility. Not only do I feel that my private space is violated by music (?) I do not want to hear, but I'm convinced that the macho owners of such technological marvels will never be able to think a complex thought - their brain waves will have long since been flattened out by the powerful percussion of the bass speakers. Can't we do something about that?
American television is no treat to return to, either, although our array of choices makes it possible for the discriminating viewer to watch some excellent television. But the masses of people, particularly children, seem to watch an increasing amount of junk: sex-and-violence-drenched potboilers, leering sitcoms, lascivious advertising and voyeuristic talk shows. A minor nuisance is the American tendency to turn news programs into chitchat between "news personalities." Yuk! Where is Becky Riddle when we need her?
Finally, there is the tendency of this newspaper to patronize the citizens of the valley. We are given lectures on the dismal economic prospects of the valley, when in fact the valley seems to be characterized by a slow, steady growth that does not jeopardize our quality of life.
Who wants to be a Richmond, Tidewater or Northern Virginia?
We are told our responsive local governments will be outperformed by a much larger, valleywide administrative unit. If you believe that, you believe in the tooth fairy.
But, to be fair, this newspaper puts out a generally high-quality product. It would be even more appreciated if the comic strip, Outland, were brought back. Not funny, indeed! Only the humorless, politically correct would find the various plights of Bill the Cat unfunny.
Am I glad to be home? Yessir! Is it an unadulterated triumph? Not quite, but neither is any city on this Earth.
\ Robert Benne of Salem is chairman and a Jordan-Trexler professor in the department of religion and philosophy at Roanoke College.
by CNB