I wasn’t going to post this - I meant to comment it on Thivai’s blog but there is a limit on words. Anyway, yesterday he posted “Some Thoughts on the American Individual by Robert Goldman” and here are some of my thoughts on his thoughts:

Thivai,

I’m a big fan of your blog … you’re a really talented writer. Just last night my girlfriend and I were talking about American hyper-individualism. She is Mexican, though living in San Diego, and felt perturbed by the often lonely self-reliance of American.

I felt for her. I am definitely a product of American individualism. I prefer to work alone. I’d rather write an email than talk on the phone and I spend at least a quarter of the day hidden anonymous behind my computer screen. With that said, I am also constantly lamenting about the lack of community and participation in my neighborhood and where I went to school. I think the internet - especially sites like Friendster and Myspace - have shown us that isolated America is desperate for some sort of contact, whether it be a comment on a blog or a testimonial in Friendster. Yet we are still he

ld back, shy, and nervous to meet publicly, face to face, and converse.

While traveling in Mexico these past two months I came to the conclusion that, in part, this social phobia comes from flawed U.S. city design. Every city in Mexico, whether huge and cosmopolitan or a rural pueblito, was built around a green, well-lit plaza lined with cafes, bakeries, and small botiques. If not nightly, there is live music at least once a week. Young and old couples walk around arm and arm buying cotton candy and ice cream cones. Teenagers flirt, young children run around laughing and causing trouble.

That is not to say that Mexico is not dealing with the same small business and city planning issues as the United States: urban sprawl, giant Wal-Mart shopping centers and conglomerate owned malls competing with mom and pops shops that have been owned by the same families for generations. But despite all of that, Mexicans - whether urban or suburban - know that there is a place where they can gather to discuss, sing, dance, and protest. In otherwords, something a little less virtual than the internet.

Keep up the good work.