The Great Good Place

Author and Publishing History
Book originally published in 1989
Re-published in 1997 & 1999 with a new subtitle and preface
Ray Oldenburg is an urban sociologist at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. He writes about the importance of informal public gathering places

The Three Places
The First Place
Home
Place for rest and retreat
Place for family
Not a good place for friends to gather and socialize
Not everyone is comfortable in the setting
Usually not adequate furnishing and seating
Damageable personal objects are present

The Three Places
The Second Place
Work
The setting is productive, structured, and competitive
This is where people earn a living
Inappropriate for leisurely, informal socializing

The Three Places
The Third Place
“The core setting of informal public life”
- leveler
- low profile
- full of friends
- character
- conversation

Why are Third Places vital?
“The leveling, primacy of conversation, certainty of meeting friends, looseness of structure, and eternal reign of the imp of fun all combine to set the stage for experiences unlikely to be found elsewhere.” (p.43)
Conversations in third places develop human relationships and understanding of society
Friendships that develop in third places fill the human need for “intimacy and affiliation.” (p.63)
Companionship and humor are “spiritual tonics” that enrich the lives of third place visitors. (p.55 )

International Third Places
German Beer Garden (Old-world and Early-American)
“Base of viable community life” (p.90)
Hub of community activities
Welcomes all genders and ages
No prohibitive pricing
Main Street USA
Can stroll down the street to break activity and catch up on gossip
Children play on the sidewalks
Old-timers sit outside socializing

International Third Places
English Pub
Multi-environment clubs, where rooms divide activity and create atmosphere
Is “superior to drinking establishments in most other cultures” (p.125) in that it offers scale and warmth
Is welcoming and encourages laughter and leisure
“Unlike the American tavern or cocktail lounge...enjoys a good press, an aura of respectability, and a high degree of integration in the life of citizenry.” (p.123)
Le Bistro (French Café)
Encourages visits of longer duration
Is scenic, inviting, and never a far walk from the modest French residence
“The French expect more from their institution than do Americans, and theirs ha(ve) provided the tripodal base of the good life. The fulfillments of home and work coexist with a full, informal public life available to all French people” (p.163).

International Third Places
Colonial American Tavern
Forum and community center
Lodging facility
Now a “failing institution.” (p.166)
The private consumption of alcohol has become vogue in America, rendering taverns endangered species and contributing to major social problems.
Remaining taverns suffer low-class regular patronage and do not promote friendliness and conversation.
Classic Coffeehouses
European coffeehouses cherish association and elegance
Attract all members of society to their warmth and their brews

Problem of Place in America
Both urban and suburban modern America suffers from a deficiency of third places
Americans today shuttle between home and work
Americans fill free time with television and consumerism
American third places are distant, loud, and antisocial; often drunken and inhospitable
Results of America’s lack of third places
Isolation of individuals
Buildup of stress
Absence of friendly outlets in society

Forces that Threaten Third Places
Hostile habitats
Urban sprawl
Problems with patronage
Gender
Importance of bonding within the genders
Need for male-bonding institutions
Age
children are “undesirabl(e)...in our present culture” (p.266) and are either overlooked or overscheduled
Teenagers are socialized at shopping malls that focus on consumerism
Oldenburg advocates the defragmentation of American society and return to a lifestyle that includes a positive, public social sphere
His parting plea to “those who despair of suburbia’s lifeless streets, of the plastic places along our ‘strips,’ or of the congested and inhospitable mess that is ‘downtown,’ is: It doesn’t have to be like this!” (p.296)

Review of Book
Explorations of third places are intriguing
International examples interesting, but limited to Western cultures
Socialness is an attractive concept
Arguments are occasionally anecdotal, highly-biased, and outrageous
Criticism and narrow-view of American likely offensive to many readers

Good points GGP
Raises issues about social environments
Forces of social interaction
Benefits of social interaction
Explorations into different cultures

Criticism about GGP
Unsupported statements
Anecdotal support
Inconsistent statements about drinking and intoxication
“European bars do not encourage compulsive drinking, as do those in the United States.” (p.160)
“Germans valued reduced potency above taste.” (p.90)
Outrageous statements
“I recently chatted with a practicing psychiatrist all too familiar with wife-beating. He lamented the decline of the neighborhood tavern in which he felt men could ‘let off steam’ and not have to ‘take everything out on their wives.’ He was convinced that much of the irrational aggression and violence of the wife-beater is due to the lack of safety valves such as the lively tavern once offered to a far greater proportion of the population than it does today. My suspicion is that a good tavern keeps ‘steam’ from building up more than it provides a means to ‘blow it off,’ but there seems ample evidence to support both views” (p.80).

Blindness toward American Culture
America has informal social places
Schools
Churches
Sports events
Clubs
Dog parks
Coffee shops
What else?
Supply and demand