Not everyone love lawns though, there's even an entire subreddit dedicated to hating them: https://www.reddit.com/r/fucklawns/
Same crowd as r/fuckcars and r/antiwork or distinct?
They don't own houses yet.
Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
41–50 of 77 posts
Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
#42I always thought it was a way to inconvenience lower-income people who don't have the means or time to maintain them. You make them into HOA laws, and you can make it yet another obstacle for poor people to go over in order to become your neighbors.
Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
#43If you want to be able to walk around the garden, rather than just stare at it from the window, you're going to need gravel, concrete, or a lawn. I know which I prefer.
My garden has grass - wild flowers and wild grasses and I can walk in it. Even barefoot (not often, I'm a city boy unused to that). I sometimes walk just to pick up fruit from the couple trees here and there. I'm not even sure what the problem is that requires you concrete in garden, maybe if you need a wheelchair then yes paths might the way to go (I only assume, because I'm not in that situation). Otherwise lawn looks to me barren, a sad splotch of green nothingness. Some neighbours insist on lawns, good for them, even asked me why I don't, and I gave them the above answer. They weren't happy with it as I assume you won't be either, but here I am.
Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
#44Engraved deep down in our primitive brain is the profound fear of high grass and forestry, which conceal bears, wolves, snakes, ticks and a lot of other dangers. Thus, we have the natural inclination to raze it all and leave a very flat grass surface where no animal goes unnoticed. This ends up translating into modern lawns a few hundreds of centuries later.
this is obviously bs, the lawn thing is mostly a north-american obsession. most people here in europe like shade and thus higher vegetation in their gardens.
European upper class was obsessed with lawns first. Like other forms of decorative gardens, it was primarily a status symbol. The intended message was something like "Look how we can afford this land we don't actually need! And look how we can afford to pay others to make it aesthetically pleasing!"
But once there were public lawns in cities, people found practical uses for them. Many popular ball games are still played on surfaces that resemble a lawn.
That same distinction makes sense for private lawns. Do you have a decorative garden, because your lot is larger than what you actually need? Or is the lawn a practical surface for open spaces you occasionally use?
Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
#45Engraved deep down in our primitive brain is the profound fear of high grass and forestry, which conceal bears, wolves, snakes, ticks and a lot of other dangers. Thus, we have the natural inclination to raze it all and leave a very flat grass surface where no animal goes unnoticed. This ends up translating into modern lawns a few hundreds of centuries later.
this is obviously bs, the lawn thing is mostly a north-american obsession. most people here in europe like shade and thus higher vegetation in their gardens.
Forgetting that part where the lawn was born in Europe.
Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
#46I always thought it was a way to inconvenience lower-income people who don't have the means or time to maintain them. You make them into HOA laws, and you can make it yet another obstacle for poor people to go over in order to become your neighbors.
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Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds like you need to get a couple goats
Truly most helpful advice. The sheer speed with which they eat down bushes and small growth has to be seen to be believed.
Besides buying a couple goats, another option is to to rent a whole bunch of goats for a shorter--and shortening--engagement.
Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
#48Not everyone love lawns though, there's even an entire subreddit dedicated to hating them: https://www.reddit.com/r/fucklawns/
I’d consider those redditors to also be obsessed with lawns.
I mean, I also get obsessed with their horror when, after coming from abroad, I am back at my American suburb. All this mandatory front yard and setbacks that must be lawn, even though nobody in the entire subdivision seems to use said front lawn, ever. It's not the grass itself, but the utter waste of space, pushing any chance of walkability away, as it's ultimately increasing the distances to anywhere. It's not so different from the typical giant parking lot that is never half full.
When you prefer a better environment, but said better environment means having to at least leave the state... yeah, strong feelings seem warranted to me.
Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
#49If you want to be able to walk around the garden, rather than just stare at it from the window, you're going to need gravel, concrete, or a lawn. I know which I prefer.
My garden has grass - wild flowers and wild grasses and I can walk in it. Even barefoot (not often, I'm a city boy unused to that). I sometimes walk just to pick up fruit from the couple trees here and there. I'm not even sure what the problem is that requires you concrete in garden, maybe if you need a wheelchair then yes paths might the way to go (I only assume, because I'm not in that situation). Otherwise lawn lo…
You maybe misunderstood what I meant. I too prefer grass to concrete.
Maybe the entire disagreement in this thread is just between people who think a patch of grass constitutes a lawn, and people who think a lawn is something else?
Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
this is obviously bs, the lawn thing is mostly a north-american obsession. most people here in europe like shade and thus higher vegetation in their gardens.
European upper class was obsessed with lawns first. Like other forms of decorative gardens, it was primarily a status symbol. The intended message was something like "Look how we can afford this land we don't actually need! And look how we can afford to pay others to make it aesthetically pleasing!" But once there were public lawns in cities, people found practical uses for them. Many popular ball games are still pla…
If by European you mean mostly British, sure! And you can see how Anglosphere metro areas resemble each other a lot. But Europe is not one thing.