Ray Oldenburg Crtique

Stress is a common problem in America today. The cause however, is often times debated. Ray Oldenburg, a sociologist at the University of West Florida, argues that the reason we (Americas) are stressed out is due to a lack of a third place. I couldn’t agree more. Oldenburg’s effective use of communication, his witty comments, and the examples that he uses apply to us today as much as they did in the past. …

…lack of the body expression. I would even venture to say that this form of communication could not even begin to aid in an informal social life because the value of the words is only a part of communication. We are therefore missing out on valuable non-verbal signals. The only way to pick up on those non-verbal signals is to see a person face to face: hence the need for a third place to visit.