Malls still exist. As do public libraries, community rec centers, gyms, and pools.

autoexec 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Malls have been in decline for decades. Public pools barely exist anymore either. (https://www.poolmagazine.com/pool-news/america-is-losing-pub...). If you're in a wealthy city you probably still have a decent community center. Libraries are probably the most common space avilable, but they are also under constant attack by republicans. In wealthy cities you can find all kinds of services there. Smaller libraries will have some areas for reading and meeting.

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triceratops 2 hours ago | parent [-]

> Malls have been in decline for decades

People voted with their wallets.

> public libraries are under constant attack by republicans

Voters get the services they vote for.

All of us are to blame.

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autoexec an hour ago | parent | next [-]

> Voters get the services they vote for.

It's hard to feel bad about a small backwoods town of idiots who vote to shut down their public libraries (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/book-ban-lgbtq-jamestown-michig...) but there are efforts on the federal level too (https://www.ala.org/faq-executive-order-targeting-imls). Right wing nutjobs all over the country have been threatening library staff and calling in bomb threats and we can't vote them out

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jimbokun an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

True but not very constructive.

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triceratops 14 minutes ago | parent [-]

Pointing out the cause of the problem is not constructive?

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xp84 7 minutes ago | parent [-]

If I'm having a problem with a server and you commented "Former sysadmin was dumb and lazy, so they misconfigured it" (and you're correct) is that constructive?

I think we mostly all agree that we as a society caused the problem, but we can't go back and undo that. Constructive would be coming up with ways we can, given the past did take place, improve things going forward.

	▲	triceratops 4 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I disagree with your analogy. I'm pointing out specific mistakes in the former sysadmin's misconfiguration. And also that the misconfiguration can be rolled back. We can vote for politicians that fund projects and facilities for general use and welfare. We can congregate more in the malls and community centers and bowling alleys (and churches too, if that's your style), that we still have. The loss of community isn't irreversible. Yet.

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threetonesun 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Malls barely exist, at least compared to the way they did 20 years ago. I wasn't arguing all third spaces are gone, but even of the ones you did note I'd bet in most communities their funding/availability has decreased in that time period.

	▲	triceratops 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> Malls barely exist, at least compared to the way they did 20 years ago Presumably because people spend less money there than they used to. > I'd bet in most communities their funding/availability has decreased in that time period. It's one of the tragedies of our age. The inability to fund anything for the common good.

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pseingatl an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Malls are dying. Many are closed. Public libraries are daycare for the homeless and parents are afraid to leave their children. Your other options may be well-run, but all suffer from a lack of funding and staffing. Pools aren't a year-round thing, even in the South.