Question

Compare and contrast the ambivalent views of cities.

Answer 1

Cities keep changing and a new comer from a rural area will be awestruck with the advanced technology, infrastructure and life style of the people and places. Every shiny object carries its owndanger and all that glitters is not gold. So cities have their own problems which are hidden behind the artificial smile of the city dwellers and modern buildings.

1. Job opportunities – One of the views is that there is lot of job opportunity in the cities and it’s true. So, people from the rural areas move to the cities in the hope of getting a ‘better job’. People in the rural areas, especially the new generation are not ready to take up their parents’ job, for example agriculture, so they decide to escape from their originality in the hope of getting a white collar job in the glamorous cities. They get lost in the crowd losing their identity. Back in the villages, there is no continuity in the business, so the parents are forced to sell their lands for cheap price. This affects the rural economy.
2. Standard of living – Cities are said to have very good standard of living but in reality, it’s not true. People are forced to live in a standard that is set by the economically rich people. They are forced to live a materialistic life. With every facility, there is a price, huge price. This forces people to work harder and harder but they are not able to cope up with the job pressure and societal pressure that they end-up in debt.
3. Education – Education is said to be one of the important thing about cities but educated unemployed or more in the cities. This education vs unemployment is what is not good for the economy and the country as a whole. The chances of educated unemployed getting involved in crime out of vexation is more. Another thing is about paying for the education of the children. One will find struggling to pay the high fees and social demand to join their children in big schools. Most part of one’s saving will be spent on the education of the children. The quality of education shouldn’t be questioned because it’s a business.
4. Infrastructure – Infrastructures such as, roads, bridges, technology etc. are available in the cities to simplify life. In reality it has made people lazier. In cities, people don’t walk and people don’t talk but if at all they talk, it would be over thephone. The cities, with their entire infrastructure, are still congested with people and vehicles. The traffic jams are a casual site in the cities.