Friday, July 06, 2007

Hidden Mt. Lebanon, Chapter Three

[For the first post in this series -- on the centrality of children and dogs in Mt. Lebanon -- click here.]

[For the second post in this series -- on the Fourth of July celebration in Mt. Lebanon -- click here.]

I moved to Mt. Lebanon for the schools. When I visited before committing to move here, I liked the old houses and the big trees and the sidewalks, but I moved to Mt. Lebanon for the schools. I was completely and utterly unaware of both the town's self-image and of its reputation in Pittsburgh more generally. That first Fall, one of my daughter's new friends invited her to the Howe School Sunny Funny Fair. (We live in the Markham neighborhood.) When we presented ourselves at the ticket table at Howe, our friend announced to the kids selling tickets that my daughter went to Markham. One of the little girls behind the table looked up at me and said, "Oooh, you must be rich!" That was a "welcome to Mt. Lebanon!" that puzzled me, to say the least.

Fortunately for me, I've both learned a lot about Mt. Lebanon, and even more fortunately, I don't care much about these things. My family has gotten a good deal out of the schools, and we've enjoyed living in town. Still, we've had to pay attention to local culture as we've moved around socially and culturally -- even with kids, and even with a dog. Today's Hidden Mt. Lebanon tip focuses on the most important dimension of that culture: Mt. Lebanon operates on a cultural economy that traffics in one ultimately important commodity: status.

What I mean by "status economy" is that folks (and groups) in Mt. Lebanon have it -- some high, some middle, some lower -- and they are concerned, and sometimes obsessively so, with keeping it, that is, with maintaining its value. Some people work hard at moving up, but in Mt. Lebanon, I think, we have a community composed largely of people who think that they have it and simply want to hold on to it. In economic terms, maintaining your status means keeping the supply relatively low and the price relatively high. Look around at groups in town -- PTAs, athletic associations, political party committees, social networks in various neighborhoods -- and on and on -- and think about how this plays out in terms of who is "in" and who is "not." Who are the status monopolists? (Please, keep your answers to yourselves!) Public communications circulate the accoutrements of status. Mt. Lebanon magazine, for example, doesn't do a lot of investigative journalism. It does do a lot of smiling neighbors and renovated houses.

I've thought about this a lot recently in terms of anxiety expressed on the blog about anonymity. If I speak publicly and by name, goes the argument, then I and/or my family will be punished or ostracized. Some of that fear is specifically tit-for-tat -- if I speak out against the coach, then the coach will sit my kid. Much of it, though, is broader and social -- if I associate my name with an opinion that turns out to be unpopular, then my neighbors will look at me funny. That's the status economy in action. Twice in the last week, in conversations about topics raised on this blog, people speaking to me have used the word "McCarthy-ism" in connection with local pressures to conform. I think that's an overstatement; the pressure to conform socially, and the fear of expressing public criticism, is a status thing. Anxiety about status produces subtle efforts -- and sometimes not so subtle efforts -- to enforce the status quo.

Lots of high-end suburbs revolve around status. Mt. Lebanon is a little different from most of them, because the status economy here, as elsewhere in Pittsburgh, has been so static. Mt. Lebanon as a whole, its high status neighborhoods, and high status groups and high status families have been high status for a long, long while. Middle- and lower-status institutions likewise haven't moved much. Some high-end suburbs occupy geographies where lots of people come and lots of people go. The churn of mobility keeps the status economy in motion; no one gets too hung up on the "right" schools, groups, people, clothes, car, or things to say (or not).

Is any of this changing in Mt. Lebanon? Or should it change?

After all, the status economy isn't peculiar to Mt. Lebanon or Pittsburgh; chasing and conserving status is an American thing. As Gene Collier might say, invoking his least favorite sports cliche, it is what it is.

But as more young families move to town, and as more non-natives move in, there is at least the possibility of reorienting the status economy just a little bit. It is not true that every resident of Mt. Lebanon is status-obsessed, though some who deny that they are status-obsessed are nonetheless active participants in the status economy. And there are those Mt. Lebanites (the leading contender, by the way, though it doesn't have a majority of the votes) who clearly thumb their noses as the status economy. But change is a more likely option today than perhaps it has ever been. Rich (and sometimes uncomfortable) public discussion of local issues -- social, cultural, political, economic -- helps to loosen status supply and demand. Even Mt. Lebanon magazine, in my view, has read less like a "happy talk" publication in the last two or three years, which I think is a good thing. Social monopolists, like real monopolists, thrive on secrecy and control of information. Population churn brings change. Transparency brings change.

And at the end of the day, that -- change -- is what the local status economy has to confront. Many people of good will don't want Mt. Lebanon to change. It's quite a nice place just the way it is. In many ways, the status quo is a good and useful thing. But many people -- perhaps a minority, perhaps not -- would like to feel less socially stifled. They would like to see the status quo shaken -- and stirred. The status economy won't go away. But what happens next, if anything?

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20 Comments:

Blogger Schultz said...

"Population churn brings change. Transparency brings change...."

And bloggers like you help bring about change, Mike.

We're glad to be moving to Mt Lebanon next week and we are looking forward to being a part of the community.

July 06, 2007 9:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Read this last night and slept on it before posting a comment, not that I'm afraid to!! ;) (it is interesting though that the response on this one is slower than say the dogs and kids or 4th of July Hidden Lebo articles)

Having grown up here (Va. Manor < there I go with stating my status pedigree) I have to agree with your points about "status" and also agree its not just a Mt. Lebanon phenom. I'm sure you would find the same behaviors in places like Fox Chapel and Shady Side. I have a friend from Shady Side and on one more than one occasion they have spoken in terms of the various families over there. Whether my friend realizes it or not much of the commentary deals with who had status, who did not.

If I were to classify my family, we were/are soundly in the middle and so I think I ended up 1) without a chip on the shoulder (not giving a hoot or a care over who was "rich") and 2) without a sense of superiority (being in the "in" group and doing whatever it takes to stay there). To be honest I think it's just as sad for a kid to express the belief there are "rich" people here (her unspoken point is she is not one of them) as it is for a group of people to walk around thinking they are "in" while others are "out." I would love to say Mt. Lebanon is not this way, but I've experienced it.

Upon returning here and looking at all of the neighborhoods. (I spent the past year driving Mt. Lebo looking at houses on the market and the neighborhoods. That was me stalking every street in my green Taurus). A childhood friend urged me to consider Sunset Hills ("normal" families lived there, "nice" "friendly" "laid back" "diverse" were the terms I heard). Upon being shown a house in the Lincoln area the showing agent referred to Sunset Hills as a place for starter homes and practically not Mt. Lebanon(!!!!!) Shame on her. Another friend urged me not to move to another location "too snotty." And another friend referred to the Mission Hills section as "well they are a completely different breed of cat" living over there. LOL All of this would be funny if it weren't for the fact we have kids judging themselves and others based on such shallow aspects of life. Not to mention adults afflicted with a superiority complex actually thinking this stuff matters in terms of who they are and who others aren't.

I am hoping to raise my daughter to be sensitive to treating people on "real" terms. Regardless of what group a person falls into most people at a basic level want to be treated kindly. If you start there and someone acts as though they are better than you ... sorry for them. The truth is that behind the doors of houses regardless of neighborhood are real people with real issues: grief, loneliness, substance abuse, mental illness, dealing with elderly parents, and on and on.

When I moved back here I told my sister (who lives in New England)that I felt Mt. Lebanon was changing for the better in some respects. I have noticed many more families from different backgrounds. If you wait for my neighborhood bus when the kids are walking to Jefferson Middle School (Jr High in my day) you will hear the kids and at least 3 different languages beyond English. Mt. Lebanon seems "richer" culturally than when I was a kid.

In terms of groups creating an environment of who is "in" and who is "out" I think parents in general should be considered as a big gear in the machine. (A whole other blog topic in and of itself). First question asked upon moving here (by more than one person) was I a working mom or a stay at home. Same question asked numerous times at the park by fellow moms wanting to strike up a conversation. Parenting (how you do it, where are your family's politics, religion etc etc) seems to be a big factor as people classify themselves and others. Just as you were asked about joining a church which I have to believe behind that question was a judgment of sorts going on.

I recently read a sociology paper called "Ring Around the Children a Pocket Full of Mothers" where the behaviors of suburban moms at parks was studied (in comparison to moms at places like McDonald's play areas in urban settings). What they concluded was the existence of a very intricate social dance in suburbia. The moms sit or stand around the children as if keeping surveillance but in the end the behaviors indicate the moms act not out of surveillance toward their kids but the real action is going on (in words, intonation, body language) over the kids heads between the moms as they survey each other..."look at me and my actions, listen to how I speak to my kid, I'm a good parent...look at you, you are 1) not a good parent or 2) you act like me you might be a good parent." Pitt should send a team of Sociology PhD candidates to the main park LOL. Why did *I* feel compelled to find and read such an article? Because after going there a few times I thought this type of social dancing was occuring and wanted to see if anyone else had noticed.

I have yet to figure out the draconian and complex rules and regulations of sharing $0.79 cent plastic toys at the sand pile beyond the fact parents seem extra sensitive to the concept. I noticed at the 4th festivities the sand was covered with mulch so this may no longer be an issue. I've watched on more than one occasion a child being corrected for trying to play with someone else's dime store plastic shovel "no Billy that's not yours!" (maybe with the study I read the real communication is not directed at the youth but at the other parent on the scene: I'm a good and thoughtful parent and won't let my kid touch your kid's Walmart shovel??) My daughter's perspective on the whole scene is enlightening for what I'll face in the future (no mommy don't touch, some boy may want to share) What confounds me are the parents who upon seeing a kid who wants to play with a toy, their kid's toy, and no attempts are made to see if some sharing could take place by either suggesting to their child that sharing is a possibility or by offering the toy to the kid. In any event the sensitivity runs both ways...the parent with the toy and the parent with the kid who wants the toy and I suspect all of this has more to do with unspoken communication between the parents over who they "are" (perceive themselves) as opposed to really giving a hoot over the 79 cent plastic shovel.

I'm off topic...just think within the group known as parents (which is big here) exist behaviors and beliefs that lead to who is "in" "out." Mike, your blog entry begs the question...are people really "in" or "out" or are they only "in" or "out" in their own heads??

Should Mt. Lebo change? Yes and no. I moved back here from the city because after seeing the other grass, well it ain't greener. Some of the status quo does lend itself (albeit in a dysfunctional way) to high expectations of schools, property maintenance etc. Even the stilted communication at the park amongst parents is on the basic surface "cordial" if not stand-offish. And the hyper "I'm a good parent" social dance? What's "better"? That or the scene I've witnessed too many times in my old neighborhood...kids being abusively yelled at? There was no social dance of "look at me I'm a good parent". I have witnessed a father call his grade school son an a-hole in front of the whole neighborhood, I have witnessed parenting by screaming method. Give me the sand pile rules any day over that "parental" behavior.

When we speak of things like status the real issue is whether people are comfortable in their own skin. Is their happiness based on something shallow and perceived or is it based on a life well lived of real meaningful life experiences and friendships. If personal contentment is based on whether you are in or out that's sad. Maybe its not Mt. Lebanon that changes but the mindset of each person who lives here.

PS: Welcome Schultz!

July 07, 2007 9:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, I live in Markham, I guess I'm rich. It's funny, when I lived out of state, I seemed to be the poor one. I move to Mt. Lebanon, and I'm the rich one. Dude, that's wack!

July 07, 2007 9:20 AM  
Blogger Mike Madison said...

Excellent comment, Marjie. In response to this:

"Mike, your blog entry begs the question...are people really "in" or "out" or are they only "in" or "out" in their own heads??"

I would say -- neither. (So, I don't think that it's a question that needs to be answered.) Being "in" and "out" is a function of language and behavior, which is to say, it is basically a social phenomenon, not a cognitive one. No matter what I think of myself, for example, my "in-ness" or "out-ness" is decided by various groups that I come into contact with. That doesn't mean that in this hypothetical there is some objective reality that corresponds to being "in" or "out"; "hip" people aren't "hip" because they match some objective measure of "hip" status. They're hip because they and others like them are recognized, socially, as being hip. Then, when fashions change, they're not.

July 07, 2007 10:51 AM  
Blogger Jefferson Provost said...

My first thought on reading this post and the comments was that if people are so concerned about their status vis-a-vis other Mt. Lebanese, then they clearly don't get out very much. Socioeconomically, Mt. Lebanon still covers a fairly narrow band of the overall status spectrum. Compared to many places in the city, a rental duplex on Shady Drive East or Lemoyne is a "deeeluxe apartment in the sky." Lebo is also different from smaller, more rural towns where the very rich and very poor all go to the same schools and shop in the same stores. There is no "wrong side of the tracks" in Lebo. Not really.

Of course, maybe this is my own biases showing. After all, I went to Washington School, which encompases most of Lebo's rental areas, but also includes Mission Hills and Main Entrance. Plus, my dad was also a professor and my parents moved to Lebo for the schools. My folks were genuinely welcoming of all my friends, as long as they were good kids "with their heads on straight." But academia has its own social currency that's not really based on where you live or how much money you make.

Still, it seems to me, much of Lebo's status-maintenance effort is devoted to maintaining the cachet associated with a Mt. Lebanon address relative to the rest of the Pittsburgh area. When I was a kid, it was an ice rink and astroturf at the stadium. Now it's $500k for a new playground in the park, a new swim center, and potentially a new high school. These are all at least partially investments in status.

And, of course, nobody in Lebo says "yinz."

July 07, 2007 12:49 PM  
Blogger Bill Matthews said...

All this from a guy who wears a Yinzer hat

The whole status thing is not unique to MTL. While I have lived here a bunch of years – I have also lived in communities that are on an entirely different socio-economic plateau.

Look up Salyersville, KY, or go to: http://tinyurl.com/2q8eny
My apartment was on the second floor of the building on the right.

The towns I lived in were great places to live and all had a status factor, not unlike MTL. Some folks were more financially secure, some were politically engaged, others had athletic prowess, some were small business owners and of course there were the doctors & lawyers – who were often all of the above.

Dennis DeYoung though said it best: “if you think your life is complete confusion - because your neighbors got it made - just remember that its a grand illusion - and deep inside were all the same.”

I don’t think any more or less of Mike for his Yinzer hat - but try to get him to wear a hat with an “H” or a “P”.

It’s not a status thing - it is simply about affiliation – I am confident he would be just as happy wearing an “MTL” hat – now that he is one of us!

July 07, 2007 2:10 PM  
Blogger Mike Madison said...

Ha! You're absolutely right about the hats -- no "H" or "P" for me (though I do own an "H" t-shirt from my teaching days). My favorite hat these days, though, is an AS Roma cap that I picked up last summer. But I don't mind admitting that I'm part of the status economy, sometimes voluntarily (see J.'s comment above about academia!) and sometimes not.

July 07, 2007 2:41 PM  
Blogger Jefferson Provost said...

Funny about the hats. For all those years at UT, I never really followed the Longhorns much. I have a couple of T-shirts, but I was never what you'd call the embodiment of school spirit.

But now that I'm up here, I find I really want to pick up a Bevo hat.

July 07, 2007 5:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mike,

I think the status economy in Mt. Lebanon may be at an all-time low. We probably have fewer second and third generation Mt. Lebanites than ever before and, in turn, fewer legacies to perpetuate the system. We now have a considerable number of new Mt. Lebanites, who come to our community with no real sense of the compartmentalizing and cataloging that have gone on here for so long. More importantly, these newcomers are becoming increasingly active in our community.

Also, given the huge growth in community-wide youth activities (soccer, baseball, lacrosse, performing arts), you regularly have kids from Lincoln running with kids from Foster, kids from Markham running with kids from Howe. This sort of regular intermingling rarely took place when I was growing up here. We hardly ever interacted with kids from the "other" neighborhoods outside of CCD on Wednesday or Sunday School on Sunday. It is truly amazing how many of our kids' friends attend other elementary schools. And we know from Mike's Hidden Mt. Lebanon that when our kids get together, the parents get together too.

This is not to say that our communities are completely without separation. Of course, we are still somewhat lumped into the "haves" and the "have a little less". And certainly living on Osage, Valleyview, Longue Vue or Hoodridge still "means something." However, I see less of a class system than ever before in our community, and I think that's a change for the better.

July 08, 2007 8:17 AM  
Blogger Ben B. said...

I live in the extreme northwest corner of Mt. Lebanon, a very short walking distance from Pittsburgh, Scott Township, Greentree and Dormont. I have heard from some real estate agents that many in other regions of Mt. Lebanon do not consider this area to be part of Mt. Lebanon, other than in a legal and geographic sense. Clearly, that is a symptom of the concern with status about which Mike comments.

As far as I'm concerned, those with more than a passing and superficial concern with this type of social status are being pretentious. When people ask me where I live, I hesitate to say Mt. Lebanon for fear that I will be thought of as too posh and well-to-do, or worse, Republican. (I also fear they will offer the perfunctory comment about what a tough commute I must have, which, in fact, I do not have--largely because of the very convenient part of Mt. Lebanon in which I live.) I usually go out of my way to point out that I live in the northern part of Mt. Lebanon near the border with Pittsburgh.

I am not ashamed to live in Mt. Lebanon at all, but the concern with status so prevalent in suburbanites is not my thing. Thanks to Mike for bringing it up for discussion.

July 08, 2007 11:58 AM  
Blogger Jefferson Provost said...

It sounds like some real estate agents have found a convenient spiel to upsell their status-conscious clients. Remember, they're paid on commission. Don't assume that their opinions are impartial, or that they necessarily have their clients' best interests in mind.

July 08, 2007 3:32 PM  
Blogger Schultz said...

"I usually go out of my way to point out that I live in the northern part of Mt. Lebanon near the border with Pittsburgh."

Ben - you go out of your way to point out that you live on the fringes of Mt. Lebo, but then you say you are not ashamed to live in Mt. Lebo? You also stated that you do not care about status yet your nickname is Ben J.D. Is J.D. your last name or are you just pointing out you have a J.D.? My mistake if you weren't trying to fit in with the status crowd.

I am moving from the city, where almost everyone is a Democrat, to Mt Lebanon, where there seems to be a good mix of Dems and Pubs. I think having different perspectives on things like politics is a good thing, don't you?

July 08, 2007 7:18 PM  
Blogger Matt C. Wilson said...

Ben J.D. - My first house in Lebo was in "tha 15216." It turns out there is a world of difference - insurance companies consider that zipcode to be the city, so, you know, your premiums might go, geez, tens of dollars higher. Don't be alarmed - that's a guess.

Not sure if that's what the realtor was trying to say. And yeah, like Schultz, I'm not seeing the "My God! It's... full of Republicans!!" thing either.

That's totally USC. :>

July 08, 2007 9:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have lived here for three years -- after having lived as far west as Utah and as far north as Wisconsin. When we came here, we came for the schools, the beauty of the neighborhoods and the general forward-thinking we presumed would exist in a place where education -- in both children and adults -- was valued. We weren't disappointed. My husband and I think Lebo is the great equalizer for anyone who has ever achieved a modicum of success in his or her life/profession. Having lived in smaller towns and areas where "success" is spread out over miles, it was so easy for people to get "bigheaded" by their accomplishments or paychecks. Not so here! My husband is a physician. We have seen the reaction of a small town's population to his "title." It's almost embarassing. Funny, though, in Lebo, he's a dime a dozen. I imagine I could say the same about lawyers, Ph.D.s, business owners, business executives, etc.

Lebo does more equalizing than dividing. After three years here, I can honestly say I know no Lebo "royalty." Instead, I have met an incredibly diverse group of people who could care less whether they are on the "right side of town" or not. Some were born and raised here. Some were transplants like me. The one comonality is that we love it here, and NOT becuase of the schools or the pretty houses. When it comes down to it, we love it here because of the people -- plain and simple. And that I hope will never change.

July 09, 2007 9:53 AM  
Blogger Ben B. said...

Well, Schultz, I was mainly referring to status connected with real estate and its location, but your point about the "J.D." on the end of my Blogger name is still well taken. When I chose the Blogger I.D. long ago, I was not consciously craving or flaunting status, but I can see how it would look that way.

I do have status concerns, but they are sort of the opposite of those that Mike refers to in his post. Ultimately, I do not want to be perceived as caring about the sort of status that Mike discusses. And I do not want to be associated with certain other suburban stereotypes(e.g., "white flight," political conservatism, aggravation with encroaching wildlife, etc.). I am not saying that Mt. Lebanon necessarily fits those or other related stereotypes any more than certain other suburbs all over the United States, though Mike's observations indicate it conforms to the status stereotype rather strongly. I am merely saying that many people in Pittsburgh perceive that Mt. Lebanon and many other suburbs fit those stereotypes, and that there is some truth to them.

There certainly is a modicum of hypocrisy on my part in that I do enjoy some of the advantages of the suburban life, but I like where I live primarily because it is not thoroughly suburban. The northwest corner of Mt. Lebanon is only partially suburban, most notably for me in that it is so close to the city and convenient for getting to and from the places that I frequent in the city (and elsewhere). Also, to the extent that I have gotten to know my neighbors, I find them to be down-to-earth and unpretentious, although only friendly when approached. Here, again, I need to point out that I do not know that people in other parts of Mt. Lebanon are less down-to-earth or more pretentious, but consistent with Mike's observations about concern and obsession with status, it seems many are. Maybe some of my neighbors are too, and I haven't figured it out yet.

The fact that my house is in Mt. Lebanon instead of Greentree or Dormont or Pittsburgh is important, but to me, secondary. If I stay here long enough and get married and have children here, I might change my view on that.

As for a mixture of political views, I do think it's a good thing. All I was pointing out is my mild angst over being a liberal living in the suburbs, and, yes, my concern that people might perceive me as a conservative because I live in the suburbs!

July 09, 2007 10:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone who thinks Mt. Lebanon is holding it's own as a town of status should simply wander over to the outdoor public pool on a day similar to yesterday. Unless, of course, "status" is defined by the number of tattoos one is sporting. (And, on a pleasant note, I was pleased to see that the sorry wooden sign adorning the beautiful stone wall at the entrance to the new 500K playground had been taken down.)

July 09, 2007 10:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I actually noticed the high number of tatoos at the pool on Saturday. I just took it as "sign of the times."

July 09, 2007 2:08 PM  
Blogger Jefferson Provost said...

Anon10:30 -- Congratulations. You summarized Mike's whole thesis in two sentences!

July 09, 2007 8:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks, JP. It's that Pitt education of mine.

July 10, 2007 2:46 PM  
Blogger Jefferson Provost said...

Hey! I represent that remark.

July 11, 2007 4:30 PM  

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