Discussion
Okay so in the 1960s was it common for neighbors to just barge into homes or is that just a sitcom thing?
I mean I did have an elderly neighbor a few years ago who would do that and everyone chalked it up to him being "old-fashioned" but I don't think that was, like, normal, was it?
EDIT: specifically I'm wondering about folks who lived in the suburbs near American cities in the 1960s, in mainstream white American culture. Not, like, remote areas or extenuating circumstances.
like basically, this is a recurring trope in shows like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie and other shows of the era, where the plots are often driven by snoopy/nosy neighbors just Showing Up and being a nuisance or seeing something they shouldn't.
Depends where you lived.
10 years ago, I lived on an island, with the community feel and only a couple hundred people. Doors were optional. People had sitcom moments - like catching cheaters on the couch. People also borrowed from each other's kitchens, sheds, without asking. The excuse being you have to fly in new things. Thats expensive n hard.
... I hated that aspect. Loved the people, the community. Not the lack of privacy.
@shaknais Interesting (and sounds frustrating!), but it's not really relevant to my question.
@fluffy Growing up in the 80s, some houses were revolving doors.
Once, I got home from school and didn't have my key. I really had to go to the bathroom. I walked to my neighbor's house. I knocked and no one answered. I tried the door and it opened. I went in, no one answered when I called. I went to the bathroom. Upon leaving the house, they got home and were unloading groceries. Felt awkward explaining what happened but they were cool with it. I was in 2nd or 3rd grade so ...