America Needs More Schmoozers

 

By Frank Filocomo

I encourage you to read Elizabeth Stice's latest article in Front Porch Republic. 

Stice, having recognized that America's scourge of social atomization is in no way abating, has decided to take matters into her own hands. 

Whatever the culprit for said atomization, people, Stice argues, ought to be more proactive. 

We often think ourselves powerless and unable to effectuate change. If we take a more parochial approach, however, there's actually a lot we can do to improve our lot. 

In her community, Stice has been a facilitator, brainstorming innovative ways to engage friends and neighbors.

From the article:

In spring of 2024, I ran a 5K with a friend. At that race, other local races were being advertised. One was a “Margarita Mile.” You’d sign up, run a mile, and then you’d get a margarita at the finish line. My friend and I realized that we could put on something like that ourselves.

In 2024, I held my first Margarita Mile. I’ve done more since then. It’s simple. I invite a group of friends. Using sidewalk chalk, I mark a start line and some arrows on the sidewalk in front of my house. It’s an out and back course, so I mark the turn, too. People are invited to show up, run or walk a mile, and then I provide margaritas. My guests bring snacks. My line is “drinks on me, snacks on you.” People are encouraged to bring friends and feel free to come and go. No one has to drink and no one really even has to walk or run. People show up who do neither.

While the idea of the Margarita Mile might sound a bit silly - I, admittedly, think it does - Stice embraces the silliness. You see, the Margarita Mile has little to do with drinking or running; the point is social connection. Something like a Milkshake Minute - where you walk with friends for a minute, and then go grab a milkshake - would presumably achieve the same goal, though I'm not sure it's the healthiest idea...

Again, it's not about what you're doing with your friends; it's that you're doing it with your friends. 

Stice is what sociologist Robert Putnam would call a "schmoozer." Putnam, a Jewish convert, often uses Yiddish words to describe different sociological phenomena. Schmoozers, Putnam writes in Bowling Alone, "give dinner parties, hang out with friends, play cards, frequent bars and night spots, hold barbecues, visit relatives, and send greeting cards." In other words, they are thoughtful and active members of a community. 

The point: America needs more schmoozers. 

As Americans continue to retreat inwards, it is, at least in part, incumbent on schmoozers to coax introverts out of their apartments/cocoons. They do the heavy lifting. 

Be more like Stice. Be a schmoozer.