It’s not about the pricetag (kidding!)
Over the past two summers, I spent an obscene amount of time scouring Nextdoor in a bid to find a parking spot for the coming school year. I would need several hands to count the number of people I messaged, asking about the price and availability of their driveway. It was exhausting and highly stressful, though I would consider myself a pro at this point.
If you aren’t aware, the parking situation at New Trier is less than stellar; there are about 150 spots for seniors that New Trier rents out, and the remaining students who need to park rent out spots at nearby houses’ driveways.
Over the course of my search, the thing that stood out to me the most was that there were few spots that dipped under $2000 a year. No matter the proximity or accessibility, the spots were really expensive and in very high demand.
Let’s just start by clarifying that paying thousands of dollars for a parking spot is ridiculous. Totally ridiculous. That is an obscene amount of money to park a car, yet here we are, paying an obscene amount of money to park a car.
I have a few issues with the parking situation.
First, I think it’s exploitative.
Expecting kids to decide between getting to and from school in a convenient way or save several thousand dollars seems manipulative. On top of that, valuing the driveway at several thousand dollars is a pretty bold move to be making. It’s just a strip of pavement, perhaps brick that you’re not even using.
But price and exploitation aside, I think what is more concerning is that it is indicative of a greater problem that is all too common in this area.
The vast majority of us are completely numb to the value of money. It is absolutely not normal to hand over thousands of dollars to park for school, and yet it’s considered the standard here because so many can afford to do so.
For people outside of the North Shore, this would be egregious, unfathomable, and absolutely not tolerated. And while we may recognize the ridiculousness of it here, we don’t do much about it. For many, it is an annoyance more than it is a burden.
But this is no fault of our own; we’re free to spend money as we wish and people are more than happy to throw cash at the closest driveways. In that same way, the renters can’t really be faulted for accepting the norm and making money when given the opportunity.
Of course, not every person is doing this, nor is every person at New Trier financially able to do so.
But I think that it’s safe to say that often times at our school and on the North Shore, money is treated with slightly less value than it may be in other places.
We don’t think much about money. We acknowledge that spending a lot of it is inconvenient, but that’s the extent of it.
This lack of thinking in regards to money permeates the rest of our lives. Instead of dealing with our problems, we throw money at them until they disappear, and it extends far past a parking spot.
Parents can buy their kids into college. Criminals can buy their way out of charges. Corporations can buy their way out of environmental regulations. The nature of the society that we live in enables people to buy their way out of almost any situation.
It just so happens that around here, it seems just a bit easier and we think just a little less about it.
So while we may not change our spending habits or feel any obligation to do so, I think it’s worth thinking about every once in a while. Consider what it means to spend money and how the things we spend it on may reflect a certain amount of privilege to just not care.
Given another year at New Trier, I would still probably get a parking spot. No matter the morality of it all, it’s still convenient, and I guess that’s just how the world works.
I do hope I would think a little more about it, though.