It is incredibly hard to be an American, because it becomes harder and harder to function in a world that does not have the things that all Americans are expected to have. My parents have never had cable TV, a clothes dryer, or an answering machine. They are three things my father considers wholly unnecessary (my mother has fought in favour of the dryer for years, never happened yet), and it is considered a little weird not to have them. (Compare this to my poor friend Mama G who never had television and doesn't care but for the fact that everyone else thinks it a tragedy.) Think of your friends without cell phones, don't you say to yourself, how do I get a hold of them? Families who make do with one car: how do they function? Can you imagine a family of four that didn't have at least one computer with the Internet in the house? People without credit cards, how do they establish credit needed to buy a house, a car, even rent an apartment?
These sorts of posessions aren't even "keeping up with the Jones's". We don't have these things because they're cool, we have them because people are hard pressed to survive without them. Imagine living in a house with a detached garage with one car, no computer, only a land line phone (without caller ID), no cable TV, and no credit cards. How would this person live? Esentially, they would be living in the 1950's. The 50's cannot compete with the world in which we live, which is so incredibly fast paced.
Imagine, June Cleaver catches Mrs. Mondello on AIM and they agree to meet for dinner. She can go because, even though Ward won't get back from work until late, she has her SUV, and she'll go on over after she picks up Wally and the Beav from school (they don't live close enough to the school to walk or even bike home). Wally can microwave something for them, or he can order a pizza online. Besides, Beaver has a project due in school the next day about the African Sahara, so he'll probably need to use the Internet in order to get the seven sources he needs for the project. Maybe tomorrow she'll have a chance to catch up on the housework: she maintains a website for homemakers and realises she should probably try to be a model herself, rather than worrying about a flame war going on the "Bathroom Hints and Suggestions" thread on the forum.
Unfortunately, when June picks up the boys (first from the elementary school, and then at the high school for Wally), she remembers Wally took his car that day (still has the 61 Plymouth, but Ward's been after him to get something newer) and has a date with Mary Ellen Rogers. She uses her cell phone to call Wally on his and tell him to make sure to be home early. Then she calls Mrs. Mondello to ask if she can leave Beaver at her house with Larry while they have dinner. She agrees and leaves Ward a voice message to make sure he picks Beaver up from the Mondello's before he goes home.
Where would they find the time?