As everyone has said, this is an excellent documentary. But I have to say, it made me sad for a million different reasons. I am a senior myself. I have no desire to live in a place where my main focus is recreation. I want to cove back to my community for as long as I can, not because I have to but because I want to. I have skills and talents that are a valuable asset to the community. I have time to do things younger people don’t, like helping to plant vegetables on a community farm to donate to local food banks (our group, mostly elders 65 and above), typically raise over 20,000 pounds of vegetables a year. I help raise money for a variety of causes, run a memoir writing group for seniors, and volunteer with the local historical society. For fun, I ride my bike, kayak with a Meet Up group, hike, camp, swim. I enjoy working and socializing with people of mixed ages. Seeing seniors segregated off in their own communities-voluntarily or otherwise- is sad to me. Communities need their seniors. Seniors need to stay in touch with the generations coming up behind them. A place like the Villages seems as real to me as Disneyland. People stay busy, true, but for me, such a life would have little meaning.
Great comment! I have felt this for a long time. I've always thought older people had a big part to play in a community, to teach, be it their kids or in community lessons, things like trades and skills, childcare, and a whole host of different life experiences. Not for profit but for society. I also see the appeal of the villages though and why it is a thing. You seem like you have your head "screwed firmly on" as they say where I am from. more power too you.
Towanda, I am so happy to read your comment. I have learned so much from my elders and it makes me sad to see our society segregate generations like this- as though after someone stops working, they stop being 'valuable' to society. People are not equal their economic productivity, and i think the things you do like gardening and teaching are much more important. All generations loose when we are segregated like this, I'm so thankful for seniors like you who are truly the backbone of our communities
Think the role that y’all play is so immensely valuable to the community and also to kids. Think kids and seniors both have time to do stuff, but many kids don’t have the wherewithal or wisdom to realize all the stuff that makes an impact that they could be doing. Think seniors are the ones who really have both the time and the knowledge- and the impact they can make is immense. I’m abroad right now, and even a lot of the conservation/bush regen groups are predominantly made up of seniors!
My parents lived there for 6 years before my mom passed away. Very conservative, lots of drinking, lots of golf and pickleball. I didn't come across too many gun enthusiasts though. The big thing about The Villages is that it's about convenience. You don't have to be active and it's not a small community (about 110,000 residents) so you don't have to worry about everybody knowing your business. But if you have plans for the day to go see the doctor in the morning, play golf and have lunch afterward with friends, go home take a nap, then go to the pool and then have dinner...you can do all of that with a simple hop in a golf cart. The one thing I do wonder about is how sustainable all of this is. Younger generations, even my generation (Gen X) either don't have the wealth or have far more debt than the boomer generation and the Millenials and Gen Z are going to be even worse off. There's also the generational conflict of what works for Boomer won't work for Gen X. It wouldn't shock me if The Villages is a ghost town in 25 years.
My parents bought in the villages a few years ago. I’ve wondered the same about it potentially being a ghost town once all the boomers die off. I don’t think this type of living will interest the younger generations.
@@nicks748 I tend to think it would interest the younger generations as they get older, but being able to afford it is another issue. Hell, they'll probably be still paying off student loan debt.
We're not at a shortage of old people. By 2040 there is supposed to be 80,000,000 Americans over the age of 62. Unlike many Western nations, the US has plenty of young people coming, we won't see the population implosion that other countries are going to see. As Gen X, the millennials, and Gen Z get older, they'll make more money, and they'll also eventually retire- just like every generation before them. And they'll be looking for active age-restricted communities- just like every generation before them. The Villages will be just fine.
It feels so ironic to me that some of the residents are complaining of their hometowns not really existing anymore, at least compared to how they were and yet that is the exact thing that the villages are doing to a bunch of local communities
Despite not wanting to defend these people from such tame criticism, I’d say that’s probably toward the bottom of the list of factors responsible for these failing small towns. As someone who lived in a small midwestern city that’s still at about half the peak population it had in the 70’s most of my life and I’d say the main reasons are the farm crisis of the 80’s, nationwide urbanization and population shift to the south over the past century, brain drain, big box stores/online shopping, lack of jobs outside the service industry, etc. (not to mention that winter weather seems to be getting worse by the year). These towns are dying with or without the extra boomers, while there’s plenty I’m sure I’d disagree with these folks about, I honestly think they’d be stupid not to have moved south.
The villages aren't doing that. The elite & wealthy realty companies and land management firms do it Same companies that also own news and television stations like the one you watched this documentary on . Of course they will spend their money lying to you about their own nefarious deeds that make them unlikeable. Instead they continue a campaign of driving division between us fellow Americans. As well as fear confusion panic uncertainty. They dont call it “trauma based mind control “ for nothing. The more we are demoralized and confused about who to blame , the easier it os for them to continue producing horse$h!t like this Im not trying to act like those ld people are saints. But its sickening to watch companies lie poison cheat and hurt us daily. And then to top it off we are mad at each other instead of them
Goosebumps from the guy who sang CREEP; thank you to producers/director for including that moment. If you had to pay for the option, please know that it enhanced the film and was appreciated.
Absolutely. I am rewatching this after many years, and this nightmarish steamrolling over places is everywhere. The freaks, artists, and poor see this time and again. NYC, for example. I bought a habitable shell of a brownstone n Northern Liberties, Philadelphia with a friend, almost 20 years ago for $50K. (We had to sell, long story, before we fully rehabbed it). These days that kind of house sells for around $700K, or is divided into five condos at $250K+. People who work in NYC find it cheaper to buy in Philly and take the express train into work. This is a dystopian nightmare that keeps expanding.
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. “ If so, then perhaps the opposite is also true. A society grows weak when old men plunder trees to build a golf course, whose water table won’t even last the duration of their own myopic vision
@@stevecariggillio4139 Exactly, I sincerely doubt any of the old men living in this community had any part in the planning & construction of the development. It was built & they came.
Here's a fact most people probably wouldn't know. I've seen this in aged care situations where everyone is quite ill and not nearly as active and astute as the ones shown here. The high school and bullying mentality runs rampant and it would shock y'all to know how badly they'll treat each other sometimes. I've seen a group of three 80+ ladies drive a fourth to tears because she dared sit at their table at lunch on her second day at that facility. Literally a scene from Mean Girls. Not to say it's all like that but watching some of the ladies classes I picked up on it in the background.
Oh yes. I worked with the elderly for years, the boomer generation tend to behave like bullying teenagers towards eachother, it's embarrasing to watch and gives us an idea as to how society has become what it is today.
@@bakedbeans9546 Oh, PLEASE! I worked with the elderly in South Florida in the 80's and 90's, and believe me, the "greatest generation" was just as bad if not worse.
I am a retired nurse who worked for a period of time in Nursing Homes dedicated to Alzheimer's care and the whole Villages setup reminds me of a giant Alzheimer's unit. Super Creepy.
Yeah, that's an accurate assessment. When I attended a Bingo game at one of the recreation centers recently, I looked around and saw that I was - by far - the youngest person there. I am 64.
One of the best offerings for seniors here is the fact you don't need a car. This is ironic since they are the generation that basically made all our cities/towns car-dependent. If more places allowed people to safely move around without a car, we wouldn't necessarily need bubbles like The Villages.
so you want to be able to drive ur golf cart on city streets? how long would it take for some duffas boomer to think he can drive his golf cart on the freeway? so no forking way
I know this area well. It is it's own world. Through the 2000s. I've built 100s of homes there, post offices, fire stations, rec centers. Shopping plazas, etc. It came to an abrupt halt in 08. a year before a home that cost 300000.00 was worth half the next because of the housing bubble. 100s of well established businesses just disappeared in less than a year. It's rebounded now but backthen 1000s went from doing very well to 0 income almost overnight. Its the only place I've seen golf cart accidents. It's amazing to watch two vehicles going less than 10 mph not be able to miss each other.
@@usmcmma Yes you can get a DUI on a cart. Also a bicycle, horse, segway (careful Paul Blart), even a child's toy vehicle because it's battery operated with power steering.
I’m 55, and I’m always interested in quality documentaries. This was actually world-class. Seriously, I can’t say that I’ve seen 20 documentaries that were better made than this one, in my whole life. I come away from watching this, the doc and the long, thoughtful, open conversation afterwards, with a sense of having seen a number of perspectives. Without any heavy-handed judgment or framing. Just the desire to show the broadest perspective on The Villages, the inhabitants, their motivations, their daily lives, their fears and loves. Their blind spots, simply the fact of not having had to notice the consequences on a macro scale of their individual choices. Yet also the broader situation, with compassionate, caring, yet not schmalzy or overly emotional highlighting of the people around The Villages. Their discomfort, their sense of relative lack of impact, their sense of being overwhelmed, bowled over. This is exceptional film-making, and I’m a richer person for having watched this. Thank you so much Valerie, your team, @Vice 🙏🙏🙏
@@nomedia2009 thanks for your answer. No I’m not, and yes, I’ve seen documentaries by both Alex Gibney and Ken Burns. I seem to detect a certain disdain in your “Are you joking?” But I could be misinterpreting.
@@hexistenz I figured you are overstating the quality of this documentary. I think the subject matter was of interest to me since I study group, social and economic behavior from a professional perspective. Compared to such documentaries from Ken Burns and the like professional award winning documentarians this very much pales in comparison. Unfortunately Vice News doesn't have the budget required to compete with those types of documentaries. Vice News seems to do an ok job of trying to bring out stories that are not covered by entities such as PBS Frontline. Frontline of course is a not for profit operation but receives very considerable donations from large companies and family trusts. That type of reporting requires budgets in the millions. I am certainly not criticizing your enthusiasm for this particular documentary. She does a good job on explaining some aspects of The Villages retirement community in Florida. She was only able to interview a few residents. How she picked those particular residents was rather vague. It seems she was overly controlled the The Villages management. Since she wasn't able to get more of the residents views it seems she became overly interested in those that she picked or were picked for her. The editing job is amateurish. Very much overly repetitive. However she did tell a good story about those few. This film needs to be scaled back to remove the repetition. Since I'm sure it was made on a shoestring budget it is what it is. Great subject matter and very interesting to one who has no understanding of how these retirement communities operate. I certainly learned some things which I probably have already known or should have known. I will give her an 'A' for describing this community. A long term good friend of mine purchased homes for his wife's parents in Leisure World, California (near Seal Beach) Leisure World is probably the oldest community of its kind. He told me more about than I feel I will ever need to know. I think the more honest reporting on these type of facilities is a good thing.
That guy singing Creep was outstanding ! I'm retired and I have many guitars and I sing . I can relate totally to this vibe as long as I can play loud once in a while . I'm 71 and I'm still 15 in my mind and my wife agrees . My wife says my music room smells like a teenagers bedroom !
@@stephen8745 Stephen, this was the most emotionally powerful part of the documentary. I'm teary-eyed after watching it. It really had an effect on me. Not sure if I'm reading too much into it, but my take is that as in the lyrics of the song, most of the residents don't belong there. They belong where they came from (ie. New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, etc..). And that's why the documentarian placed it at the end. Aside from the masterful editing, you did a tremendous job on the song. You deserve a lot of credit. You could be a poster senior for an anti-ageism campaign. I wish I could congratulate you in person.
I expected this to be kind of a "Hey, look how weird this place is," but instead I found it surprisingly sad and depressing. The part where the guy talks about how he has no family left in his hometown. He says "the house where I grew up is gone, the schools I went to are gone, the store I worked in is gone, everyone I used to know is gone." Damn that's depressing as hell. You scratch the surface and get past their bluster about how much they love retirement and you find many of these people are depressed and angry. One of the biggest problems facing our nation (and the world) is that almost all of the economic opportunities are in only a few places. Younger generations are having to move out of their hometowns to find those economic opportunities. This is draining America's heartland and severing generational ties. It makes me sad for my parents who live in small town Florida. My sister lives in the NE, I live in the NW. They rarely get to see their kids and their grandchildren. Life keeps you busy and maintaining those ties over such a long distance is hard. It's sad that so many people feel estranged from their kids and grandkids.
You have to put the effort in. I don't have kids so I concentrate on my siblings, nephews and close friends. They all live on different continents than I do so I travel a lot every year (subject to covid 😕) and visit. It always amazes me how many people go through all the effort to have kids and then seemingly cannot be bothered to keep in touch with them when they grow up. What the hell are they thinking? If I had kids I would move heaven and earth to see them and maintain close and loving relations with them. If not why bother having them in the first place?
@@person.X. I am doing just that - couldn’t leave my grandchildren in a million years. They are more important to me than recreation. It may be fun for a visit occasionally - but I want to be with my children & grandchildren - just had my identical twin 6 year olds over for a sleepover last night. Love them dearly & we had a lot of fun.👧🏼👧🏼 I will sleep well tonight, LOL.
The guy who left Cinci hit me the hardest. I grew up in one of those little towns nearby Cincinnati at the tail end of the millennial generation. Almost none of those towns are the same as what his generation saw, for better or worse depending on the place. I've heard my parents and grandparents lament over what's changed, but we still had our whole extended family. I can't imagine seeing the very drastic changes with nobody left.
I am 63 years old and I get it: "There *was* good in the good old days." (citation is left as an exercise for the reader ;-) ) And now it's gone, and it's right to mourn good things that are gone. You'd be right to mourn the death of a friend or relative or pet, so why not a home or a neighborhood or a way of life? But if you kept on mourning the death of a friend or loved one, so that you withdrew from the world and grew bitter or despondent, people would tell you "get out and get help, you idiot!" What I see here are a million little Mrs. Havashams, glooming about their mansions while the wedding cake ossifies under the cobwebs. Get out and get help, you idiots!
As a native Floridian, this sort of thing is happening all over Florida. The influx of people from out of state, has put such a squeeze on the housing market that locals are having trouble finding housing they can afford, let alone the impact on home ownership. I know I can't afford to buy a house in my home town of St. Augustine.
In South Florida, you have all these yuppies coming in, buying up flashy real estate while the state refuses to build more low-income housing. The Gulf Coast and Big Bend are drowning in poverty and drugs. In Tallahassee you can’t find a single bus stop or park that’s not inhabited by a homeless person. DeSantis struts around like he’s the best governor in the country, when in actuality he’s easily one of the worst.
Florida is a business friendly state . Which means for young people low pay and little in the way of benefits. Most of the people in the Villages come from the northeast and parts of the north Central America, even some Canadians. Most have good pay , pension’s and social security . They also are very active . So they get all that money from taxes and union support. Then move to Florida to become republicans and not pay as much in taxes. YOU CANT MAKE THIS UP . 🇺🇸🦅✌️👍
Just wait, I'll the illegals being allowed into our country without going through the process, bout to get wayyyyy worse. All for the left to secure more votes..that's the only reason they are letting them in.
This was fantastic! That gentleman at the end singing Radiohead, “Creep” 1:24:08 was absolutely incredible! What a voice and a unique song for him to sing. He really belted it out. Good job on documenting this place.
I'm old enough to be able to move to the Village, but it's the last place I'd choose to live. I'd much rather live somewhere I can enjoy people of a wide range of ages, interests. I live in a city with a large public university, a lot of young career people, families, as well as retirees. I volunteer at a nonprofit with a wide mix of ages, ideas, perspectives, learn a good deal from the younger generations, and enjoy most music genres, because there's many musicians, bands who come to town for shows. Up to each of us how we choose to spend our retirement years, and my preference is to stay active in the wider world.
Do some research before painting with such a broad brush. There are many children/grandchildren in The Villages, as they come to visit all throughout the year, & any under 19 can stay for 30 consecutive days at a time. 19 & above can live there full-time. There are many events for the younger crowd, including a summer camp. The charter schools have been there for years (& are some of the highest rated in Florida), & an entire community built just for parents with kids is almost finished (Middleton). So there are "people of a wide range of ages, interests", and "young career people, families, as well as retirees". Villagers do an enormous amount of volunteer/charity work (& not just writing checks, but giving their time & energy), as well as really looking after each other as neighbors. There are 3 Town Squares, & there are live bands playing a variety of music at all 3 every night of the year, and it's free. Don't make assumptions about a place or its residents based on 1 video.
@@badkarma1289 OP says he volunteers at a non profit, enjoys music and other perspectives. Last thing he needs is to move into conservatard zombieville
I have watched many videos of the Villages. I live in Indiana at the edge of Lake Michigan and love it here after moving from the Chicago area. I could never live in The Villages as a senior now. It would be heartbreaking to leave my family behind. I've always felt that I'm here if needed,and I have been able to help out as they have grown. A whole new generation now coming along and I'm here not down there. Do I enjoy my life? Not every day,but everyday can't be party day as shown in these videos. I live in the real world not the senior Disneyland.
Having lived in The Villages for over 7 years, I found this documentary extremely well done and very balanced. When I started watching, I was expecting to just see a few minutes, but I was hooked and ended up watching the entire piece. Kudos to VICE and to Valerie and her team for an amazing film
Why do you no longer live there? Of course this is a personal question that you need not answer. I'm sure everyone that moves or stays has a different reason.
So another question Mr Gray. We all as 50 something’s are watching and trying to figure out where to retire: Husband and Wife early 50’s. This seems like a cult to us trying to make a decision. Any elaboration about the community would be appreciated for us.
A friend sent this to me because I was one of the women singing, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" as I waved my flyer. On the one hand, I was surprised to see myself and some friends of mine in the video. Then as I watched the testomonies of those who lived here before, it made me sad. I did not know the history of this land. I just knew I wanted to live out the rest of my life in a beautiful, active community where I could continue to play softball, golf, etc. However, as someone who has now lived here for 9 years, I wonder if the expansion will ever stop? Too much of anything is not necessarily a good thing.
There are alot of people moving to FL in general. It is fine. The main issue besides the residents havin more change around them is the water rights issue. That is disturbing that water is starting to get scarce ... I wish more water conservation was done.
@@mushroomtits8387 Conservation, leading a life with minimal impact on the the planet are issues that are lost on most conservatives(most of these folks are clearly). Topics most of these people have no concept of because of how/when they grew up. Well just make and buy more to keep that capitalism waste machine running. Yea try that when there's 10billion+ people on the planet. We're gonna find out how poorly that's gonna go.
Alot of us live in beautiful parts of the country where development is rapidly increasing. I feel bad that the cost of living in my town is so expensive. Because me and others chose to move here it's caused the outskirts to become developed in order to meet demand. They just singled you out as you are having way too much fun. It stop now!!
I dislike the fact that they'll allow terrible dog breeds in that community. Only labradors and golden retrievers should be allowed. Other dog breeds are not labradorable enough.
Fantastic work by the filmmakers. Makes me nostalgic for the great work done by Johan Van der Keuken back in his day. Outstanding and I hope many people take the time to see this.
Capitalism was work wonderfully for the top 30% of Americans. Because as they tell us every chance they get, they’ve “worked so hard” and “aren’t lazy.” They’ve “pulled themselves up by there bootstraps.” We all know that’s bs. Everyone else has become poorer and poorer. End stage capitalism.
Very true. Also the place has had any wildlife sanitised out of existence. Like the woman said "There are no bugs.....what's a mosquito?" And when nobody can afford to live there, what nature will there be left? So selfish and disconnected to the "real" world. I'm only 57, but if this was what retirement had in store for me, I'd despair. Perhaps wilfull ignorance, moral bankrupcy and a lifetime brainwashed by Fox TV is neccesary (not to mention the vast sums of wealth stolen from future generations)
Retirement is going to be a lot more divided along economic lines. Most people will have to keep working into their 70-s just to keep the light on, on the other hand there was an article today that in Paris, France, the 3 million dollar + apartments are overwhelmingly bought up by American (early) retirees.
Agreed & really no better example for this than at the 48:02 mark in the documentary when this crow iflying in one direction, diverts in another direction all together, & then attempts to fly into this window & “control” in The Villages is being discussed. Just masterful 🤌🏽 Mwwaw indeed!! !!!
I know, what the hell has gotten into VICE?? I expected this to be some showpiece about white supremacy or some such, which has been driven into the ground.
Exactly right. These people are already dead they're like kindergarten controlled children. The richness of life does come from relationships across the generations. As a 65 year old woman I have friends that are in every age demographic. The younger ones want the wisdom of our lessons learnt and through their lives I've learnt that they have brilliant innovative ideas for the planet and are more self aware than most older people. They are more open and because of technology more informed. I'm generalising offcourse. I hope there's a planet left for them after the damage we've done. I hope my legacy is hope for them in them.
One thing that deeply saddened me was when we would go out to a restaurant or event with my 85 year old father is that young people were not at all aware of/sensitive to him being in a somewhat fragile condition (not robust) and would nearly knock him down when he was visiting the rest room or simply entering or exiting the place. I think that this is a sign of our times that older people walking or driving is not tolerated and certainly not well supported in U.S. culture, generally.
This generation defines success as working your entire life and at the end playing a lot of golf and games and eating. Other posters here made sense. Future generations may see playing golf pickle ball and drinking all the time as soulless and the Villages could become a ghost town. There are some here who mentioned the accumulation of wealth in the boomers does may not extend to future generations who may not be able to afford “The Villages.” This an excellent point. The assumption of “The Villages” is that this lifestyle is perpetual and, in fact, it is not. People get old and sick and die. Someone has to replace them and be able to fund the life too. If people are strapped with debt and pensions are not what they once had been then how can “The Villages” succeed? Like the collapse of Malls “The Villages” is not immune to changing times and you can only be old so long before it’s time to leave this earth so what happens when growth slows? “The Villages” is like a movie set. Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end.
That's a really good point and something they failed to mention in this documentary. I doubt these retirement complexes will last another 50years, the younger generations simply won't be able to afford it. Maybe they will be turned into regular housing to accommodate the "new" Americans
As a 70 year-old boomer who chose to move further north to be near and help with my grandchild, I found the whole Villages world dystopian. It is the epitome of the failure of my generation; so lost in selfishness and self-gratification. As the world spins toward war and climate collapse these people want to use their time, life experience and wealth to play rounds of pickleball and swill down cocktails at some imitation Mexican restaurant? The Villages is another example of the social breakdown. As young people tune out and retreat to the basement, the grandparents swaddle themselves in silly adolescent hedonism. Some of the comments they made about their families just blew me away. When my son, daughter-in-law and grandchild moved back to the US I had no hesitation moving (north!) to be near them and help with my grandchild. On a larger level, the degree of corporate management, observation, dominance, control and arrogance displayed by The Villages is a model for what we'll see more of as the better off look to escape the worst of the climate crisis and migration by retreating into "safe" private -- highly managed -- corporate communities. I was heartened to see that some of those traffic bars on public streets were a little banged up. Somebody should take an old truck and just run through them. These people embody the selfishness of my generation and the ruin we have left our children at such a critical time. And at a time of environmental collapse and disaster, virgin land is torn up to create such ugliness reminds me of this great song from my boomer youth... ua-cam.com/video/2595abcvh2M/v-deo.html
Excellent! I'm with you! I'm 65 retired and did the same. I care for my grandchildren 5 days a week. And now that the little ones are going to school I'm moving to my son's area and San Francisco to take care of his new baby for the next four or five years! This is what we are for. If we chose to have children we should take care of them.
I wish I could pound the thumbs 👍 Sickened by this attitude of not me... I will not be of assistance to my child and my grandchildren if they have an emergency. Schedule grandma... she may miss dance class. Smh
You should mention this to people you know and are friends with. That might do something more than private philosophy. Though you said it very well. I definitely wish you happiness with your family.
At 6:11 the woman in the speeding golf cart runs the stop sign. That about sums it up for me. Your observations are spot on. I'm 63 and have only gotten this far into the documentary, and already I'm yelling, NO NO NO I don't want to live like these people! All doing the same things at the same times in the same way and they all look alike. Of course they're Trump supporters. They don't actually want personal freedom for anybody. They feel safest being part of a herd of people who all think the same way - and yet are all so self-absorbed that they probably don't even miss their "friends" when they die. And they think nothing of zooming around their neighborhood, driving too fast and ignoring the stop signs. Entitlement. Insufferable.
In my culture (Latin) we take care of our elders and a long term care facility is our last resort. I was my grandpas caretaker until he passed in his 90’s. He was surrounded by 3 generations that loved and supported him. He was active in our Senior community and had a girlfriend after my grandmother passed away. Family is extremely important to us.
I respect that. I don’t know why other cultures have forgotten the simple wisdom of not throwing people away when they reach a certain age. The have a lot to offer us.
My parents moved down there for about 5 years. It seems like a cult. They came back north when the grandkids started being born. Now, when they go back there to see friends, they can't believe they lived there. It's like the lifestyle there is such that you forget about the real world. I'm gen X, and I find most things about my parents' generation confusing. But this place embodies everything about that generation, for me.
It is a cult. Just because you love your parents doesn’t make the villages okay in any way, shape, or form. Sequestering yourself from reality is always a terrible idea, and that’s what these oldsters are doing. They’re all sick.
I also can’t believe that the developer is able to carve up Florida like that, literally destroying tens of thousands of acres of natural habitat. They are causing permanent damage to the ecosystem. This is a disaster.
@@daytonabeachUSA you're being dramatic. they're a little weird but you're acting like they're torturing people over there when they're really just weird
What’s so great about reality? This Tik Tok world is reality? The older folks lived more reality than the newest generations I believe. If you can afford it, and you’ve done your duty to your employers, family, country and community…..you deserve this bubble if you want it. Death’s around the corner, enjoy.
it’s really unfortunate that the villages is expanding so so much because there ARE still young people (such as myself) who grew up here and live here (here as in lady lake, leesburg, fruitland park, etc.) it truly saddens me.
i saw a comment somewhere on this video, it was a boomer saying "if the younger people in the area don't like it then they should stop selling their land then" its so bizarre how almost an entire generation can be so delusional.
This documentary is truly emblematic of the issues boomers have created for younger generations. As the woman said at 1:22:26, "I'm one of those people [who are creating these issues]. Maybe there is cause for concern there. It wont affect me in my lifetime...the 40 year olds should be worried about it [laughs]." Truly living their lives without any regard for the younger generation.
Thank you for this excellent documentary. As someone nearing retirement, I’ve seen many of my cohorts leave for their new Florida home. I’m glad that they’ve found some level of happiness there. I did think about doing the same, but your film has given me a wider perspective towards that decision what ever that may be.
I go on wilderness kayak trips just outside the villages and it’s a completely different world. Totally untouched landscapes. Unfortunately, much of it is being ravished by development but we’re trying our best to fight it.
@@tybaltyrant1 I know. I do live in a very old home and reuse everything I can to prevent more land to be developed, but ultimately understand some development has to happen, it can just be in places that aren’t pristine wilderness. That’s my hope
@@theadventuresportspodcast6651 Those shots of the Florida wilderness were beautiful. I live in Australia and it so happens that people want to live where it's beautiful. Those properties are extremely valuable. So long as people want a nice house in a nice area, this is gonna happen.
Absolutely top quality. Gorgeously filmed, amazing shots, very indepth and full of well crafted and well thought ideas. Enjoyed every minute. Thank you for making this. Pure talent. Pure craftmenship. Pure Vice. Thank god you exist to bring this together ❤️
The juxtaposition between Florida's natural verdant landscape and the lifeless identical concrete mass of 'The Villages' is astounding. 'The Villages' is an environmental nightmare, striping the land of its Biodiversity. It is so sad to see moss covered trees that have stood for hundreds of years replaced by identical concrete houses and roads stretching for miles.
I'm totally agreed. Somewhere, someday, developers will realize there's just as must profitability in providing for wildlife as putting in golf courses. We know that islands of wilderness surrounded by housing doesn't work. Wildlife corridors are the answer, uninterrupted, with priority of right-of-way for wildlife just as we do for railroads and freeways. It just needs to be legislated in advance of development. The system of local gov't, planning& development controls described in this video allows them to keep adding phase after phase without interruption. Pretty much the same everywhere. People buying into the Villages have spent most of their lives in similar suburbias. Was disappointed that so few viewers took note of your observations. Thanks for speaking up!
I agree. And as a bonus, it's full of Stepford Wives & Husbands. Sheep, and it's full of a majority of pro trump, pro moral majority, which will end up being the death of liberty, freedom, and democracy.
The juxtaposition of the town meeting discussing the water crisis with the clip of that woman complaining at length about how painful her elective surgery was.... just perfect
@@happywifeofmyheroboy, you sure don’t sound biased in your comments at ALL! It doesn’t seem tonedeaf and brainwashed, I hope you enjoy life nonetheless 👍🏽
@@happywifeofmyhero in 1987 it the median price of a house was 3x the median yearly income. in 2022 the median price of a house was 8 times the median salary. our generation is working on average 400 hours a year more than your generation did in 1980. your generation is taking all of the money you "earned" when the economy was booming in the 70 through the 90's and move to these hedonism clubs and give it all to the private equity funds that own all the commerce in the area. the PEF's then hoard this money in offshore accounts and refuse to pay taxes on it to maybe benifiet the society they are milking dry. people like you are exactly why our generation is poor, you want to call us snowflakes yet throw a screaming crying temper tantrum when you are asked to something so simple as to wear a mask. you want to call us entitled, but when people call you out for hoarding your wealth you "earned" when the economy was working in the middle/lower classe's favor you cry "i earned this its MINE" like a toddler.
I visited my late uncle a few years ago in Sun City AZ, where he and my aunt moved to a 55+ community. I can see the draw for retirees, quiet, no kids, the ability to stay engaged with your peers and simple convenience. But what I also noticed was how they were surrounded by death. My uncle was giving me a tour of the neighborhood one evening and 6 of the homes were summed up as "Oh and that's where so and so used to live but they just died." And that's the issue with concentrating old folks like that; it's damn depressing, and there's no vitality, and it is very much a bubble.
What I really don't understand is they can live with that constant reminder of one's own mortality and still retain such a selfish and greedy mindset. They live in a protected bubble of comfort but still they hate, fear and want revenge for vague perceived grievances. They're simply failed human beings.
@@Libby78 hahaha, fair enough! 55 is just the minimum in the US, but the overwhelming majority of people were 70+. Also: I was in London last November; had an absolute blast there.
@@Teeveepicksures I didn't see many if any "selfish" or "greedy" people that harbored "hate, fear, revenge" in this video. To label people go through their final chapters as they chose to as "failed human beings" without one example of a better way is shallow at best.
You’ve done a great job of portraying the community of the villages. Kudos to you and your production team. I enjoyed listening of how happy and content they are. But it also saddens me to know that there are other people hurting from all this land developments. And as far as the “Management “ well you can call me crazy but there must be something else a little sinister going on🤨 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i give you 5 stars on the film👍🏽
Great documentary I'm in the age group that's ripe for a place like the Villages , I'm so thankful that kind of lifestyle is horrible to me ,as I see it places like the Villages is made for people that like to be sheep. I want my kids, grandchildren, and great grandchildren as part of my life and my life's goal has been overwhelmingly important is the next generation, its there future not mine I might be retired, but my job is to pass on my knowledge pass on any wealth I can when I pass.
I think this a problem created by suburbia. In other countries where communitities are more integrated and close, older people don't feel like they are excluded by society and thus don't have a desire to be in a retirement community sorrounded exlusively by other old people. It is a real problem in the US where old people just sit inside all day, especially when they can't drive anymore and are really isolated from the rest of the world.
Wait, even the Village’s cheerleaders are senior citizens? Who staffs the restaurants? Who does the cleaning? Is everyone a senior citizen? That would make for a cool Twilight Zone episode.
I would rather die young than live like this, in some IRL version of a local news Facebook page comments section. When my wife and I inherited some money unexpectedly, we used it to subdivide our land and build two houses, one for each of our kids to move into when they're ready to start their own families. I want to spend my last few decades of life seeing my kids and grandkids every day, not slurping syrupy cocktails in some geriatric fantasy land staffed by undocumented immigrants who get treated like house elves.
How many of these people don't have families and just wanted to live in a community where they can have social interaction? Or do you just making assumptions? By the way, every time you go out to eat or pay for other activities, there's a GOOD chance you're being helped by someone in the background, who is as you say, staffed by 'undocumented immigrants who get treated like house elves'.
@@miket7184highly doubt the majority of these people just “don’t have families”, judging by personally knowing at least 5-10 people that live there that all have growing families and grandkids and great grandkids that choose to live for themselves and are okay sacrificing any relationship with their grandkids to party all day and have fun. And all of those families are heartbroken and feel abandoned, my husband being one of them. My FIL begged us to have kids for years and when we finally did he moved to the villages with his gf, rarely comes back to visit, and now has 5 grandkids that don’t know him. It’s extremely sad.
I think this documentary is one of the best I've watched all year. I think I had two main concerns that came to my mind from it: 1) Ignoring those who are ill within the village & 2) not embracing the local elderly. When they mentioned the lady that was battling cancer and how she felt alone in that fight, I felt like that community would hypothetically be the perfecting setting for the lady to feel supported and welcomed, but she wasn't. Ignoring illness could be extremely isolating, almost shameful for those who can't participate in the dance classes they offer, or the 3x weekly group golfing. My great aunt was the life of the party for many years, always hosting parties, making strong cocktails, or teaching art classes in high schools. Once she got sick and her health declined, she didn't have many visitors and couldn't partake in the many activities she enjoyed over the years. Had she been in a community like The Villages, I wonder if it would have helped or hurt her. Presumably the local elderly people in that part of Florida do not come from the same wealth as those living within the Villages, it almost guarantees that they will not be welcomed into the community. Maybe the locals should be offered discounted housing rates since many are being displaced. Much of the land has been sold, but not everyone wants to relocate elsewhere. I think it might be a conversation to have. I feel for those who see their childhood neighborhoods or swamps being swept away. I didn't consider the environmental impact either, the man who spent decades planting native trees and cultivating the land is a godsend. I hope they can come to a reasonable compromise.
Because those old fucks don't care about what's going on with anyone but themselves. They have a short time left, and they are going to use it being as ignorant as the generation before them.
i hate being this blunt and what not... BUT in reality... WHAT EVERYTHING HERE COMES DOWN TO IS MONEY, a lot of old people around the western world have a lot of money put away, and they have NOTHING to spend it on, so when they see a place like this they are willing to spend A LOT of money, I would BETTTT you ANYTHING that living here is more expensive monthly/yearly then living in a place like I do, (downtown Vancouver City, British Columbia Canada, which by the way is one of the MOST expensive places to live) anyways what I am trying to get to is the fact that in any "wealthy" neighborhood setting you have the "doing just fine" then you have the "wealthy" and then you have the "we have to much money we have no idea what to do with it" and what happens when you get into places like that is they band together in groups, ALMOST like a high school setting where you have the "jocks" and the "band kids" and then the "math club kids" and so on, which to some people there is nothing wrong with that, but when you have a community where in this situation has very healthy retired people with a lot of money, and then you have the unhealthy/sick retired people who have just enough money to be able to stay there and get by, and SADLY as it is ANYWHERE in the world, those people more often then not get forgotten about, especially in a place like this, which unlike normal old people or retirement homes is mainly oriented on simply "getting as much money out of these people as they can before they die" this place can say ALLLLL IT WANTS TO that it is there to "help elderly and retired folks live a more active life" but what they REALLLLYYYYY MEAN IS , they are there to offer them AS MANYYYYY SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES THAT THEY CAN DO "FOR A FEE" to simply get AS MUCH money as they can from them before they are gone, because when people are HAPPY aaspecially older people who know they dont have a lot of time left, they are MORE WILLING TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON BEING HAPPY, which to be fair theres nothing wrong with elderly people spending money to be happy, but it causes a divide like I was saying earlier with the whole highschool concept because im sure within this place there are people who can not afford to do all the activities and such, and those people are sadly the people who end up being forgotten about and end up dying alone. which is very unfortunate.
Oh yeah, if you’re sick, it’s just too depressing. Besides, you must’ve done something wrong. If you’re under 50, you can’t go into a department store. Purse on arm, shades on head, the oldies think you’re a clerk. They sail right through red lights, stop signs. The man who founded Ethan Allen Furniture did so, hitting a fire truck.
Maybe the most telling thing in this documentary is that they didn't like hearing negative news about the community so they just started their own newspaper that would only tell them what they want to hear.
Of coarse they don't want to see the negative news because most of the problems in America was created by their generation. The USA debts, drugs epidemic, wars, manufacturing decline, greed and increase of everything was done by them
During the tai chi section, the one guy asking me “Is this supposed to be easy? I don’t think so.” I’m in my 30’s and can attest that tai chi can be difficult. Just like any new exercise it takes time to get used to and there is a learning curve. My teacher was on me about being so precise with my movements. There are even tai chi competitions that are quite beautiful and stunning to behold. The competitors have amazing balance and precision of movement.
i grew up right outside the villages and watched it grow. this doc is spot on. villagers are often very unaware of what is happening outside of their "bubble."
Yeah and it shouldn’t be made to seem like they’re culpable for the negative side of their residency in that area. I am not claiming these people are innocent angels. But i can guarantee you that the financiers of this doc (vice is partly owned by Mickey mouse) probably have their money invested in real estate all over the world. Possibly theyre financial partners in this community. Point being, i can guarantee , some skümbag at vice (whose job is to keep us all distracted and arguing with each other) is probably on the land management board there. And they knew darn well it would effect the prior established community’s entire world. But these deceptive snakes will have you hating old white people before they ever admit to any shady business deals.
Bubble applies to Hollywood, Politicians, RICH, Washington DC, USA, Poor, Liberal Cities, Homeless, Workaholics, Students @ College, Silicon Valley, Beverly Hills, NY city, The Hamptons, Ghettos, Burrors, All Areas where the Concentration is HIGH!!!
@@MarcosIsABaritone - and their ability to insulate themselves from what they don’t want in their lives… Thank God that we can choose where and how to live our lives in the USA…🙏
Initially I felt confused because I thought it was a US production and it was sounding very balanced in it's portrayal of all sides. ...Then I realized the film was made by a European. Well done Valerie.
As someone who dearly loves nature, diversity, and admiring the beauty of the land.... these villages are positively dystopian. I'm all for fostering community and livelihood for our elders, but this kind of development is destructive and unsustainable.
Absolutely. And it's honestly making a lot of us home insecure, if not actually unhoused. I got gentrified out of my place. I'm now renting and considering selling what I have left and returning to the UK, where I'm from. I built a life here, but I don't believe I can stand this relentless steamrolling over anything and everyone. Found a wonderful rental in a tiny town on the River Firth in Scotland, that's half what I'm paying here. I'm on SSDI, and if Trump wins, that, Medicare, Food Stamps and so much more are done. I'm too old to be penniless. I'll re-establish residency there, and get the support I need, but paid into here for decades.
@@carabiner7999 Our drug-addled relative also said that her SSDI (which is NOT common soc.sec.) and food stamps were her entitlement as what she 'paid into'.
Incredible documentary! Very well done in capturing both sides of the experience (residents of the village and the locals in the community). I can’t sit still for many films, but this was so amazing
“ *This is really a weird social experiment* “ the way she said it where she almost wanted to laugh but she’s dead serious at the same time. I felt that
@@beckypetersen2680 I wouldn’t say they’re _all_ social experiments. But this one is. And if I happen to watch a second 2 hour documentary about another Florida community explaining how it’s systematically a social experiment, then I _might_ think that as well.
yes...look at the credits of the truman show...they used a community just like the villages for filming....the drone filming was amazing...what i heard in my mind was the folk song "little boxes"....i'm in my 70's and i wouldn't feel comfortable living there. it looks a bit spooky...no offence to all the "happy" villagers.
@@shevalazaros4427 I think the town that the Truman Show used, or was based on, is called Celebration, Florida. It was literally built by Disney but kept as separate from theme park side of Disney for several reasons. It definitely has the manufactured, carefully curated, sterile "paradise" type of vibe that we find in the Truman Show and in The Villages.
I watched the film previously without my parents (Baby Boomers themselves) and I felt that they needed to see it in its entirety. As retirees living in Florida, they really related to the protagonists of the story and appreciated the complexity of the impact of retirement communities. Great job Valerie about shining light on such an important social future issue!
I just turned 64. Looking at full retirement within a year to 18 months. Wifey and I are selling everything, keeping 1 small house on the Jersey shore for a home base. We are buying a 52' Krogan Express yacht and are planning voyages from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean. This video showed up in my feed, I watched it all. I think it was very well done. However, the lifestyle that these subjects enjoy so much is like the 7th Circle of Hell to me. No way.
Being almost 70 I couldn't imagine not living around and interacting with young people & just having old fossils living it up in a endless mid life crises as a surrounding reality.
Sounds a lot better than being robbed by those young people, be honest you couldn't afford to live there anyway. im only in my 40's but id live there in 20 years if i could.
I'd love to set up an illegal gambling operation in this bubble for the badasses, wonder how fast I'd get snitched out by an old lady. Sometimes gotta break some fingers too.
The use of the large screen TV propped on the couch for the interview with the filmmaker, Valerie Blankenbyl, is genius. She appears to be sitting in the same room, directly across from Suroosh Alvi.
I mean, they've lived a privileged life most of their existence. Why would anyone think the "me, me, me" generation would suddenly start thinking about someone besides themselves.
look at lifestyles, not from tv shows but reality, from the 50 and 60s and everything from the size of houses, amenities, etc. compared to today - today is privileged
the thing she said about not wanting to babysit kinda hits hard. For essentially every culture for all of time the cycle went; your parents take care of you, they help take care of your kids, you take care of your parents, then your children go on and have kids you help with, then youre taken care of. Many of these Boomers have too much money and no sense or traditional family values like they think they do.
Not what she said. She said that it needs to be planned. She lives two hours away, sees them regularly, and babysits often. Just not on a moment's notice.
They’re hands down the most self centered, entitled and destructive generation in American history. I hope on their death bead they realize how much of their life they wasted.
My in-laws lived in the villages until they both got cancer and almost went bankrupt. Between their healthcare costs and their monthly and yearly dues it took 90% of their retirement. I always said the Villages is where Mom and Dad retire so they don’t have to leave their kids an inheritance. Lol
I ask this in a truly non-confrontational way, would you have preferred to have them closer and taken care of them as they progressed in their age? I find the Villages are a wonderful place to go and give your children space to grow on their own. But then sometimes the children feel little sense of connection or obligation to "deal" with the parent at their end period.
Really enjoyed the different perspectives in the film. Stirs a lot of questions dealing with an ever aging society and what type of life do we all want to have when we get older. Wonderful job!!
Makes you wonder why we have to spend our youth in the grind just to pay bills. When I was in high school I went fishing 50-80 days a year. In the past thirty years of working three jobs I have been fishing a total of seven times. I won’t get a legitimate day off for another three years when I can finally “retire”. Meaning I will have enough money that I can finally afford to have only one job. Maybe when I am ninety I will be able to afford to have no jobs and finally go fishing again. If there are any fish left on this planet…
At 62 years old and retired, one of my most favorite things to do is to help the elderly with their groceries. I hope that in The Villages there are "clubs" where people can help the elderly and the sick. Help out on your own or with a group. We are all going to get there and we all know someone who could use a helping hand.
As someone who has visited and stayed there on several occasions, this seemed like a balanced take on it. I don't know that it's for me but I get why it may be for many. I can say that the residents do seem to really support each other and form strong lasting bonds. The guy's rendition of Creep was the chef's kiss; he really killed it.
Did you see any black people there? By reading a lot of these comments, you'd think it was just a bunch of white Nazi racists with swastika armbands walking around with machine guns in their hands! 😂
The contrast of the garden of this man who puts up the signs vs "The Villages" it really seems like a computer generated reality way to clean and tame, also feels kind of dystopian.... Having never been to a place like this it seems to me like a movie set rather then a place that really exists. Edit: there are no bugs? Thats kind of scary, an eco system only consiting of old people and a few select plants
@@somedogsarecops2354 'What is a mosquito?' She didn't even know that we do, in fact, also call cockroaches, cockroaches because she'd never SEEN one. As a lifelong Florida resident, I can confidently tell you that she should absolutely be encountering mosquitos and cockroaches. They are part of the landscape here and ubiquitous. I have no information on what kind of pesticides they're using or what other methods they may use to keep the population down. However, I can't imagine that annihilating the population of mosquitos entirely (if that is in fact true) doesn't have some negative impacts on the overall ecosystem.
Yeah that was the biggest thing that struck me -- 'we never have bugs! No mosquitos, I don't see bugs at all' -- whoa. And with how much this place is expanding... that's fucking horrifying for the ecosystem, especially somewhere as diverse as Florida is ... supposed to be.
Exactly! They are living in a simulation; they mind as well be dead at least they wouldn't keep on destroying the ecosystem in the name of partying in a simulation!!! Maybe all the poison used to kill off the bugs will lend in their water supply and then the real parasites will leave the land alone!!! It's infuriating how jolly they are without a concern for others outside of their cult and the land. Sickening.
Watching this documentary reminded me of the movie, "Stepford Wives". I am 71 years of age and the idea of living like this would be my nightmare come true. The conformity alone is mind-numbing. The people that I went to high school with would love The Villages. They were all the same, loved to gossip, run down anyone else who didn't fit the mould, very WASPY and boring as hell.
See you missed the point, she said some people live here and are very active, and some don't do anything, Conformity exists everywhere, most people live it everyday, work, and family, it's not that much different.
I know the feeling. That lifestyle reminds me of an episode of the 1980s Twilight Zone about this creepy suburb. I forgot much of the story, but the community reminded me of The Villages. I'd prefer to just live on some land in a traditional house...not even in a subdivision and certainly not in some extensively planned region.
I thought the same thing, that The Villages reminded me of The Stepford Wives. Ugh, not for me and I am old enough to live there. I want to be around people of ALL ages, races, religions...don't remember seeing one black in the whole place!
The lady with the Martin guitar and the man singing the karaoke version of Creep made this doc for me, nice going vice. Binging for days on yall thank you for that
OK, I have over a quarter century of experience with The Villages, so mine is a personal perspective. In a nutshell: I learned exactly how I *don't* want to live out my later years. My parents first moved to near Orlando from the Mid-Atlantic when dad retired. He thought he'd live where it's warm all year round; playing golf every day for the rest of his life. My folks started out in The Villages, but moved to another planned community five miles up the road. The Villages simply became too crowded for dad. If he could only see it now. To me, the greatest shame of The Villages is what the name of this documentary says. There are upwards of 200,000 seniors walled off from reality. When The Great Recession hit, the local area was devastated, but life went on, relatively uninterrupted in and around The Villages because many of the residents are drawing on retirements. Sadly, there's an immense treasure behind those walls and gates...if only they'd invest their time and talents in the community. As is implied in the documentary, with a concentration of older people, with myriad illnesses, cancers and on a never ending quest to look younger, you'll find some of the best healthcare anywhere in The Villages. This is just one facet of how The Villages is one massive built environment that's designed as an economic engine. One thing the documentary doesn't show is how, while The Villages expands to the south and west, it's not doing so to the north. Unlike the area surrounding The Villages, Ocala is horse country. Instead of single wides and chain link fences, there are miles upon miles of fenced in pastures, ranches and mansions. The city of Ocala is a thriving mid-sized city. Further north, there's Gainesville, home of the University of Florida. So The Villages is content to buy up all the land they're able to down south and out west. It used to be that The Villages didn't have a hospital, or assisted living facilities. They wised up, and now they do. The one thing The Villages doesn't have as part of their master plans are cemeteries. The joke is that you have to die to leave The Villages.
Being too crowded is the only negative thing I read that you said. New York City is crowded and plenty of old people live there. Other than that the only thing you said negative, which is something you can say about every suburb vs urban area across the country, is that it is as if they are hoarding some sort of “immense treasure”. The Village is not special in the way you made it out to be. From what the doc showed me in it’s first 40 minutes, the only thing special about the village is the amount of community and purpose of life that is missing not just from elder Americans, but Americans as a whole, hence the suicide, drug addiction, and crime rates. The lack of the sense of community everywhere else is what they should be making documentaries about.
@@Siteez4869 I've lived in NH, DC, VA, and now NV, and I've never had an issue finding a community, although it takes about a year to get fully settled in my experience. I'm not saying that everywhere is great, but people can find communities or create them if they put effort into it.
That’s the same analogy actual racists use. “I was able to get out of a rough time and all I had to do was put effort into it”, while overlooking the societal and historically causes that keep racial minorities at an economic and health disadvantage. Just because you have found it easy to find your community, isn’t the same for everyone else, hence as I said before, drug use, suicide, obesity, mental health issues are out of control and worse than ever. So great for you, so happy you’ve been able to find your way, but the state of our current society says it is not the same for the majority. The majority of people work and rush home to sit on their ass to watch tv.
Thanks for sharing your perspective on this place. The first thing that occurred to me when I started watching was that somebody is getting rich off these folks. It's the perfect formulation of getting a captive audience of wealthy, easily manipulated people locked into a system that tells them they are happy while steadily siphoning away their life savings. I mean, if these people are truly happy, then great. I'd rather be dead than run out my days in a beige concentration camp like that.
This was a fantastic, beautifully edited, well balanced documentary. Oh, and the guy at the end? That may be the best cover of Radiohead's Creep I ever heard.
OMG, the story about the lady who had cancer and became isolated is so sad. These are the final moments of that woman's life and no one wants to acknowledge someone is dying. Just the level of denial, which she herself admitted to engaging in. I am keeping my mom close to me. You can't have her, Villages!
@@susanclark2756 Death is life. It's natural. I don't know what to make of this place it looks like a distopian capitalists hell. Something a zenophobian would dream up as heaven.
@@Itsallillusional it depends on your age how you see this place. I have lived at my current location for 22 yrs and I had a neighbor that would put her trash out the night before in plastic bags - this pretty much trained the wild birds into ripping it open and spreading it all over. Currently I have another neighbor that leaves their trash can at the edge of the road all week, and another neighbor that doesn't mow his grass, tears apart vehicles in his front yard and will probably never finish any of them (he's not a mechanic) and thinks its ok to pee in his yard and shoot his guns and rifles whenever he feels like it. Yes, death is natural and can happen to anyone at any time - IDK why you thought you needed to tell me that.
I think one of the things I find most disturbing about this is the way it acts as a distraction from the inevitability of death. Preparing mentally and especially spiritually for death is super important, and if you’re living out your golden years in a fantasy it ends disastrously when death finally comes knocking, either for you or the people around you. In my culture it’s common for the elderly to retire to a monastery in their last days so they can prepare for death and what comes after it. There’s a well loved grandma in my church who’s getting ready to leave for a monastery in Scotland. Ultimately I think a lot of America’s weird obsession with death stems from a lack of comfort with the concept. Memento mori.
I'm half way through, in my late 30's and thinking to myself "I'd rather die young having spent my money living a life worth living than attempt doing a piss poor job in my 70's". Honestly, this docu fills me with dread.
Honestly as an early adult I'd rather work the shitty job in my 70s than live in this place. Sure it might be miserable but I'd still somewhat be living and I could still find a greater purpose to work towards (like all those old people in the anti-villages meeting and the ones putting up signs). In the villages it just seems like fatalistic hedonism. No making the world a better place for the next generation, no real struggle. That might sound good for some people but it's a big nope for me.
@@underplague6344, you’re fooling yourself to actually think you can change the world. I know you’ve been taught that. And it’s a sweet thought. I wish it were true. But the sad truth is, that you can spend your whole rest of your days, working hard for this environment, for the pets, for the people, or whatever you think makes it better, and it won’t happen because it will go the way our rulers of this world plan for it to go. So you are kept busy “ fighting the good fight”, but in reality are in the dark and are a hamster in the wheel, wearing yourself out, and getting angry at those who aren’t wearing themselves out. There are hidden rulers. And they will let you work yourself to death. But because they want the control, you’ll never have the control. So the doom and gloom and urgency, is really not helping anyone. We’d all be happier if we just lived a happier life, and accepted the Truth. Because this world is darkness. The only Hope is GOD. And He has nothing to do with “ republicans” or “ democrats “. Call yourselves what you will, but you are either concerned with the cares of this world, ( which is where gov wants you). Or the cares above. 🌈
As a 66 year old that did live my life well, you hit the nail on the head. Live your life well following your path for each breath you take brings you closer to the last sentence in your book of life. If you live your life fully you have no time for dread. If you wait to do that you will get old and be unable to and regret what you have not tried to do. My dad dropped dead in my twenties which taught me to do it my way and do it now because tomorrow may never come. I also believed that if I waited until I was old I would be able to do what I wanted. I camped solo in the high country and on desert beaches. I treked the Himalayas and hiked into mountain villages and experienced remote little visited tropical beaches on the other side of the globe. And the most fulfilling was raising my three children hands on. I am now disabled and would have missed my chance had I done otherwise. Live life with all you have.
That's how the older generations view the gentrified hipster neighborhoods as well. To each their own. Like minded folks living in communities is the way it should be. Nothing wrong with it ...and if the "community at large" doesn't like it ...well, that's just too bad. These people worked for half a century to live the end of their lives the way they chose. If someone doesn't like it, don't visit. Simple.
@@AGirlHasNoName1.618 If that's all The Villages was, I would agree with you. The family that owns it is a major political contributor, which can lead to some... less than ideal legislation for the rest of us. It becomes a problem when this community destroys the natural habitat, uses up all the water, and forms a voting block that is undefeatable by the others that live in the area.
Ending on 'Creep' by 'Radio Head' sung by one of the residents shook me up. I did the math (slowly) In my head and realized...I'm not so far from that fate...I just hope I can travel and see the world when I retire and leave something for my family. I started watching this so I could get wound up about these selfish 'boomers' but found myself appreciating the points that they were making. I especially appreciated the honesty.
The dark and depressing part about watching this for me is that it's just an extended hotel with a rotation of guests that move in, die, and get replaced, all masquerading as looking and feeling like a small residential town to keep everyone comfortable and sedated.
LOL! Why do you think alcohol, weed, and anti depressant drugs are easily available anywhere in the country? It's not just this community. Nanny government want all it's subjects sedated. You're free to participate......or not.
The discussion after the documentary made me appreciate the outside perspective of the film maker. It changed my attitude from a political bent while watching the film and focused more on thinking of the broader issue of aging and retiring.
With the way things are going in the economy, once these people die these communities won’t be able to exists in the same capacity. Since the old guy says his age group holds all the wealth, their kids will either not be able to live there because of possible age restrictions if they inherited the home, or just not able to afford this lifestyle since the younger generation is being robbed of acquiring generational wealth.
This old people party away their money! They die in isolation, bankrupt with no medication... Pretty sure the property is lost to the next lined up white old person to spend all their money The company will male sure you die fast, poor, lonely
It seems boomers are trying their hardest to spend all the money they have before they die. It seems in the past people cared more about setting their kids up for success but boomers don’t seem to care at all for the most part some do of course but most are all about dying with a bill or as close to broke as possible, almost like if they don’t spend it before they go it was a waste of time having made it to them.
Most of the people there are probably on reverse mortgages and the bank will get the house after they die. Corporations are already keeping the current generations working today from building generational wealth now they just got to get the money from the boomer generation
The Village was the name of an M. Night Shyamalan movie in 2004 and it starred Joaquin Phoenix. The film was about a conservative cult who lived in a bubble and were shielded from the outside world. They stayed in their Village because they were driven by fear of the outside world.
I’m a baby boomer, retired. I can understand why there is some resentment towards us among the younger generations. Our generation did not live up to the example given us by our parents. We had such fun when we were growing up because it truly was a wonderful time in which to be young. It saddens me, however, to see how many of us refuse to let go of the past. I find it undignified when 60+ adults still try to act like teenagers. We bought into the consumer mentality as well, and lacked the foresight of our parents. I think it’s a blessing to be a grandparent who is not ashamed of growing old gracefully. I can sum this up in one four-letter word …”self”. Though it’s true that many of us put in long hours in our careers and were able to build retirement accounts, we should feel grateful if we’re able to leave inheritance to our children. They will have a much harder go of it in their futures. Living for “self” is a sad and empty existence in my opinion.
I strongly identify with the locals feeling like that development has destroyed their community. There's a right way and a wrong way to do development so it respects the locals. It's truly heartbreaking to see the woods you played in as a boy be covered with as many houses as possible or to have your family cemetery in the middle of a suburb. When I was young, there were 7 houses total on my road. Now, I can see double that from my front porch without turning my head. Developers will squeeze every dime out a piece of land, ruining it forever.
Strange how some of my friends homes have been torn down - others burned - more than once - elementary closed - middle closed - high closed - 🤔 - what are looking at here!?!?!
That's definitely understandable. I think the resolution needs to be compromise which respects, to the best of everyone's ability, all parties involved.
“ I don’t belong here, I am a creep! “ amazing and apropos. This is so not my vision of retirement. I am now sixty and if this was about to be my retirement, I would beg to die. This is just a creepy, hedonistic existence without depth and the grit of real life. It is like living in the surreality of a Dali painting.
@@dyinteriors they don't have a constitution..no freedom of speech no second amendment..gov. has already froze some Canadians bank accounts oh and that black face wearing pres. Or prime Minister or dictator that is running it
Funny how they complain about how bad the world is with every other breath, yet it’s their generation and their policies/decisions that have left us on the edge of the precipice. The pure narcissism.
When we were looking for a home in Tucson we were shown a beautiful house. We were discussing the pros and cons. Shortly a neighbor pulled up in a golf cart. It took her less than 10 minutes to "stop by". This was all it took for us to run silently screaming to our car to get out of there.
I lived in Florida for a bit (Gen X) and had older neighbors who would zoom around everywhere in their little carts thinking they were the social committee. I used to tell my ex I would rather undergo dental surgery than ever be like that.
By the way, the gentleman singing at the end has a fantastic voice. It's hard to believe, but that song is 30 years old. If he is on the low end of the age to be in the Villages (55), he might have been 25 when that song came out. Kind of mindblowing when you think about it.
Guy definitely killed it. I can't help but feel he self-identified with the song he was singing...Almost like a lament. And the audience largely was clueless. The irony of life...
I’m at 42:00 and haven’t seen a pet yet. No wonder they’re bored and need scheduled activities. I’ve been very independent my entire life and this planned situation would drive me nuts. I love the house and yard where the guy was putting up signs…that’s what living has always been for me. Tropical paradise food forest with dogs, cats, bunnies, box turtles…that’s what I’ve always enjoyed with ballroom dancing or visiting with family on occasion. This seems like a movie with dumb and dumber. Soon the butterflies will be gone with the bees and dragonflies. That’s real living, but greed and zombies are ruining the Mother Earth I love. I did see one lil white fluff …
This is amazing... As long as borders remain relatively open, it proves yet again how important international journalism is to getting a real look at how things are.
One of the elements of this production though is that very firm but subtle acknowledgement that “real” is a delusion. I see what you’re saying, but no one is naive here. I’m just grateful for the 2nd Amendment that allows this kind of slant to be as available to us as the other side.
I agree, outsiders views can open up ideas and interesting discussions.... Just requoting: "the whole range of perspectives, the pace, the hands-off story telling; this film was perfectly executed. " Completely agree! My reaction on the content -as an outsider- : Wow! Yet another example of mismatch balance on resources and urbanization planning. Devastating consequences. "And capitalism to its finest?" One business group owner of everything??? Not a "free West" I would choose, being at goodwill of a business group. Also..away from the real world is nice, but you cannot forget it indefinitely. Not me anyway... I know retirement housing in the EU and there is something to say about the idea, not the excution. All in all? Gives me a very sinister undertone. Made me think about the movie The Stepford Wives actually. A new storyline for a horror is born!
@@3orM00Rrecharacters hey Fi! yaya... I did take film class, and yadda yadda, I am fully aware that any movie, or even piece of media can only share a small slice of reality. often a highly edited one at that. but there is a big difference between a documentary that has a genuine curiosity in simony exposing the world around us. I live in Canada and the NFB (National Film Board) has been making great content for decades. A good example of a popular doc I HATE is "super size me" I won't go into the reasons cuz I'm already rambling... lol. do you have any suggestions for documentaries to watch? or a documentary the makes you cringe? JFF 🖖
@@TheRamses105 if Ramses is your actual name that would be so cool! .... your comment is of sound logic... EXCEPT the negative vibe side of it... if these people are indeed happy... than just be happy for them! it's too late for society to reintegrate senior citizens who are willing to literally disconnect from society. and... if you compare their lives to that of a typical retirement home in Canada... I think I would choose to live in that community at end of life as opposed to a 'home'. as per their delusions... I have done enough end of life care for family to fully appreciate that delusion is actually necessary for happiness when death is near. OH! and for me I couldn't stop thinking of Edward Scissorhands neighborhood. it's crazy the perceptual creep Hollywood holds over our thought processes. it blows my mind how many people out there can see a Hollywood movie and go out of the experience thinking it was REALITY!
@@christophermiller3031 Negative side vibe? That is you interpretation 😀It is just my honoust interpretation. Just a question of perspective and interpretation. But that makes discussing something interesting. We might learn something from each other. It is more problematic if we cannot do that 😀 "as per their delusions... " I indicated that I have experience too in that sector. I LIKE the different approach, but in the right sizing. And also, staying part of society. Not a new type of ghetto? We've already learned that ghetto's do not work, what does work is a balanced mix. So... Urbanization wise i am negative. The government should care for the region. Do a retirement group per state, not in one state. The unbalance will hurt for outsiders and for environment on long term, but hey "not the insiders problem?" BTW I would LOVE the idea for golfcart streets (instead of the now popular bicycle streets over here). And... Edward Scissorhands neighborhood; yes, also 😀but still stand by my idea 😛
A very well-made docu. It seems sad to me that this society so deprived people of joy and meaning when they are young that they spend their old age trying to be twenty again, because they never got a chance to be young and carefree when they actually were young.
I had a different interpretation: that these middle or upper-middle class white Boomers have enjoyed every privilege in life and have never been challenged beyond "working hard". They truly believe that as long as they can individually afford it, they are entitled to whatever they want, regardless of the social and environmental damage they are causing. This vacant selfishness is emblematic of America's social decline.
You do know these people came of age in the '60s and '70s, right? My parents are this demographic & are both hardcore Trumpers & NRA members now. My mom used to hitchhike, smoke weed & pop pills ("Reds" aka Seconal were her favorite), headbang, get blackout drunk on the regular, do nude photography... she even tried PCP once. The Boomers partied and protested harder than any generation maybe ever. Then when they hit 35-40 & decided to settle down, they turned their backs on their progressive ideals & sold their children/grandchildren down the river in favor of neoliberal libertarianism a la Ronald Reagan. The Hippies became Yuppies and the rest is history. They were the first generation to have The Pill, so if they had babies too fast that was on them. Don't let the old age & sob stories fool you: the Boomers are sociopaths as a whole.
Boomers were horrible in business. Miserable, uncreative, and stale. Us Gen Xers wanted inspiration, but got the opposite. Now we have to support these folks, who destroyed our future.
My grandparents helped settle the first neighborhood in the villages in the 1990s.... It has changed so much since then. I used to visit my family there in the early 2000s, and there was more community. However, as the Villages was growing, I remember my grandparents noted: "they aren't making more town squares, just more homes." There are new neighborhood communities that are MILES away from a town square, and has potential to be isolating. Additionally, while it was a retirement community, I did not have any knowledge of the history of the community that was there prior.
The Villages has made more town squares - they have a specific formula they use to determine where and when to build the next one. Villagers live within a short golf cart or car ride from a town square (many live between two town squares). Some who purchased a new home down south may be a bit more isolated at the moment, but that will change once Eastport (the 4th town square) opens. I lived there before The Villages existed - contrary to what the ignorant, uninformed hippies here in the comment section say, "the evil developer" didn't swoop in, destroy all local wildlife, flora/fauna, and drive off every land owner by force. it was pretty much just farm land and orange groves, and everyone who sold their land did so voluntarily, and was paid fairly. The Villages has invested a great deal of time and money into preserving as much wildlife habitat, old oak trees, water features, etc. as they can - it would have been much cheaper and faster to just flatten everything in their path.
"I think a lot of kids think when they grow up think that basically we're going to be around to help babysit" summarizing what she said. As someone raised by boomers and a lot of my peers who were raised by boomers, yall weren't around when we were growing up. Yall were too busy moving up the career ladder so we raised ourselves. We did not expect you to be around for the grandchildren and a lot of us didn't want you around anyway. There is so much to unpack in this film but it paints a fairly accurate characterization of boomers as a whole.
This was very well done. I saw the interview with the lady who produced this. She was Austrian. So this gives a different perspective. I thought it was a bit sad when she brought up how these people didn't care about being around there families. She was stating that in Europe being around the family is important for everyone. I have had to deal with my own aging parents, and people in the care giving field say it is sad how little involved people are with there parents in there old age these days. My sisters and I felt almost an obligation to be involved with there care, as they took care of us as children. I wouldn't have it any other way. Sadly, maybe its this day in age that this is maybe becomming less common.
Part of the issue is the inability to take time to care for parents. Many people are struggling on their own, let alone bringing in more responsibilities.
@@bdd7881 the current aging generation are also seeing the fallout of the way they raised their children. Gen X/Millennials not only are less financially capable of caring for our aging parents, we're less inclined to feel obligated to do so. For some it's because they did not feel obligated to care for their parents and so didn't teach us the importance of caring for extended family. For others the Boomer parents clearly did not feel obligated to care for their children so the adult children are now returning the favor. For a goodly number of us it's all of the above. The rugged individualism so many committed wholeheartedly to for decades is now biting them in the ass.
@@lavendarcrash2941 I can imagine where some of the more self sufficient older people would get depressed or angry with themselves, My grandfather has grey matter disease, a form of degenerative dementia, in his moments of clarity he was extremely irritated or depressed that he was unable to help care for me and my mother any longer, and he was even more upset that he couldn't go to work. I personally felt an obligation as it was my father figure, but seeing these people living in Florida like its the Trumann Show hurts, I myself can't imagine not feeling obligated a little bit, but seeing as some people in this documentary explicitly said "I don't miss my family" it's understandable where the kids are saying "forget them". I myself would be crushed if either of my grandparents said they do not care to see me anymore.
@@LemurSCC completely understandable and I'm sorry you have to see your loved one go through that. The four years between my grandfather's stroke and his passing were terrible for the same reasons.
My grandmother passed away 3 days ago, she was only 72. I wonder what a place like this could've done for her, and if it would've made her less miserable. She was in a typical assisted living facility and hated it, she was miserable in there. There's negative parts to everything too, but I would love to see our elders happy like this.
@quester09 I know, that's exactly why it would've been better for her. She was well enough to take care of herself, and drive as well. Granny died at 72 only two years after moving in to assisted living. I can't remember a single period of my life where she was more miserable then her last two years.
This made me cry. I’m old and poor. I divorced when my children were young. I raised them alone. They went off to college, got great careers, and I don’t see or hear from them much. Their father remarried right after divorcing me, and he now lives in the Villages with his wife. They are well off and take vacations with my adult children. I have been forgotten.
Why did you have children in the first place? The world is overpopulated enough.I surely hope you didnt have them so they could take care of you. Thats being overpresumptious about life.
@@jr42a1 I don't expect my children to take care of me- I live a frugal life so that they don't have to. I would just like to have them in my life. You must be an awful person to say what you did- I hope that you don't have children, because you'd be a terrible parent.
I can't think of anything worse than living in a retirement home, surrounded by old people. It's like something out of a science fiction movie. I 'm 74 and live in my own house and enjoy life as I did 30 years ago with friends of all ages. I'm single and live in the South of France.
@@GR8APE69Thank you. My point was that if you are healthy then it's better surely to be in your own home and part of the local community, instead of being in what looks like an internment camp for the old.
As everyone has said, this is an excellent documentary. But I have to say, it made me sad for a million different reasons. I am a senior myself. I have no desire to live in a place where my main focus is recreation. I want to cove back to my community for as long as I can, not because I have to but because I want to. I have skills and talents that are a valuable asset to the community. I have time to do things younger people don’t, like helping to plant vegetables on a community farm to donate to local food banks (our group, mostly elders 65 and above), typically raise over 20,000 pounds of vegetables a year. I help raise money for a variety of causes, run a memoir writing group for seniors, and volunteer with the local historical society. For fun, I ride my bike, kayak with a Meet Up group, hike, camp, swim. I enjoy working and socializing with people of mixed ages. Seeing seniors segregated off in their own communities-voluntarily or otherwise- is sad to me. Communities need their seniors. Seniors need to stay in touch with the generations coming up behind them. A place like the Villages seems as real to me as Disneyland. People stay busy, true, but for me, such a life would have little meaning.
Great comment! I have felt this for a long time. I've always thought older people had a big part to play in a community, to teach, be it their kids or in community lessons, things like trades and skills, childcare, and a whole host of different life experiences. Not for profit but for society. I also see the appeal of the villages though and why it is a thing.
You seem like you have your head "screwed firmly on" as they say where I am from. more power too you.
Towanda, I am so happy to read your comment. I have learned so much from my elders and it makes me sad to see our society segregate generations like this- as though after someone stops working, they stop being 'valuable' to society. People are not equal their economic productivity, and i think the things you do like gardening and teaching are much more important. All generations loose when we are segregated like this, I'm so thankful for seniors like you who are truly the backbone of our communities
OH THANK YOU! Big kiss!
Think the role that y’all play is so immensely valuable to the community and also to kids. Think kids and seniors both have time to do stuff, but many kids don’t have the wherewithal or wisdom to realize all the stuff that makes an impact that they could be doing. Think seniors are the ones who really have both the time and the knowledge- and the impact they can make is immense. I’m abroad right now, and even a lot of the conservation/bush regen groups are predominantly made up of seniors!
beautifully put, i’m only 20 and i hope one day i can embody this kind of life you describe of when i reach that stage
My parents lived there for 6 years before my mom passed away. Very conservative, lots of drinking, lots of golf and pickleball. I didn't come across too many gun enthusiasts though.
The big thing about The Villages is that it's about convenience. You don't have to be active and it's not a small community (about 110,000 residents) so you don't have to worry about everybody knowing your business. But if you have plans for the day to go see the doctor in the morning, play golf and have lunch afterward with friends, go home take a nap, then go to the pool and then have dinner...you can do all of that with a simple hop in a golf cart.
The one thing I do wonder about is how sustainable all of this is. Younger generations, even my generation (Gen X) either don't have the wealth or have far more debt than the boomer generation and the Millenials and Gen Z are going to be even worse off. There's also the generational conflict of what works for Boomer won't work for Gen X. It wouldn't shock me if The Villages is a ghost town in 25 years.
The statistics say that Millennials are going to be the richest generation in history when their parents pass away and they inherit.
My parents bought in the villages a few years ago. I’ve wondered the same about it potentially being a ghost town once all the boomers die off. I don’t think this type of living will interest the younger generations.
@@nicks748 I tend to think it would interest the younger generations as they get older, but being able to afford it is another issue. Hell, they'll probably be still paying off student loan debt.
We're not at a shortage of old people. By 2040 there is supposed to be 80,000,000 Americans over the age of 62. Unlike many Western nations, the US has plenty of young people coming, we won't see the population implosion that other countries are going to see. As Gen X, the millennials, and Gen Z get older, they'll make more money, and they'll also eventually retire- just like every generation before them. And they'll be looking for active age-restricted communities- just like every generation before them. The Villages will be just fine.
interesting analysis
It feels so ironic to me that some of the residents are complaining of their hometowns not really existing anymore, at least compared to how they were and yet that is the exact thing that the villages are doing to a bunch of local communities
Despite not wanting to defend these people from such tame criticism, I’d say that’s probably toward the bottom of the list of factors responsible for these failing small towns. As someone who lived in a small midwestern city that’s still at about half the peak population it had in the 70’s most of my life and I’d say the main reasons are the farm crisis of the 80’s, nationwide urbanization and population shift to the south over the past century, brain drain, big box stores/online shopping, lack of jobs outside the service industry, etc. (not to mention that winter weather seems to be getting worse by the year). These towns are dying with or without the extra boomers, while there’s plenty I’m sure I’d disagree with these folks about, I honestly think they’d be stupid not to have moved south.
The villages aren't doing that. The elite & wealthy realty companies and land management firms do it Same companies that also own news and television stations like the one you watched this documentary on .
Of course they will spend their money lying to you about their own nefarious deeds that make them unlikeable. Instead they continue a campaign of driving division between us fellow Americans. As well as fear confusion panic uncertainty.
They dont call it “trauma based mind control “ for nothing.
The more we are demoralized and confused about who to blame , the easier it os for them to continue producing horse$h!t like this
Im not trying to act like those ld people are saints. But its sickening to watch companies lie poison cheat and hurt us daily. And then to top it off we are mad at each other instead of them
I think all older folks feel that way about societal changes…I won’t live in my hometown again, because it has changed so much…🙌
@@Acidlib - right?!?!
Folks get tired of the burdens Winter heaps on everyone who lives up north…🙌
👍👍👍…. Hypocrisy is a key ingredient to cult-like organizations, behaviors and the like. #1 ingredient for anything Trump!
Goosebumps from the guy who sang CREEP; thank you to producers/director for including that moment. If you had to pay for the option, please know that it enhanced the film and was appreciated.
Absolutely. I am rewatching this after many years, and this nightmarish steamrolling over places is everywhere. The freaks, artists, and poor see this time and again. NYC, for example. I bought a habitable shell of a brownstone n Northern Liberties, Philadelphia with a friend, almost 20 years ago for $50K. (We had to sell, long story, before we fully rehabbed it). These days that kind of house sells for around $700K, or is divided into five condos at $250K+. People who work in NYC find it cheaper to buy in Philly and take the express train into work. This is a dystopian nightmare that keeps expanding.
You’re kidding Right?🇺🇸
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. “
If so, then perhaps the opposite is also true. A society grows weak when old men plunder trees to build a golf course, whose water table won’t even last the duration of their own myopic vision
You hit the nail on the head with this one!
A lot of young men have made the money that they fed their families with off of the building boom. So, there's that.
@@stevecariggillio4139 Exactly, I sincerely doubt any of the old men living in this community had any part in the planning & construction of the development. It was built & they came.
Well said
Man, well said. Made me think about my own legacy.
Here's a fact most people probably wouldn't know. I've seen this in aged care situations where everyone is quite ill and not nearly as active and astute as the ones shown here. The high school and bullying mentality runs rampant and it would shock y'all to know how badly they'll treat each other sometimes. I've seen a group of three 80+ ladies drive a fourth to tears because she dared sit at their table at lunch on her second day at that facility. Literally a scene from Mean Girls. Not to say it's all like that but watching some of the ladies classes I picked up on it in the background.
That’s because that is what they were taught. They are just reverting back to the toxic things they did in the past. Stupid is as stupid does.
Oh yes. I worked with the elderly for years, the boomer generation tend to behave like bullying teenagers towards eachother, it's embarrasing to watch and gives us an idea as to how society has become what it is today.
Being harmed means theyre ill?
A scene from the Sopranos actually
@@bakedbeans9546 Oh, PLEASE! I worked with the elderly in South Florida in the 80's and 90's, and believe me, the "greatest generation" was just as bad if not worse.
I am a retired nurse who worked for a period of time in Nursing Homes dedicated to Alzheimer's care and the whole Villages setup reminds me of a giant Alzheimer's unit. Super Creepy.
Just wait until they discover Virtual Reality headsets...yikes. no one can evolve this fast.
As a former nurse I just see all the opportunistic infection brewing like one giant Petri dish in this place! Yuk!!
Yeah, that's an accurate assessment. When I attended a Bingo game at one of the recreation centers recently, I looked around and saw that I was - by far - the youngest person there. I am 64.
I just don’t see it, in fact I guestion your experience with Alzheimer’s
One of the best offerings for seniors here is the fact you don't need a car. This is ironic since they are the generation that basically made all our cities/towns car-dependent. If more places allowed people to safely move around without a car, we wouldn't necessarily need bubbles like The Villages.
👏👏👏
so you want to be able to drive ur golf cart on city streets? how long would it take for some duffas boomer to think he can drive his golf cart on the freeway? so no forking way
lol, a bunch of nimby boomers enjoying the things they fought their home towns from implementing. Fitting
Now it is your turn. Propose and plan your alternative.
Exactly. America’s infrastructure is a huge problem and nothing has been done for eons. Flint’s plumbing is still poisonous for God’s sake.
I know this area well. It is it's own world. Through the 2000s. I've built 100s of homes there, post offices, fire stations, rec centers. Shopping plazas, etc. It came to an abrupt halt in 08. a year before a home that cost 300000.00 was worth half the next because of the housing bubble. 100s of well established businesses just disappeared in less than a year. It's rebounded now but backthen 1000s went from doing very well to 0 income almost overnight. Its the only place I've seen golf cart accidents. It's amazing to watch two vehicles going less than 10 mph not be able to miss each other.
What a busy and amazing life Eric 👍✨🎉
I'm flat out renovating my home
lol 😄
Age plus booze = crash
Are there any golf cart DUI checkpoints? I assume you can get a DUI on a cart, right?
@@usmcmma Yes you can get a DUI on a cart. Also a bicycle, horse, segway (careful Paul Blart), even a child's toy vehicle because it's battery operated with power steering.
I’m 55, and I’m always interested in quality documentaries.
This was actually world-class. Seriously, I can’t say that I’ve seen 20 documentaries that were better made than this one, in my whole life.
I come away from watching this, the doc and the long, thoughtful, open conversation afterwards, with a sense of having seen a number of perspectives. Without any heavy-handed judgment or framing.
Just the desire to show the broadest perspective on The Villages, the inhabitants, their motivations, their daily lives, their fears and loves. Their blind spots, simply the fact of not having had to notice the consequences on a macro scale of their individual choices.
Yet also the broader situation, with compassionate, caring, yet not schmalzy or overly emotional highlighting of the people around The Villages. Their discomfort, their sense of relative lack of impact, their sense of being overwhelmed, bowled over.
This is exceptional film-making, and I’m a richer person for having watched this.
Thank you so much Valerie, your team, @Vice 🙏🙏🙏
I couldn't agree more
Are you joking? Have you ever seen a documentary by some one like Ken Burns or Charles Ferguson, or Alex Gibney?
@@nomedia2009 yes, Ken Burns is great.
@@nomedia2009 thanks for your answer. No I’m not, and yes, I’ve seen documentaries by both Alex Gibney and Ken Burns. I seem to detect a certain disdain in your “Are you joking?” But I could be misinterpreting.
@@hexistenz I figured you are overstating the quality of this documentary. I think the subject matter was of interest to me since I study group, social and economic behavior from a professional perspective. Compared to such documentaries from Ken Burns and the like professional award winning documentarians this very much pales in comparison. Unfortunately Vice News doesn't have the budget required to compete with those types of documentaries. Vice News seems to do an ok job of trying to bring out stories that are not covered by entities such as PBS Frontline. Frontline of course is a not for profit operation but receives very considerable donations from large companies and family trusts. That type of reporting requires budgets in the millions. I am certainly not criticizing your enthusiasm for this particular documentary.
She does a good job on explaining some aspects of The Villages retirement community in Florida. She was only able to interview a few residents. How she picked those particular residents was rather vague. It seems she was overly controlled the The Villages management. Since she wasn't able to get more of the residents views it seems she became overly interested in those that she picked or were picked for her. The editing job is amateurish. Very much overly repetitive. However she did tell a good story about those few. This film needs to be scaled back to remove the repetition. Since I'm sure it was made on a shoestring budget it is what it is. Great subject matter and very interesting to one who has no understanding of how these retirement communities operate. I certainly learned some things which I probably have already known or should have known. I will give her an 'A' for describing this community.
A long term good friend of mine purchased homes for his wife's parents in Leisure World, California (near Seal Beach) Leisure World is probably the oldest community of its kind. He told me more about than I feel I will ever need to know. I think the more honest reporting on these type of facilities is a good thing.
That guy singing Creep was outstanding ! I'm retired and I have many guitars and I sing . I can relate totally to this vibe as long as I can play loud once in a while . I'm 71 and I'm still 15 in my mind and my wife agrees . My wife says my music room smells like a teenagers bedroom !
Good on you! Keep on rocking!!!
I'm 59 but three other guys in my band are 66 and we still play paying gigs.
Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed my rendition of creep
@@stephen8745 you nailed it! Well done.
@@stephen8745 Stephen, this was the most emotionally powerful part of the documentary. I'm teary-eyed after watching it. It really had an effect on me. Not sure if I'm reading too much into it, but my take is that as in the lyrics of the song, most of the residents don't belong there. They belong where they came from (ie. New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, etc..). And that's why the documentarian placed it at the end. Aside from the masterful editing, you did a tremendous job on the song. You deserve a lot of credit. You could be a poster senior for an anti-ageism campaign. I wish I could congratulate you in person.
The homage to Edward Scissorhands at the beginning is brilliant.
Bravo - The cinematography !!
I expected this to be kind of a "Hey, look how weird this place is," but instead I found it surprisingly sad and depressing. The part where the guy talks about how he has no family left in his hometown. He says "the house where I grew up is gone, the schools I went to are gone, the store I worked in is gone, everyone I used to know is gone." Damn that's depressing as hell. You scratch the surface and get past their bluster about how much they love retirement and you find many of these people are depressed and angry.
One of the biggest problems facing our nation (and the world) is that almost all of the economic opportunities are in only a few places. Younger generations are having to move out of their hometowns to find those economic opportunities. This is draining America's heartland and severing generational ties. It makes me sad for my parents who live in small town Florida. My sister lives in the NE, I live in the NW. They rarely get to see their kids and their grandchildren. Life keeps you busy and maintaining those ties over such a long distance is hard. It's sad that so many people feel estranged from their kids and grandkids.
You have to put the effort in. I don't have kids so I concentrate on my siblings, nephews and close friends. They all live on different continents than I do so I travel a lot every year (subject to covid 😕) and visit. It always amazes me how many people go through all the effort to have kids and then seemingly cannot be bothered to keep in touch with them when they grow up. What the hell are they thinking? If I had kids I would move heaven and earth to see them and maintain close and loving relations with them. If not why bother having them in the first place?
@@person.X. I am doing just that - couldn’t leave my grandchildren in a million years. They are more important to me than recreation. It may be fun for a visit occasionally - but I want to be with my children & grandchildren - just had my identical twin 6 year olds over for a sleepover last night. Love them dearly & we had a lot of fun.👧🏼👧🏼 I will sleep well tonight, LOL.
@Crack Shot based
The guy who left Cinci hit me the hardest. I grew up in one of those little towns nearby Cincinnati at the tail end of the millennial generation. Almost none of those towns are the same as what his generation saw, for better or worse depending on the place. I've heard my parents and grandparents lament over what's changed, but we still had our whole extended family. I can't imagine seeing the very drastic changes with nobody left.
I am 63 years old and I get it: "There *was* good in the good old days." (citation is left as an exercise for the reader ;-) )
And now it's gone, and it's right to mourn good things that are gone. You'd be right to mourn the death of a friend or relative or pet, so why not a home or a neighborhood or a way of life?
But if you kept on mourning the death of a friend or loved one, so that you withdrew from the world and grew bitter or despondent, people would tell you "get out and get help, you idiot!"
What I see here are a million little Mrs. Havashams, glooming about their mansions while the wedding cake ossifies under the cobwebs. Get out and get help, you idiots!
As a native Floridian, this sort of thing is happening all over Florida. The influx of people from out of state, has put such a squeeze on the housing market that locals are having trouble finding housing they can afford, let alone the impact on home ownership. I know I can't afford to buy a house in my home town of St. Augustine.
@Crack Shot yea. Exactly that.
Same with Texas - but we’re getting the young ppl and Florida is getting the old people.
In South Florida, you have all these yuppies coming in, buying up flashy real estate while the state refuses to build more low-income housing. The Gulf Coast and Big Bend are drowning in poverty and drugs. In Tallahassee you can’t find a single bus stop or park that’s not inhabited by a homeless person.
DeSantis struts around like he’s the best governor in the country, when in actuality he’s easily one of the worst.
Florida is a business friendly state . Which means for young people low pay and little in the way of benefits. Most of the people in the Villages come from the northeast and parts of the north Central America, even some Canadians. Most have good pay , pension’s and social security . They also are very active . So they get all that money from taxes and union support. Then move to Florida to become republicans and not pay as much in taxes. YOU CANT MAKE THIS UP . 🇺🇸🦅✌️👍
Just wait, I'll the illegals being allowed into our country without going through the process, bout to get wayyyyy worse. All for the left to secure more votes..that's the only reason they are letting them in.
This was fantastic! That gentleman at the end singing Radiohead, “Creep” 1:24:08 was absolutely incredible! What a voice and a unique song for him to sing. He really belted it out. Good job on documenting this place.
I fought not to hit ffw & I am glad I didn't
Such an ironic song for him to pick - I see why they highlighted it in production.
1:24:24 for those that want to jump to it
@@BaconCruiser thanks! I’m going to edit it to add the time stamp
No disrespect.
I'm old enough to be able to move to the Village, but it's the last place I'd choose to live.
I'd much rather live somewhere I can enjoy people of a wide range of ages, interests.
I live in a city with a large public university, a lot of young career people, families, as well as retirees.
I volunteer at a nonprofit with a wide mix of ages, ideas, perspectives, learn a good deal from the younger generations, and enjoy most music genres, because there's many musicians, bands who come to town for shows.
Up to each of us how we choose to spend our retirement years, and my preference is to stay active in the wider world.
Do some research before painting with such a broad brush. There are many children/grandchildren in The Villages, as they come to visit all throughout the year, & any under 19 can stay for 30 consecutive days at a time. 19 & above can live there full-time. There are many events for the younger crowd, including a summer camp. The charter schools have been there for years (& are some of the highest rated in Florida), & an entire community built just for parents with kids is almost finished (Middleton). So there are "people of a wide range of ages, interests", and "young career people, families, as well as retirees".
Villagers do an enormous amount of volunteer/charity work (& not just writing checks, but giving their time & energy), as well as really looking after each other as neighbors.
There are 3 Town Squares, & there are live bands playing a variety of music at all 3 every night of the year, and it's free.
Don't make assumptions about a place or its residents based on 1 video.
It looks like a dystopia nightmare
@@Allium_369Sort of reminds me of the film, 'Don't Worry Darling'. Check out the trailer to see what I mean
@@badkarma1289 OP says he volunteers at a non profit, enjoys music and other perspectives. Last thing he needs is to move into conservatard zombieville
I have watched many videos of the Villages. I live in Indiana at the edge of Lake Michigan and love it here after moving from the Chicago area. I could never live in The Villages as a senior now. It would be heartbreaking to leave my family behind. I've always felt that I'm here if needed,and I have been able to help out as they have grown. A whole new generation now coming along and I'm here not down there. Do I enjoy my life? Not every day,but everyday can't be party day as shown in these videos. I live in the real world not the senior Disneyland.
Having lived in The Villages for over 7 years, I found this documentary extremely well done and very balanced. When I started watching, I was expecting to just see a few minutes, but I was hooked and ended up watching the entire piece. Kudos to VICE and to Valerie and her team for an amazing film
Why do you no longer live there? Of course this is a personal question that you need not answer. I'm sure everyone that moves or stays has a different reason.
@@albertmarnell9976 I still live there and am very happy to be there.
So another question Mr Gray. We all as 50 something’s are watching and trying to figure out where to retire:
Husband and Wife early 50’s. This seems like a cult to us trying to make a decision. Any elaboration about the community would be appreciated for us.
@@ragtag222 Thank you for responding. I'm glad that you are happy.
@@ragtag222 Hey Rick, whats your favorite kind of food to eat around The Villages?
A friend sent this to me because I was one of the women singing, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" as I waved my flyer. On the one hand, I was surprised to see myself and some friends of mine in the video. Then as I watched the testomonies of those who lived here before, it made me sad. I did not know the history of this land. I just knew I wanted to live out the rest of my life in a beautiful, active community where I could continue to play softball, golf, etc. However, as someone who has now lived here for 9 years, I wonder if the expansion will ever stop? Too much of anything is not necessarily a good thing.
No, the humans will never stop coming.
There are alot of people moving to FL in general. It is fine. The main issue besides the residents havin more change around them is the water rights issue. That is disturbing that water is starting to get scarce ... I wish more water conservation was done.
@@mushroomtits8387 Conservation, leading a life with minimal impact on the the planet are issues that are lost on most conservatives(most of these folks are clearly). Topics most of these people have no concept of because of how/when they grew up.
Well just make and buy more to keep that capitalism waste machine running. Yea try that when there's 10billion+ people on the planet. We're gonna find out how poorly that's gonna go.
Alot of us live in beautiful parts of the country where development is rapidly increasing. I feel bad that the cost of living in my town is so expensive. Because me and others chose to move here it's caused the outskirts to become developed in order to meet demand. They just singled you out as you are having way too much fun. It stop now!!
I dislike the fact that they'll allow terrible dog breeds in that community. Only labradors and golden retrievers should be allowed. Other dog breeds are not labradorable enough.
The cinematography and visual storytelling in this documentary is spectacular. Fantastic job!
Now that you mentioned it, it does have a lot of quality, movie like.
But it takes experienced cameramen and story telling to achieve it.
I agree, but... too bad the audio channels (left/right) are swaped. Have to wear my headphones backwards so to not get dizzy.
@@450Chicagop😅😅p
😅
I feel like it kinda copied The Stepfprd Wives or something similar tho
Fantastic work by the filmmakers. Makes me nostalgic for the great work done by Johan Van der Keuken back in his day. Outstanding and I hope many people take the time to see this.
This is the last generation that will have money like this for retirement
The rest of us will be fighting for survival playing The Hunger Games!
Capitalism was work wonderfully for the top 30% of Americans. Because as they tell us every chance they get, they’ve “worked so hard” and “aren’t lazy.” They’ve “pulled themselves up by there bootstraps.” We all know that’s bs. Everyone else has become poorer and poorer. End stage capitalism.
Yes and some of these people have been retired since the 80s 🙄
Very true. Also the place has had any wildlife sanitised out of existence.
Like the woman said "There are no bugs.....what's a mosquito?" And when nobody can afford to live there, what nature will there be left? So selfish and disconnected to the "real" world. I'm only 57, but if this was what retirement had in store for me, I'd despair.
Perhaps wilfull ignorance, moral bankrupcy and a lifetime brainwashed by Fox TV is neccesary (not to mention the vast sums of wealth stolen from future generations)
Retirement is going to be a lot more divided along economic lines. Most people will have to keep working into their 70-s just to keep the light on, on the other hand there was an article today that in Paris, France, the 3 million dollar + apartments are overwhelmingly bought up by American (early) retirees.
The stylism, the whole range of perspectives, the pace, the hands-off story telling; this film was perfectly executed. Respect
Absolutely: the stylism, the pace and the story telling were flawless.
Yeah....no super heavy opinionated bias attttt allll. jeeesus🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️
Agreed & really no better example for this than at the 48:02 mark in the documentary when this crow iflying in one direction, diverts in another direction all together, & then attempts to fly into this window & “control” in The Villages is being discussed. Just masterful 🤌🏽 Mwwaw indeed!! !!!
I know, what the hell has gotten into VICE?? I expected this to be some showpiece about white supremacy or some such, which has been driven into the ground.
A very sad example of far the USA as sunk. No wonder tRump was able to CON them.
"Lack of contact between the generations... We need each other to create a successful society "
Preach THAT!
✨💜✨
Gonna have to put the phones and social media away for this to happen
People everywhere want to hang out with their own kind.
Exactly right. These people are already dead they're like kindergarten controlled children. The richness of life does come from relationships across the generations. As a 65 year old woman I have friends that are in every age demographic. The younger ones want the wisdom of our lessons learnt and through their lives I've learnt that they have brilliant innovative ideas for the planet and are more self aware than most older people. They are more open and because of technology more informed. I'm generalising offcourse. I hope there's a planet left for them after the damage we've done. I hope my legacy is hope for them in them.
One thing that deeply saddened me was when we would go out to a restaurant or event with my 85 year old father is that young people were not at all aware of/sensitive to him being in a somewhat fragile condition (not robust) and would nearly knock him down when he was visiting the rest room or simply entering or exiting the place. I think that this is a sign of our times that older people walking or driving is not tolerated and certainly not well supported in U.S. culture, generally.
This generation defines success as working your entire life and at the end playing a lot of golf and games and eating. Other posters here made sense. Future generations may see playing golf pickle ball and drinking all the time as soulless and the Villages could become a ghost town. There are some here who mentioned the accumulation of wealth in the boomers does may not extend to future generations who may not be able to afford “The Villages.” This an excellent point. The assumption of “The Villages” is that this lifestyle is perpetual and, in fact, it is not. People get old and sick and die. Someone has to replace them and be able to fund the life too. If people are strapped with debt and pensions are not what they once had been then how can “The Villages” succeed? Like the collapse of Malls “The Villages” is not immune to changing times and you can only be old so long before it’s time to leave this earth so what happens when growth slows? “The Villages” is like a movie set. Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end.
That's a really good point and something they failed to mention in this documentary. I doubt these retirement complexes will last another 50years, the younger generations simply won't be able to afford it. Maybe they will be turned into regular housing to accommodate the "new" Americans
I have similar thoughts. I see this "boom and bust" ideology deeply woven into the fabric of "America".
As a 70 year-old boomer who chose to move further north to be near and help with my grandchild, I found the whole Villages world dystopian. It is the epitome of the failure of my generation; so lost in selfishness and self-gratification. As the world spins toward war and climate collapse these people want to use their time, life experience and wealth to play rounds of pickleball and swill down cocktails at some imitation Mexican restaurant?
The Villages is another example of the social breakdown. As young people tune out and retreat to the basement, the grandparents swaddle themselves in silly adolescent hedonism. Some of the comments they made about their families just blew me away. When my son, daughter-in-law and grandchild moved back to the US I had no hesitation moving (north!) to be near them and help with my grandchild.
On a larger level, the degree of corporate management, observation, dominance, control and arrogance displayed by The Villages is a model for what we'll see more of as the better off look to escape the worst of the climate crisis and migration by retreating into "safe" private -- highly managed -- corporate communities. I was heartened to see that some of those traffic bars on public streets were a little banged up. Somebody should take an old truck and just run through them.
These people embody the selfishness of my generation and the ruin we have left our children at such a critical time. And at a time of environmental collapse and disaster, virgin land is torn up to create such ugliness reminds me of this great song from my boomer youth...
ua-cam.com/video/2595abcvh2M/v-deo.html
Excellent! I'm with you! I'm 65 retired and did the same. I care for my grandchildren 5 days a week. And now that the little ones are going to school I'm moving to my son's area and San Francisco to take care of his new baby for the next four or five years! This is what we are for. If we chose to have children we should take care of them.
I wish I could pound the thumbs 👍
Sickened by this attitude of not me... I will not be of assistance to my child and my grandchildren if they have an emergency. Schedule grandma... she may miss dance class. Smh
Wow. Well put
You should mention this to people you know and are friends with. That might do something more than private philosophy. Though you said it very well. I definitely wish you happiness with your family.
At 6:11 the woman in the speeding golf cart runs the stop sign. That about sums it up for me.
Your observations are spot on. I'm 63 and have only gotten this far into the documentary, and already I'm yelling, NO NO NO I don't want to live like these people! All doing the same things at the same times in the same way and they all look alike. Of course they're Trump supporters. They don't actually want personal freedom for anybody. They feel safest being part of a herd of people who all think the same way - and yet are all so self-absorbed that they probably don't even miss their "friends" when they die.
And they think nothing of zooming around their neighborhood, driving too fast and ignoring the stop signs. Entitlement. Insufferable.
This is absolutely amazing, Wes Anderson levels of cinematography at times, beautiful shots, music and storytelling. Well done Vice and Valery!
Especially the butterflies 🦋
Very kitsch “Edward Scissorhands” kinda vibe; I love it
I like how they only show the good side it's totally biased.
if Wes directed a horror movie
they dont?@@theogdirkdiggler
In my culture (Latin) we take care of our elders and a long term care facility is our last resort. I was my grandpas caretaker until he passed in his 90’s. He was surrounded by 3 generations that loved and supported him. He was active in our Senior community and had a girlfriend after my grandmother passed away. Family is extremely important to us.
My Italian family is the same I also took care of my grandparents. I wish more families were like this 👍
These people dont want to be with their families. And their families are mostly happy with that.
A lot of cultures do the same! Everyone I knew growing up in Hawaii lived in multigenerational homes!
I respect that. I don’t know why other cultures have forgotten the simple wisdom of not throwing people away when they reach a certain age. The have a lot to offer us.
@@erc9468 the people in the villages threw the world and their families away, not the other way around.
the singer lady might be bonkers but I must say her surgeon did a great job and also her song about getting old was cute
Why do you think she’s bonkers?
I agree her song is cute
My parents moved down there for about 5 years. It seems like a cult. They came back north when the grandkids started being born. Now, when they go back there to see friends, they can't believe they lived there. It's like the lifestyle there is such that you forget about the real world. I'm gen X, and I find most things about my parents' generation confusing. But this place embodies everything about that generation, for me.
38:51
😳
It is a cult. Just because you love your parents doesn’t make the villages okay in any way, shape, or form. Sequestering yourself from reality is always a terrible idea, and that’s what these oldsters are doing. They’re all sick.
I also can’t believe that the developer is able to carve up Florida like that, literally destroying tens of thousands of acres of natural habitat.
They are causing permanent damage to the ecosystem.
This is a disaster.
@@daytonabeachUSA you're being dramatic. they're a little weird but you're acting like they're torturing people over there when they're really just weird
What’s so great about reality? This Tik Tok world is reality? The older folks lived more reality than the newest generations I believe.
If you can afford it, and you’ve done your duty to your employers, family, country and community…..you deserve this bubble if you want it. Death’s around the corner, enjoy.
I loved the film and the interview at the end. I really liked listening to Valerie be interviewed. She is a very well spoken and thoughtful person.
it’s really unfortunate that the villages is expanding so so much because there ARE still young people (such as myself) who grew up here and live here (here as in lady lake, leesburg, fruitland park, etc.) it truly saddens me.
I grew up in belleview trust me they leave nothing for us
@@jaywilliams8327 oh boy, i know. it sucks. :/
it's a land grab in disguise
i saw a comment somewhere on this video, it was a boomer saying "if the younger people in the area don't like it then they should stop selling their land then" its so bizarre how almost an entire generation can be so delusional.
This documentary is truly emblematic of the issues boomers have created for younger generations. As the woman said at 1:22:26, "I'm one of those people [who are creating these issues]. Maybe there is cause for concern there. It wont affect me in my lifetime...the 40 year olds should be worried about it [laughs]." Truly living their lives without any regard for the younger generation.
the cinematography of this film is spot on, so stunning and surreal to look at. credit to the crew they did a fantastic job with this!
Well said -- there were times it really looked like these people live in a simulation. I suppose in some ways they do
Thank you for this excellent documentary. As someone nearing retirement, I’ve seen many of my cohorts leave for their new Florida home. I’m glad that they’ve found some level of happiness there. I did think about doing the same, but your film has given me a wider perspective towards that decision what ever that may be.
Hopefully, you children will not kick you out, and you'll spend you senior life being a good and useful grandparent.
@@TinLeadHammermy grandma on my dad's side is staying the part, thank God 😊❤
I go on wilderness kayak trips just outside the villages and it’s a completely different world. Totally untouched landscapes. Unfortunately, much of it is being ravished by development but we’re trying our best to fight it.
Good luck. You are doing important work for us all.
Don't worry, most humans will be dead eventually but we won't be around to see it. And one day, humanity will cease to exist. Facts
My dude, I feel ya but development is everywhere. Do you live in a detached house? You're part of the 'problem'.
@@tybaltyrant1 I know. I do live in a very old home and reuse everything I can to prevent more land to be developed, but ultimately understand some development has to happen, it can just be in places that aren’t pristine wilderness. That’s my hope
@@theadventuresportspodcast6651 Those shots of the Florida wilderness were beautiful.
I live in Australia and it so happens that people want to live where it's beautiful. Those properties are extremely valuable. So long as people want a nice house in a nice area, this is gonna happen.
Absolutely top quality. Gorgeously filmed, amazing shots, very indepth and full of well crafted and well thought ideas. Enjoyed every minute. Thank you for making this. Pure talent. Pure craftmenship. Pure Vice. Thank god you exist to bring this together ❤️
The juxtaposition between Florida's natural verdant landscape and the lifeless identical concrete mass of 'The Villages' is astounding. 'The Villages' is an environmental nightmare, striping the land of its Biodiversity. It is so sad to see moss covered trees that have stood for hundreds of years replaced by identical concrete houses and roads stretching for miles.
I'm totally agreed. Somewhere, someday, developers will realize there's just as must profitability in providing for wildlife as putting in golf courses.
We know that islands of wilderness surrounded by housing doesn't work.
Wildlife corridors are the answer, uninterrupted, with priority of right-of-way for wildlife just as we do for railroads and freeways. It just needs to be legislated in advance of development.
The system of local gov't, planning& development controls described in this video allows them to keep adding phase after phase without interruption. Pretty much the same everywhere.
People buying into the Villages have spent most of their lives in similar suburbias.
Was disappointed that so few viewers took note of your observations. Thanks for speaking up!
Relax Greta, they know what they're doing.
I agree. And as a bonus, it's full of Stepford Wives & Husbands. Sheep, and it's full of a majority of pro trump, pro moral majority, which will end up being the death of liberty, freedom, and democracy.
So agree, it’s absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating
@@badkarma1289 of course they know what they're doing, they're just clueless and don't care
The juxtaposition of the town meeting discussing the water crisis with the clip of that woman complaining at length about how painful her elective surgery was.... just perfect
@@happywifeofmyheroFound the boomer 😂😂
@@Cody_Handsome😂😂😂 he really typed a whole paragraph lmao
@@happywifeofmyherookay boomer
@@happywifeofmyheroboy, you sure don’t sound biased in your comments at ALL! It doesn’t seem tonedeaf and brainwashed, I hope you enjoy life nonetheless 👍🏽
@@happywifeofmyhero in 1987 it the median price of a house was 3x the median yearly income. in 2022 the median price of a house was 8 times the median salary. our generation is working on average 400 hours a year more than your generation did in 1980. your generation is taking all of the money you "earned" when the economy was booming in the 70 through the 90's and move to these hedonism clubs and give it all to the private equity funds that own all the commerce in the area. the PEF's then hoard this money in offshore accounts and refuse to pay taxes on it to maybe benifiet the society they are milking dry. people like you are exactly why our generation is poor, you want to call us snowflakes yet throw a screaming crying temper tantrum when you are asked to something so simple as to wear a mask. you want to call us entitled, but when people call you out for hoarding your wealth you "earned" when the economy was working in the middle/lower classe's favor you cry "i earned this its MINE" like a toddler.
I visited my late uncle a few years ago in Sun City AZ, where he and my aunt moved to a 55+ community. I can see the draw for retirees, quiet, no kids, the ability to stay engaged with your peers and simple convenience. But what I also noticed was how they were surrounded by death. My uncle was giving me a tour of the neighborhood one evening and 6 of the homes were summed up as "Oh and that's where so and so used to live but they just died." And that's the issue with concentrating old folks like that; it's damn depressing, and there's no vitality, and it is very much a bubble.
55?! Where I live in London, UK I know 55 year olds with kids in elementary school.
What I really don't understand is they can live with that constant reminder of one's own mortality and still retain such a selfish and greedy mindset.
They live in a protected bubble of comfort but still they hate, fear and want revenge for vague perceived grievances.
They're simply failed human beings.
I bet covid really ravaged these people before the vaccine was out.
@@Libby78 hahaha, fair enough! 55 is just the minimum in the US, but the overwhelming majority of people were 70+. Also: I was in London last November; had an absolute blast there.
@@Teeveepicksures I didn't see many if any "selfish" or "greedy" people that harbored "hate, fear, revenge" in this video. To label people go through their final chapters as they chose to as "failed human beings" without one example of a better way is shallow at best.
You’ve done a great job of portraying the community of the villages. Kudos to you and your production team. I enjoyed listening of how happy and content they are. But it also saddens me to know that there are other people hurting from all this land developments. And as far as the “Management “ well you can call me crazy but there must be something else a little sinister going on🤨 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i give you 5 stars on the film👍🏽
Great documentary I'm in the age group that's ripe for a place like the Villages , I'm so thankful that kind of lifestyle is horrible to me ,as I see it places like the Villages is made for people that like to be sheep.
I want my kids, grandchildren, and great grandchildren as part of my life and my life's goal has been overwhelmingly important is the next generation, its there future not mine I might be retired, but my job is to pass on my knowledge pass on any wealth I can when I pass.
I think this a problem created by suburbia. In other countries where communitities are more integrated and close, older people don't feel like they are excluded by society and thus don't have a desire to be in a retirement community sorrounded exlusively by other old people. It is a real problem in the US where old people just sit inside all day, especially when they can't drive anymore and are really isolated from the rest of the world.
No human can want places lied about as retirement communities or the fiction itself.
Wait, even the Village’s cheerleaders are senior citizens? Who staffs the restaurants? Who does the cleaning? Is everyone a senior citizen? That would make for a cool Twilight Zone episode.
As someone who cares for my elderly mother, I can assure that it would be like Lord of the Flies.
That’s where you’ll find the minority population and migrants. 30:47
The "laborers" are all hispanic in Florida just about. There are no 70 year olds working at the back of a restaurant.
@@carson911yeppppp
@@carson911 It fits their conservative, boomer world view that dark skinned people only do the menial labor.
This is why we need independent journalism
I would rather die young than live like this, in some IRL version of a local news Facebook page comments section. When my wife and I inherited some money unexpectedly, we used it to subdivide our land and build two houses, one for each of our kids to move into when they're ready to start their own families. I want to spend my last few decades of life seeing my kids and grandkids every day, not slurping syrupy cocktails in some geriatric fantasy land staffed by undocumented immigrants who get treated like house elves.
How many of these people don't have families and just wanted to live in a community where they can have social interaction? Or do you just making assumptions? By the way, every time you go out to eat or pay for other activities, there's a GOOD chance you're being helped by someone in the background, who is as you say, staffed by 'undocumented immigrants who get treated like house elves'.
You have no idea what you're talking about.
@@miket7184highly doubt the majority of these people just “don’t have families”, judging by personally knowing at least 5-10 people that live there that all have growing families and grandkids and great grandkids that choose to live for themselves and are okay sacrificing any relationship with their grandkids to party all day and have fun. And all of those families are heartbroken and feel abandoned, my husband being one of them. My FIL begged us to have kids for years and when we finally did he moved to the villages with his gf, rarely comes back to visit, and now has 5 grandkids that don’t know him. It’s extremely sad.
I think this documentary is one of the best I've watched all year. I think I had two main concerns that came to my mind from it: 1) Ignoring those who are ill within the village & 2) not embracing the local elderly.
When they mentioned the lady that was battling cancer and how she felt alone in that fight, I felt like that community would hypothetically be the perfecting setting for the lady to feel supported and welcomed, but she wasn't. Ignoring illness could be extremely isolating, almost shameful for those who can't participate in the dance classes they offer, or the 3x weekly group golfing. My great aunt was the life of the party for many years, always hosting parties, making strong cocktails, or teaching art classes in high schools. Once she got sick and her health declined, she didn't have many visitors and couldn't partake in the many activities she enjoyed over the years. Had she been in a community like The Villages, I wonder if it would have helped or hurt her.
Presumably the local elderly people in that part of Florida do not come from the same wealth as those living within the Villages, it almost guarantees that they will not be welcomed into the community. Maybe the locals should be offered discounted housing rates since many are being displaced. Much of the land has been sold, but not everyone wants to relocate elsewhere. I think it might be a conversation to have. I feel for those who see their childhood neighborhoods or swamps being swept away. I didn't consider the environmental impact either, the man who spent decades planting native trees and cultivating the land is a godsend. I hope they can come to a reasonable compromise.
its a demographic of individualists, they act accordingly.
Because those old fucks don't care about what's going on with anyone but themselves. They have a short time left, and they are going to use it being as ignorant as the generation before them.
@Amanda Medina
When your sick and battling a disease, you will always feel alone regardless whose with and around you.
i hate being this blunt and what not... BUT in reality... WHAT EVERYTHING HERE COMES DOWN TO IS MONEY, a lot of old people around the western world have a lot of money put away, and they have NOTHING to spend it on, so when they see a place like this they are willing to spend A LOT of money, I would BETTTT you ANYTHING that living here is more expensive monthly/yearly then living in a place like I do, (downtown Vancouver City, British Columbia Canada, which by the way is one of the MOST expensive places to live) anyways what I am trying to get to is the fact that in any "wealthy" neighborhood setting you have the "doing just fine" then you have the "wealthy" and then you have the "we have to much money we have no idea what to do with it" and what happens when you get into places like that is they band together in groups, ALMOST like a high school setting where you have the "jocks" and the "band kids" and then the "math club kids" and so on, which to some people there is nothing wrong with that, but when you have a community where in this situation has very healthy retired people with a lot of money, and then you have the unhealthy/sick retired people who have just enough money to be able to stay there and get by, and SADLY as it is ANYWHERE in the world, those people more often then not get forgotten about, especially in a place like this, which unlike normal old people or retirement homes is mainly oriented on simply "getting as much money out of these people as they can before they die" this place can say ALLLLL IT WANTS TO that it is there to "help elderly and retired folks live a more active life" but what they REALLLLYYYYY MEAN IS , they are there to offer them AS MANYYYYY SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES THAT THEY CAN DO "FOR A FEE" to simply get AS MUCH money as they can from them before they are gone, because when people are HAPPY aaspecially older people who know they dont have a lot of time left, they are MORE WILLING TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON BEING HAPPY, which to be fair theres nothing wrong with elderly people spending money to be happy, but it causes a divide like I was saying earlier with the whole highschool concept because im sure within this place there are people who can not afford to do all the activities and such, and those people are sadly the people who end up being forgotten about and end up dying alone. which is very unfortunate.
Oh yeah, if you’re sick, it’s just too depressing. Besides, you must’ve done something wrong. If you’re under 50, you can’t go into a department store. Purse on arm, shades on head, the oldies think you’re a clerk. They sail right through red lights, stop signs. The man who founded Ethan Allen Furniture did so, hitting a fire truck.
Maybe the most telling thing in this documentary is that they didn't like hearing negative news about the community so they just started their own newspaper that would only tell them what they want to hear.
It sounds like a company town.
@@GR8APE69 a step away from corporate village.
Of coarse they don't want to see the negative news because most of the problems in America was created by their generation. The USA debts, drugs epidemic, wars, manufacturing decline, greed and increase of everything was done by them
FOX News?
During the tai chi section, the one guy asking me “Is this supposed to be easy? I don’t think so.”
I’m in my 30’s and can attest that tai chi can be difficult. Just like any new exercise it takes time to get used to and there is a learning curve. My teacher was on me about being so precise with my movements.
There are even tai chi competitions that are quite beautiful and stunning to behold. The competitors have amazing balance and precision of movement.
i grew up right outside the villages and watched it grow. this doc is spot on. villagers are often very unaware of what is happening outside of their "bubble."
Yeah and it shouldn’t be made to seem like they’re culpable for the negative side of their residency in that area.
I am not claiming these people are innocent angels. But i can guarantee you that the financiers of this doc (vice is partly owned by Mickey mouse) probably have their money invested in real estate all over the world. Possibly theyre financial partners in this community.
Point being, i can guarantee , some skümbag at vice (whose job is to keep us all distracted and arguing with each other) is probably on the land management board there. And they knew darn well it would effect the prior established community’s entire world.
But these deceptive snakes will have you hating old white people before they ever admit to any shady business deals.
But it isn't them being unaware. It's about them not caring out of a sense of spite and selfishness.
Lucky them.
Bubble applies to Hollywood, Politicians, RICH, Washington DC, USA, Poor, Liberal Cities, Homeless, Workaholics, Students @ College, Silicon Valley, Beverly Hills, NY city, The Hamptons, Ghettos, Burrors, All Areas where the Concentration is HIGH!!!
@@MarcosIsABaritone - and their ability to insulate themselves from what they don’t want in their lives…
Thank God that we can choose where and how to live our lives in the USA…🙏
I’m 75 years old. I checked this place out about twelve years ago - I’d still rather stick needles in my 👀 eyes.
Viva Le difference?😅
All the sheep must come down here
We are living the Lifestyle down here .
Me too! Needle in the eye
We keep out the rift raft
Initially I felt confused because I thought it was a US production and it was sounding very balanced in it's portrayal of all sides.
...Then I realized the film was made by a European. Well done Valerie.
As someone who dearly loves nature, diversity, and admiring the beauty of the land.... these villages are positively dystopian. I'm all for fostering community and livelihood for our elders, but this kind of development is destructive and unsustainable.
Absolutely. And it's honestly making a lot of us home insecure, if not actually unhoused. I got gentrified out of my place. I'm now renting and considering selling what I have left and returning to the UK, where I'm from. I built a life here, but I don't believe I can stand this relentless steamrolling over anything and everyone. Found a wonderful rental in a tiny town on the River Firth in Scotland, that's half what I'm paying here. I'm on SSDI, and if Trump wins, that, Medicare, Food Stamps and so much more are done. I'm too old to be penniless. I'll re-establish residency there, and get the support I need, but paid into here for decades.
Make sure you sell your house and go live in a tent. Your part of the problem tol
If you’re having ANY negative impact on the environment and want to blame others…you know what you should do to stop your impact.
@@carabiner7999 Our drug-addled relative also said that her SSD (which is NOT common soc.sec.) and food stamps were entitled as what she 'paid into'.
@@carabiner7999 Our drug-addled relative also said that her SSDI (which is NOT common soc.sec.) and food stamps were her entitlement as what she 'paid into'.
Incredible documentary! Very well done in capturing both sides of the experience (residents of the village and the locals in the community). I can’t sit still for many films, but this was so amazing
The people that live there are racist, selfish, brainwashed morons
“ *This is really a weird social experiment* “
the way she said it where she almost wanted to laugh but she’s dead serious at the same time. I felt that
On a smaller scale, there are 55+ communities all over Florida. Are they all social experiments?
@@beckypetersen2680 I wouldn’t say they’re _all_ social experiments. But this one is. And if I happen to watch a second 2 hour documentary about another Florida community explaining how it’s systematically a social experiment, then I _might_ think that as well.
That lady just seemed jealous because she probably can't afford it when she retires....I could feel her envy!
This definitely has a The Truman Show vibe to it. Beautifully edited and put together.
So true
So true, man…
yes...look at the credits of the truman show...they used a community just like the villages for filming....the drone filming was amazing...what i heard in my mind was the folk song "little boxes"....i'm in my 70's and i wouldn't feel comfortable living there. it looks a bit spooky...no offence to all the "happy" villagers.
@@shevalazaros4427 I think the town that the Truman Show used, or was based on, is called Celebration, Florida. It was literally built by Disney but kept as separate from theme park side of Disney for several reasons. It definitely has the manufactured, carefully curated, sterile "paradise" type of vibe that we find in the Truman Show and in The Villages.
YES!
I watched the film previously without my parents (Baby Boomers themselves) and I felt that they needed to see it in its entirety. As retirees living in Florida, they really related to the protagonists of the story and appreciated the complexity of the impact of retirement communities. Great job Valerie about shining light on such an important social future issue!
I just turned 64. Looking at full retirement within a year to 18 months. Wifey and I are selling everything, keeping 1 small house on the Jersey shore for a home base. We are buying a 52' Krogan Express yacht and are planning voyages from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean. This video showed up in my feed, I watched it all. I think it was very well done. However, the lifestyle that these subjects enjoy so much is like the 7th Circle of Hell to me. No way.
Sodom and Gomorrah!
I agree, but would definitely not take a yacht in the Caribbean these days with all the illegal aliens and traffickers south of the border.
I appreciate all of the hard work and effort Valerie and her team put into this film. The interview at the end was a great.
Yea it is a good convo. Cuz if we don't want more stuff like the villages, then society needs to be more inclusive older ppl
Being almost 70 I couldn't imagine not living around and interacting with young people & just having old fossils living it up in a endless mid life crises as a surrounding reality.
Sounds a lot better than being robbed by those young people, be honest you couldn't afford to live there anyway. im only in my 40's but id live there in 20 years if i could.
@@TheEnd-eg6wq you have a responsibility to help those lost youth. It takes a community to raise a child.
@@Dr_MKUltra Didn't for me just parents.
@@TheEnd-eg6wq cool, you and your parents going full tarzan in jungle somwhere outside any communities.
I'd love to set up an illegal gambling operation in this bubble for the badasses, wonder how fast I'd get snitched out by an old lady. Sometimes gotta break some fingers too.
The use of the large screen TV propped on the couch for the interview with the filmmaker, Valerie Blankenbyl, is genius. She appears to be sitting in the same room, directly across from Suroosh Alvi.
I thought that was an innovative approach and clever too.
I mean, they've lived a privileged life most of their existence. Why would anyone think the "me, me, me" generation would suddenly start thinking about someone besides themselves.
look at lifestyles, not from tv shows but reality, from the 50 and 60s and everything from the size of houses, amenities, etc. compared to today - today is privileged
ass
the thing she said about not wanting to babysit kinda hits hard. For essentially every culture for all of time the cycle went; your parents take care of you, they help take care of your kids, you take care of your parents, then your children go on and have kids you help with, then youre taken care of. Many of these Boomers have too much money and no sense or traditional family values like they think they do.
Exactly.
Are you implying that these conservative, family values voters, who overwhelmingly supported Trump, are selfish hypocrites? How dare you! 😂
Thanks, that hit home, seriously!
Not what she said. She said that it needs to be planned. She lives two hours away, sees them regularly, and babysits often. Just not on a moment's notice.
They’re hands down the most self centered, entitled and destructive generation in American history. I hope on their death bead they realize how much of their life they wasted.
My in-laws lived in the villages until they both got cancer and almost went bankrupt. Between their healthcare costs and their monthly and yearly dues it took 90% of their retirement. I always said the Villages is where Mom and Dad retire so they don’t have to leave their kids an inheritance. Lol
Are they around, now?
@@jjr1728 Yes, in a nursing home in Ocala.
The self centered generation ..most republican any way sad but true..
I ask this in a truly non-confrontational way, would you have preferred to have them closer and taken care of them as they progressed in their age?
I find the Villages are a wonderful place to go and give your children space to grow on their own. But then sometimes the children feel little sense of connection or obligation to "deal" with the parent at their end period.
@@cliftonbowers6376 Who's self centred? The parents can't live in a nice house in Florida so the kids get an inheritance? lol
Really enjoyed the different perspectives in the film. Stirs a lot of questions dealing with an ever aging society and what type of life do we all want to have when we get older. Wonderful job!!
Makes you wonder why we have to spend our youth in the grind just to pay bills. When I was in high school I went fishing 50-80 days a year. In the past thirty years of working three jobs I have been fishing a total of seven times. I won’t get a legitimate day off for another three years when I can finally “retire”. Meaning I will have enough money that I can finally afford to have only one job.
Maybe when I am ninety I will be able to afford to have no jobs and finally go fishing again. If there are any fish left on this planet…
At 62 years old and retired, one of my most favorite things to do is to help the elderly with their groceries. I hope that in The Villages there are "clubs" where people can help the elderly and the sick. Help out on your own or with a group. We are all going to get there and we all know someone who could use a helping hand.
As someone who has visited and stayed there on several occasions, this seemed like a balanced take on it. I don't know that it's for me but I get why it may be for many. I can say that the residents do seem to really support each other and form strong lasting bonds. The guy's rendition of Creep was the chef's kiss; he really killed it.
Did you see any black people there? By reading a lot of these comments, you'd think it was just a bunch of white Nazi racists with swastika armbands walking around with machine guns in their hands! 😂
The contrast of the garden of this man who puts up the signs vs "The Villages" it really seems like a computer generated reality way to clean and tame, also feels kind of dystopian.... Having never been to a place like this it seems to me like a movie set rather then a place that really exists.
Edit: there are no bugs? Thats kind of scary, an eco system only consiting of old people and a few select plants
What are you talking about? You can hear bugs in the outside shots all through the doc.
@@somedogsarecops2354 The women made a comment about never encounter bugs
@@somedogsarecops2354 'What is a mosquito?' She didn't even know that we do, in fact, also call cockroaches, cockroaches because she'd never SEEN one. As a lifelong Florida resident, I can confidently tell you that she should absolutely be encountering mosquitos and cockroaches. They are part of the landscape here and ubiquitous. I have no information on what kind of pesticides they're using or what other methods they may use to keep the population down. However, I can't imagine that annihilating the population of mosquitos entirely (if that is in fact true) doesn't have some negative impacts on the overall ecosystem.
Yeah that was the biggest thing that struck me -- 'we never have bugs! No mosquitos, I don't see bugs at all' -- whoa. And with how much this place is expanding... that's fucking horrifying for the ecosystem, especially somewhere as diverse as Florida is ... supposed to be.
Exactly! They are living in a simulation; they mind as well be dead at least they wouldn't keep on destroying the ecosystem in the name of partying in a simulation!!! Maybe all the poison used to kill off the bugs will lend in their water supply and then the real parasites will leave the land alone!!! It's infuriating how jolly they are without a concern for others outside of their cult and the land. Sickening.
Watching this documentary reminded me of the movie, "Stepford Wives". I am 71 years of age and the idea of living like this would be my nightmare come true. The conformity alone is mind-numbing. The people that I went to high school with would love The Villages. They were all the same, loved to gossip, run down anyone else who didn't fit the mould, very WASPY and boring as hell.
See you missed the point, she said some people live here and are very active, and some don't do anything, Conformity exists everywhere, most people live it everyday, work, and family, it's not that much different.
I know the feeling. That lifestyle reminds me of an episode of the 1980s Twilight Zone about this creepy suburb. I forgot much of the story, but the community reminded me of The Villages. I'd prefer to just live on some land in a traditional house...not even in a subdivision and certainly not in some extensively planned region.
@@TheEnd-eg6wq Nah it's just white colonialism and deforestation
lol its run by the southern communist party
very stepford and sloppy drunk
I thought the same thing, that The Villages reminded me of The Stepford Wives. Ugh, not for me and I am old enough to live there. I want to be around people of ALL ages, races, religions...don't remember seeing one black in the whole place!
The lady with the Martin guitar and the man singing the karaoke version of Creep made this doc for me, nice going vice. Binging for days on yall thank you for that
OK, I have over a quarter century of experience with The Villages, so mine is a personal perspective. In a nutshell: I learned exactly how I *don't* want to live out my later years.
My parents first moved to near Orlando from the Mid-Atlantic when dad retired. He thought he'd live where it's warm all year round; playing golf every day for the rest of his life. My folks started out in The Villages, but moved to another planned community five miles up the road. The Villages simply became too crowded for dad. If he could only see it now.
To me, the greatest shame of The Villages is what the name of this documentary says. There are upwards of 200,000 seniors walled off from reality. When The Great Recession hit, the local area was devastated, but life went on, relatively uninterrupted in and around The Villages because many of the residents are drawing on retirements. Sadly, there's an immense treasure behind those walls and gates...if only they'd invest their time and talents in the community.
As is implied in the documentary, with a concentration of older people, with myriad illnesses, cancers and on a never ending quest to look younger, you'll find some of the best healthcare anywhere in The Villages. This is just one facet of how The Villages is one massive built environment that's designed as an economic engine.
One thing the documentary doesn't show is how, while The Villages expands to the south and west, it's not doing so to the north. Unlike the area surrounding The Villages, Ocala is horse country. Instead of single wides and chain link fences, there are miles upon miles of fenced in pastures, ranches and mansions. The city of Ocala is a thriving mid-sized city.
Further north, there's Gainesville, home of the University of Florida. So The Villages is content to buy up all the land they're able to down south and out west.
It used to be that The Villages didn't have a hospital, or assisted living facilities. They wised up, and now they do. The one thing The Villages doesn't have as part of their master plans are cemeteries. The joke is that you have to die to leave The Villages.
Being too crowded is the only negative thing I read that you said. New York City is crowded and plenty of old people live there.
Other than that the only thing you said negative, which is something you can say about every suburb vs urban area across the country, is that it is as if they are hoarding some sort of “immense treasure”.
The Village is not special in the way you made it out to be. From what the doc showed me in it’s first 40 minutes, the only thing special about the village is the amount of community and purpose of life that is missing not just from elder Americans, but Americans as a whole, hence the suicide, drug addiction, and crime rates. The lack of the sense of community everywhere else is what they should be making documentaries about.
@@Siteez4869 I've lived in NH, DC, VA, and now NV, and I've never had an issue finding a community, although it takes about a year to get fully settled in my experience. I'm not saying that everywhere is great, but people can find communities or create them if they put effort into it.
That’s the same analogy actual racists use. “I was able to get out of a rough time and all I had to do was put effort into it”, while overlooking the societal and historically causes that keep racial minorities at an economic and health disadvantage. Just because you have found it easy to find your community, isn’t the same for everyone else, hence as I said before, drug use, suicide, obesity, mental health issues are out of control and worse than ever.
So great for you, so happy you’ve been able to find your way, but the state of our current society says it is not the same for the majority. The majority of people work and rush home to sit on their ass to watch tv.
@@Siteez4869 It takes a lot to make me cry...
Thanks for sharing your perspective on this place. The first thing that occurred to me when I started watching was that somebody is getting rich off these folks. It's the perfect formulation of getting a captive audience of wealthy, easily manipulated people locked into a system that tells them they are happy while steadily siphoning away their life savings. I mean, if these people are truly happy, then great. I'd rather be dead than run out my days in a beige concentration camp like that.
This was a fantastic, beautifully edited, well balanced documentary. Oh, and the guy at the end? That may be the best cover of Radiohead's Creep I ever heard.
Right? That cover blew my mind on a number of levels.
The Creep cover was legend!
end? you mean at 1:25:34?
That was so good!
yep, he killed it
OMG, the story about the lady who had cancer and became isolated is so sad. These are the final moments of that woman's life and no one wants to acknowledge someone is dying. Just the level of denial, which she herself admitted to engaging in. I am keeping my mom close to me. You can't have her, Villages!
Yeah, it seems like an enclave where denial and right wing tribalism are the unwritten rules. SAD :- (
No one wants to acknowledge someone is dying in the real world either.
@@omcincy7622 Beats living in Chicago where the left wing destroyed a beautiful city, Now that's SAD - (
@@susanclark2756 Death is life. It's natural. I don't know what to make of this place it looks like a distopian capitalists hell. Something a zenophobian would dream up as heaven.
@@Itsallillusional it depends on your age how you see this place. I have lived at my current location for 22 yrs and I had a neighbor that would put her trash out the night before in plastic bags - this pretty much trained the wild birds into ripping it open and spreading it all over. Currently I have another neighbor that leaves their trash can at the edge of the road all week, and another neighbor that doesn't mow his grass, tears apart vehicles in his front yard and will probably never finish any of them (he's not a mechanic) and thinks its ok to pee in his yard and shoot his guns and rifles whenever he feels like it. Yes, death is natural and can happen to anyone at any time - IDK why you thought you needed to tell me that.
I think one of the things I find most disturbing about this is the way it acts as a distraction from the inevitability of death. Preparing mentally and especially spiritually for death is super important, and if you’re living out your golden years in a fantasy it ends disastrously when death finally comes knocking, either for you or the people around you. In my culture it’s common for the elderly to retire to a monastery in their last days so they can prepare for death and what comes after it. There’s a well loved grandma in my church who’s getting ready to leave for a monastery in Scotland. Ultimately I think a lot of America’s weird obsession with death stems from a lack of comfort with the concept. Memento mori.
I love the tree nursery guy. He is giving off good vibrations. I am bias as I also love trees 🌳😍
He was so refreshing!! I loved him and his whole vibe
I'm half way through, in my late 30's and thinking to myself "I'd rather die young having spent my money living a life worth living than attempt doing a piss poor job in my 70's". Honestly, this docu fills me with dread.
Honestly as an early adult I'd rather work the shitty job in my 70s than live in this place. Sure it might be miserable but I'd still somewhat be living and I could still find a greater purpose to work towards (like all those old people in the anti-villages meeting and the ones putting up signs). In the villages it just seems like fatalistic hedonism. No making the world a better place for the next generation, no real struggle. That might sound good for some people but it's a big nope for me.
@@underplague6344, you’re fooling yourself to actually think you can change the world. I know you’ve been taught that. And it’s a sweet thought. I wish it were true. But the sad truth is, that you can spend your whole rest of your days, working hard for this environment, for the pets, for the people, or whatever you think makes it better, and it won’t happen because it will go the way our rulers of this world plan for it to go. So you are kept busy “ fighting the good fight”, but in reality are in the dark and are a hamster in the wheel, wearing yourself out, and getting angry at those who aren’t wearing themselves out. There are hidden rulers. And they will let you work yourself to death. But because they want the control, you’ll never have the control. So the doom and gloom and urgency, is really not helping anyone. We’d all be happier if we just lived a happier life, and accepted the Truth. Because this world is darkness. The only Hope is GOD. And He has nothing to do with “ republicans” or “ democrats “. Call yourselves what you will, but you are either concerned with the cares of this world, ( which is where gov wants you). Or the cares above. 🌈
As a 66 year old that did live my life well, you hit the nail on the head. Live your life well following your path for each breath you take brings you closer to the last sentence in your book of life. If you live your life fully you have no time for dread. If you wait to do that you will get old and be unable to and regret what you have not tried to do.
My dad dropped dead in my twenties which taught me to do it my way and do it now because tomorrow may never come. I also believed that if I waited until I was old I would be able to do what I wanted. I camped solo in the high country and on desert beaches. I treked the Himalayas and hiked into mountain villages and experienced remote little visited tropical beaches on the other side of the globe. And the most fulfilling was raising my three children hands on. I am now disabled and would have missed my chance had I done otherwise. Live life with all you have.
My aunt who lived in the villages for a few years before COVID described it as "dystopian and creepy". I see now why those were the words she chose.
i was looking for a way to describe it. your aunt nailed it. a cross between the truman show and the twilight zone.
That's how the older generations view the gentrified hipster neighborhoods as well. To each their own. Like minded folks living in communities is the way it should be. Nothing wrong with it ...and if the "community at large" doesn't like it ...well, that's just too bad. These people worked for half a century to live the end of their lives the way they chose. If someone doesn't like it, don't visit. Simple.
@@AGirlHasNoName1.618 based🤠
@@AGirlHasNoName1.618 If that's all The Villages was, I would agree with you. The family that owns it is a major political contributor, which can lead to some... less than ideal legislation for the rest of us. It becomes a problem when this community destroys the natural habitat, uses up all the water, and forms a voting block that is undefeatable by the others that live in the area.
That’s fuckin stupid.
Ending on 'Creep' by 'Radio Head' sung by one of the residents shook me up. I did the math (slowly) In my head and realized...I'm not so far from that fate...I just hope I can travel and see the world when I retire and leave something for my family. I started watching this so I could get wound up about these selfish 'boomers' but found myself appreciating the points that they were making. I especially appreciated the honesty.
The dark and depressing part about watching this for me is that it's just an extended hotel with a rotation of guests that move in, die, and get replaced, all masquerading as looking and feeling like a small residential town to keep everyone comfortable and sedated.
LOL! Why do you think alcohol, weed, and anti depressant drugs are easily available anywhere in the country? It's not just this community. Nanny government want all it's subjects sedated. You're free to participate......or not.
I lived in Florida for about 10 years and a common term used to describe the state by locals was "God's waiting room."
While it sucks away the money theyve saved
1:24:20 as a young guy in his twenties, this was totally unexpected and super epic! Huge respect to the singer.
Was a perfect end, wasn’t it
@@Reiter2323 right?
As an older lady of 52 I totally agree with you 💯
Hahaha you realize that song is 30 years old now, right? It’s older than you!!
You’re over the hill. Time to make your will. 😂
The discussion after the documentary made me appreciate the outside perspective of the film maker. It changed my attitude from a political bent while watching the film and focused more on thinking of the broader issue of aging and retiring.
Lmao hearing Boomers unironically called "the Village People" was something I didn't know I needed in my day
With the way things are going in the economy, once these people die these communities won’t be able to exists in the same capacity. Since the old guy says his age group holds all the wealth, their kids will either not be able to live there because of possible age restrictions if they inherited the home, or just not able to afford this lifestyle since the younger generation is being robbed of acquiring generational wealth.
This old people party away their money! They die in isolation, bankrupt with no medication... Pretty sure the property is lost to the next lined up white old person to spend all their money
The company will male sure you die fast, poor, lonely
It seems boomers are trying their hardest to spend all the money they have before they die. It seems in the past people cared more about setting their kids up for success but boomers don’t seem to care at all for the most part some do of course but most are all about dying with a bill or as close to broke as possible, almost like if they don’t spend it before they go it was a waste of time having made it to them.
Also many children of boomers have different attitudes about life and would probably never in 1 million years want to live there.
@@xiqueira gawd bless Floriduh
Most of the people there are probably on reverse mortgages and the bank will get the house after they die. Corporations are already keeping the current generations working today from building generational wealth now they just got to get the money from the boomer generation
The Village was the name of an M. Night Shyamalan movie in 2004 and it starred Joaquin Phoenix. The film was about a conservative cult who lived in a bubble and were shielded from the outside world. They stayed in their Village because they were driven by fear of the outside world.
Great job displaying the realm of aging and the effects of the Villages on the inhabitants and neighbors
I’m a baby boomer, retired. I can understand why there is some resentment towards us among the younger generations. Our generation did not live up to the example given us by our parents. We had such fun when we were growing up because it truly was a wonderful time in which to be young. It saddens me, however, to see how many of us refuse to let go of the past. I find it undignified when 60+ adults still try to act like teenagers. We bought into the consumer mentality as well, and lacked the foresight of our parents. I think it’s a blessing to be a grandparent who is not ashamed of growing old gracefully. I can sum this up in one four-letter word …”self”. Though it’s true that many of us put in long hours in our careers and were able to build retirement accounts, we should feel grateful if we’re able to leave inheritance to our children. They will have a much harder go of it in their futures. Living for “self” is a sad and empty existence in my opinion.
very well said
I strongly identify with the locals feeling like that development has destroyed their community. There's a right way and a wrong way to do development so it respects the locals. It's truly heartbreaking to see the woods you played in as a boy be covered with as many houses as possible or to have your family cemetery in the middle of a suburb.
When I was young, there were 7 houses total on my road. Now, I can see double that from my front porch without turning my head. Developers will squeeze every dime out a piece of land, ruining it forever.
Strange how some of my friends homes have been torn down - others burned - more than once - elementary closed - middle closed - high closed - 🤔 - what are looking at here!?!?!
The population doubled since then.
Boo hoo. Change is inevitable.
That's definitely understandable. I think the resolution needs to be compromise which respects, to the best of everyone's ability, all parties involved.
“ I don’t belong here, I am a creep! “ amazing and apropos. This is so not my vision of retirement. I am now sixty and if this was about to be my retirement, I would beg to die. This is just a creepy, hedonistic existence without depth and the grit of real life. It is like living in the surreality of a Dali painting.
Hey, there be more complexity and more to think about in a Dali painting.
You sound like a Canadian
@@noname2-190 and what is so awful about Canadians?
@@dyinteriors they don't have a constitution..no freedom of speech no second amendment..gov. has already froze some Canadians bank accounts oh and that black face wearing pres. Or prime Minister or dictator that is running it
Agreed
Funny how they complain about how bad the world is with every other breath, yet it’s their generation and their policies/decisions that have left us on the edge of the precipice. The pure narcissism.
Ok, I'm 46 and grew up with the song "Creep". I'm impressed with that old guy's singing ❤
When we were looking for a home in Tucson we were shown a beautiful house. We were discussing the pros and cons. Shortly a neighbor pulled up in a golf cart. It took her less than 10 minutes to "stop by". This was all it took for us to run silently screaming to our car to get out of there.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
I lived in Florida for a bit (Gen X) and had older neighbors who would zoom around everywhere in their little carts thinking they were the social committee. I used to tell my ex I would rather undergo dental surgery than ever be like that.
By the way, the gentleman singing at the end has a fantastic voice. It's hard to believe, but that song is 30 years old. If he is on the low end of the age to be in the Villages (55), he might have been 25 when that song came out. Kind of mindblowing when you think about it.
It was a pretty cool version. That song is actually pretty hard to sing correctly and convey the proper tone of the lyrics.
I was thinking he must've been a Radiohead fan. He was spot on with his timing and tone. :)
Guy definitely killed it. I can't help but feel he self-identified with the song he was singing...Almost like a lament. And the audience largely was clueless. The irony of life...
Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed my rendition of creep
@@stephen8745 Enjoy it? I listen to it often. Excellent job, sir.
I’m at 42:00 and haven’t seen a pet yet. No wonder they’re bored and need scheduled activities. I’ve been very independent my entire life and this planned situation would drive me nuts. I love the house and yard where the guy was putting up signs…that’s what living has always been for me. Tropical paradise food forest with dogs, cats, bunnies, box turtles…that’s what I’ve always enjoyed with ballroom dancing or visiting with family on occasion. This seems like a movie with dumb and dumber. Soon the butterflies will be gone with the bees and dragonflies. That’s real living, but greed and zombies are ruining the Mother Earth I love. I did see one lil white fluff …
There’s one within the first 5 minutes of the documentary😂
This is amazing... As long as borders remain relatively open, it proves yet again how important international journalism is to getting a real look at how things are.
One of the elements of this production though is that very firm but subtle acknowledgement that “real” is a delusion. I see what you’re saying, but no one is naive here. I’m just grateful for the 2nd Amendment that allows this kind of slant to be as available to us as the other side.
I agree, outsiders views can open up ideas and interesting discussions.... Just requoting: "the whole range of perspectives, the pace, the hands-off story telling; this film was perfectly executed. " Completely agree!
My reaction on the content -as an outsider- :
Wow! Yet another example of mismatch balance on resources and urbanization planning. Devastating consequences. "And capitalism to its finest?" One business group owner of everything??? Not a "free West" I would choose, being at goodwill of a business group. Also..away from the real world is nice, but you cannot forget it indefinitely. Not me anyway...
I know retirement housing in the EU and there is something to say about the idea, not the excution.
All in all? Gives me a very sinister undertone. Made me think about the movie The Stepford Wives actually. A new storyline for a horror is born!
@@3orM00Rrecharacters hey Fi! yaya... I did take film class, and yadda yadda, I am fully aware that any movie, or even piece of media can only share a small slice of reality. often a highly edited one at that. but there is a big difference between a documentary that has a genuine curiosity in simony exposing the world around us. I live in Canada and the NFB (National Film Board) has been making great content for decades. A good example of a popular doc I HATE is "super size me" I won't go into the reasons cuz I'm already rambling... lol. do you have any suggestions for documentaries to watch? or a documentary the makes you cringe? JFF 🖖
@@TheRamses105 if Ramses is your actual name that would be so cool! .... your comment is of sound logic...
EXCEPT the negative vibe side of it... if these people are indeed happy...
than just be happy for them!
it's too late for society to reintegrate senior citizens who are willing to literally disconnect from society. and... if you compare their lives to that of a typical retirement home in Canada... I think I would choose to live in that community at end of life as opposed to a 'home'.
as per their delusions... I have done enough end of life care for family to fully appreciate that delusion is actually necessary for happiness when death is near.
OH!
and for me I couldn't stop thinking of Edward Scissorhands neighborhood. it's crazy the perceptual creep Hollywood holds over our thought processes. it blows my mind how many people out there can see a Hollywood movie and go out of the experience thinking it was REALITY!
@@christophermiller3031 Negative side vibe? That is you interpretation 😀It is just my honoust interpretation. Just a question of perspective and interpretation. But that makes discussing something interesting. We might learn something from each other. It is more problematic if we cannot do that 😀
"as per their delusions... " I indicated that I have experience too in that sector. I LIKE the different approach, but in the right sizing. And also, staying part of society. Not a new type of ghetto? We've already learned that ghetto's do not work, what does work is a balanced mix.
So... Urbanization wise i am negative. The government should care for the region. Do a retirement group per state, not in one state. The unbalance will hurt for outsiders and for environment on long term, but hey "not the insiders problem?"
BTW I would LOVE the idea for golfcart streets (instead of the now popular bicycle streets over here).
And... Edward Scissorhands neighborhood; yes, also 😀but still stand by my idea 😛
as an enthusiast of documentaries, I must say this was so well done. I love how each perspective was captured so precisely.
A very well-made docu. It seems sad to me that this society so deprived people of joy and meaning when they are young that they spend their old age trying to be twenty again, because they never got a chance to be young and carefree when they actually were young.
I had a different interpretation: that these middle or upper-middle class white Boomers have enjoyed every privilege in life and have never been challenged beyond "working hard". They truly believe that as long as they can individually afford it, they are entitled to whatever they want, regardless of the social and environmental damage they are causing. This vacant selfishness is emblematic of America's social decline.
Unfortunately it was too repetitive 2 x 3 x same scenes over and over.
You do know these people came of age in the '60s and '70s, right? My parents are this demographic & are both hardcore Trumpers & NRA members now. My mom used to hitchhike, smoke weed & pop pills ("Reds" aka Seconal were her favorite), headbang, get blackout drunk on the regular, do nude photography... she even tried PCP once. The Boomers partied and protested harder than any generation maybe ever. Then when they hit 35-40 & decided to settle down, they turned their backs on their progressive ideals & sold their children/grandchildren down the river in favor of neoliberal libertarianism a la Ronald Reagan. The Hippies became Yuppies and the rest is history. They were the first generation to have The Pill, so if they had babies too fast that was on them. Don't let the old age & sob stories fool you: the Boomers are sociopaths as a whole.
Boomers were horrible in business. Miserable, uncreative, and stale. Us Gen Xers wanted inspiration, but got the opposite. Now we have to support these folks, who destroyed our future.
@@jimhaber4700 Not everyones parents are degenerates lol.
My grandparents helped settle the first neighborhood in the villages in the 1990s.... It has changed so much since then. I used to visit my family there in the early 2000s, and there was more community. However, as the Villages was growing, I remember my grandparents noted: "they aren't making more town squares, just more homes." There are new neighborhood communities that are MILES away from a town square, and has potential to be isolating.
Additionally, while it was a retirement community, I did not have any knowledge of the history of the community that was there prior.
The Villages has made more town squares - they have a specific formula they use to determine where and when to build the next one. Villagers live within a short golf cart or car ride from a town square (many live between two town squares). Some who purchased a new home down south may be a bit more isolated at the moment, but that will change once Eastport (the 4th town square) opens.
I lived there before The Villages existed - contrary to what the ignorant, uninformed hippies here in the comment section say, "the evil developer" didn't swoop in, destroy all local wildlife, flora/fauna, and drive off every land owner by force. it was pretty much just farm land and orange groves, and everyone who sold their land did so voluntarily, and was paid fairly. The Villages has invested a great deal of time and money into preserving as much wildlife habitat, old oak trees, water features, etc. as they can - it would have been much cheaper and faster to just flatten everything in their path.
"I think a lot of kids think when they grow up think that basically we're going to be around to help babysit" summarizing what she said.
As someone raised by boomers and a lot of my peers who were raised by boomers, yall weren't around when we were growing up. Yall were too busy moving up the career ladder so we raised ourselves. We did not expect you to be around for the grandchildren and a lot of us didn't want you around anyway.
There is so much to unpack in this film but it paints a fairly accurate characterization of boomers as a whole.
This was very well done. I saw the interview with the lady who produced this. She was Austrian. So this gives a different perspective. I thought it was a bit sad when she brought up how these people didn't care about being around there families. She was stating that in Europe being around the family is important for everyone. I have had to deal with my own aging parents, and people in the care giving field say it is sad how little involved people are with there parents in there old age these days. My sisters and I felt almost an obligation to be involved with there care, as they took care of us as children. I wouldn't have it any other way. Sadly, maybe its this day in age that this is maybe becomming less common.
Most Villages residents have probably alienated their kids and grandkids with their Facebook posts.
Part of the issue is the inability to take time to care for parents. Many people are struggling on their own, let alone bringing in more responsibilities.
@@bdd7881 the current aging generation are also seeing the fallout of the way they raised their children. Gen X/Millennials not only are less financially capable of caring for our aging parents, we're less inclined to feel obligated to do so. For some it's because they did not feel obligated to care for their parents and so didn't teach us the importance of caring for extended family. For others the Boomer parents clearly did not feel obligated to care for their children so the adult children are now returning the favor. For a goodly number of us it's all of the above. The rugged individualism so many committed wholeheartedly to for decades is now biting them in the ass.
@@lavendarcrash2941 I can imagine where some of the more self sufficient older people would get depressed or angry with themselves, My grandfather has grey matter disease, a form of degenerative dementia, in his moments of clarity he was extremely irritated or depressed that he was unable to help care for me and my mother any longer, and he was even more upset that he couldn't go to work. I personally felt an obligation as it was my father figure, but seeing these people living in Florida like its the Trumann Show hurts, I myself can't imagine not feeling obligated a little bit, but seeing as some people in this documentary explicitly said "I don't miss my family" it's understandable where the kids are saying "forget them". I myself would be crushed if either of my grandparents said they do not care to see me anymore.
@@LemurSCC completely understandable and I'm sorry you have to see your loved one go through that. The four years between my grandfather's stroke and his passing were terrible for the same reasons.
My grandmother passed away 3 days ago, she was only 72. I wonder what a place like this could've done for her, and if it would've made her less miserable. She was in a typical assisted living facility and hated it, she was miserable in there. There's negative parts to everything too, but I would love to see our elders happy like this.
I feel like my parents would have really enjoyed themselves down there.
Only the privileged get to retire like this
this isn't assisted living
@quester09 I know, that's exactly why it would've been better for her. She was well enough to take care of herself, and drive as well. Granny died at 72 only two years after moving in to assisted living. I can't remember a single period of my life where she was more miserable then her last two years.
She should have lived w u if she was that miserable
This made me cry. I’m old and poor. I divorced when my children were young. I raised them alone. They went off to college, got great careers, and I don’t see or hear from them much. Their father remarried right after divorcing me, and he now lives in the Villages with his wife. They are well off and take vacations with my adult children. I have been forgotten.
Why did you have children in the first place? The world is overpopulated enough.I surely hope you didnt have them so they could take care of you. Thats being overpresumptious about life.
@@jr42a1 I don't expect my children to take care of me- I live a frugal life so that they don't have to. I would just like to have them in my life. You must be an awful person to say what you did- I hope that you don't have children, because you'd be a terrible parent.
@sarahbrome5564
your feelings are valid, that person is just being a jerk.
I can't think of anything worse than living in a retirement home, surrounded by old people. It's like something out of a science fiction movie. I 'm 74 and live in my own house and enjoy life as I did 30 years ago with friends of all ages. I'm single and live in the South of France.
That sounds awesome. Retiring to some French cottage on a peaceful plot of land but with plenty of friends around sounds wonderful.
@@GR8APE69Thank you. My point was that if you are healthy then it's better surely to be in your own home and part of the local community, instead of being in what looks like an internment camp for the old.