Miami Work vs. Leisure

Miami work and leisure are separated into two different realities that working people consciously keep separate. Cubicles and offices are factories of uninterrupted focused efforts. Work is production and leisure belongs far away from work because leisure is void of production.

As a University of Miami student, I can attest to this phenomenon. My schoolwork is confined to either a classroom or a desk in the library. And leisure is away from school at home where I can watch my favorite TV show and read a good book—one that I don’t have to write a paper about the next day. The separation between my work and leisure is also driven by competition. The harder the class, the more hours I spend in the library, and more hours in the library means more hours of mindless recuperation at home. And so the cycle continues.

This division between work and leisure is prominent in the city where life is extremely fast-paced and where there is greater demand for production. This explains Miami’s utilization of the spectacle, not only as a tourist attraction, but also as a refuge to people already living here—an opportunity for leisure without work.