Yet What About Boredom?

After the tumultuous events of the mid-20th century--mass murder and such--is it so surprising that some people opted for boredom, the flat banality of the suburbs? Yes, Skokie was dreadful: it sucked the life out of people. But what alternative? Perhaps avoiding attention, especially in a world in which attention means harm and trauma and pain, is the only strategy worth anything at all. What's so bad about being Portugal--off the radar screen, so to speak?