Re: Architecture Re: Affordable Cohousing
From: Wayne Tyson (landrestcox.net)
Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2013 11:50:50 -0800 (PST)
I hope I can rest assured that it was not Dowds' intent to come off as patronizing, but again, he has me with the first sentence and loses me thereafter.

So I hope I don't come across as patronizing when I say:

Although "Cohousing is an exciting and rewarding alternative to the impersonality, selfishness, and me-first, profit-first philosophies that plague our modern social and economic lives," I find a certain inconsistency in following this with what appears to be a plea to uncritically accept the "context of land use regulation, finance, construction and real estate law, and multi-disciplinary interaction of the modern American economy."

I, for one, not only do not believe that cohousers need to "lie back and enjoy it," but that fulfilling cohousing's "exciting and rewarding alternative" INCLUDES alternative ways of doing business.

If my brief straw-polls of cohouser's reasons for leaving the fold are somewhat indicative of a few other reasons why cohousing attempts fail, it would seem that "failure to do business" is not even high on the list--however, I will be among the first to retract this impression as false when confronted with the evidence. While the cohousers themselves are an easy scapegoat for the shortcomings and evil intent of the professional flensers of "Modern Capitalism," it is at least equally possible that professionals-cum-prostitutes-on-steroids might bear some responsibility.

Above all, I want to avoid mental ping-pong, and actually try to get somewhere with the issue. Therefore, I hope that we will each find ways to more fully understand each other's statements rather than jumping to conclusions based on impressions not in evidence or resorting to distortions merely to "win" an argument (a little good-natured ribbing as satire-in-the-open excepted and accepted).

WT

----- Original Message ----- From: <rpdowds [at] comcast.net>
To: "Cohousing-L" <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2013 4:44 AM
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Architecture Re: Affordable Cohousing



Mr Tyson --

Do not be confused. Cohousing is an exciting and rewarding alternative to the impersonality, selfishness, and me-first, profit-first philosophies that plague our modern social and economic lives. But cohousing communities do not happen by good intentions alone. They happen in a context of land use regulation, finance, construction and real estate law, and multi-disciplinary interaction of the modern American economy. Most efforts at promoting intentional community do not succeed. Those that do succeed are the ones that learn how to do business.


R Philip Dowds AIA
Cornerstone Cohousing
Cambridge MA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Wayne Tyson" <landrest [at] cox.net>
To: "Cohousing-L" <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2012 8:30:55 PM
Subject: [C-L]_ Architecture Re: Affordable Cohousing


Actually, Dowds had me in his camp until the last paragraph ("All of these
parties want something -- usually a complex mix of results, reputation,
product, honor and cash. It is the miracle of modern market capitalism that,
when things go well, everybody gets (most of) what s/he wants."

RPD AIA")

--through which, ironically, if unintentionally, my point is underscored,
and upon which, I rest my case.

The very elements upon which original capitalism once stood value given for
value received, craftsmanship/art, putting the clients' interests first,
etc.) are what hath been shorn therefrom, giving us a "miracle" of
pseudo-intellectual bs that pulls the wool over its victim's eyes.
"Professionalism" my rosy-red.

WT

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