Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: hiring servants

[S. Hamer (shamer_]

I disagree. There are people who are good at some things and who aren't good
at other things. Would anyone judge hiring someone to build a bookcase in
their living room as hiring a servant? Are the landscapers that do one's
lawn each week servants?  If you need physical therapy in your home each
week, is the therapist a servant? If I have my nails done every week, is the
manicurist a servant?

It doesn't seem right to judge what a person decides to do for themselves or
to pay others to do. In general, it seems as if "housework" or "women's
work" is put in the "you are disgraceful if you don't do it yourself"
category and "men's work" (construction, woodworking, heavy duty cleaning,
etc.) is judged acceptable for paying someone to do it.

If a community decides that it's members shouldn't hire others to do
community work because work times build community, that is a valid issue.
But I'm sure some members will say--you build your community your way and
let me build my community my way. For some people, common work times are
great for building community, or others it could be meals, meetings, mail
room greetings, etc.

Now if you'll excuse me my housekeeper is here and I have to go to get my
nails done so I can get back home in time to pay the landscapers!!!!


On Mon, 3 Jan 2000 17:42:53 -0600, scowley [at] library.utah.edu wrote:

>  Thanks, once again, David.
>  
>   The rationale is always..."'we need time, 'they' need money.
>   What's wrong with that ?"
>  
>  I see that the injustice comes in the forms...
>  - "your history is the same as mine."
>  - "your choices are the same as mine."
>  - "your work is not as important as mine."
>  - the (in)dignity of the work itself.
>  - "your playtime is not as important as mine."
>  
>   I think the whole idea of servants needs a discussion, and we ought to
>  have a clear argument to present against it.
>  If we are going to have the truely democratic, diverse, and progressive
place we keep 
>  talking of in cohousing, we need to be clear on this point. 
Otherwise....
>  here comes that "Hippie Country Club"....again.
>  
>  


Sharon Hamer
Cambridge Cohousing
shamer_ [at] excite.com





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