Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Multiple Communities -- Threat or Challenge?

[Forbes Jan (jan.forbes]

Sharon/Dianne

No if's about it, some people in cohousing already talk in terms of
"cohousing" and "non-cohousing" people, where those who are seen to be "one
of us" and therefore "in the know" are welcomed and supported and those seen
as "not one of us" are ignored and in some cases treated with hostility. 

This is predictable human social behaviour that happens whenever social
groups form, even where the reason for group formation is arbitrary. Were
this to become a widespread practice in cohousing communities it poses a
risk to the cohousing principle of inclusiveness.

There is also talk of "participators" and "non-participators" within
communities, with the implied judgement of "one of us" versus "not 'really'
one of us", more likely to exacerbate non-participation by the stigmatised
sub-group. 

It appears that for some, a strong belief in and commitment to living in
community feeds a moral imperative by which "the other" can be judged and
excluded.

Attitudes of exclusiveness may be more prevalent in communities where class
consciousness exists and where human beings are categorised in other spheres
of life as well.  

I agree, it would be well worth exploring such questions further.  

Jan


-----Original Message-----
From: Diane Simpson [mailto:coho [at] theworld.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 25 March 2003 12:12 PM
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Subject: Re: [C-L]_Multiple Communities -- Threat or Challenge?



Sounds like you're just defined a topic for the cohousing conference.

--Diane Simpson(:^]

JP COHOUSING  617-524-6614
P.O. BOX 420 BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS
HTTP://WWW.JPCOHOUSING.ORG
"The people who surround you define the qualify of your life."

On Monday, March 24, 2003, at 10:09 AM, Sharon Villines wrote:

>
> Rob's comment about having 10 cohousing communities in the area 
> resonated in my slumber last night. When this becomes the norm, how 
> will it change the ways we think about our communities?
>
> How will our children change the neighborhood schools?
>
> How will cohousing communities influence other neighborhood 
> associations?
>
> How will cohousing communities have to change to attract new 
> households?
>
> How will this affect forming communities?
>
> How will it affect school systems?
>
> How wide will community variation go before people start saying "we" 
> are cohousing, "they" are not?
>
> Sharon
>

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