Cohousing-L Mailing List: Cultural ethos and coho

['Judith Wisdom (wisdom]

Buzz,

I'm sure your comments (below) are well grounded, BUT.  The culture of 
place does differ with respect to taking to new forms, not just coho.  
I was born and raised in Philadelphia and, alas, returned after being 
away.  It does have great charm, good people, and a good bit of urban 
beauty.  But in my experience it has been a backwater in many, many 
respects.  Some say it's because its 90 miles from New York City; some 
say that its upper class were a very parochial bunch and made  their 
imprint.  I can't figure it out, but socially it can be very insular 
and resistant to change and experimentatio, having the qualities that 
are, rightly or wrongly, attributed to the midwest small town.  This 
doesn't just go for coho.  Its medical establishment is very 
conservative.  Extremely.  If you want to find a good homeopath, 
acupuncturist, etc., you have to leave town.  New cultural formations 
that emerge elsewhere eventually show up here usually, but late.  And 
casual, informal social association (innocent, important, sweet stuff) 
only exists within small enclaves.  There's a privacy, and 
ingroupyness, almost a social fear re strangers, which turns into 
rejection and isiolation.  Most of my experience is with the American 
south.  No comparison.  But friends who've come here from the western 
states say the same.  Even Manhattanhites have noted it to me.

I think this (whatever "this" is ) has its impact on the attitude towards 
communality and thus coho.  And thus I wondered outloud yesterday if coho 
needs to adapt to its surroundings here and form something that is far 
more communal than we've got now (the isolation of modern living 
formations) and yet not as highly glued together as most coho.

Some of the comments of others suggested there is some precedent for this 
elsewhere.

In sum, local culture does I think affect coho's acceptance and thus 
realization.

Judith Wisdom

I Buzz & Denise 
wrote: > > "Philadelphia seems like a 
> particularly difficult "market" for cohousing, for a number of reasons."
> 
> Actually, the entire planet is a difficult market for cohousing, for a number 
> of
> reasons.  In areas where there is evolved social consciousness, there is great
> interest but property values are high or regulations restrictive.  Where land 
> is
> cheap, few people care about cohousing.  And so on.  
> 
> My observation is that "it happens" under two conditions:  1. A few people are
> quite determined, and spend far more time and money than is practically
> justified (thus the apt term "Burning Soul").  2. They adapt whatever rules 
> and
> proceedures they think there are to thier own situation;  they do what is
> neccessary to make it work. 
> 
> Buzz Burrell
> 72253.2101 [at] compuserve.com
> 
>