Cohousing-L Mailing List: Diversity-children/ethnicity

[George Marx (gmarx]

I hope those of you who really want diversity - will look at why "they" 
aren't among you.  Most parents - live in a world of their children - 
which is very, very busy.  They lack the time - for constant meetings, 
and often the end goals of coh - are hard to seriously approach - because 
the immediate needs - are much more pressing.

Minority - group members have similarities and differences.  Do you want 
them for what they offer to you or to assuage guilt over their 
exclusion?  What do you have to give them?  Are you a part of their lives 
and their reality or just asking them to essentially abandon whatever 
community they have for your attempts at community?  

In the end - we often want a lot of the same things - safety, comfort, 
happiness etc.  Good schools, childcare, support for what we need 
support for, good friends etc. - are important for us all - but as long 
as "we" parents are "they" and/or minority people are "they" - there 
usually is a problem (and we're usually they problem - not "they")

Thanks!  george marx, alameda, california - one who hoped to help create 
coh - and failed - partially due to his own limitations

p.s. - Also - why don't more of us - who have struggled - and not 
succeeded - at making coh - our "lifestyle" create coh community in other 
ways - such as - regular get-togethers/support in our lives or looking at 
"cohoish - 'vacation' homes - like a large house away from our cities - 
where costs are lower - and several households at a time could go for 
weekends and holidays and spend time together?