Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Means and end

[Racheli&John (jnpalme]

** Reply to note from Catya Belfer-Shevett <catya [at] 
weathership.homeport.org> Sat, 10 Mar 2001 21:54:32 -0500 (EST)
>From Racheli

  
> > > Is anyone else doing anything similar?
> > 
> > No one replied.  Does that mean we're the only community represented on this
> > list that has another purpose beyond cohousing?
>   
> Our group isn't - cohousing is ambitious enough for us at this stage.

IMO joining a group (whether a residential or a non-residential
one) is pretty much always a means to an end.  The issue is
whether there is one *cohesive and explicitly articulated* end
which the group as a whole shares, or whether people join
and participate with somewhat-varying types and degrees of
expectations.  Most cohousing groups in the US, as far as I 
know, are of the latter kind.  I don't think that by nature they
*have to be* that way.  ("The" cohousing book mentioned
some communities in Denmark which were more ideologically
driven - Katie and Chuck didn't think they were as successful.
I suspect that this perception on their part influenced the
kind of cohousing they promoted in this country.  There are probably
other reasons why cohousing in the US is not "ideologically
driven" by and large.  Maybe the fact that people need to be
relatively well-to-do financially in order to be able to afford it 
in the first place tends to f(l)avor the outcome towards a more 
"mainstream" direction (since people with more money are
more likely to be comfortable with how things are)?
  
I wonder what cohousing groups in Europe/other places are like 
in that regard?
Does anyone know?

Hope the above hasn't seriously offended anybody...

R.


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