Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing Principles and the Contradictions of Practice

[Raines Cohen (rc2-coho-L]

On 2/19/03 6:06 PM, Greg Dunn <MyLists [at] gregdunn.com> wrote:

> Nevertheless, precisely
>*because* this list is the front-line of exploration of cohousing for
>many people, including me, it seems to me that it should be managed
>according to the principles espoused by the organization it represents.

Note that The Cohousing Network does not claim to represent this list 
server, although it and many activities that are, like it, independently 
executed, are often associated with or supported by the network -- the 
latter being something we're getting better at over time.

The Network aims to represent cohousing, but does not represent, or even 
operate, this list. We owe great appreciation to Fred Olson, who, in my 
book, does the work so he gets to set the rules -- we always have the 
choice of developing independent mechanisms (although I would strongly 
counsel against setting up another e-mail list that duplicates the core 
topics found here).

>To quote from the "What is Cohousing?" article on The Cohousing
>Network's web site:  "If your community has a leader that sets policy or
>establishes standards unilaterally, it is not cohousing."  By that
>definition, it seems to me, this list server itself is "off-topic".

This list server is not cohousing. It's a mailing list. They have very 
different characteristics than coho communities, in terms of their 
purpose, origins, operation, technology, evolution, and possibilities.

>1. Do you feel it's necessary or appropriate to have one person with
>absolute power to perform it? 

Yes. It helps keep the list focussed on the topic we're interested in -- 
cohousing -- and not on the list or e-mail practices or standards or all 
those other things.

>2. Do you feel it appropriate that he should do so without providing any
>formal statement of the standards on which this censorship is based?  

Yes. Sure, we could fill the list with messages in which we formally hash 
out standards. But that would distract us from our core topics and make 
the list less relevant to our core discussions.

>3. If you feel there should be formal standards, how do you feel those
>standards should be created?

n/a. The community constantly defines and redefines the informal 
standards for any mailing list, and a helpful moderator senses changes in 
those standards (often with the help of feedback provided OFF the list) 
and adapts list moderation practices accordingly.

Different people have different tolerances for different degrees of 
enforcement/looseness ("squishiness", to use your term) in regards to 
standards on different lists. I would be very surprised (and suspicious) 
if everybody who came to this list was happy all the time - just in the 
same way that the absence of visible conflict in a cohousing community 
absolutely does not indicate that all is well there -- in fact, it's 
probably a sign that people are limiting their group interactions to 
avoid dealing with a particular person or problem.

So, anybody got any fun stories of how their (East Coast) communities are 
dealing with getting snowed in?

Raines

Raines Cohen <my initials,2,dash,coho,dash,L at my first name .com>

  Member, Swan's Market Coho [Oakland, CA] <http://www.swansway.com/>
Where a neighboring "21st unit" may be available for rental soon.

  Member, Berkeley [CA] Cohousing (moving by bicycle!)
Figuring out lots of policies around sheds.

  Facilitator, East Bay Cohousing [on hiatus] <http://www.ebcoho.org/>
Reminding you to sign up for Joani's tour of Bay Area coho communities 
3/1!

  Boardmember, The Cohousing Network <http://www.cohousing.org/>
Looking forward to learning lots at the Boulder conference, Jun 19-22!


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