Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Elevators and exclusions

[Ellen Keyne Seebacher (elle]

While messages on Cohousing-L almost never make my jaw drop, this
one did:

> By building a cohousing community you are excluding most people
> right from the start who would never choose to live in such close
> association with their neighbors. You are excluding those who do not
> like meetings, you are excluding those who want privacy. The list of
> exclusions involved in creating a community from scratch is huge and
> probably the biggest in many cohousing endeavors is economic. Lots
> of people simply can not afford to buy a house.  So to worry about
> being exclusionary is not worth the energy.

"...to worry about being exclusionary is not worth the energy."

I don't think I have *ever* seen a more succinct summation of unthinking
privilege.  I just never expected to see it here.

-- 
Ellen Keyne Seebacher                   elle [at] pobox.com