| what is diversity string | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Susan Coberly (scoberly sbcglobal.net)
|
|
| Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 08:41:12 -0700 (PDT) | |
This is a fascinating issue. As a member of what Sharon V. calls the European
American majority, and as an early member of a forming cohousing group, which
is now soon-to-move-in, and still looking for a few more close neighbors with
whom to share a community, I can say that we have always wanted & sought
"diversity" by which I think we probably meant mostly ethnic, religious,
economic, and sexual orientation diversity. (Since several in this string have
identified other forms of diversity, e/g., political, educational, etc.)
However, the high Calif land prices, together with no mandate from the city or
help from the city to create "affordable" units (and no real ability on the
part of the community members themselves to fund affordabilty for others since
many are striving to buy anyway) resulted in somewhat "high" prices. Hence, no
apparent significant economic diversity - at this point.
We have some of what many might deem "ethnic" diversity - Korea, Guatemala,
Chile, Egypt. Why do I say "many might deem 'ethnic' diversity" by calling out
those areas of origin? I guess it stems from my wondering what qualifies as
European American? For me - really polygot perhaps summarized as British
Isles/Northern Europe - Cornwall, Wales, England, Dutch/ the Netherlands,
Bohemian [Slovakia, now], Germany? But then, how can we be sure what came
before, besides those "places of origin"? (Absent genetic testing.) Originally
we all come from a very small number of ancestors. Per Ramsey Lewis on the
radio the other morning genetic scientists have traced blue eyes to one
maternal ancestor. So maybe the cultural traits that we develop and magnify in
our group/ groups is what creates the comfort zone (for all - not just minority
populations) and then reinforces the sense that someone is or isn't different,
both looking out and looking in.
Also, we have to examine whether a person whose ancestors came from Kenya and
who has darker skin but whose family lived in London for three generations, who
speaks with an English accent, and graduated from Oxford and is a professor, or
who didn't graduate from Oxford and owns a fish and chips store, English? Or
Kenyan-English?
Hence, am I Cornish, Welsh, English, Dutch, Bohemian [Slovakia, now], German?
Wow. Such interesting stuff.
I love the L-serve.
I have to go pack to move, now.
Susan @ Fresno Cohousing
--- On Sun, 9/7/08, cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org <cohousing-l-request
[at] cohousing.org> wrote:
From: cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org <cohousing-l-request [at]
cohousing.org>
Subject: Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 56, Issue 7
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Date: Sunday, September 7, 2008, 3:16 AM
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Today's Topics:
1. What is diversity really? (naomi meyer)
2. Re: What is diversity really? (Sharon Villines)
3. Re: What is diversity really? (Gerald Manata)
4. Re: Northern California Cohousing reception Saturday evening
at San Mateo EcoVillage (Bonnie Fergusson)
5. Re: What is diversity really? (Ambrose McNibble)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:00:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: naomi meyer <fostermamas [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: [C-L]_ What is diversity really?
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Message-ID: <218699.15957.qm [at] web53508.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
As potential cohousers our multi-racial family considers ethnic diversity a
priority as we seek out a community. While visiting & researching
communities we've been pondering some theories as to why there is not as
much diversity in cohousing.
The general aim of cohousing is to create community.? I think minorities in a
majority culture , specifically people of color,? do a better job of creating
and maintaining community out of necessity. In my experience it's not
uncommon to have multi generational families or even extended family (cousins,
kinship, etc) as a part of a person of color's close family community. I
think it is a strong cultural aspect of minority communities. In my personal
experience as a member of a minority group as a queer person, I find that queer
communities often create a strong support system in the midst of a majority
culture. Perhaps this leads to less diversity in co-housing? Perhaps people of
color are less likely to seek co-housing community for these
reasons???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
What do you think?
Naomi
(Still narrowing down our cohousing community choices)
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 09:16:11 -0400
From: Sharon Villines <sharon [at] sharonvillines.com>
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ What is diversity really?
To: Cohousing-L Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Message-ID: <4ADE2910-1E91-44BA-B35D-CE27919BB68C [at] sharonvillines.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
One of the problems of incorporating minority populations in cohousing
is that cohousing is a minority. For a minority to link up with a
minority is a double whammy -- it doubles the minority status. It's
hard enough to be the only one. To be the only one in a group of only
ones is not what most people are looking for.
Years ago when as a parent of young children I helped start a
cooperative school for children it was close to impossible to attract
minority parents at all. Practically all of our recruitment efforts
were directed at minority communities and we located the school near
neighborhoods where there were large numbers of minority households
with children. We finally got two, one Hispanic and one African
American, both single parents.
The parent dropped out because the son wanted to go to a "normal"
school and the parent wanted to be part of a "real" PTA. The parent
was very apologetic but that was what was important to a minority
parent.
The other parent never lifted a finger to do any work as required in a
cooperative, paid no tuition (we had a sliding scale with a
practically zero bottom), and left as soon as the son was old enough
for public school. The parent never appeared in the school. The parent
of another child in the school picked the son and took him home every
day, keeping him after school until the parent returned from work.
There were several other African American, Hispanic, and Asian
children in the school but their parents were all from majority
populations.
That experience taught me a lot about how much, or how little, is
possible in building a culturally diverse organization of any kind.
After all, being a European American would I like being recruited to
provide diversity in a mostly Hispanic or African American or Asian
organization?
Income diversity was much more easily achieved. People with widely
varying incomes can be of the same social class and share the same
values.
Education levels, as hard as cultural diversity. People with high
school educations rarely want to live in a community of college
educated people.
Political diversity? Forget it.
Social class? Forget it. Values and world view are too disparate.
Religious diversity? Only if people are not overtly observant.
Diversity is very hard to live with -- for everyone.
Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Sociocracy, a Deeper Democracy
http://www.sociocracy.info
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 10:44:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: Gerald Manata <gmanata2003 [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ What is diversity really?
To: fostermamas [at] yahoo.com, Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Message-ID: <59053.19249.qm [at] web31910.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
I agree. As a white straight male, I have often looked with envy at the
strong communities ties that minority communities, as you say, apparently out of
necessity, have. The only time I have experienced anything like this was in my
youth as a member of the minority youth 60's counterculture. When this
collapsed, and most joined the establishment culture, I spent decades looking
around for a replacement community. That brought me to cohousing, along with a
bunch of other white straight people.
naomi meyer <fostermamas [at] yahoo.com> wrote:
As potential cohousers our multi-racial family considers ethnic diversity a
priority as we seek out a community. While visiting & researching
communities we've been pondering some theories as to why there is not as
much diversity in cohousing.
The general aim of cohousing is to create community. I think minorities in a
majority culture , specifically people of color, do a better job of creating
and maintaining community out of necessity. In my experience it's not
uncommon to have multi generational families or even extended family (cousins,
kinship, etc) as a part of a person of color's close family community. I
think it is a strong cultural aspect of minority communities. In my personal
experience as a member of a minority group as a queer person, I find that queer
communities often create a strong support system in the midst of a majority
culture. Perhaps this leads to less diversity in co-housing? Perhaps people of
color are less likely to seek co-housing community for these
reasons?
What do you think?
Naomi
(Still narrowing down our cohousing community choices)
_________________________________________________________________
Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 14:41:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bonnie Fergusson <fergyb2 [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Northern California Cohousing reception Saturday
evening at San Mateo EcoVillage
To: Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Message-ID: <911912.85050.qm [at] web65612.mail.ac4.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Dear Raines,
what is the address for this event, couldn't find a specific address
anywhere.
Thanks,
Bonnie
--- On Fri, 9/5/08, Raines Cohen <rc3-coho-L [at] raines.com> wrote:
> From: Raines Cohen <rc3-coho-L [at] raines.com>
> Subject: [C-L]_ Northern California Cohousing reception Saturday evening
at San Mateo EcoVillage
> To: "Cohousing-L" <cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org>
> Date: Friday, September 5, 2008, 6:42 PM
> Bay Area Cohousers: join us Saturday evening for a reception
> in community on
> the water co-sponsored by The Cohousing Association of the
> U.S. (Coho/US)
> and Cohousing Coaches Raines Cohen and Betsy Morris... and
> you! Coho/US
> Executive Director Craig Ragland, as well as
> Author/Architect Katie McCamant
> and Rick Mockler of Cohousing Partners are expected, along
> with a couple of
> dozen folks participating in the "Getting
> Started" workshop nearby. We will
> be gathering around 5:30 for drinks and appetizers to enjoy
> cool breezes and
> sunset at this lovely community by the lagoon. Chat with
> cohousing
> residents, professionals, community organizers and seekers.
> Share your
> vision of sustainable community. The location is not far
> from the Hillsdale
> CalTrain station and the San Mateo bridge: While there, we
> can meet S.M.
> EcoVillage residents and check out the unit available for
> sale, and learn
> about upcoming events and opportunities around the state.
> We look forward to
> seeing you there.
> RSVP and directions via Silicon Valley Cohousing MeetUp
> group:
> http://intentionalcomm.meetup.com/186/calendar/8700323/
>
> -
> Raines Cohen, Cohousing Coach
> http://www.CohousingCoach.com/
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other
> info at:
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 19:07:25 -0700
From: Ambrose McNibble <a-mcnibble [at] Comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ What is diversity really?
To: fostermamas [at] yahoo.com, Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Message-ID: <p06240802c4e8dca017f7@[179.208.112.100]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ;
format="flowed"
Naomi
You can certainly look up 'diversity' in Websters, but that will only
tell you what the word is, not what the thing is. I do however have a
subjective test that has served a number of groups and individuals
well in deciding whether they were in situations that included
diversity:
"If =you= are not a little bit uncomfortable, =you= are not in a
situation that includes diversity."
As another responder pointed out, this is never easy to achieve or
maintain in any situation where individuals are more-or-less free to
come and go with little personal commitment to the ideal of diversity.
I believe this lack of tolerance for the discomfort of diversity is
an American cultural trait (that we actively export around the
world). You probably don't want to get me started about what I
believe are the reasons behind it and the way it's taught, spread and
reinforced.
I will note that in my experience, people who are minorities, people
that are 'different' - particularly those that are persecuted
socially or otherwise discriminated against because of their
differences - seem to be a lot more tolerant of situations that
include diversity than people whose situation has always been to be
accepted as part of some group.
I have no idea if these thoughts will help you sort out your issue,
but since you asked I offer them for what they're worth.
A.M.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
naomi meyer Wrote:
>As potential cohousers our multi-racial family considers ethnic
>diversity a priority as we seek out a community. While visiting &
>researching communities we've been pondering some theories as to why
>there is not as much diversity in cohousing.
>
>The general aim of cohousing is to create community. I think
>minorities in a majority culture , specifically people of color, do
>a better job of creating and maintaining community out of necessity.
>In my experience it's not uncommon to have multi generational
>families or even extended family (cousins, kinship, etc) as a part
>of a person of color's close family community. I think it is a
>strong cultural aspect of minority communities. In my personal
>experience as a member of a minority group as a queer person, I find
>that queer communities often create a strong support system in the
>midst of a majority culture. Perhaps this leads to less diversity in
>co-housing? Perhaps people of color are less likely to seek
>co-housing community for these
>
>reasons?
>
>What do you think?
>
>Naomi
>(Still narrowing down our cohousing community choices)
>
>
>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
>http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
--
Ambrose McNibble
Seattle WA USA Ask a-mcnibble [at] comcast.net
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