Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Xenophobia as an inherent barrier to diversity

[Elizabeth Magill (pastorliz]

> Trying to diversify cohousing communities has merit, but the effort  
> fights
> the natural tendency of like-minded people to cluster and exclude  
> people who
> do not fit in.

I assume this part is your words, norm?

The articles suggest that it isn't like-minded people at all, but  
rather genetically similar people who have an innate need to protect  
their own genetic heritage, and so resist gathering with different  
genetic groupings.

What I disagree with is this: that people genetically similar to me  
are necessarily who is like minded with me.
In fact, I'd guess that a good gathering of scots-irish presbyterians  
(that is, my genetic kin) would mostly not even let me in!

If cohousing is truely to be about being like-minded than we CAN  
choose to look for like-minded-ness regardless of ethnicity.
If, of course, we think that cohousing is a naturally occurring  
phenomenon, pre-determined by our genetic make up, well then, yes I'd  
imagine we'll all be of the same ethnicity and don't need to consider  
the moral value of that decision... its just our genes!

The part from the below that gets confused is what exactly IS  
ethnicity with regard to our genetic make up. I think that those who  
pay attention to such details would find that our genetic-ethnicity  
is in fact very small groups of people. My scots-irish genetics are  
just as different from that of a particular tribe of swedes as they  
are from that of particular tribe of Kenyans.
So the ethnicity=destiny theory, when modern genetics is added to the  
data, would predict that I'd be just as resistant to have diversity  
with most other white people as I am resistant to have diversity with  
people with darker colored skin.

Personally, I'll go with the theory that my genetics do NOT naturally  
lead me to co-housing, and therefore, I can choose to try to break  
through the barrier of difference in order to find people who are  
actually like-minded, and hopefully also, quite diverse.

-Liz
Elizabeth M. Magill
PastorLiz [at] verizon.net
Mosaic Commons in Berlin MA
Join us now! A few more homes available.
www.mosaic-commons.org

On Sep 30, 2008, at 1:15 AM, OC611NGC wrote:

> Xenophobia: Sociobiological explanation (Excerpt from Wikipedia)
> "The effects of xenophobia (dislike against the genetically dissimilar
> out-group and nepotistic favoritism towards the genetically similar
> in-group) are analyzed by many sociobiological researchers.

> One of the reasons I believe that
> Jews have been persecuted is because of their reluctance to  
> proselytize
> Gentiles and to exclude anybody who does not fit their a priori  
> criteria of
> bona fide Jews.  Christians have welcomed all kinds of people into  
> the fold
> and have thrived because of this.  However, anybody welcomed in  
> must abide
> by the standards of the religion to remain members in good standing.
>
> Norm Gauss
>
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