Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 192, Issue 20

[Magali Gutierrez (azul1995]

 Re:Affordable Housing, and Sharon's comment.
I want to chime in on Sharon's comment on how comfortable the stretch can be 
between people of different backgrounds.I would like to learn more about that 
gap.  I work in a multicultural, multi-language environment, but everyone went 
to college and keeps up with world affairs. Its New York City. How is that gap 
breached?  I am in the first stages of thinking of initiating a senior 
cohousing community, and I have no idea how I would approach and make feel 
welcome people from all walks of life.Any thoughts?
Magali
________________________________________________________________________     

"The issue with various income levels is how wide the spread can go
comfortably. A friend has been teaching in a British school in Bejing. Her
daughter was a student there and mixing with extremely wealthy Chinese
families. They loved her daughter and invited her on trips and to parties,
etc. The daughter loved it, but her expectations were going in a direction
that would cause a lot of conflict when she was old enough to understand
that she would never be ?equal? in that situation. She also didn?t not like
the values they were teaching her daughter. Sort of like we are wealthy
because we are better than "those people.?

Education is another issue. I?m sure (but have not confirmed) that everyone
here has graduated from college and many have graduate school or some kind
of post graduate professional education. Some people with college degrees
are uncomfortable with me having been a professor. I?ve learned just to not
talk about it. But that cuts off 25 years of my life. How would people
without college educations feel in that mix? 

My son and his wife did not attend college and live in the same neighborhood
where they grew up. They have lots of  friends, all from high school, and
they have birthday parties or cookouts every weekend. Same crowd. They don?t
read newspapers or books. Or even watch the news on TV. With their friends
it would be wonderful for them to have a cohousing community (though they
sort of have one now) but not if it were peopled by college graduates or
professionals like psychiatrists and economists. The college graduates would
welcome them but they  wouldn?t welcome the college graduates. 

If the stretch was comfortable, cohousing communities would be more
socioeconomically diverse. One of the factors that led the NYTimes to
endorse Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar is that they ?feel? lower middle
class. They have kept the sensibilities and understand them. Other
candidates have not. It means something to people.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines, Historic Takoma Park, Washington DC Where all roads lead to
Casablanca