About 30 years ago, the firebrand founder of Twin Oaks started up another
income-sharing community in southern Missouri called East Wind, and I
spent several days out there earlier on in the road trip. As the second
biggest secular commune on the continent, there are a lot of similarities
between the two communities, and so I waited until after I'd been to Twin
Oaks before writing about its cousin community. Now I can compare and
contrast and put it all in perspective.
First, let me say a few good things about East Wind (that also go for Twin
Oaks, as well). They have a great communal clothes building. It takes up
a massive amount of space, it is very well-organized, and there are lots
of awesome articles of clothing in every conceivable size and style!
You're certainly entitled to keep your own clothes, but I can hardly see
why you'd want to. Even if you come with only the shirt on your back,
you'll be well-supplied for four seasons of freaky fashion.
And if it gets hot enough outside, you don't even need to wear any clothes
at all. It's perfectly acceptable to go naked in public, even in public
places like the communal dining hall. And this privilege isn't restricted
only to those who were graced by the goddesses with bodies that bear a
striking resemblance to the models on the front covers of fashion
magazines. Absolute elasticity isn't a prerequisite for skin to be bared
unabashedly, and that's a truly beautiful thing.
Okay, now the negative stuff. I'm rather hesitant to start making
accusations against a community, because I've had a few bad experiences
when I publicly dissed a place I'd visited. After I was appalled by what
I'd seen at neighbouring NS, I made a YouTube video explaining my
perspective. Some of the members there were so upset by the bad
publicity, that they put a curse on me, which didn't exactly help me make
friends with the more conservative elements in Samar.
Well, whatever. This is just a mass mailing, it's not even an online
blog, only a few dozen people will receive it and even fewer will read it.
It's highly improbable that any of you will actually visit East Wind, and
if you do, of course, you may see something completely different that what
I've reported here. Communities morph and evolve over time, by the time
you get there, it may be a different place altogether. Blah blah blah,
okay, enough with the caveats.
The food was inedible. I mean, I may have high standards, but East Wind
fell far, far short of them; Christina and I consistently felt
undernourished. The portions were of satisfactory size, and it was tasty
enough for fast food, but there seemed to be nearly no consciousness
whatsoever around the nutritional needs of a well-balanced diet. And
there was never any labeling to indicate the presence of meat or milk
products in the dishes that were served.
The emphasis on process that governs relationships at Twin Oaks is absent
at East Wind. There are no written or unwritten commitments to communicate
nonviolently with one another. So in the absence of amicable agreements,
an alpha male throws his physical and psychological weight around,
unleashing furious invectives upon unwitting victims. The new provisional
members that haven't yet been voted on and still need his tacit consent
cower in his presence, make submissive gestures to assuage his ego.
As an Israeli, I'm not easily intimidated by wanna-be dominant men. And I
feel no need to swoop in and stand up to this jerk, put him in his place,
although I've got nothing to lose, since I have no intention of staying.
But it raises some serious questions about the limits of freedom and
permanent membership. How do we deal with hostile behavior that skews the
whole social scene? No matter how beautiful the land, or how relaxed the
work, it's just not worth the trade-off of the temper tantrums.
