SillyValley Asocialites

[kelley]

At 12:26 PM 3/1/01 -0500, Doug Henwood wrote:
>kelley wrote:
>
>>NETWORKED STRANGERS
>>One of the findings of the just-published Social Capital Community 
>>Benchmark Survey, http://www.cfsv.org, is that Silicon Valley is a 
>>community that is relatively backward socially compared to national 
>>statistics: people in the Valley are 27% less likely than people 
>>elsewhere to visit with relatives, and are not very inclined to serve as 
>>community leaders, join clubs, or even attend public meetings. But even 
>>nationally, says survey director Robert Putnam, "there has been a serious 
>>erosion in American connectedness."
>
>What about bowling leagues? Are they ironic bowlers, lonely bowlers, or 
>non-bowlers? Is Putnam falling down on the job?
>
>Doug

well, as you know, i happen to think that a lack of capacities in this 
arena will make any attempt at socialism a complete disaster.  without 
these capacities--these practices--we are far too likely to prefer to turn 
over decision making to the bureaucrats or be tempted to let the market 
solve all our problems.  and, moreover, it is in the cultivation of these 
practices that form the resource base that makes for more successful social 
movements.  necessary, but not sufficient, to be sure.

kelley