permaculture

[FranandDave Nokes <fdnokes@hotmail.com>]

Appreciate the theme of this message.
Co-option is a major concern all 'round.
It is lurking in every corner of every 'institution'. 
Stay strong.
Frances

> From: lfljvenaura@gmail.com
> Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:34:25 -0400
> To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: [permaculture] Permaculture standards.
> 
> Scott Pittman scott@permaculture.org
> Wed Jul 11 19:54:57 EDT 2012
> 
> If one reads the following diatribe I think it becomes clear why I have been
> and continue to be concerned with the direction and tone that permaculture
> seems to be taking.
> 
> I am and have been deeply suspicious of the trend that is developing that is
> called "mainstream" or "commercial" development of permaculture.  These are
> descriptions of my worst nightmare a more deeply entrenched model of
> permaculture into the capitalist arms of our current system.  It points out
> the problem of language when "success" means accumulated wealth and ultimate
> authority is the legal profession and threats of libel suits.
> 
> The primary reason that permaculture has been so successful is not the
> wealth accumulated but the lives that have been affected and changed.  It is
> that we offer an alternative to an increasingly turbulent and socially
> unjust world.  I disagree with those who tout numbers of students as some
> sort of measure of worth.  Those teachers who proclaim that the completion
> of a PDC somehow confers the mantle of teacher on one are delusional, rather
> than empowering.  This was Bill's mantra in the foundation days of
> permaculture and lead to many failures and created a lack of credence in
> their teaching.  I can't tell you how many students I have had who were the
> experiment of a teacher who had just finished the course.  I made that
> extremely embarrassing mistake myself and learned the hard way that one
> cannot teach what one does not know and what one has not experienced.  Part
> of the whole "mainstreaming" concept is that we need more numbers and better
> access to power.  I believe that our growth has been perfectly sufficient to
> our ability to grow as teachers and as an organization.  The power centers
> of our culture are akin to a virulent bacteria that is infectious rather
> than an agent of change for the better.
> 
> To teach classes on organic gardening to students while feeding them Cosco
> food is not being thrifty but ignoring our ethics.  We are a humanistic
> organization and all of our actions should reflect that.  The MBA mindset
> does not have a place in my permaculture world and I will continue to speak
> out when I see us drifting into the wrong lane of history.  To use the same
> marketing strategies and mindset to promote and "grow" permaculture is an
> abomination (to cite a much used biblical admonition).
> 
> I'll say it again, without total transparency and truth telling in our
> dealings with each other and the world we risk becoming another cog in the
> "mainstream".  Threats of libel suits and compost dumping will not deter me
> from speaking out against what I consider malpractice.  I also realize that
> there are those out there who think that we have to have a seat at the table
> of power and money in order to "save the world",  in my mind those
> individuals should be running for public office and not looking to
> permaculture to achieve their dreams.
> 
> Finally I would like to say that Bill gave all of us permaculture and that
> we have all grown it and are responsible for any of its success;
> permaculture belongs to all of us and is not the property of Bill or anyone
> else.  Having said that I am deeply grateful to Bill and David and all the
> other pioneers of permaculture who have helped build the road we travel.
> This is not a journey of capitalistic success but a journey of the heart
> toward a better world and social justice and to keep that alive we have to
> all be free to speak our truth and understanding of what permaculture is in
> the process of becoming.  For my part I am deeply concerned that cooption
> into the broken system we teach against is one of the options being
> considered by many of our members.
> 
> Scott
> 
> "Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.
> On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."
> ~Arundhati Roy
> 
> http://openpermaculture.org/pipermail/permaculture_openpermaculture.org/2012-July/005534.html
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