Oct./Nov. 1982 RAIN Page 3 fore Peace Corps or VISTA) and now has over 300 volunteers a year and 5 regional offices. JVC is similar to the other volunteer services in stressing Social Justice, Simple Lifestyle and living in Christian Community. Those interested should contact: Jesuit Volunteer Corps: Northwest P.O.Box 3928 Portland, OR 97208 Sincerely, Dave Kinloch Louisville, KY Dear RAIN, After reading Patrick Mazza's article on the Okanogan, I feel compelled to respond. While he never purported to be doing a comprehensive look at the "counterculture" in NE Washington, 1 feel his article to be far too "rose-colored." 1 lived in the area (actually Ferry County) from 1974 to 1980 and am still a member of an intentional community there, though I choose to live currently in Eugene. I found the area's "new-comers," though good-hearted, to be not very "alternative." Basically these urban refugees fit into two categories: 1) white, suburban, pseudo-Indians (though the vogue now is pseudo-Rastafarians) who have established hippie sub-divisions consisting of PRIVATELY-owned, male-dominated adjacent parcels based on the serial- monogamy nuclear family model. This individualist, sexist, racist (yes, ask real Native Americans what they think of young whites ripping-off their culture) model can hardly be called an alternative social structure; and, 2) The other model does consist of professional & semi-professional types who, by and large, are more active in politics. (I, myself, once ran for County Commissioner.) This group, organizing around Food Co-ops, wilderness issues, and alternative energy has opted for an elitist, hierarchical (patriarchal) model of organization not unlike the "old-boy" network, that runs the establishment politics. Once again, not a very alternative social structure. Like Murray Bookchin says in his "Open Letter to the Ecology Movement," they have become an alternative (?) bureaucracy. 1 think it is crucial for RAIN as the "Journal of Ecotopia" to use more careful analysis before conferring alternative status to any segment of the populace, especially within the parameters of the "counter-culture." A sexist, hierarchical, elitist, individualist element need not be given status merely because it can build a solar mousetrap. Sincerely, ' Michael Donnelly Eugene, OR I have several responses to Michael Donnelly's letter: A) There are sexists and elitists among the newcomers to Okanogan and Ferry Counties. There are also feminists and cooperative interactors. To say that virtually all the newcomers fall into the sexist-hierarchical categories is grossly unfair. In the time I lived in Okanogan County, I found a number of women and men who reflected a highly developed feminist and cooperative consciousness. B) I was writing about Okanogan County, not Ferry County. Though the two places have similarities, they are different. Among the professional and semi-professional groups in Okanogan County, there are women leaders. Some of the most prominent wilderness and ecological advocates in the county are women. Women are also leaders in the local movement for peace and in the Democratic Party Central Committee. For sure, women have problems dealing with the Okanogan old-boy establishment, but they are accepted and heard as leaders among the newcomers. C) That said, I would agree that there are cultural problems relating to the overall emergence of women, not just in Okanogan and Ferry Counties, but in many rural areas with a strong back-to-the-land population. One friend of mine, a feminist male, theorizes that with many people, the move to a rural area is more a male than female priority. And, to be honest, there are many extremely strong male egos among Okanogan County back-to- the-landers. Clearly, there is consciousness raising work to be done, but I would not underrate the capacity of the culture for change. D) Finally, I am disturbed by a “more- alternative-than-thou” tone in Donnelly's letter. This is a kind of elitism in itself, I feel. This elitism is, I believe, one of the most profound cultural problems we face. It is a reality in so many alternative movements (including those in Okanogan and Ferry Counties). We are all a long way from purity. The development ofour culture and consciousness is in process, and we have much to learn. To me, “alternative" is not a status to be conferred, but a number of paths with a common direction. Differen t people and groups develop at different rates and with varying emphases. Some arefarther along than others, especially on the issue of hierarchy. In our criticism of each other, let us keep sight ofour commonalities and greet each other as sisters and brothers. Otherwise, all we are going to be is a bunch of in-trips with our own exclusive criteria for membership in comfortable little denominations. I have no desire for that, and I doubt that Michael Donnelly does either. — Patrick Mazza CORRECTION In the William Appleman Williams interview that appeared in our last issue (Vol. VIII, No. 10) we erroneously attributed the following sentence to Professor Williams: "I think of the empire mostly in terms of the Western Hemisphere, Southeast Asia, Japan, Western Europe and parts of the Mideast." This comment was actually made by the RAIN interviewer rather than by Williams. We regret the error.
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