I have four interviews and five videos to edit right now, so I left a lot on the reel during the edit for this one. Not as all tidied up as it could be, please forgive me ub! There is some meandering in my questions, but I think you will find a lot of topics in here that haven’t previously been discussed in such detail. The contradictory nature of our existence never ceases to amaze! 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:40 Start 00:02:05 Where did you grow up and how were you raised? 00:05:18 What did you do after college? 00:09:03 Living in Philadelphia for six years or so, had a career going, what changed? What was the move towards communal living (again)? 00:16:00 setting up visitor period at East Wind, activities in between leaving job and getting to EW 00:16:43 **East Wind visitor period, first impressions, first experiences, adjusting, wanting to fit in and become a member, banjo saves the day 00:23:44 freeing culture, skirts 00:24:15 “the East Wind mirror,” people pleasing, personal development 00:27:09 cleaning the Rock Bottom floor, floors meta 00:28:11 things that weren’t getting done, where to put energy and skills coming in fresh, information technology and infrastructure: repairing it, building it, organizing it… getting into East Wind Nut Butters… becoming Computers Manager 00:36:09 East Wind Nut Butters and IT, getting big budget items passed off on… doing small things for people, necessity of electronic accessories 00:37:35 becoming East Wind Nut Butters sales manager, involvement with NB GMT and office 00:41:17 **how long were you sales manager? the infamous $8,000 ad contract, the drunk rumor mill, decision making in groups, authority over budgets, scandal, general fear of media 00:53:16 fallout from ad contract, dealing with community on business decisions, accountability 00:55:17 reputation, moving on from Nut Butters sales work 00:58:21 **social scene, discovering queerness, new views on love and living with people 01:03:36 parties, etc. 01:06:32 taking personal affairs leave, going to France, biketouring through France, quitting smoking and slowing down on drinking, getting away from the ‘drunken rumor mill’ upon return 01:07:26 **coming to EW as a desire to get away from material conditions, change material conditions vs developing a spirit of the communities movement, idealism, counter culture, anti-capitalism, etc., personal happiness, visiting other communities 01:09:37 **CONTENT WARNING** biggest conflicts, tensions, and dramas while living at East Wind, meetings on a rapist and consequences (while a visitor), second meeting on similar issue 01:14:05 random local steals truck, drives truck through East Wind’s land, up creek, releases winter time tension 01:16:55 **coming back to East Wind after personal affairs leave, final year, exit strategy 01:20:10 moving on, looking back, reflecting, how ub would have done things differently 01:20:54 **working on yourself in community, lines between self work and systemic change 01:28:05 “going off the rails” at the end, hatred and resentment 01:34:08 ub’s membership meeting 01:35:58 moving on from East Wind, starting a new career 01:39:19 **what do you appreciate most about your experience at EW? 01:40:32 final thoughts 01:42:14 advice to people seeking community 01:43:05 banjo outro
Thanks, glad you are enjoying them. Reach out via email if you would like to be interviewed (your other comment inferred you had lived there for some amount of time).
I visited East wind in 87 I think it was I did a bit of work just about everywhere except the sandals I remember a few folks but most of all was Johanin who at the time was the" roaster" for the famous and delicious nut butter. Anyway I do have fond memories of East wind and have always thought of it as a model for community.
I understand shedding the people pleasing bit, for sure. Healing that trauma myself. But! I actually enjoyed cleaning in my community a bit. Kinda tranquil.
@@EastWindCommunity1973 Yes! On board with those. Also, it helped me that the accountability wasn't "breathing down my neck at any given moment" but more like a checklist to be turned in and checked by someone in charge of accountability.
The dramas mentioned in this video are intense. ub's personal view is special. Bravi Sumner & ub, thanks for an earnest and deep view with some ups and downs.
Yes, EW can be a mirror, and I learned how my dysthymia negatively impacted the way I dealt with unreasonable people. Also, I came away with the belief that such a high percentage of humanity is dysfunctional that a place such as East Wind is destined to be full of drama and harassment. The high turnover shows us that most people won't accept those things. (I think communities with smaller populations and a better way to select members is the way to go.)
Interesting to think that, if you had called the sheriff concerning the rape and an investigation had ensued, that would have caused a huge uproar and you probably would have been tossed for involving the community in a lawsuit -- which is against the Bylaws. Also, to correct one misstatement. The victim does not 'press charges' against the rapist. A 'complaint' is filed with local law enforcement, then -- after an investigation -- it is up to the DA to file criminal charges. It then goes to the Grand Jury for indictment. Victims do not file charges against perps in the US in criminal cases. If that were so, the entire justice system would be in total chaos. Haven't been at EW in 40 yrs. I guess it's not really surprising how little things change socially in community. The drama never ends. Fresh faces enter; burned out corpses exit the back door. I don't know why anyone would want to work to replicate EW on a worldwide scale. That seems like sheerest insanity.
Involving the sheriff is definitely last resort. When the sheriff was called to help get me off the property and to the regional medical center it was a very friendly encounter with no animosity (and he wasn't called until there was strong public backing). "burnt corpses exit the back door" I don't think I've seen you write like that in any of your previous comments, Pat. Not quite that bad, in my opinion! East Wind's model obviously can't scale beyond what it is today. There is always some drama with humans. How that drama is managed and how conflicts are resolved are important. What kind of culture do the people share? Is there a strength to the moral community? I've been reading Christopher Boehm's Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior and it covers the "reverse dominance hierarchy" of egalitarian bands and there are a lot of interesting observations in it. Highly recommend!
From being born and raised around ozark county sadly the sheriff office doesn't care much about them plus since sheriff reed is retired.ozark county has gone to hell.
First, I thought your channel was done! and second, really cracks me up because 1 - when I was at EW there was like 2 computers on the entire place i think? no network lol. and him coming in and taking over IT reminds me of me coming in and taking over the meta program . . .
I cannot help myself and I will continue doing interviews. No more original content from me, though. However, I am dipping my toe back into the communal pool and I'll be traveling to Louisa this year... so there will be something coming out on that soon. RUclips is no longer notifying me of comments, so I'm just now seeing all these!
![[MEMBER INTERVIEW] PT (2008-2021+)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/F9pp-4EGGKk/mqdefault.jpg)
![[MEMBER INTERVIEW] PT (2008-2021+)](/img/tr.png)
![[MEMBER INTERVIEW] JB (2018-2020+)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DaYCi6Tdbk4/mqdefault.jpg)
![[MEMBER INTERVIEW] Sorrel (1996-2004)](/img/1.gif)
I have four interviews and five videos to edit right now, so I left a lot on the reel during the edit for this one. Not as all tidied up as it could be, please forgive me ub! There is some meandering in my questions, but I think you will find a lot of topics in here that haven’t previously been discussed in such detail. The contradictory nature of our existence never ceases to amaze!
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:40 Start
00:02:05 Where did you grow up and how were you raised?
00:05:18 What did you do after college?
00:09:03 Living in Philadelphia for six years or so, had a career going, what changed? What was the move towards communal living (again)?
00:16:00 setting up visitor period at East Wind, activities in between leaving job and getting to EW
00:16:43 **East Wind visitor period, first impressions, first experiences, adjusting, wanting to fit in and become a member, banjo saves the day
00:23:44 freeing culture, skirts
00:24:15 “the East Wind mirror,” people pleasing, personal development
00:27:09 cleaning the Rock Bottom floor, floors meta
00:28:11 things that weren’t getting done, where to put energy and skills coming in fresh, information technology and infrastructure: repairing it, building it, organizing it… getting into East Wind Nut Butters… becoming Computers Manager
00:36:09 East Wind Nut Butters and IT, getting big budget items passed off on… doing small things for people, necessity of electronic accessories
00:37:35 becoming East Wind Nut Butters sales manager, involvement with NB GMT and office
00:41:17 **how long were you sales manager? the infamous $8,000 ad contract, the drunk rumor mill, decision making in groups, authority over budgets, scandal, general fear of media
00:53:16 fallout from ad contract, dealing with community on business decisions, accountability
00:55:17 reputation, moving on from Nut Butters sales work
00:58:21 **social scene, discovering queerness, new views on love and living with people
01:03:36 parties, etc.
01:06:32 taking personal affairs leave, going to France, biketouring through France, quitting smoking and slowing down on drinking, getting away from the ‘drunken rumor mill’ upon return
01:07:26 **coming to EW as a desire to get away from material conditions, change material conditions vs developing a spirit of the communities movement, idealism, counter culture, anti-capitalism, etc., personal happiness, visiting other communities
01:09:37 **CONTENT WARNING** biggest conflicts, tensions, and dramas while living at East Wind, meetings on a rapist and consequences (while a visitor), second meeting on similar issue
01:14:05 random local steals truck, drives truck through East Wind’s land, up creek, releases winter time tension
01:16:55 **coming back to East Wind after personal affairs leave, final year, exit strategy
01:20:10 moving on, looking back, reflecting, how ub would have done things differently
01:20:54 **working on yourself in community, lines between self work and systemic change
01:28:05 “going off the rails” at the end, hatred and resentment
01:34:08 ub’s membership meeting
01:35:58 moving on from East Wind, starting a new career
01:39:19 **what do you appreciate most about your experience at EW?
01:40:32 final thoughts
01:42:14 advice to people seeking community
01:43:05 banjo outro
four interviews and five videos yasss!
These interviews are valuable in many ways. I hope to see lots more.
Thanks, glad you are enjoying them. Reach out via email if you would like to be interviewed (your other comment inferred you had lived there for some amount of time).
I visited East wind in 87 I think it was I did a bit of work just about everywhere except the sandals I remember a few folks but most of all was Johanin who at the time was the" roaster" for the famous and delicious nut butter. Anyway I do have fond memories of East wind and have always thought of it as a model for community.
I understand shedding the people pleasing bit, for sure. Healing that trauma myself. But! I actually enjoyed cleaning in my community a bit. Kinda tranquil.
Cleaning is great. Love doing dishes and making things clean! Only for a couple hours at a time, however (and not at 3AM if I can help it)!!
@@EastWindCommunity1973 Yes! On board with those.
Also, it helped me that the accountability wasn't "breathing down my neck at any given moment" but more like a checklist to be turned in and checked by someone in charge of accountability.
The dramas mentioned in this video are intense. ub's personal view is special. Bravi Sumner & ub, thanks for an earnest and deep view with some ups and downs.
Yes, EW can be a mirror, and I learned how my dysthymia negatively impacted the way I dealt with unreasonable people. Also, I came away with the belief that such a high percentage of humanity is dysfunctional that a place such as East Wind is destined to be full of drama and harassment. The high turnover shows us that most people won't accept those things. (I think communities with smaller populations and a better way to select members is the way to go.)
Interesting to think that, if you had called the sheriff concerning the rape and an investigation had ensued, that would have caused a huge uproar and you probably would have been tossed for involving the community in a lawsuit -- which is against the Bylaws.
Also, to correct one misstatement. The victim does not 'press charges' against the rapist. A 'complaint' is filed with local law enforcement, then -- after an investigation -- it is up to the DA to file criminal charges. It then goes to the Grand Jury for indictment. Victims do not file charges against perps in the US in criminal cases. If that were so, the entire justice system would be in total chaos.
Haven't been at EW in 40 yrs. I guess it's not really surprising how little things change socially in community. The drama never ends. Fresh faces enter; burned out corpses exit the back door. I don't know why anyone would want to work to replicate EW on a worldwide scale. That seems like sheerest insanity.
Involving the sheriff is definitely last resort. When the sheriff was called to help get me off the property and to the regional medical center it was a very friendly encounter with no animosity (and he wasn't called until there was strong public backing).
"burnt corpses exit the back door" I don't think I've seen you write like that in any of your previous comments, Pat. Not quite that bad, in my opinion! East Wind's model obviously can't scale beyond what it is today. There is always some drama with humans. How that drama is managed and how conflicts are resolved are important. What kind of culture do the people share? Is there a strength to the moral community? I've been reading Christopher Boehm's Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior and it covers the "reverse dominance hierarchy" of egalitarian bands and there are a lot of interesting observations in it. Highly recommend!
From being born and raised around ozark county sadly the sheriff office doesn't care much about them plus since sheriff reed is retired.ozark county has gone to hell.
Sumner's back!
Some things cannot be helped, so there is a bit more coming for this channel (and always open to interviews, of course).
First, I thought your channel was done! and second, really cracks me up because 1 - when I was at EW there was like 2 computers on the entire place i think? no network lol. and him coming in and taking over IT reminds me of me coming in and taking over the meta program . . .
damn, if i'd been aware of that much drinking i probably would've left earlier? or maybe i was just naive?
I cannot help myself and I will continue doing interviews. No more original content from me, though. However, I am dipping my toe back into the communal pool and I'll be traveling to Louisa this year... so there will be something coming out on that soon. RUclips is no longer notifying me of comments, so I'm just now seeing all these!
@@EastWindCommunity1973 lmk, i only live like 45 minutes away from louisa! i mean, i work full time tho
So fascinating how something about East Wind tends to unmoor folks.
And/or sheds light on unmooredness in culture!