Another Farm (commune) show on American Journey
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That was interesting. I didn't know the Farm had such a long history. It must be quite a trip to see all the changes.
We left during the heyday and since it was pre-internet, we didn't get the full scoop except with gossip and a newsletter.
There is a lot of info about it, but the short and sweet....and there is some lessons to be learned here.....
1. We spent too much time helping others and not enough ourselves - many resources went to our overseas and other programs to help rebuild Guatemala after the earthquake, a major EMS core we maintained in the south Bronx, etc.
Meantime, the moms didn't have shoes for their kids!
2. We ran up a couple big hospital bills - industrial accidents (farm machinery, etc.), which we didn't have the money to pay. So the hospital had a lien on the property.
3. Some of the best "makers" were chased off because they built empires within the Farm...which was a good thing in one sense, but in an egalitarian community there is something to be said for not making TOO MUCH of a "maker" as compared, for instance, to a regular mom or the dude that cleaned the outhouses. They were not chased off officially, but usually demoted in their crew or enterprise because they were seen as having too much "ego" or whatever.
4. The USA is a tough place to do counter-culture. It turned out the FBI had a LOT of files on us under the Nixon program of spying on "leftist" groups that might be a threat to our country. Not being big consumers is obviously a massive threat.
Words is that the Government pressed the hospital and banks to call in all the loans at one time instead of taking payments as before. That caused a crisis which resulted in the real end of the basic agreements.
It was fun while it lasted. I have stories
!
And, no, no group sex or orgies or drug fueled partying. We were MUCH more conservatives in ALL of those ways than general society.
There is a lot of info about it, but the short and sweet....and there is some lessons to be learned here.....
1. We spent too much time helping others and not enough ourselves - many resources went to our overseas and other programs to help rebuild Guatemala after the earthquake, a major EMS core we maintained in the south Bronx, etc.
Meantime, the moms didn't have shoes for their kids!
2. We ran up a couple big hospital bills - industrial accidents (farm machinery, etc.), which we didn't have the money to pay. So the hospital had a lien on the property.
3. Some of the best "makers" were chased off because they built empires within the Farm...which was a good thing in one sense, but in an egalitarian community there is something to be said for not making TOO MUCH of a "maker" as compared, for instance, to a regular mom or the dude that cleaned the outhouses. They were not chased off officially, but usually demoted in their crew or enterprise because they were seen as having too much "ego" or whatever.
4. The USA is a tough place to do counter-culture. It turned out the FBI had a LOT of files on us under the Nixon program of spying on "leftist" groups that might be a threat to our country. Not being big consumers is obviously a massive threat.
Words is that the Government pressed the hospital and banks to call in all the loans at one time instead of taking payments as before. That caused a crisis which resulted in the real end of the basic agreements.
It was fun while it lasted. I have stories
!And, no, no group sex or orgies or drug fueled partying. We were MUCH more conservatives in ALL of those ways than general society.
It was fun while it lasted. I have stories
And, no, no group sex or orgies or drug fueled partying. We were MUCH more conservatives in ALL of those ways than general society.
All right, ya lost me there. California is much more fun!
It's funny, Webbie. I just watched that show and thought of you. I remember reading in your blog about the farm. After watching I searched around and came to this thread. My wife DVR'd it, because when she was pregnant with our second son (who is now 9 months old) she read a book about natural child birth and experiences of woman on the farm. That book had some weird pictures. YIKES. Did you have kids on the farm at that time?
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