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Uncl: Burgess's essay (fwd)
I found that theses comments were very pertinent to Permaculture and how we
may be perceived by the General Population. Rc ers would understand as well.
Vic.
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From: <DI891@OASIS.CALPOLY.EDU>
From: Rob Rutherford
Animal Science Department
Cal Poly
The discussion regarding the essay by Mr. Burgess has brought several thoughts
to mind. The first might be along the lines of what Noel M might have
suggested and that is to see if we can get some good from the discussion. I
was first presented with this essay over 18 months ago as it appeared in the
Arizona Sierra Club publication. I copied and shared it with our California
group at a gathering near Red Bluff. The reaction of the group could have been
described as "Oh, well, some more of THAT kind of uninformed nonsense." I
personally thought that it created a great opportunity to use the article as a
catalyst for a revisiting of the ongoing discussion as to what holistic
management really is. As each of us shares in these discussions, we all
develop a deeper and broader understanding of that which we are all a part.
So maybe some good could come of an article like the one published.
A second thought occured as I visited the other sites within the Burgess Web
page. A quick reading of several of the short stories, etc. reveals to me that
the author may not be put off so much with the idea of holisitic decision
making, but with cows. Cattle have long been held as a sign of wealth. Those
who have owned land and cattle have been given certain rights and privleges
unshared by the less fortunate. I see much in Mr. Burgess's writing having to
do with class struggle and predjudice, more than any great grasp as to the
science of ecology and the role of large grazing animals in it.
Finally, it occured to me that to be a financially successful journalist (Mr.
Burgess's degree is in Journalism), you must write material that other people
want to read. To sell many copies of a piece that is critical of an
institution, a group, a movement, or whatever, it helps if the subject of the
piece is well known. (An expose of Lady Di's activities probably wouldn't sell
if she had never married her first husband). This suggests that holisitic
management, the center, and the leaders therein are really getting to be known
in wider circles! I see this as a real positive.....
Rob Rutherford