An interesting review from Peter Montague.... Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2000 18:52:17 -0500 (EST) >. . >. RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH BIWEEKLY #711 . >. ---November 9, 2000--- . >. HEADLINES: . >. THE CULTURAL CREATIVES . >. ========== . >. Environmental Research Foundation . >. P.O. Box 5036, Annapolis, MD 21403 . >. Fax (410) 263-8944; E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] . >. ========== . >. All back issues are available by E-mail: send E-mail to . >. [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the single word HELP in the message. . >. Back issues are also available from http://www.rachel.org. . >. To start your own free subscription, send E-mail to . >. [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the words . >. SUBSCRIBE RACHEL-WEEKLY YOUR NAME in the message. . >. The Rachel newsletter is now also available in Spanish; . >. to learn how to subscribe in Spanish, send the word . >. AYUDA in an E-mail message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . > >================================================================= > > >THE CULTURAL CREATIVES > >A brand new book titled THE CULTURAL CREATIVES offers important >insights into U.S. culture and how we might organize to change >our future.[1] It offers entirely original, new perspectives that >could help the environmental and social justice movements find >new paths, sidestepping the troubles that have stymied them in >recent years. Listen up. > >THE CULTURAL CREATIVES was written by Paul Ray and Sherry Ruth >Anderson who have spent more than a decade doing survey research >to discover the values that we in the U.S. hold dear. ("Values >are the best single predictor of real behavior," they say.) They >find that, based on fundamental values, U.S. citizens can now be >classified into three major groups: Moderns, Traditionals, and >Cultural Creatives. We all recognize Moderns and Traditionals, >but most people don't know that the Cultural Creatives exist. >Even the Cultural Creatives themselves are not aware of their >huge numbers -- 50 million strong, according to Ray and Anderson. >Here lie the seeds of a cultural revolution -- one that is >already well along. > >The Moderns: The Moderns are the dominant subculture of our time. >They make the rules we all live by--they control the civil >service, the military, the courts, and the media. Some of them >operate the multinational corporations. Their ideology is laid >out for us every day, in detail, in the NEW YORK TIMES and the >WALL STREET JOURNAL, in the other major papers, and on TV. The >Moderns' belief in a technological economy is reshaping the face >of the globe. The Moderns tend to dismiss other cultures and >other ways of life as somehow inferior. In sum, "The simplest way >to understand today's Moderns is to see that they are the people >who accept the commercialized urban-industrial world as the >obvious right way to live. They're not looking for alternatives," >say Ray and Anderson. To Moderns, growth is not only good, it is >essential. What's most important to moderns is > >(a) making lots of money; > >(b) climbing the ladder of success with measurable steps toward >one's goal; > >(c) having lots of choices (as a consumer, or voter or on the >job); > >(d) being on top of the latest trends, styles and innovations; > >(e) supporting economic and technological progress at the >national level; > >(f) rejecting the values and concerns of native people, rural >people, Traditionals, New Agers, and religious mystics. > >Moderns represent 48% of the U.S. citizenry (93 million adults) >and, in 1995, they had a median family income of $42,500. > >The Traditionals: Traditionals represent 24.5% of U.S. citizens >(48 million adults). "Many Traditionals are not white bread >Republicans but elderly New Deal Democrats, Reagan Democrats, and >old-time union people as well as social conservatives in >politics...." > >Traditionals tend to believe (among other things) that > >(a) patriarchs should again dominate family life; > >(b) FEMINISM is a swearword; > >(c) men need to keep their traditional roles and women need to >keep theirs; > >(d) family, church, and community are where you belong; > >(e) customary and familiar ways of life should be maintained; > >(f) it's important to regulate sex -- pornography, teen sex, >extramarital sex-- and abortion; > >(g) men should be proud to serve in the military; > >(h) all the guidance you need for your life can be found in the >Bible; > >(i) preserving civil liberties is less important than restricting >immoral behavior; > >(j) freedom to carry arms is essential; > >(k) foreigners are not welcome. > >Many Traditionals are pro-environment and anti-big business. They >are outraged at the destruction of the world they remember, both >natural areas and small-town life. Traditionals tend to be older, >poorer, and less educated than others in the U.S. At the end of >World War II, Traditionals were 50% of the population, but today >they are 25%, and their numbers are shrinking as older >Traditionals die and are not being replaced by younger ones. > >The Cultural Creatives: What Ray and Anderson discovered during a >decade of research is that the Moderns and Traditionals have now >been joined by a third subculture within the U.S., 50 million >strong (26% of all adults) -- a population the size of France, >and growing. Ray and Anderson have labeled them "Cultural >Creatives." Here is a list of 18 characteristics; if you have 10 >or more of them, you're probably a cultural creative: > >(a) love nature and are deeply concerned about its destruction; > >(b) are strongly aware of the problems of the whole planet and >want to see action to curb them, such as limiting economic >growth; > >(c) would pay more taxes or higher prices if you knew the money >would go to clean up the environment and stop global warming; > >(d) give a lot of importance to developing and maintaining >relationships; > >(e) place great importance on helping other people; > >(f) volunteer for one or more good causes; > >(g) care intensely about psychological or spiritual development; > >(h) see spirituality and religion as important in your own life >but are also concerned about the role of the religious Right in >politics; > >(h) want more equality for women at work and want more women >leaders in business and politics; > >(i) are concerned about violence and the abuse of women and >children everywhere on Earth; > >(j) want politics and government to emphasize children's >education and well being, the rebuilding of neighborhoods and >communities, and creation of an ecologically sustainable future; > >(k) are unhappy with both left and right in politics and want a >new way that is not the mushy middle; > >(l) tend to be optimistic about the future and distrust the >cynical and pessimistic view offered by the media; > >(m) want to be involved in creating a new and better way of life >in our country; > >(n) are concerned about what big corporations are doing in the >name of profit: exploiting poor countries, harming the >environment, downsizing; > >(o) have your finances and spending under control and are not >concerned about overspending; > >(p) dislike the modern emphasis on success, on "making it," on >wealth and luxury goods; > >(q) like people and places that are exotic and foreign, and enjoy >experiencing and learning about other ways of life. > >Cultural Creatives are not defined by particular demographic >characteristics -- they are accountants and social workers, >waitresses and computer programmers, hair stylists and lawyers >and chiropractors and truck drivers, photographers and gardeners. >The large majority of them are very mainstream in their religious >beliefs. They are no more liberal or conservative than the U.S. >mainstream, though they tend to reject "left-right" labels. >Really, their one distinguishing demographic characteristic is >that 60% of them are women, and most Cultural Creatives tend to >hold values and beliefs that women have traditionally held about >issues of caring, family life, children, education, >relationships, and responsibility. In their personal lives, they >seek authenticity -- meaning they want their actions to be >consistent with what they believe and say. They are also intent >on finding wholeness, integration, and community. Cultural >Creatives are quite clear that they do not want to live in an >alienated, disconnected world. Their approach to health is >preventive and holistic, though they do not reject modern >medicine. In their work, they may try to go beyond earning a >living to having "right livelihood" or a vocation. > >Ray and Anderson summarize the forces that have given rise to >Cultural Creatives: "In the twenty-first century, a new era is >taking hold. The biggest challenges are to preserve and sustain >life on the planet and find a new way past the overwhelming >spiritual and psychological emptiness of modern life. Though >these issues have been building for a century, only now can the >Western world bring itself to publicly consider them. The >Cultural Creatives are responding to these overwhelming >challenges by creating a new culture." New businesses, new >management styles, new technologies, new forms of social >organization (for example, leasing products, such as carpets and >refrigerators, to consumers instead of selling them, to make sure >they are recycled), and new decision-making techniques (the >precautionary principle, for example) -- the Cultural Creatives >are constructing a new world in our midst, largely ignored by the >media. > >By different paths, fifty million Cultural Creatives emerged from >(or were influenced by) social movements of the '60s and '70s. >Ray and Anderson describe 20 such movements that have spawned >Cultural Creatives who, in turn, have begun to put a positive >spin on movements that have been mainly oppositional. "Slowly a >lesson has been drifting in on one movement organization after >another. At some point, opposing something bad ceases to be >enough, and they must stand for positive values, or produce a >service that is important to their constituency," Ray and >Anderson note. > >Ray and Anderson see this shift occurring in the environmental >movement, and we see it too. "Cultural Creatives are urging the >environmental movement into a new phase. Having educated us >through protests and information, some are moving beyond that >now, to develop new kinds of businesses, technologies, and >cooperative ventures." To put labels on these innovations, they >are the Natural Step,[2] clean production,[3] and zero waste.[4] >Together, they are beginning to rebuild the industrial >infrastructrure of the Western world. There's a long way to go, >but it's a start. > >A major impediment to further innovation is the fact that >Cultural Creatives all think there are very few of them when in >fact there are very many of them. Therefore, "They do not know >that they have the potential to shape the life of twenty-first >century America," say Ray and Anderson. "Like an audience in a >theater, Cultural Creatives all look in the same direction. They >read the same books and share the same values and come to similar >conclusions--but rarely do they turn toward one another. They >have not yet formed a sense of 'us' as a collective identity; nor >do they have a collective image of themselves." > >Again and again, Ray and Anderson stress that the Cultural >Creatives are hampered by their own lack of self-awareness. They >don't yet see themselves in their diverse totality, and so they >fail to recognize their own potential for creating a new world. >"Since they are part of a subculture that cannot yet see itself, >these millions of Cultural Creatives do not know what a potential >they carry for our common future." Until we recognize each >other's existence, we cannot work together. > >This is a rich, thought-provoking book. If you are interested in >influencing our future, you will definitely benefit from reading >it. > --Peter Montague > (National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981/AFL-CIO) > >============== > >[1] Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson, THE CULTURAL CREATIVES >(New York: Harmony Books, 2000). ISBN 0-609-60467-8. And see >http://www.culturalcreatives.org. > >[2] On The Natural Step, see REHW #667, #668, #670, #676. > >[3] On clean production, see REHW #650, #651, #704. > >[4] On zero waste, see >http://www.grrn.org/zerowaste/resource_zw.html, and Robin Murray, >CREATING WEALTH FROM WASTE (London: Demos, Panton House, 1999). >ISBN 1 898309 07 8. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Telephone: >0171-321-2200. > > >################################################################ > NOTICE >In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 this material is >distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior >interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. >Environmental Research Foundation provides this electronic >version of RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH WEEKLY free of charge >even though it costs the organization considerable time and money >to produce it. We would like to continue to provide this service >free. You could help by making a tax-deductible contribution >(anything you can afford, whether $5.00 or $500.00). Please send >your tax-deductible contribution to: Environmental Research >Foundation, P.O. Box 5036, Annapolis, MD 21403-7036. Please do >not send credit card information via E-mail. For further >information about making tax-deductible contributions to E.R.F. >by credit card please phone us toll free at 1-888-2RACHEL, or at >(410) 263-1584, or fax us at (410) 263-8944. > --Peter Montague, Editor >################################################################ >
