Sharing is Caring, But it isn’t Enough

[Note: Blog posts are an ongoing series in which EEMA members explore their personal views and experiences relating to issues of development and community organizing. While the general spirit of the postings may reflect the opinions and work of EEMA the views expressed have not been reviewed or agreed to by the group as a whole.]

In the last four months East End Mutual Aid has held two wildly successful Share Faires– temporary spaces where residents can come together to freely give and receive a variety of goods and services.

I’ve found these events both inspirational and rewarding, while exemplifying some obvious contradictions and limitations.

First, the positives! At both events more than 300 people participated, in many cases bringing and/or leaving with hauls of valuable items.

The space is a place for people to socialize and meet without the pressure to consume or worry about finances. In areas such as Bloomfield, where the passage of time is degrading formerly tight-knit ethnic communities, it’s an intergenerational place for residents to connect.

At its best the Share Faire can help expand the notion of what is desirable and what is possible. It demonstrates that it’s both possible and desirable to create spaces in which people relate to one another, and problem solve, in ways that aren’t dominated by questions of competition and money.

One of the event’s modest accomplishments is that some have walked away believing the values and forms of organization EEMA is promoting are more achievable and realistic than they did before they showed up. Showing people is immensely more effective than telling them.

When things go right there is a risk that organizers will overstate the effectiveness and possibility of a given model, ignoring the limitations we find within all attempts to promote alternative forms of community organization.

We live in a society operating under the logic of capitalism. There are wide disparities in wealth. The structures in society place real constraints on our ability to demonstrate feasible alternatives.

For example, there are hundreds of homeless people in Pittsburgh. If one lacks long-term housing and space, most tools and goods are not going to be useful for anything except selling.

At the first Share Faire there was one gentleman, acting quite erratically, who seemed to be trying to take as many things as possible that could be resold. Luckily, we had so much stuff, and he could only carry a little, that it didn’t really undermine the event, but it does point out how economic disparities are going to continually produce limits on what can be done.

The more the Share Faire becomes known as an event in which to bring cool and useful things to give away for free, the more inevitable it is that it will attract people who are desperate for money. It will also attract those who looking to find their identity in acquiring ever more bought products. I suspect that a full-time Share Faire open to all would be unsustainable without producing some checks on how people take things. I would love to be proved wrong!

It will continually be relevant as a space for the large amount of goods and tools with a high use-value and a large disparity between how much they cost new and how much one can get for reselling them used: clothes in general, and children’s clothes in particular, shoes, toys, books, accessories, jewelry made without expensive materials, CDs, DVDs, homemade art, a lot of tools, some electronics, mirrors, some kinds of furniture, other home furnishing and exterior decorating items, etc.

True, people aren’t going to be bringing deeds to properties, cars, or giving away big diamond rings. This is a limited gift economy operating within a completely different economic system. Items easily resold for large sums don’t make sense- given economic realities– to give away in this way.

None of which is to say such an event isn’t valuable or necessary. Seeing a father leave with his beaming daughter hauling away a number of new toys to play with is inspiring. Re-using items through this kind of gift economy also helps our shared environment. I like the notion that perhaps due to the need for a little less money a family can spend a little more time together. Starting small is still starting and I hope these events have helped begin a conversation.

For now that is a good step as we further explore ways to turn our dreams into practical realities.