Many of you would have gone past the beautiful little curb veggie patch on Nicholson st, Coburg. It might have made you smile, maybe given you a bit of hope for humanity, and maybe even a tomato or eggplant. For me it has been a different story. I am outraged by whoever thought it was a good idea. I imagine you are wondering why someone would be outraged by a simple act of sharing produce. It is not the sharing or the veggies I have a problem with. It’s the act of calling it ‘the commons’. It degrades the meaning of this concept which I hold very dear, and after many months of holding my tongue I feel the need to speak out.
Many people have heard of the concept of the commons, maybe as a thing of the past in Europe and many other countries, destroyed and enclosed by capitalist forces; maybe you’ve heard it refer to different projects around the world, and likely you’ve heard it in the concept of “tragedy of the commons”, one of the most unfortunate phrases to enter the English language.
The concept of the commons has been around for a long time, and today its definition is still debated. I am going to use a definition by Elinor Ostrom and her colleagues (absolute legend, look her up), which is: a resource that is “long-enduring, self-organized, and self- governed”. This means the resource, piece of land, information, etc. is held in common ownership by the people who use it, and who organise and decide the rules for governing it. As Ostrom and others have shown, this has happened and continues to happen successfully and sustainably for long periods of time in many parts of the world. That is until capitalist business backed by military power comes along, which is a whole angry letter to the Meddler in it’s own right.
So, dear reader, can you begin to see my issue with the well intentioned soul who built this little piece of paradise? The Nicholson St “commons” is not in fact a commons, as it is not self-organised or self-governed. I would love to be proved wrong, but I, as a local that walks past and occasionally takes from the verge garden, have not been involved in organising or governing it, has anyone else? I think, in fact, this resource is what should be more adequately called an “open access resource”, which are resources freely available for use. And when we confuse open access resources with commons, we are feeding into a much more damaging and sinister narrative.
In 1968 Garrett Hardin published an article called ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’. This created waves, and the use of the term “commons” increased dramatically, but often not in a good way. Hardin, an American ecologist known for his anti-immigration and racist views, described the issue of uncontrolled population growth as “the commons”, and constantly conflated the word “commons” with open access resources. His first and most well known example is grazing, and he states: “picture a pasture open to all. It is to be expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons” (italics added).
Now this shoddy academia should have been called out and dismissed, and it largely has by Ostrom and others (seriously look her up, such a legend), but the message hasn’t filtered through to the many people that continue to quote and refer to the commons in the same way Hardin did. And if you ask me why, it’s because enclosing and privatising commons is a very popular thing for capitalist business people, and Hardin’s rhetoric is a powerful way to justify what they are doing.
Anyway, the lovely editors of this fine paper will never publish me if I take up too much space with angry (well researched) ranting, so I can’t go into more depth here. Look up “Hardin’s imagined tragedy is pig shit” for further reading, and have a think about what narratives strengthen the influence of the rich and powerful!
So to conclude, the commons is a concept that is very dear to my heart. I think learning from commons projects – for examples look up “Re- imagining the future: A list of resources for commoning” – and creating our own, is part of the answer to our current planetary (including human) destruction. And I will not stand idly by when I see it being watered down in my own neighbourhood!!
So, to the hard-working folks of the Nicholson st “commons”, let’s sit down over a cup of tea and work out how to organise and govern what you have created, for the long term benefit of all.
Written by Hyper Bowler
The Meddler, having featured the Nicholson Commons in a past edition, felt inclined to reach out to the creators of the Commons and ask if they had a response. A response was provided. See ‘So-Called ‘Commons’ on Nicholson St, Coburg – A Response’
The Coburg Meddler 