Post #5: SimUtopia

    From the early 19th century, there was a multitude of new ideologies that arose in terms of the way that society should be run. One among many was the thought of Utopia or a perfect civilization. “One radical way of reforming the world was by withdrawing from it, to form a utopian community that would demonstrate the possibilities of perfection.” (1) The thought behind this type of living was that rather than being uber-competitive like the rest of the thriving Americans, the small gated community would be able to self-preserve and not have to deal with too much drama and incident. “Such communities looked to replace the competitive individualism of American society with a purer spiritual unity and group cooperation.” (1) It is evident that the following was moderately successful by looking at the small population of Azeroth, which achieved this by having a logical geographical structure, strong economical organization, and most importantly analogous beliefs.
    The small town of Azeroth was another in the long list of Shaker movements. It is well known that the main staple of the Shaker diet was Church. Therefore it only makes sense that a large church is the centerpiece in the community of Azeroth. While the community itself wasn’t large, there was a very high population density. Their homes were built very close in proximity and all right around the central church. All of the homes were built identically because there was no difference in class in the town of Azeroth, everyone was created and seen as equals. There is no class system, no difference in wealth, no theory that men were greater than women, and most definitely there was no slavery. Off to the North and Northeast were the local shops and farm lands respectively. The town was built near a river for easy access to water and water related trade but only if that was absolutely necessary, because for the most part they were a closed gate community. To the West of the Great Church are the two school buildings. The cemetery is located to the far North, bordered by the thick forest.
    In terms of the economy of Azeroth, they are self serving. There is practically zero trade because everything that the town needs is made within its own vicinity. The farms are able to grow enough produce to sustain the civilization, along with ample numbers of tradesmen to supply the community with anything they need. The children of Azeroth are all schooled right to the left of the Great Church. And once they reach the age of 15 they begin to go to learn at some of the shops so that they may eventually become skilled craftsmen or women.
    However the most important issue is most likely that all of the community has bought into the same beliefs. The simple town of Azeroth was just like the other Shaker developments, even with some of their odd faiths. “Convinced that the end of the world was at hand and that there was no need to perpetuate the human race, Shakers practiced celibacy, separating the sexes as far as practical. Men and women normally worked apart, ate at separate tables, and had separate living quarters.” (1) That accounted for separating the men and women on everyday daily activities; it also explained the separation of daily duties. “Community tasks were generally assigned along gender lines, with women performing household chores and men laboring in the fields.” (1) It is due to this that the communities of Shakers were successful because everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing; however the population did slowly decline. One of the most important and prominent issues was that in terms of decision making and important roles, men and women were looked at equally. “Leadership of the church, however, was split equally between men and women.” (1) The town of Azeroth can be looked at as a very prosperous civilization. And it may be due to this simple quote on the lifestyle of most Shaker populations. “The sect’s members worked hard, lived simply, and impressed outsiders with their cleanliness and order.” (1)

(1) Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff. (2006). Nation of Nations. Boston: McGraw-Hill. pg. 324-326.

For additional information in regards to the Shakers and their way of life we have provided the following links:

Hancock Shaker Village

Shakers

Group Report-

In this week’s group assignment, Chelstan was the draft writer and image researcher. Morgan was the text editor and proofreader. Neal (me) was the link researcher and group reporter. Morgan, Neal, and Chelstan took care of researching in the textbook. Julie was sick this week but she contributed her thoughts via email and telephone. Jeremi helped in the text researching. We all keep in contact via email and over the phone so that we all were on top of the assignment. Also Neal, Morgan, and Chelstan met after class on Wednesday the 12th and discussed the blog.

Comments

[Tri Tran]

Chelstan,

Your post demonstrates thorough information with supported facts from the textbook. The map design is simple yet the geography is realistic and capable of being inhabitated. You mention about children reaching the age of 15 and specializing into certain fields. You state that boys and girls can learn to be craftsmen, but what types of craftsmen can they become? Azeroth is a town of equal opportunity where men and women are neither superior nor inferior to each other. Does this mean that the women are capable of performing any man's job and vice versa? Your quote "Community tasks were generally assigned along gender lines, with women performing household chores and men laboring in the fields" does not agree with the idea of men and women as equals. This quote is more inclined to male chauvinistic attitudes. A town where men and women are assigned roles based on their gender restricts freedom and equal opportunity. This was the only questionable problem I found in your blog. Your other quotes are well selected and clearly defines men and women as equals. Your post only had that one misgiving quote in slightly contradicted your thesis, however; you are very informative with great details and historical facts. This ultimately strengthened the overall quality of your paper, keep up the hard work, it'll pay off.

-tri