All communities bicker. All communities feel threatening at one time or another. Communities are as hard to commit to as intimate partnerships. My four communities annoy the hell out of me from time to time, but I'd be lost without them at this point in my life. Perhaps the reason communities based on ideology are shakier is because they do not have long traditions, a cohesive system of ethics, or a tight organizational structure to hold them together.
Ideologies often change rapidly given the way society is moving along at lightning speed.
We were so intense, so hard on ourselves, and on each other that women just felt they had to get the hell out of Burlington, and some did. Others retreated into their little worlds and didn't interact much anymore. Nevertheless, there was something unforgettable about being part of a community that met all our needs at once, even if it only lasted a few years. I think there are still political communities that are thriving in Vermont, but their purpose is to promote an agenda, not to sustain each other's personal lives on a daily basis. Perhaps if I live long enough, all my communities will merge.