Accommodation of radical racism

You’re walking down the street, and a man approaches you and demands your wallet. You immediately give it and then ask him whether he also wants your coat. Or suppose you badly want an open position at work. When you find out that a coworker also wants it, you inform your supervisor that you no longer want the job and encourage her to give it to your colleague instead.

As the biblical verse “When a man takes your coat, offer him your shirt as well” (Luke 6:29) suggests, one way to deal with conflict is an extreme form of accommodation known as radical pacifism. Although it is often associated with antiwar movements (Bennett, 2003), radical pacifism embodies a broader philosophy about the nature of interpersonal connections between human beings and how conflict is best resolved.

Those practicing radical pacifism believe in a moral obligation to behave in selfless and selfsacrificial ways that quickly end conflicts and that assist others. During interpersonal conflict, this means discovering what someone else wants and needs, then aiding that person in attaining these goals, even if it means sacrificing your own.

The practice of radical pacifism cuts across countries, ethnicities, and social classes; it is primarily rooted in the religious cultures. For example, in the Buddhist text Punnovada Sutta (Bodhi & Nanamoli translation, 1995), the Buddha asks his disciple Punna what he would do if someone attacked him with a knife. “I would think they were truly kind, for not taking my life.” “What if they kill you?” asks the Buddha. “I would be happy, because many disciples, disgusted by the body, sought to have their lives ended with a knife, but I was fortunate enough to have it happen without even seeking it!” Amish Church elders embracing radical pacifism share a similar view: “Even if the result of our pacifism is death at the hands of an attacker during a violent conflict, so be it; death is not threatening to us as Christians. Hopefully the attacker will have at least had a glimpse of the love of Christ in our nonviolent response” (Pennsylvania Dutch Country Welcome Center, n.d.).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What are your beliefs regarding the practice of radical pacifism?

• Do you have an ethical obligation to accommodate others when their interests clash with yours? At what point, if any, does this obligation end?

• How would your interpersonal communication be affected if you practiced radical pacifism?

Film: The Queen

In 1997, after the death of Lady Di in a car accident in Paris, the reluctant Queen and The Establishment do not accept to honor the "People's Princess" as a member of the Royal Family. However, the public and the media question the utility of the monarchy and the just-elected Prime Minister Tony Blair advises the Queen to make a public speech mourning the loss of Diana.

Please read the assignment carefully and write a good paragraph in response to each of the questions, referring to at least ONE concept in each of the paragraphs.

1. What kinds of conflicts does the Queen experience in the film?

2. What adaptations of power currencies do people around her use to minimize these conflicts, and what does she herself do to help mitigate these conflicts?

3. What conflict styles do the characters exercise, and how do these styles help/impair their communication?

4. What are some cultural barriers that you believe the Queen would like to have shed?

5. What can you learn from the Queen’s behavior in difficult times that you yourself can use?

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30