Deliberation

 

The Power of Deliberation

In the 2011 film adaptation of “The Help”, a novel written by Kathryn Stockett in the perspective of the 1960’s Mississippian Society, it is apparent that a common meeting ground for the deliberations that occurred at the character’s, Aibileen Clark, kitchen table. It was at Clark’s kitchen table where like-minded, Black female housekeepers gathered to discuss the injustice and prejudice social norms. It was at Clark’s table where the character, Skeeter (a white, southerner) sat and listened to said discussions, formulating her own attitudes and beliefs that challenged those in her own interpersonal relationships. The power of interpersonal communicating allows opportunities for transparent discussions to take place and to generate brainstorming conversations amongst different perspectives. In this paper, I will discuss why I believe interpersonal conversations are important for the function of democracy by the means of establishing social citizenship, and by empowering individuals.

Establishing Social Citizenship

            For starters, Betsy Sinclair states that, “The social citizen is a public citizen located in a social network, whose voiced social political norms of sincere civic expression lead to collective civic action” (Sinclair, 2012, p.149). As mentioned prior, the housekeepers in “The Help” would gather to discuss the social injustices and discriminations that occurred in the southern elitist society. Sinclair explains that “individuals are likely to form friendships with those who are like them and to share behaviors within those friendship networks” (Sinclair, 2012, p. 156). This is an important, positive component of establishing social citizenship because “without social connections, individuals would never learn the social norms of political participation” (Sinclair, 2012, p.155). Mere conversations within individuals in their interpersonal relationships raise awareness of potential similarities of attitudes and beliefs within their groups, alleviating the discomfort of perceiving oneself as a minority. Lawrence R. Jacobs focuses on Democratic deliberationists ideologies that “offer a positive and hopeful avenue for reviving democracy”, stating that “informed, well-reasoned, and independent thinking citizens who engage in public talk could replace rule by semi-autonomous elites and an aggregative approach to representation” (Jacobs, 2009, p.7).

Empowering Individuals

            That said, the process of deliberation and establishing social citizenship empowers individuals to participate in democracy. As the character’s in “The Help” confided in Skeeter in order to cultivate a novel discussing their experiences with injustice, they were challenging the negative social pressures of being complacent with the 1960’s, Missourian social norms. Although social pressures can be negatively misconstrued, there are beneficiary aspects in which social pressure can empower individuals. In contrast, the housekeepers challenged the social pressures of suppressing their fears of speaking up with the aid of supportive social pressures from contributive social citizens. Sinclair declares, “while an ideal democracy is focused on preference formation and preference expression, participation does more than allow citizens to express preferences. In particular, it endows individuals with a sense of empowerment and a connection to government” (Sinclair, 2012, p. 154). By the means of interpersonal communication at Clark’s table, the shared experiences that were compared provoked an emotional response to act (in which they contributed to the publication of their experiences with discrimination, prejudice, and injustice).

Conclusion

            In conclusion, Jacobs highlights the importance of deliberation as “a public activity that requires a community of participants” (Jacobs, 2009, p.26). I believe that this summarizes how interpersonal communication affects democracy because demonstrates how communication, even in the smallest scale (such as discussing topics at the kitchen table), can resonate with individuals to either consider political topics or to establish their political identity. Although negative elements of deliberation have the capacity to influence misinformation when communicating amongst misinformed members in interpersonal relationships, the process of deliberation opens a door for conversations and continuously engaging in conversations generates a brainstorming technique to promote autonomy.

References

Jacobs, Lawrence, Cook, Fay Lomax, & Delli Carpini, Michael X. Talking Together: Public Dileberations and Political Participation in America. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago and London. 2009. p. 1-16

Sinclair, Betsy. The Social Citizen: Peer Networks and Political Behavior. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago and London. 2012. p. 147-56.