A House Divided
As we turn toward a new year, Oak Ridge Periodic Tables is excited to be hosting our first “Public Deliberation,” which is a little different than how we normally organize our gatherings. In a typical dinner setting, we explore stories and share experiences, with the hope gaining a collective wisdom in the room… that wisdom often arises from vulnerability, emotion, and a deep honesty that comes from lived experiences.
Public Deliberation, according to the National Issues Forum Instititue is “the process of thoughtfully weighing options” in a “carefully considered discussioned” where participants are encouraged to check their biases and reason together about the possible ‘advantages and disadvantages’ of certain solutions.
In the public deliberation guide, “A House Divided,” a National Issues Forum (NIFI) guidebook, the question is asked — “What would we have to give up in order to get the political system we want?” In other words, what tradeoffs might have to happen to get a better, more representative government?
Participants will work through three specific options in this gathering (although we could create many) and weigh the advantages and disavantages of things such as reducing toxic talk in the media, establishing better rules that make elections more fair and representative, shifting some of our federal decisions over to local governance. We will also talk about what we like and don’t like about the process at the end, and if necessary, create a second deliberation gathering using suggestions from our own neighbors.
We hope you’ll considering joining us for this discussion, which will be a little different and maybe a little more challenging that ones we’ve hosted in the past. We will think outloud together, enjoy some fingerfoods, and kick the New Year off together as friends and neighbors. To be a part, please RSVP below. We kick things off on —