Author Sara F. Hathaway
The Changing Earth
"Dream, Survive, Thrive"
Episode 52 S2-17
Pros and Cons of Majority Decision Making
Featuring:
Without Land Ch 17
Special Guest:
George Hart
In today's chapter of Without Land, Erika is introduced to the rescue team's drill Sergeant, Sergeant Bennet, and the plans are laid out for their training, which will occur over the next three weeks. Erika's natural nuances seem to always land her in trouble but it also gives her the ability to stand apart and be confident. Here to talk to us today about the pros and cons of majority decision making and whether or not you should go with that decision is survival professional, George Hart.
Before examining the pros and cons of complying with a majority, you must first determine if you agree with that majority or not. To do this you have to examine all of the knowledge and information available to you. This way you can develop a fact based personal opinion on the problem.
There are pros of blending in and going along with decisions made by the majority. Often times when more people are involved in decisions the group will gain more information from many different points of view. This increase in diverse information allows the group to develop an increased number of alternative solutions to problems.
Applying this concept to your survival group, having weekly meetings to see how the group would proceed is a great idea. This keeps everyone on the same page and lets everyone feel like they have a voice in the group decisions. It also helps group members understand the rewards and consequences of the decisions they are participating in.
Another pro for majority decision making is that for most people a democratic input system is much more acceptable then a dictatorship. No amounts of information should be hidden from the group members. The individuals need to have the facts in order to make educated suggestions to solve group problems.
There are cons to majority decision making and just going along with whatever the group decides is right. The first and most obvious problem is when a majority feels one way and an individual doesn't it can leave that individual fearful of what other people are thinking about them and they may remain silent about their opinions. They won't want to speak out because of this social pressure. Losing the voice of these people is catastrophic because one idea can be a major game changer in any situation. If an idea is powerful enough to stand up to opposition it needs to be heard. The best decision may not always have the greatest number of voters but if one person decides to voice their opinion it may change everything.
The second major problem with majority decisions is if the group can't come to a general consensus they may chase their tails around trying to work with all the decisions at once. When this happens very little gets accomplished because each side is so so deeply pitted against the other, which brings us the the final major issue with majority decisions: They can set people against one another. Making sweeping rules for vast amounts of people often leaves groups unsatisfied and feeling cheated and voiceless. This leads to anger and hatred of one another. Smaller groups are often more successful at reaching an agreement and then one of the smaller group representatives can relay that decision to the larger group.
Personally, George says, don't be afraid to be a leader. Take ownership of your tribe while hearing them and understanding their issues. It will give you confidence, strength and allow your individuality and those of the individuals in your group to blossom. Work hard in your personal life so you can create admiration but never close your ears to the people who are there to help, even if the idea seems outrageous. In the end, think for yourself. Take the time to do your homework so you can understand issues that are important to you. Only then can you carry on a truly educated conversation about a topic that is backed up with facts and not beliefs.
The Changing Earth Series
George Hart
George Hart was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He started studying different aspects of survival at the age of 7. He was a boy scout as a young boy, while hiking with his father James Hart, was taught the basics of hiking, water, and shelter while in the outdoors. Over the years of him maturing and having experiences with survival, he has learned survival in a self-taught manner. George has gone autumn camping on the shores of Caddo Lake, Texas. He would go hiking as a boy scout, and has studied other aspects of survival from James’ book S.W.E.T. Survival and Wilderness Training such as, how to make a tent out of objects you would find in your wilderness surrounding.
George also has a 1-year diploma for automotive service. He also has a 2-year diploma for the Associate of Applied arts from the Art Institute of Houston for music, video, and Business.
He has been a Tattoo Artist for 22 years. He has also been a body piercer for 20 years. He started Apprenticing for tattooing during his time at the Art Institute of Houston. George has raised 2 female children since they were at the ages of 3 and 6, they are now at the ages of 14 and 17.
George is also in the process of writing a book from different aspects of survival to homesteading. He is in the process of writing a cyber-punk urban fantasy of a futuristic world with events happening so close to modern day it would scare you. He is also assisting his father James Hart in compiling educational materials from survival and medicinal training to multiple subjects interrelated to homesteading such as food preservation, animal husbandry, modern day first aid and medicinal herbs and vitamins just to name a few. He is also writing a series of cook books by compiling recipes, antidotes, and pictures to give to his children.
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