Mediation- Discussion Question

I am a mediator. It comes naturally. A mediation is when, “A neutral third party facilitates communication between the conflicting parties so that they may work out their own mutually acceptable agreement.” (Abigail & Cahn 2011, p.195). I was in a welcome class for new Airmen arriving at Lackland. During the class one of the instructors for the Equal Opportunity section was giving a lecture. She was talking about stereotypes and had brought up a controversial comment made by John Meyer when he used the “n” word in an interview.

The class I was in was culturally diverse and full of young adults. The teacher did a horrible job of leading the discussion and within minutes people were throwing out racist stereotypes. A white guy made a statement about a negative stereotype for black people. He wasn’t necessarily saying that he agreed with it, he just brought it up. In turn a black girl brought up a negative stereotype for white people. Rather than discussing the actual point the instructor was trying to make, people allowed emotion to misguide their understanding and racial comments were being thrown about. Almost every student in the class was throwing in their two-sense only making the situation worse.

I tend to think logically over emotionally and I was pretty sure that the topic the instructor was going for was more along the lines of how stereotypes aren’t good because it puts a potentially false identity in the individual’s mind. This false identity allows him/her to make judgments that aren’t accurate.

I could see that the situation was out of control and that it was only going to get worse so I raised my hand and luckily she called on me before chaos was eminent. I explained the point I felt she was trying to make and said that race doesn’t matter. Being rude is never appropriate. Thankfully my class listened to me and understood where the discussion went wrong. We were able to discuss the actual issue without people getting offensive. I was the mediator in this situation.

The instructor presented the issue and lost control by not stopping the conversation right away and by not communicating her point clearly. The students turned on one another: race versus race. It took someone who was able to see the real problem, provide a solution, and act on that solution. That person was the mediator.

I chose this method because I felt it was the most fitting. When the situation was going on it was like the room was divided and people were fighting but I was in the middle watching it all happen in slow motion. I was able to see clearly and rectify the situation. I wasn’t reacting based on my race and I wasn’t reacting with a bias. I was reacting based upon facts. The class missed the mark and the problem needed to be solved immediately. I took it as my responsibility to do so.

References:

Abigail, R.A., & Cahn, D.D. (2007). Managing Conflict Through Communication (4^th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.