| Identify the parties: name the people or groups involved and, if relevant,
their position and relationship with each other. |
- Nora Radcliffe, mother, concert violinist, rule maker, 105 lbs, 5 ft. 2 in.
- Itsak, son, rap music lover, 17-years old, 210 lbs, 6 ft. 1 in, martial arts student, football player.
- Yoyo, daughter, witnessed the debacle.
- Travis, husband, at work.
- The police officer called in regarding a domestic dispute.
|
| Briefly list the relevant facts: Leave out pointless detail and most
anything on opinions and attitude. Do not analyse or make a judgement.
|
- House rule: no playing loud music while mother in the house or while she is practicing.
- Afternoon: Mother practicing, son playing loud music from CD.
- Mother ejects CD and destroys.
- Itask shouts obsenities.
- Mother says says, "You're grounded for two weeks and I'm taking your CD player away."
- Mother attempts to remove CD player.
- Scuffle ensues.
- Itsak kicks and hits Mother.
- Mother fights back violently.
- Itask calls 911.
- Itask removes nose ring from bloody nose.
- Yoyo witnessed altercation.
- Nora arrested by police officer.
- Travis arrives and argues point of law regarding domestic violence.
|
| Define the dilemma: a dilemma is a question about the "right-or-wrong"-ness
of an act that has been performed or may be. This is usually phrased as
a question. Again, don't analyse or make a judgement yet. |
- Is the "no loud music" rule appropriate?
- Were there penalties set for the rule?
- Did Itsak agree to the rule?
- Did Itsak violate the rule?
- Is the rule a sign of unfair practices?
- Is the rule a pretext for banning "rap music"?
- Did Nora overstep her mark by destroying the CD?
- Was Itsak justified in attempting to protect his property?
- Who initiated the scuffle?
- Is there a pattern of conflict between Nora and Itsak?
- Should the police free Nora since Itsak says he does not want to press charges?
|
| Formulate the options: - all the options, including ones you disagree
with. An option has two parts. First is an ethical interpretation of what
has occurred and how the situation now stands. Second, there may be options
as to what course of action to take. We still don't analyse or make a judgement. |
- Part I:
Nora's initial options:
- Ask Itsak to turn down the volume.
- Demand that Itsak turn down the volume.
- Go somewhere else to practice.
- Quit practicing.
- Call his father for help.
Itsak's initial options:
- Use headphones.
- Challenge/discuss the rule (earlier).
- (Do as asked.)
- Sit back and respect his mother's wishes.
- Protect his own property.
- Protect his rights.
- Leave the room.
- Run away from home.
- Part II:
The Police officer's options:
- Respect the right of a parent to discipline their children.
- Uphold the local "community law" regarding loud music.
- Charge Nora with child abuse.
- Charge Itsak with resisting a lawful action by his mother.
- Confiscate Itsak's CD player and Nora's violin.
- Charge them both with 'bodily harm".
- Let the father solve the problem when he comes home.
|
| Highlight the values: values are the principles and rights that create
the dilemma and that we use to choose between options. (E.g. "Hacking
into the power company is an invasion of privacy.") We start to analyse
here. |
- Breaking the rules means that you pay the penalty.
- Respect other people's property.
- Violence never solves any problem.
|
| Prioritize values, select option, give rationale: weigh up conflicting
values and decide which ones get precedence. Choose an option from those
given above and explain why you choose that one and not another. |
Values:
- A parent's right to set the rules and maintain a household in their way.
- A parent's right to enforce the rules in their household.
- A child's right to freedom of expression.
- A child's right to protection from harm.
- Respect for a parent.
- Unconditional love from a parent.
- Unconditional love of a parent.
- Respect for property of another.
- Learning to resolve conflicts in non-violent means.
- Learn to communicate, even under stress.
Recommendations:
- Both need to learn a lesson (or two)
- Create a situation where both learn to see each other's point of view.
- Two wrongs do not a right make!
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