AoD#11: Avoided Negotiation

Art of Democracy

The other day I was watching Jimmy Netron the animated series. I recalled the key points that would, as Mary said, “shut the conversation down,” and noticed in the conflict on the screen, there was at least four of these items enacted. As thus, it left no room for a conversation and not even negotiation.

It all started over a lawn tool that Hue, one of the contenders, said he had borrowed from Mr. Wheezer, the next-door neighbor. The neighbor jokingly replied that he had given it back, but, twisting the man’s meaning of “it being in you’re garage” Hue said he would check the other man’s garage. And soon, they argued. Pulling a red herring in the middle of their less than creative conflict, Hue said that Mr. Wheezer’s ceramic sculptures were random, as he picked one up, and was rebuked by a sharp jab to his obsession with ducks (and duck sculptures). Soon, Sir Quack’s A Lot ( the sculpture Mr. Wheezer had picked up) was in pieces, being accidentally dropped by Mr. Wheezer when Hue shoved him, and Mr. Wheezer’s ceramic cat was destroyed soon after. The duo stalked off to their respective homes, declaring that their sons could never see each other again, and not even accomplishing the objective Hue had wanted.

If Hue had merely listened to Mr. Wheezer and checked his own garage first before using his suspicion to go into another’s private property, none of this would have happened. The argument would have been avoided and a peaceful solution attained. Thus, this example shows how key it is to attempt negotiation and avoid conflict over petty differences.