Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: consensus and majority vote

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

on 7/18/2002 2:28 AM, Tree Bressen at tree [at] ic.org wrote:

> The trend i see is that using a consensus process in community is changing
> the way we are in the world.  It's moving us from a competitive, almost
> totally litigious society to a collaborative, cooperative one.  You cannot
> use consensus legitimately and not be changed by it.  It's a way of being
> in the world.

Thanks to Tree for saving these words of Ann's. This is why I think
consensus is essential to the definition of cohousing.

The decision threshold one chooses establishes the rules of the game
(metaphorically speaking), the attitude with which one approaches the
interaction. If the attitude and process are clear, the decision really
makes itself when the community understands what is best for the community.

My only disagreement with Ann's statement is that as Tree has pointed out,
consensus based communities are not new. Parliamentary procedure is much
newer, in historical terms, very new, and was developed in order to resolve
conflicts _between_ communities (or their representatives) that were not
interested in having consensus. They had competing interests.

But even then, in communities (or groups) that use forms of parliamentary
procedure the first decision threshold is the chair seeing consensus and
saying "Hearing no objections the proposal is " passed, referred to
committee, or whatever. If there are objections, more discussion ensues. A
vote is only taken if called, it isn't automatic. Most groups under the size
of the Senate, in my experience, much prefer not to vote at all. No
objections, no vote. Sociocracy calls this "consent" to avoid confusion with
"consensus" which is confused with agreement.

Sharon
-- 
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org


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