Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Great moments in consensus -- Moment 2

[R Philip Dowds (rpdowds]

We always ask sidethumbs for their views and reasoning, and always get them.
Even so, Cornerstone continues to struggle with unclarities structured into
the process and its definitions.  Two examples ...

(1) The informal definition of sidethumb most commonly used here something
like, ³I¹m not completely happy, but I can live with this.²   ³Live with it²
is an ambiguous declaration; does it imply that downthumb is reserved for
proposals that would actually force someone to move, or literally kill him?
Or, does it mean ³Do as you please, it won¹t bother me, I will ignore it²?
I would argue that sidethumb means ³I¹m not completely happy, but I WILL
COOPERATE WITH THE OUTCOME².  This more rigorous and accountable
interpretation has not yet gained favor in these here parts.

(2)  We thumb by household, and ³quorum² for a determination (the minimum
number of participating thumbs) is 22 out of 32.   Up and sides count
together, and approving anything takes at least 12 ups, plus another 10
sides (and no downs).  We¹ve had considerable confusion about side =
abstention, and about what ³abstention² means.  For me, abstention means,
³I¹m not blocking, just leave me out of quorum.²  During one thumbing, I had
to actually leave the room and break quorum to prove that abstentions are
different from sidethumbs, and that they really exist even if not mentioned
in our Bylaws.

The meaning of ³blocking² is equally ambivalent here.  I think the best
explanation I¹ve come across is that of ³paramount objection² in Sharon
Villine¹s book on sociocracy.

Philip Dowds
Cornerstone Cohousing
Cambridge, MA


On 3/23/11 7:21 PM, "Kay Argyle" <Kay.Argyle [at] utah.edu> wrote:

> "... the unclarity of sidethumbing ..."
> 
> Unclarity occurs only if you don't bother to ask stand-asides for their
> reasons.