Sociology Discussion Board | Takeaway Homework Helper

Can you help me understand this Sociology question?

10 people are traveling together in a small airplane across the mountains.The plane develops engine trouble and cannot continue the trip with the current weight load that it is carrying. It is impossible to land the aircraft. There are no parachutes.

If they continue as they are, the plane will definitely crash and kill everyone aboard. The passengers agree that 4 people will be asked to leave the plane in order to save the rest.

As a group, agree on which 4 passengers should be asked to leave the plane. Assume that all 10 passengers are the same weight so that weight will not be a factor in your decision. Who would you choose and why?

• 60+ year old bi-racial female clerical worker
• 9 year old Asian American child
• 26 year old professional quarterback
• 35 year old mother of 5
• 45 year old single male corporate executive
• 52 year old truck driver, father of 1
• 73 year old minister
• 24 year old African American female travel agent
• 16 year old Hispanic high school dropout
• 41 year old female migrant farm worker

Guidelines for Building Consensus

Building group consensus means that each group member must agree upon the final decision of the group.Consensus is sometimes difficult to reach. Here are some guidelines to help a group reach consensus.

1. Avoid arguing blindly for your own opinions. Present your position as clearly and logically as possible, but listen to other members’ reactions and consider them carefully before you press your point.

2. Avoid changing your mind just to reach agreement and avoid conflict.Support only solutions with which you are able to agree to at least some degree.Yield only to positions that have objective and logically sound foundations.

3. Avoid conflict-reducing procedures such as majority voting, tossing a coin, averaging, and bargaining.

4. Seek out differences of opinion.They are natural and expected.Try to involve everyone in the decision process.Disagreements can improve the group’s decision because a wide range of information and opinions improves the chances of the group to hit upon more adequate solutions.

5. Do not assume that someone must win and someone must lose when discussion reaches a stalemate. Instead, look for the next most acceptable alternative for all members.

6. Discuss underlying assumptions, listen carefully to one another, and encourage the participation of all members – especially important factors in reaching decisions by consensus.