Introduction
We live in an environment where conflicts can quickly escalate into violence due to misinformation and disinformation. This makes it difficult for us to differentiate in between conflict and violence, where we fail to understand conflict as a neutral phenomenon while violence as a negative and a destructive phenomenon.
The objective of this activity is to gain the ability to identify misinformation and disinformation which can help us mitigate conflicts from turning into violence.
1. Consider a situation that would have started due to a misunderstanding based on certain information provided or retrieved. It would have started as a small conflict but would have escalated to be a serious issue or even violence.
2. Participants should be given an opportunity to recall a community or personal experience. If participants are unable to provide a story, share the following story to analyze the situation;
Situation
In a reputed city there are two rivalry schools located in close proximity named, (A) and (B). One day, three students of school (A) were waiting for the bus, near a mango tree, when a junior student of the school (B) was passing them by. As soon as that student passes, he hears a loud laugh and as he turns, he sees the three students looking at him and laughing. He urgently goes back to his school (B) and informs seniors about the incident where the three boys from school (A) were laughing at him. Seniors decide to take immediate action and gather bats and rackets to attack the group of students who were still waiting near the mango tree. After the attack, a group of seniors from school (A) get motivated to reciprocate by attacking the students in school (B). The incident was now escalating into a violent situation where many students were injured and property was damaged, as more and more students from both schools were getting involved. Eventually, the principals of school (A) had to file a police complaint and the students who were part of the initial conflict were arrested by the police. Later on, when the police inquired the group of students from school (A) about their behavior against the student from school (B), they provided a statement saying that they were laughing at their friend who threw a stick at the mango, and had fallen down when the stick in return hit his head.
3. Divide the participants into three groups to analyze the following;
Group 1 - People: refers to relational and psychological elements of the conflict. This includes people’s feelings, emotions, individual and group perceptions of the problem.
Group 2 - Process: refers to the way decisions get made and how people feel about it. This includes whether people were treated unfairly, made powerless, or were excluded.
Group 3- Problem: refers to the specific issues and root causes involved in the conflict. This includes different values, opposing views, incompatible needs or interests, and concrete differences.
Understanding the People
Understanding the Process
Understanding the Problem
General Questions
Considering the 3Ps - People, Process and the Problem;