1

Turner Hess

Mrs. Martin

Critical Discourse

19 December 2017

Starting the Conversation

Our society is globalizing. Technological advances have prompted interactions between

diverse cultures, bringing together differing viewpoints and opinions on issues. This convening

of issues has inevitably lead to conflict between cultures, whether it be through religious wars,

enslavement of people groups, or equality under law for all people. Today we see these issues

publicized more than ever, and with the political weight that hangs over all of it, fewer and fewer

discussions actually occur out of fear that one’s voice won’t be heard. These discussions are

instead active war zones where opinions are blasted as facts and the common people gain

unfounded labels such as “xenophobic,” “misogynist,” “bigot,” and “snowflake” for not sharing

every aspect another viewpoint.

This is the problem we face today due to globalization, especially in the United States.

We now don’t face problems with understanding a language that other people speak, rather it is

now the struggle to understand the reasons for opposing opinions, including one’s upbringing

and the individual or cultural challenges faced by others. Some would even argue that there is

more polarization occuring than globalization as a result.

So how do we understand others, without stereotyping or placing bias immediately? The

solution is through community, specifically one that is open to engage in constructive, yet

compassionate, conversation with others. My idea of DebateSpace would allow for real,
 2

unbiased conversations with people of all backgrounds while making the discussions

comfortable through the use of a social platform. Of course, the goal is to see these conversations

happen on their own outside of the internet, but platforms like DebateSpace would allow for

others to ease their way into these conversations and shake the fear that many have of starting

them. If our society wants to become truly global, this is an inevitable step towards that goal.

MOTIVATION

As our world becomes more global, more social interactions happen between people. These

interactions have been detailed throughout the media, and people like me are often turned away

by the politicized nature of it all. Our history of division has been detailed throughout history.

Racial divisions have existed from removal of indigenous people at the discovery of America to

slavery and segregation of African Americans to immigration restrictions past and present on

every other race of people. Women live in a world where 1 in 3 will be victims of violence, and 1

in 10 will be victims of sexual violence (Womankind.org). Every major world religion is being

called into question by skeptics, and religious persecution is rampant in third world countries as

well as the United States.

I wanted to design a space where all of these problems and all of these people could

gather and share their ideas and opinions. Granted, outlets like Twitter and Instagram allow for

this, but most of the discussion is name-calling and biased in some shape or form. Instead, I want

to remove the hatred that is seen in this world and allow for others to lay down there biases

without being called out for it by the culture they best fit into. We need a different kind of

empathy (Haidt). This empathy has to be willing to lay down our privilege and our ability to turn

away from the issues others face (Key). When we actively do this, Verna Myers says “something

really powerful and beautiful happens: you start to realize that they are you, that they are part of
 3

you, that they are you in your family, and then we cease to be bystanders and we become actors,

we become advocates,and we become allies.” My proposal seeks to do all of these things, as

without this crucial step, we will not bridge the divisions on our society today or ever.

ENVIRONMENT

My proposal is a social media entitled DebateSpace. This platform is one that will provide an

opportunity for anonymous conversation about the divisions in our society, as well as

controversial political issues as well. Users of this platform will create an account and fill out

their demographics, but these will only be seen by a research team that analyzes the

conversations happening to provide even more data to be used in these discussions and help find

solutions. They will then enter issue-specific chat rooms with other users and be able to observe

and/or contribute to conversations. These conversations are what researchers will look at to

determine trends and establish possible solutions for these problems in our society.

My inquiry has shown that people have unconscious bias, whether they claim to be

“colorblind” or “feminist” or not (Myers). I’ve been inspired by a game called Sea Hero Quest,

in which data is collected for analysis of dementia. DebateSpace would have a very similar

purpose that is greater than most social media outlets.

In order to accomplish this, we would need a team of software developers and a research

group to support it. Bringing these people together and actually launching the app would take

anywhere from 6 months to a year, as all parties would need to agree on the best way to set up

the app for usability and data collecting purposes. We would need a space for developers to

work, as well as numerous computers to code and analyze data. We would also require some beta

testers to provide feedback and ensure that we provide the highest quality possible in order to

make the greatest possible impact on our society.

 4

Social media would be helpful in advertising DebateSpace, as many people are already

on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and may find a new platform to be pointless compared to

other platforms. Users would be encouraged to share their experiences with DebateSpace in other

social media to spread the word. Ultimately, the effectiveness of DebateSpace relies on how well

people will use the technology afforded to them, and I believe that the people will find the best

way to use this media.

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

The most immediate hurdle that would need to be overcome is recruiting developers and finding

a research team that will be able to work together and build this new platform. Other challenges

would include fundraising to support developers and researchers, advertising DebateSpace to the

public, and compiling the data collected to help formulate solutions to our divisions. Challenges

such as finding the people for the job and fundraising will be solved by pitching the idea behind

DebateSpace, which will attract many people and organizations that support the idea of bridging

the divisions in our society. Other issues will be resolved by teamwork between developers and

researchers.

The first phase would be recruiting developers and researchers to create DebateSpace and

release it for iOS and Android. Once the platform is launched, the second phase, which is data

analysis, would be able to take place. Developers will not disappear in this process, as updates

and improvements will be necessary over time. The third phase would be sharing data with the

public to provide accurate data that will be used in the conversations about solutions to our many

divisions. The products of this project would be the DebateSpace platform itself, providing an

anonymous and unbiased platform for people to share their ideas and have constructive
 5

conversation, and the data we collect, which will provide more information to contribute to the

discussions.

DELIVERABLES

The question now is how can success be determined in this project? What will we be able to

provide the public that will show the benefit and value of a project like this? The evidence of our

success will be found simply in the number of people actively using the platform. Actively

would be defined as contributing to or observing a discussion within one month. If a high

number of people download and use this platform, then the project is already successful, as more

conversations would be happening, which is the solution to the overarching problem of division

within our globalizing society.

Even greater evidence of success is the content of the discussions occurring on this

platform. One of the major risks of using social media as a platform is that many people will

abuse it and use it for purposes other than those intended. The research team will be tasked with

reviewing the discussions that occur on this platform, so they will be able to determine whether

conversations are productive or if people are having inappropriate or deconstructive

conversations. The more productive conversations observed, the more successful DebateSPace

becomes, which will encourage even more people to get involved in so many of these issues.

CONCLUSION

My idea of DebateSpace is inspired by my own story of ignorance on many of these issues, as

well as the plight that many people see in the United States and around the world when we are

confronted with topics such as racism, sexual assault, civil rights, and tolerance. Some people

will deny that these problems exist anymore, but the truth is that if we’re still talking about it,

there hasn’t been a solution yet. People around the country and around the world are faced with
 6

discrimination and persecution every day, just for being who they are. Our society can’t sit still

and say that there isn’t a problem.

An almost larger problem is that society is uncomfortable and refuses to discuss these

issues. I want to change the tone of these discussions, removing the political and polarizing vibe

that myself and many others feel when these topics do come up. I also want to make it

comfortable and easy, and social media is becoming the most comfortable way that people share

their ideas. Finally, I want to contribute towards a solution, and not only by talking about these

issues.

This is why DebateSpace is proposed. It is an anonymous platform that will streamline

step-by-step towards bridging our societal gaps and unifying the human race. People will be able

to listen to others and provide their own voice without biases that are assumed by what one looks

like. Through DebateSpace, the conversations will start, the stigma surrounding these issues will

be erased, and together, as a global human race, we will one day eradicate the discrimination and

persecution of all people.

Works Cited

Dolor, L.I. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, 1998. Print.

“Facts about Women's Rights.” Women's Rights | Policy And Campaigns | Womankind, 2015,

www.womankind.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns/women's-rights/facts-about-women's-

rights.
 7

Haidt, Jonathan, and Chris Anderson. “Can a Divided America Heal?” TED. TEDNYC, Nov.

2016, New York City, www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_can_a_divided_america_heal.

Key, Brian. “Racial Reconciliation and the Gospel.” Racial Reconciliation and the Gospel.

Racial Reconciliation and the Gospel, 5 Nov. 2017, Kansas City.

Myers, Verna. “How to Overcome Our Biases? Boldly Walk toward Them.” TED.

TEDxBeaconStreet, Nov. 2014, Boston,

www.ted.com/talks/verna_myers_how_to_overcome_our_biases_walk_boldly_toward_th

em.

Sea Hero Quest.” Seaheroquest.com, www.seaheroquest.com/site/en.