The chapter intrigued me right away due to one of the claims it made in the first page. This chapter says that "the public communicative space needs reclamation" (p. 99). I assume that this means that the difference between the public realm and our private lives has become so vague and we don't know where to draw the line anymore. I'm looking forward to our discussion tomorrow so we can expand on this a little bit more.
On p. 100, the chapter says that society has a "pragmatic welcome for difference". I agree and disagree with this statement. Sure, there are controversial topics today in 2014 (abortion, weed legalization, gay rights, etc.). These sorts of topics have people on both sides, and both sides make strong cases for why they are right. However, I believe that our society, more now than ever, desires that the aggregate society agrees as a whole. We want everyone to believe the same things and act/think alike. While this is a great thought, I find it unrealistic. We'll never be able to get everyone on the same page, and we should just stop trying to make this happen. Rather, we should take pride in our differences, because that's what makes our society so unique, and at time troublesome. But if everyone thought the same way and acted the same, I feel that our society would become bland and boring.
I liked the term "marketplace of ideas" when talking about the public discourse (p. 100). I've accepted that everyone doesn't think the same way as I do. At times it bugs me, but I've come to terms with it. Although I accept this, I also know that others have to respect/listen to what I have to say, because it's unethical to place more value on one's views over another person's views.
This chapter focused on 3 key aspects: public discourse, public decision making, and differentiation of public and private space. Public discourse is the easiest to grasp in my opinion. Public decision making is tricky because a decision is being made that not everyone agrees with. We know we are letting some people down when we choose to decide on something in a certain matter. However, public decision making is imperative to have within a society because a standard and a norm needs to be expressed to the public. Without this, it's very possible a society would live in total chaos.
I'm still having trouble with the difference between public and private space...the two spheres are so intertwined so it gets hard to differentiate. I think it would be wrong for a person to switch up their thoughts and actions for a group of people... I feel that my generation has been taught to act independently and in a manner that's unique to the self that does not harm others. I shouldn't have to change my private life/views for a public, but I believe I should only if my views/actions are affecting a group of people in a negative way. Looking forward to the discussion tomorrow!
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