Interestingly, most of the conflicts between people arise out of their utmost devotion to acting good and perusing real goals which are sometimes distorted by a differing understanding of what comprises goodness held by others. Guided by their core values people often find it difficult to understand those lead by differing purposes and in this case conflict of interests is difficult to avoid. This conflict may be resolved, however, with a win-win outcome by taking a closer look at principle values that drive both parties and finding a common denominator between the two positions, thus creating space for productive dialog and cooperation.
In the reviewed case, Darion, the entrepreneur willing to establish the microbrewery in the said neighborhood, is motivated by values of creativity, perfectionism, and commitment to grass-root initiatives. The fact that along with his friends Darion was capable of admitting his dissatisfaction with the taste of beer served at the pubs while it was silently accepted by other customers as “acceptable” speaks to inner perfectionism that drives Darion in his decisions. The ability and inspiration to come up with original recipes for brewing beer and willingness to pursue with this initiative support the above suggestion of creativity as one of Darion’s primary values. Lastly, the expressed disapproval of large beer productions and intention to stick to the microbrewery model, employing people from local neighborhood backs the assumed value Darion attributes to grass-root initiatives, and thus to the community itself.
Examining Darion’s actions presented in the study, it seems that he indeed holds faithful to the mentioned values. At the same time, one also has a suspicion of another value which motivates his decisions and behavior and which has not been articulated. For the large part, Darion’s actions may be initiated by his desire for recognition. Creating perfectly-crafted beer, taking an alternative position of pursuing a small, local business model, and the continuous emphasis on social responsibility his brewery would accept. There is no strong evidence to support this assumed underlining desire for recognition, but it would no hurt to keep it in mind for further analysis. At the same time, even if this assumption is true it is important to recognize that it leads to noble and beneficial actions and practices that Darion pursues. Thus, this should not be held against him.
When it comes to community members advocating against establishing the brewery in their neighborhood, they appear to value authenticity and safety of their community, as well as open opportunities for growth within it. Pointing to the fact that alcohol may be the cause of serious troubles, especially in not affluent neighborhoods, or even a mean of oppression preventing members of vulnerable populations from reaching their full potential, community members demonstrates that they highly value safety and the availability of possibilities for personal growth for representatives of the said community. Furthermore, perceiving the brewery as a part of gentrification process and advocating against it on this ground suggests that people in this neighborhood value authenticity and are even somewhat conservative in their opinions.
A closer look at community’s reaction, however, indicates that their proclaimed values are not entirely consistent with their actions. For one, striving to keep the neighborhood authentic and familiar maybe a proper reason to oppose the new brewery but the offered case mentions that community members did not have anything against the new artisan coffee shop that has opened before. Thus, the argument for preserving authenticity was introduced mainly to support the intention of preventing the brewery from being opened which (the intention) might be rooted in other motives. As for the proclaimed value of having open opportunities for growth within the community, it appears to contradict their fight against the brewery. As mentioned in the case, brewery owners intend to hire and train people from the local neighborhood. Thus, the opening of the brewery will create opportunities for professional development as well as decent jobs for community members. Meaning that the brewery may serve the very value community members rely on when opposing this opening.
While it is clear that both parties hold their values as important and are not willing to give them up, it also appears possible to find a common ground for Darion and community to cooperate in a mutually beneficial way. Achieving this would require both sides to review their values and agree to prioritize the value of community they commonly share: community members articulate it directly, while Darion recognizes it through acceptance of social responsibility and commitment to keeping the operations local. Furthermore, with the community being economically vulnerable, Darion pursuing his principles by opening a new business will most likely bring benefit for all the members of the community. After all, actions that are done for the sake of good objectives have some value not just for the agent, but also, often enough, for other persons concerned (Cooper 188). If Darion makes an effort and presents the community members with professional opportunities that the new brewery will open up it will be more likely for them to see the new business from a more optimistic perspective.
Lastly, the fear of brewery exposing the vulnerable community members to alcohol contradicts the basic value of safety. Unfortunately, there is nothing Darion can do to remove alcohol from the beer he brews, but he can emphasize that microbrewery producing crafted beers in small quantities is not something that usually promotes alcoholism and on the contrary, may teach people certain drinking etiquette. He may also cooperate with the community to promote supporting programs for the community members and look for other ways to contribute to the community’s strivings to battle alcoholism. These efforts may yield benefits for his business as well, as positive transformations of the neighborhood will bring more clientele to the area. All in all, Darian and community members should communicate to find a common denominator between their core values to make mutually-beneficial cooperation possible.
Works Cited
Cooper, John. M. Pursuits of Wisdom: Six Ways of Life in Ancient Philosophy from Socrates to Plotinus. Princeton University Press, 2012.