We Need A Better Way To Address Grievances

The current methods are not best for everyone.

Functional communities need a way for people with legitimate grievances to have their claims addressed. If someone feels they have been wronged, in order to remain in connection, they need a way for that feeling or issue to be rectified in some way.

In American society, there are three places people go when they feel they have been wronged: the media, the legal system, and politics. These systems have a bad track record of actually addressing grievances. As a consequence, we have a media prone to hyperbole, misinformation, and false claims, we have a highly litigious society, where many decisions are made to prevent lawsuits rather than benefit others, and we have a political system with more problems than I could list here.

Part of the reason America is full of both unaddressed legitimate grievances and false claims of wrongdoing is that the systems for addressing those claims are dysfunctional. Those with money or influence are at an unfair advantage in each system. Each system has rules and methods better known to those who work within the system than the general public. When everyday people find themselves in a media controversy, legal dispute, or political conflict they are often in over their heads.

There is a place for each of these systems. There are legitimate reasons to share a story in the media, file a lawsuit, or pursue political action. I have at times explored all three and might use them again in the future. These systems are also better than some previous ones, like legal systems that used torture or privileged nobility over the common man. It would just be better if these systems weren’t the first and only sources of grievance resolution.

At times, these systems prevent other less severe forms of reconciliation. In a relationship, it can be important to admit fault and acknowledge something was wrong to create repair. In media, law, and politics, this admission of wrongdoing could be used against the person making it with serious consequences. Those at fault might avoid discussing their actions altogether because doing so would open them to media campaigns, lawsuits, or political conflict.

I don’t have a better solution to these systems. Even if I did, I’m not in a position to replace the media, legal system, or existing political structure. Instead, the reason I’m sharing these observations is to help explain why so many feel both that their grievances aren’t addressed and that others are complaining about nothing. If you feel you’ve been wronged or falsely attacked, consider how the system in which each party is trying to get their needs and desires met might influence the conflict itself. If you’re in a position to implement a better way to resolve conflicts for the people you’re in connection with, do so before it goes to media, courts, or laws beyond your control.