I'm afraid of discussion, so isn't it a majority vote?

Voting and lottery democracy July 7 22:02

As soon as I started to assert my thoughts on politics, the "air" on the spot became awkward.



That person and I had different ideas.



But I don't have a lot of opinions, and I don't want to be "argued" ...



The discussion is scary, isn't it?



(Network News Department Yudai Suzuki Soraya Sugimoto Mayi Ogura)

Do you run away to the majority vote?

In late June, a tweet from a university faculty member was a big hit.

For the past year or so, teachers often say "discuss and decide" to students, and students often say "then, let's vote on LINE" and avoid discussions.



On the other hand, there were various voices such as "It is a waste of time because the theory does not change after exchanging opinions", "It is important to think", and "Culture that it is good to be in the majority".

Associate Professor Takanori Oishi (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) who tweeted


The interesting part of the discussion is that you can expand your world by sharing opinions with other people and getting to know different perspectives. I think the students don't try to argue.

It feels like I'm just looking at what the majority's opinions are and then matching my own.

I'm afraid of discussion ...



When asked how young people of the same generation would take a majority vote without discussing

"I understand that feeling," some college students answered that they could sympathize with it.



I'm Saya (a pseudonym), 19 years old, who attends a university in Tokyo.



Why do you think so?

Saya-san


, when you say your own opinion, it would be nice if you could accept that there is such an opinion, but if you were asked, "Isn't that wrong?", I feel like I was denied myself. So I want to avoid it as much as possible.

There are some parts that I'm scared of and can't express my opinion.

There was an event in which Saya thought it was better not to assert her opinion.



In a college class, when a senior began to assert his thoughts on the current Japanese politics, the atmosphere around him instantly became awkward.

"I don't even convey my opinions and thoughts to my family, so I was scared to think that I had different opinions."

Mr. Saya had a different opinion from his seniors, but he felt that the other person was more knowledgeable and defeated, so he did not discuss by expressing his own opinion.

In the end, he said, "I have that kind of idea, too" and said that the place was over.



When I talked to other students, they said, "I don't even have the opportunity to know what kind of opinions the other person has, and I think that the majority of the opinions are the" correct answer. "

Even if I was told to go to the election ...

"There is an atmosphere that makes it difficult to talk about politics," says Saya.

Six years ago, the right to vote was reduced to 18, and Saya went to the election for the first time when she was in the third year of high school, but the election was not talked about among her friends.



Also, the winner was a different candidate from the one Saya voted for, and she thought, "I wonder if my vote will change anything."

Last year's House of Representatives election did not go to vote.



While studying at university, Saya learned that politicians are more likely to come up with policies for older people than young people.

I am planning to vote for the Upper House election on the 10th of this month.

Saya:


"Honestly, I don't think my vote is meaningful yet, but I have to contribute to raising the turnout of young people ..."

"In a world where we can talk"

As we proceeded with the interview, surprising people expressed their opinions about voting in the election.



It was the so-called "entertainers" such as actors, talents, and musicians who were popular with the younger generation.

Mr. ryuchell


"It's okay if there are various people and there are dissenting opinions ."



Masami Nagasawa


"I think that one vote to cherish one's life is the right to vote."

Each person spoke in his own words and called for a vote.



However, entertainers who are easily tabooed for political remarks and may be bashed on SNS.

Did you have any hesitation in appearing in the video?



When I talked to one of the founders of the group "VOICE PROJECT" that I created, I got the following answer.

Naota Sugawara, the founder of "VOICE PROJECT"


When I made the first video in the House of Representatives election last year, I think that some people were worried because neither the person nor the office could imagine what kind of video it would be. ..

Meanwhile, Shun Oguri said, "Let's do it," and the number of participants expanded from there.

The first video produced in the House of Representatives election last year has been played 730,000 times on YouTube and has received a great deal of attention.



Instead of supporting or criticizing any political party, he conveys the simple message that "everyone should vote for a better future."



Then, the video became a hot topic in the shooting scene of the performing arts, and it is said that the performers began to say that it became easier to talk about "politics" than before.

Naota Sugawara


I want you to be in a world where you can express your own opinions, not just entertainers, but if you express your opinion, you will be taken aback, and which is right or wrong.

"VOICE PROJECT"

Leave the NHK site

That being said, why is "discussion scary"?

Why do you find it difficult to talk about politics and scary of discussions?



I hit Gimon against Professor Toru Yoshida of Doshisha University, which specializes in political science.

According to Professor Yoshida, the "discussion" that is imaged in today's Japanese society tends to be seen as a place where people with firm intentions and ideas can express their opinions.

Professor Toru Yoshida


It's extremely painful for people who think that they don't have their own ideas, and it puts a heavy psychological burden on them.

On the contrary, some people think that their opinion is absolute and try to show that they have "refuted" the other person.



However, people are not perfect people, so we can discuss with other people and create opinions together, but in Japan today, including adults, we are not good at that.

Why did you not like the discussion?



He talked about the background as follows.

Professor Toru Yoshida


There are various factors, but when it comes to politics, the distant image that some people in Nagata-cho are doing has been created due to the influence of media reports, and historically it has become radical. Partly due to the influence of the student activism, I think that politics has been moved away from home and educational settings, and opportunities for daily discussions have been lost.

The hints are lottery, and the participants are random!

How can we create a place for discussion with peace of mind?

Professor Yoshida taught me this.



"The hint is in the" lottery ""



lottery ...?



What exactly does that mean?



According to Professor Yoshida, the idea that randomly selected citizens, not elected members, hold discussions and reflect them in administrative decision-making and policies is called "lottery democracy."



Moreover, it is said that some of the efforts are already being carried out by local governments in Japan.

One of them, Iwakura City, Aichi Prefecture, held the "Citizens' Council" for the first time five years ago.



The theme is "How to utilize the site of the school lunch center".



In order to gather 40 participants, we sent a letter of invitation to the council to 2000 citizens aged 18 and over, randomly selected from the Basic Resident Register, out of a population of approximately 48,000.



Participants will be given a gift card worth 5,000 yen as a reward, but the discussions will be held twice, each taking a full day.



It is said that some staff members were worried, "Is the participants really gathering?"



When I open the lid ...



For the capacity of 40 people, 80 people who exceeded expectations wanted to participate.



An additional lottery was held to determine participants in their 20s to 80s, taking into consideration age and gender, and 35 people attended, except for those who were absent due to sudden errands.

A change

On the day of the meeting.



After receiving explanations from city officials and experts about the circumstances of the site, discussions began in groups on how to utilize it.

Discussions will proceed by setting up a "facilitator" to encourage participants to speak and to adjust the speaking time so that it is not biased.



What surprised the city officials was that people who were initially confused gradually began to give their opinions and ideas, and during the discussions, the participants changed to different claims from the original opinions. was.

Then, in the second session, in addition to the idea of ​​building a "park" and "promenade" on the site of the school lunch center, a cost reduction plan such as "public sale at auction" was also proposed.



Based on this plan, the city's business plan was formulated, and after explanations to the parliament and citizens, the site was finally developed as a "park."

Participants were undergoing a change.



In a questionnaire conducted after the discussion, 90% of the participants answered that they were "meaningful".



There were voices such as "I was interested in the city administration" and "I realized that it is important to listen to the stories of others."


I think the citizens

in charge of Iwakura City have become a good example of policy making.

Employees have also come to want to disseminate information so that citizens can deepen discussions with diverse opinions.

I would like to continue holding it in the future.

According to the Citizens' Council Promotion Network, an estimated 600 such councils have been held nationwide since 2005.

Annoying is interesting

It's scary to say your opinion and be denied by the other party.



That is why it may be important for discussions to try to understand each other's positions and differences in opinion, rather than criticizing others who have different opinions.



Discussions at school and at work, honesty, and annoyance can make me wonder ...



By exchanging opinions, new ideas can be born and one's sense of values ​​can be expanded.



There must be a moment when "troublesome" turns into "interesting".



I think that way now.

Finally ... I want to know more!

Lottery democracy

Looking at the lottery democracy's efforts so far, I think some people may be worried or wondering, "Is it okay to leave important decisions to amateurs?"



Professor Yoshida points out that the following conditions are required for the lottery democracy to function with legitimacy.

1. The purpose of the discussion and how to reflect it are clarified in advance.



2. The extracted attributes of the citizens reflect the composition of society.



3. There is sufficient information provided in advance.



4. Fairness through the facilitator. Ensuring



debate 5. Transparency of discussions and privacy of participants are guaranteed

Professor Toru Yoshida


"As a basis for legitimacy different from elections, it is important that the objective attributes of the selected person, such as gender, age, place of residence, and occupation, are close to the composition of society. It is necessary to devise ways to give sufficient time and information to the discussion and to give an opportunity to speak fairly in public. "

In fact, in 2021, lottery democracy is the world, with the "Citizens' Parliament" consisting of randomly selected citizens being introduced in earnest as a decision-making system to support the traditional parliament in the city of Paris, the capital of France. It is also attracting attention.



On the other hand, it is said that there are also "weaknesses".

・ There may be themes that are difficult to be familiar with in discussions, such as content related to national secrets.



・ "Agreement" is premised, and it is difficult to reflect dissenting opinions on the theme and method of discussion.



・ It takes time to prepare and make decisions, and the suspicion that some people have decided cannot be dispelled.



-Unlike elections, sanctions cannot be given for policy failures due to wrong conclusions.

On top of that, Professor Yoshida talked about the significance of "lottery democracy."

Professor Yoshida


Faced with global problems such as climate change that cannot be solved by a single country, the values ​​are diverse in fields such as bioethics, and even experts cannot find one answer.

Lottery democracy complements traditional parliamentary democracy so that politicians dispel the distrust that they are not "representing themselves" and that they are "convinced" of political decisions. I think it has potential.

The day may come when you will be selected by lottery.

"What's the point of voting when people say you have to go?" Thinking while talking to high school students, #Our election

It's a story of a high school student and a director who thought of voting as "oneself".

Article of "NHK coverage note" (leaving the NHK site).