1:00:00
The American Promise
- Hard Choices
Episode 2
Hard Choices/Information/Deliberation
Discusses how any action taken in a democracy involves choice; the need of citizens for timely, accurate information; and the necessity of deliberation before action. Examples include the controversy over the reintroduction of the wolf to Yellowstone National Park, a debate at Gallaudet University over whether to teach young deaf children to speak or to sign, the efforts of a Massachusetts town to create a new charter which would allow for self-governance while in receivership, an Alaska newspaper's efforts to reduce the rate of teen suicides, the painting of R.I.P. murals in the Bronx to commemorate those who have died, an exercise involving the oral instruction of blindfolded students on how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Santa Monica's PEN (Public Electronic Network) system allowing residents to communicate with the local government, a debate in San Jose over various ethnic statues, residents' efforts to move a Pennsylvania town to a new location, a consensus living system at a co-op in Wisconsin, and the judging of students by their peers at Wilson High School.