DeliberateModerate
Delmod, the Deliberate Moderate is a game being developed in the interest of promoting a healthier, more inclusive and open US political environment.
Game objectives:
- A game sponsor reviews these instruction and assembles one team.
- An ideal team has individuals with a range of political beliefs.
- An ideal team has individuals ranging from little to much political experience.
- The objective of the game is to identify benchmarks, not judge their value.
- The most important objective is political dialogue, no need to debate merits.
- Benchmarks identified are compared by sponsor with benchmarks provided.
- Additional discussion is encouraged as benchmarks are contrasted with reality.
- Feedback is provided by game sponsor to game author for improvements.
Game Methodology:
Online game to engage a wide range of people in political discussion, capturing feedback to build benchmarks on issues impacting the US. Players leverage the Moderate Methodology © (see link above right) to establish the extreme right benchmark, extreme left benchmark, and potential moderate benchmark per issue. Current benchmarks provided may be enhanced by feedback sent from game sponsors to game author to sharpen game benchmarks. This is currently a manual process, but eventually I hope automate this and include additional types of benchmarks from feedback of previous game experience.
Note that ‘Delmod’ is sex neutral; assumes no implications regarding right or wrong positions on issues; and is not affiliated with any political party or interest group beyond DeliberateModerate (™) which strives only to identify characteristics of truly moderate positions, not judge them.
Game description, how the game is played:
Delmod Is a ficticious individual who would like to become more engaged in the political process, but is very concerned about the polarization that has become so prominent in political discussions. It seems often it is the extremes that dominate discussion, and compromise seems impossible. Many have an agenda, are defensive, or are very suspicious. Delmod just wonders how more moderate positions might compare to the extremes, and to that end is looking for your help to apply the Moderate Methodology © to determine a deliberately moderate position on various issues.
The Moderate Methodology © states that on any issue in order to approximate a moderate position, one must first articulate the extremes. Only when the boundaries of the two extremes have been defined is it possible to rationally articulate characteristics of moderate positions between the extremes. The position Delmod is seeking to understand would approximate the middle between the extremes. A thoughtful discussion including the viewpoints and experience of a diverse range of individuals can best determine potential extreme positions, and thus begin to articulate potential moderate characteristics without assigning value judgement to any stance on the issue. Indeed, once this exercise is complete it can provide useful benchmark in a discussion about where a particular party or candidate may be on that issue, or where a deliberately moderate person may feel more comfortable - at least as a starting point when contrasting options.
Your job is to help Delmod understand a moderate position on 5 issues selected by the game sponsor from the more than 20 issues found on the DeliberateModerate site. After you determine a description for right and left extremes and a moderate position on an issue to be used as your benchmark, the sponsor can compare these to be scored against the benchmark data provided. In the end this game is about the discussion, though your sponsor is encouraged to provide feedback to the game author. Anyone is welcome to be a sponsor.
To provide an example of how the game is played, let's examine the issue “Government”. The far right extreme for Government might be described as a ‘dictator or monarch not accountable to the governed’. The far left extreme could be described as ‘anarchy, no leader’. The deliberately moderate or Delmod position might be ‘leader elected by and accountable to the governed’. At this stage of development, a scoring system is not in place, but your sponsor can rate team performance relative to given benchmark and is welcome to provide feedback to game author. Answers that fail to capture the extremes, or fail to compromise to properly determine a moderate position, would score poorly if there were a scoring system in place. While the particular issue ‘Government’ in the US may be one that most players, candidates and political parties find themselves in relatively close agreement about, other topics like abortion may find a wider range of opinions. Enjoy the discussion and conclusions!
Property of: Jeffery V. Koeberl I can be contacted at: Delmod@deliberatemoderate.com ------------>
Copyright protection applied for in January 2017
www.deliberatemoderate.com www.deliberatemoderate.org www.delmod.org Twitter: @Delmod_the_DM
Facebook: Delmod DeliberateModerate
This intellectual property is protected in the interest of protecting the credibility of the effort. Collaboration on this is welcomed and encouraged, and this can be accomplished through me, the author, at the email above. Sponsors or anyone with feedback or questions can contact me at the email above. I sincerely appreciate any constructive feedback and assistance.
Delmod, the Deliberate Moderate Game
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