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Chapter 8

Societal Dilemmas: Gains and Losses

By Fredricka L. Stoller

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Societal dilemmas are varied and numerous. In Chapter 7 of this volume, societal dilemmas were associated with the tensions that exist between the values, needs, and interests of individuals, on one hand, and the values, needs, and interests of society at large, on the other. In this chapter, we examine the societal dilemmas that result from the two-sided nature of the "change process." As we know, the world is constantly changing. Whether the changes are intentional or unintentional, they are often accompanied by positive and negative consequences. Because most changes result in gains for some and losses for others, societies find themselves in the difficult position of having to deal with "winners" and "losers" whenever a change occurs. The lesson in this chapter allows students to examine global changes with an eye toward identifying (a) the winners and the losers and (b) the gains and the losses associated with them. While exploring these real-life societal dilemmas, students learn relevant vocabulary in context and become more comfortable using English to discuss topics of a serious nature.

Teachers have several options of using this lesson: They can use it, with appropriate adaptations, for a single, stand-alone lesson; they can design a series of connected lessons that explore the topic in more detail; or they can develop a thematic unit that examines the topic from a variety of perspectives over a longer period of time. The ideas presented here are meant to serve as a starting point for teachers interested in exploring one aspect of societal dilemmas with their students.

Background Information

One way to build a civil society is to prepare citizens to be conscientious and responsible. Being a conscientious citizen involves such responsibilities as respecting neighbors, obeying laws, paying taxes, serving as a juror, registering to vote and voting knowledgeably, performing public service, and being informed and attentive to public issues. It is this last responsibility--being informed and attentive to public issues that is of local, national, and global importance and is the focal point of this chapter.

Being informed involves much more than reading the newspaper, listening to the radio, or debating issues with family, friends, and colleagues. It involves an understanding of the complexities of different issues and the consequences of various actions. Few issues and actions in society are simple. Almost all have positive and negative consequences, whether political, economic, social, or environmental. What this suggests is that most issues and actions have both winners and losers. With any issue, an informed citizen should have the skills necessary to determine what is at issue and what is at stake. Similarly, with any given action (e.g., a decision, a solution to a problem, a law), an informed citizen should have the ability to describe the consequences of the action in terms of costs and benefits, gains and losses, winners and losers, as well as improvements and problems.

Situations in which there are both winners and losers create dilemmas for society. These dilemmas often result in tensions, conflicts, and contradictions. For a civil society to function, decision makers and citizens must strive to find a suitable balance between gains and losses, and between winners and losers, so that as many people as possible benefit from decisions that effect society. One way to develop the critical thinking skills needed to understand the gains and losses associated with societal dilemmas is to examine issues of local, national, and global significance. Consider the following examples:

• Fact #1: Between 1970 and 1990, worldwide chemical fertilizer usage tripled.
  • Gains/Winners: Better crops, increased food production, increased food supplies; people have better, more nutritious diets; people are healthier
  • Losses/Losers: Depletion of water resources, higher rates of illness, higher rates of cancer, soil degradation
    
    
• Fact #2: It is projected that over the next 25 years, 1.3 billion people will be added to the world’s population.¹
  • Gains/winners: Few if any
  • Losses/losers: Less resources (food, water) for each new child, more disease, higher infant mortality, overcrowding of cities and villages, fewer opportunities for education for women
    
    
• Fact #3: The number of people living in urban areas will increase from 45.3 % in 1995 to 54.4% in 2015.
  • Gains/winners: Greater access to work, education, and health facilities
  • Losses/losers: Overcrowding of cities, lack of water, poor sanitation, poor garbage collection, lack of good housing
    
    
• Fact #4: It is predicted that global energy use will increase 40% between 1993 and 2010. Between 1971 and 1998, global energy use increased 70%.
  • Gains/Winners: Improved heating and cooling, health benefits, more stable food supply
  • Losses/losers: Loss of fossil fuels, air and water pollution, increase in earth’s temperature (global warming), more illness because of pollution

In this lesson, students will examine dilemmas such as those listed above. Through group discussions, students will see how each change has created a dilemma for the world at large. They will use their problem solving abilities to (a) determine the gains/losses and winners/losers for each situation under consideration and (b) understand the complexities of the world in which we live. It is hoped that the skills developed in this lesson will assist students in considering issues of more personal significance (for their families, communities, and countries), so that they can make wise decisions (or choices) and then accept the consequences of their actions, two characteristics of conscientious and responsible citizenship.

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