Transitional Justice Watch Blog #1:

The comedy theater I work at is structured in a very loose hierarchy. Our artistic director is the highest level of command and the level below is the department supervisors. However, all of our ideas are valued equally. I think that this type of hierarchy allows for much conflict to arise. Since we have the opportunity to have our voices heard equally by the Artistic Director, our supervisors feel constantly threatened and engage in conflict with me regularly.


My supervisors and I constantly argue over our belief systems. I believe that I should be able to express myself any way I please. Conflicts over values are “When people, groups, and nations have relations with each other, but hold different deeply held beliefs about the role of an individual, group or family within their culture, cultural practices, politics, and religion” (Mertz and Lieber 29). I like to wear my gangster clothing to work and they believe that I do not look responsible. I believe that they are stereotyping my choice of clothing with a low class citizen. I believe that they are trying to conform too much and I am trying to express my freedom to too much of an extent.


I believe that this conflict directly emerges from identity. I do not like to be labeled as a thug, and the theater does not want the public to associate the theater with the lower class. I also feel that this conflict also emerges from ethnic differences. My ethnicity does not associate thug clothing with lower class citizens. We view gangster clothing as a celebration of our culture. My supervisors are white Caucasians that grew up in the suburbs and associate gangster clothing with poor values.

I see many different similarities and difference between my conflicts and the world conflicts. I believe that the conflicts arise from many of the same sources. Desire for freedom and defending of personal values is a driving force. The major differences are that the more major conflicts have religion more closely intertwined. Both types of conflicts are equally important and if we work better to resolve local conflicts, we can prevent major conflicts!


I believe that peace is the acceptance of everyone’s idea. If everyone’s ideas are accepted, no one will feel the need to engage in conflict. However, this is easier said than done, because the acceptance of one person’s ideas often results in the denial of someone else’s beliefs. I believe that national meetings and conferences will help to thwart global conflict. Communication is the key to finding solutions and attempting to compromise.

http://helpguide.org/mental/eq8_conflict_resolution.htm