A Matter of Principle: Fair Enough? Exploring Character with Community

By Qarol Price

To continue our mission of spotlighting Johnston County Public Schools’ character education traits of the month, I’d like to point out that character building is probably the single most important effort on which all community members could agree.

No matter your politics, race, religion, or gender — all would concur that better character makes better citizens. No one would argue that doing what is right and good may not be best.

The area in which folks may not agree, however, is just how to define some of these character traits and how best to put them into practice.

Take this month’s trait, fairness. We can all agree that being fair is right and good — practically by definition! But we have not pinned down the actual meaning, nor have we revealed the actual nature of fairness by just saying it is right and good.

After all, what constitutes rightness? What constitutes goodness? We are right back where we started. These things are debatable. Ask any philosopher. We all seem to know these things, but as we examine them, we see that their meaning is a slippery thing. What one person thinks is fair, another may find harmful!

Disagreement about which actions qualify as being fair happens all the time. Parenting styles, for example, are constantly up for debate. Suppose you refuse to allow your child to go see some R-rated movie or some ultra-gory horror flick, but Junior declares, “But all the kids are seeing it. Their parents don’t mind! It’s not fair!”

Is he right? Should you relent and let him go? Junior is assuming that what most of the parents think is right is right. Like a game of Family Feud: “Survey says…!”

Is it “fair” to acquiesce to the opinion of the herd? The truth is not determined by taking a nose count.

Or how about the teacher who punishes the whole class for the transgressions of a few?

She believes that “the end justifies the means.” In this case, any suffering of the innocent is worth it — as long as it restores order to the classroom.

I am willing to listen to the rationale for this method by anyone who subscribes to it; but so far, I don’t see the merit in that approach. We as a community should always be fine-tuning our beliefs and practices to align with sound principles.

As long as there is conflict among its members, we should endeavor to have friendly discussions about our differences in order to promote goodwill and understanding rather than suspicion and contempt. One such community outlet can be found at the Harrison Center in Selma.

Once a month, folks put on their philosophy hats and discuss a wide range of social, moral and spiritual issues using intellectually stimulating movies as a springboard for discussion. And what do you know, the movies are chosen based on JCPS’s character trait of the month. After all, why have a whole month devoted to a character trait if there is no thought given to it?

So let’s connect community through character consciousness. It’s a matter of principle. So sayeth the Character Czar.

Next month: Integrity

Qarol Price is a writer and educator. She has taught philosophy to children in Johnston County Public Schools and in Harlem. She is a resident of Selma.