In Parks and Recreations “Citizens of Pawnee” clip we are exposed to a community meeting, and several related instances where community members air out their grievances, and make demands for changes they’d like. The changes are sometimes difficult to justify and negotiate, and at other times (outside of the comic relief) justifiable. It is clear that there are several different issues that affect individual members of the community, because none of the issues are repeated in the 4 minute span of the clip. The issues range from waste in the water as a woman claims having made tea out of sprinkler water in spite of being warned my signs not to consume it; to a woman complaining that basketball courts attract “undesirables” to their community.
The community suffers from not being on one accord. There could be a more proactive system in which to air their grievances in order to better organize and make use of their physical meeting times. Instead, the meeting appears to have no structure, and therefore has very little room to actually effect change. Perhaps a community email could be sent in which this same feedback could be collected in comments, then the major issues could be prioritized, and shared at the meeting. In this same time and space, suggestions could be taken on next steps, instead of a night to freely communicate grievances. After the meeting steps towards finding resolutions should be taken immediately and evident to the community in order to avoid them feeling as though their time and suggestions are wasted. It appears the community suffers greatly from not being able to voice their opinion in constructive ways, and once they do, they appear to be ignored. The above suggested system could help cut back on any future confusion and issues if regularly repeated.
- [Patricespieces]. (2012, November 28). Citizens of Pawnee. [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng_-HgRfGBY.
