"Did you ever wonder why people give the reasons they do for what they have done, for what others have done to them, or more generally for what goes on in the world?," said Laluna while flipping through a bundle, after saying Basmalah and Salaam. She was looking for an acknowledgment sheet as peacemaker, which has been lost—and probably, if it was found, could be proposed to gain a Nobel Prize. " Giving of reasons, connects people with each other even when observers might find the reasons flimsy, contrived, or fantastic," she continued. "In uncertain situations, most people, first adapt reasons for what is happening from models they have already learned, through interaction with other people. Available models vary dramatically from group to group, situation to situation, and relation to relation. Regardless of their content, however, reasons provide rationales for behaving one way or another and shared accounts of what is happening. They also make statements about relations between the people giving and receiving those reasons.A 94-year-old man went to his doctor for his annual check-up. The doctor asked the man how he was feeling, and the 94-year-old said, 'Things are great, and I've never felt better! I now have a 20-year-old bride who is pregnant with my child. What do you think about that, doc?'The doctor considered the question for a minute, and then began to tell a story. 'I have an older friend, much like you, who is an avid hunter and never misses a season.One day he was setting off to go hunting. In a bit of a hurry, he accidentally picked up his walking cane instead of his gun.As he neared a lake, he came across a very large male beaver sitting at the water's edge. He realized he left his gun at home, and so, he couldn't shoot the magnificent creature. Out of habit, he raised his cane, aimed it at the animal as if it was his favorite hunting rifle, and yelled 'bang bang'. Miraculously, two shots rang out and the beaver fell dead.''Now, what do you think of that?' asked the doctor.The senior citizen replied, 'Logic would strongly suggest that somebody else pumped a few rounds into that beaver.'The doctor respond, 'My point exactly,' at the same time, answered the question of the old-man.According to Charles Tilly, whether public officials, emergency workers, or community college students, people do not give themselves and others, reasons, because of some universal craving for truth or coherence. They often settle,for reasons that are superficial, contradictory, dishonest, or—at least from an observer’s viewpoint—farfetched. Whatever else they are doing when they give reasons, people are clearly negotiating their social lives. They are saying something about relations between themselves and those who hear their reasons. Giver and receiver are confirming, negotiating, or repairing their proper connection.
Commonly given reasons, still according to Tilly, fall into four overlapping categories. Firstly, Conventions: conventionally accepted reasons for dereliction, deviation, distinction, or good fortune: my train was late, your turn finally came, she has breeding, he’s just a lucky guy, and so on. Secondly, Stories : explanatory narratives incorporating cause-effect accounts of unfamiliar phenomena or of exceptional events such as the 9/11 catastrophe, but also such as betrayal by a friend, winning a big prize, or meeting a high school classmate at Egypt’s Pyramids twenty years after graduation. Thirdly, Codes governing actions such as legal judgments, religious penance, or awarding of medals. Fourth, Technical Accounts of the outcomes in the first three: how a structural engineer, a dermatologist, or an orthopedic surgeon might explain what happened to Elaine Duch on the World Trade Center’s 88th floor after a hijacked aircraft struck the building on 9/11.Each of the four ways of giving reasons has distinctive properties. Each of them varies in content depending on social relations between giver and receiver. Each of them, among other consequences, exerts effects on those social relations, confirming an existing relation, repairing that relation, claiming a new relation, or denying a relational claim. But the four sorts of reason giving differ significantly in form and content. Each can be valid in a way that the others cannot.All four kinds of reasons commonly do relational work. The most invisible work simply confirms the relation between giver and receiver. More visibly, reason giving often establishes relations, as in the case of an interviewer who explains the purpose of a survey when calling to ask about preferences in food, television, or politics. It sometimes negotiates relations, as when the author of a technical account displays professional credentials to make a claim on a listener’s respect and compliance.Finally, much reason giving repairs relations, as someone who has inflicted damage on someone else tells a story to show that the damage was inadvertent or unavoidable and therefore, despite appearances, does not reflect badly on the relationship between giver and receiver. The phrase “I’m sorry, but . . . ” often starts a story that does relational repairs. Both formulas and cause-effect accounts do relational work.A man walks into a bar with his little Jack Russell terrier. He puts the dog on the barstool next to his. The bartender wanders over and the man says, ‘I’ll have a pot thanks, mate.’ The dog says, ‘I’ll have a margarita.’The bartender does a double-take and looks over to the dog and asks, ‘Did you just talk?’‘Yep,’ says the dog.‘My God!’ says the bartender. ‘That’s incredible. This is unreal. Who would have thought: a talking dog, here in my bar? Tell me more about yourself. You must have had an amazing life as a talking dog.’The dog assumes an indifferent pose and speaks in quite a matter-of-fact manner, ‘Yeah, you could say it’s been a big journey. I trained for a while with the US Marines. Saw a bit of action in Iraq – can’t tell you more. I joined the Bolshoi Ballet for a stint. That was hard work but incredibly satisfying. I’ve written a few best-selling novels in my spare time. That was good fun. Of course, there have been film offers, TV shows. Wine, women and song. All that.’The bartender is now purple with excitement. He turns to the man. ‘We could make a fortune. We could charge people to come into this bar and hear your dog talk. How much would you charge to allow your dog to talk here?’‘About $10,’ the man replies.‘Why only $10? That’s madness!’ exclaims the bartender.The man answers: ‘He’s a liar. He hasn’t done half those things.’"Laluna closed the talk by saying, "A man who walks into a bar with carrying only an iPad, doesn't immediately make him a 'Kingmaker,' let alone a 'Peacemaker.' And Allah knows best."
Citations & References:
- Charles Tilly, Why, Princeton University Press
- Billy Brownless, A Man Walks into a Bar..., Allen & Unwin
