Tradition 2: Voting as Necessary
It was one of those memorable meetings that we are sometimes priveledged to attend. In Australia people do not volunteer to speak at an AA meeting but are called by name or are pointed to by the chairperson. A few pass by simply saying that they will "just identify" with their name and the fact that they are an alcoholic, but most come up to the front and have a go at sharing.The person in the chair was an Aussie bloke who called mostly males only to speak. After the first few men spoke the females were getting restive, after the next few guys spoke, some of the women got really aggitated, and then after a few more mostly male calls, one of the women literally exploded.
She stood up and shouted "No! That's it, you F'n sexist pig! Are we invisible? Not worth hearing?" Our chairperson said: "Look, I'm in the chair and I'll call whomever I am moved to pick and it isn't you so sit down and respect the meeting!"
Uh, oh! Not exactly the right thing to say to this feminist former street person in recovery! In her wrath she made a bee line for the chairperson with obvious homicidal intent! Others cheered or jeered as pandamonium erupted.
An old timer jumped up, raised hands high and yelled "Group Conscience, Group Conscience..." like a chant. A few others picked up the chant and a momentary silence fell.
Call for a Vote
"Tradition two on the banner there indicates that I as a member of this group can call for a Group Conscience meeting at any time and I call for one right now!"The woman was asked: "Please state your case to us all". She did. She said that fairness required that women speakers alternate with men until the females had all had a chance to either pass or speak.
The man in the chair was then asked to please state his case. He said that he had determined that there were five times more men in the room than women so he thought that it would be fair to call on women one fifth of the time.
Others were asked for any other comments. There were a few more women who felt slighted and only one friend of the chairman who agreed with him. A moment of silent reflection was called for, to ask our respective HPs to guide us in voting and then all were asked to close their eyes except for the aggrieved woman and the chairman who would together count the raised hands for each method.
The woman's "boy-girl" alternative method was obviously overwhelmingly approved and we all settled down for a lovely second part of the meeting.
It's not the first time I have seen a "Group Conscience" called for during a meeting but it was the most dramatic.
Aussie Chuck
More about Tradition 2
Authority
In 12 step groups there is no such thing as individual authority, but there are leaders.Sense of Belonging
I now know that just by being a member and showing up and participating, I am just as much a part of the group as the oldest "old-timer."
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