VotingIsEvil. Voting and consensus do not mix. Consensus has nothing at all to do with a mob of people trying to out-shout each other, and when they're all done, counting the warriors on each "side" to determine a "winner". Contentious, hostile debate and voting is the opposite of consensus. The process of forming a consensus does not begin by shouting down those who disagree with us -- even if we imagine them to be in the minority.

Building consensus means to listen to others honestly, and to respect and honor the ways in which their opinions differ from ours. It means to seek compromises and alternatives that at least partially satisfy others' concerns. It means to defer and modify our own pet ideas and open our minds to a wider range of possibilities. It means taking time and energy to build acceptance among a group of individuals, each of whom may have different needs, concerns, opinions, and methods by which they contribute.

Consensus begins by withholding judgement. There is always time to condemn later; but once we have condemned, we cut off any possibility of working together to improve. Consensus continues as we engage in discussion. We avoid making points and attacking; instead, we present our concerns and work on them together. When all parties to the discussion have had their needs addressed, then we can say we have achieved consensus.

It is not always possible to achieve consensus. There is no exception that allows us to examine the state of a debate, conclude that a minority can never be appeased, and proceed to ignore them. Consensus is not unanimity -- there may well be those who continue to oppose the compromises and improvements we have worked out. But we must not take the easy way out and dismiss objectors out of hand. If we have made no concessions to good-faith minority opinions -- if we are unable to so much as throw them a bone -- then we cannot claim consensus. If we take action without consensus, we are not thoughtful, willing, constructive contributors to our Community -- we are mere tyrants.