In Defense of a Democratic Association, Alan E. Friedel, DDS We are on the precipice of change at the Florida Dental As sociation. The June 2022 House of Delegates will be asked to change our Bylaws with a group of proposals which will make the FDA less Democratic in the name of streamlining the Association and making things easier. I have been told that the Facilitator has said that associations are not gov ernments. I would agree; they are not true democracies in that we delegate many decisions to small groups of people, but I would assert that we function better when we adhere to democratic principles so that all members feel a part of this organization. Every member having their voice appro priately heard gives members ownership of our association. The model of governance proposed by the committee over the long term will leave many members doubting their worth as members. It is obvious that the FDA must repre sent the views of the majority. What is less obvious to some is that the minority must be given respect and value or they will give up caring. Much of what is now considered to be accepted as fact and accepted majority opinion were here sies originally brought forth by small minorities. This is the reason we fight so hard to embrace diversity. We don’t have to agree with people of different opinions but when we lis ten to each other, we have our best opportunity to learn and grow as an organization. If we pass the proposals being put before us, we might soon have a day when for example WCDDA, NWDDA and NEDDA each have three Trustees and CDDA, ACDDA, and SFDDA only have a total of three trustees between them. There is no way such a system can be seen as equitable. It is one thing to be a part of a minority group in an association; it is another to be legislated into becoming inconsequential. These proposals will do just that.
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The goal of streamlining things is in fact a terrible one. Or ganizations (read democracies) are at their best hard and often ugly. To win the day in a democratic association you must hone your arguments, prove to others the merits of what you propose and get the votes. When you lose, as we all do from time to time, you pick yourself up and start again. That takes work and sometimes people get their egos hurt, but it has been proven over time to be the best way to get long term positive results. There is an old expression that says if we agree all the time, we don’t need meetings. Setting a goal to make things easy, to ask no sacrifice in time or energy from members lowers the bar and creates dimin ished value. Think of the value patients place on dentistry when it is given to them at no cost. None. The challenge is not about making leadership easy, which real leadership is not, but to make the effort leaders put in worth the price we pay to be leaders. The excuse we tell ourselves is that young members are dif ferent and don’t do things they way we did in the past. Young people may have a different approach to life than pre vious generations but their fundamental values remain the same. It is condescending to assume that this generation will not rise to the task like every generation before them. If we can identify the needs of practicing dentists and make their lives better, if we can follow a governance where ALL members feel represented, then we need not fall prey to concepts which reward some at the expense of those very members who need our services the most. Please reject the FDA’s modest proposal and let’s work to gether.
