STILL SOME WORK TO DO

This may come as a surprise to my fellow mediators, but, folks, we still have some work to do.

Veering into my line of sight this week was an internet review of a television program which included a character playing a "mediator." I never watch this particular show, so I have to rely upon the internet review, but early in the episode a pair of disputants met with a mediator. At issue was an asininely salacious contract between the two, a man and a woman, I might add. During the mediation, the mediator "decided" that the contract was valid.

The mediator DECIDED? The mediator made the determination that the contract was valid?

I've never written a script for a television situation comedy, but I can well imagine the process. Someone comes up with an idea and pens an outline upon which an entire committee expands. The final script has to go through several approval filters.

And no one, absolutely NO ONE, knew enough about mediation to understand and remember that real mediators don't decide?

Folks, we've still got some work to do.