Ideology in my Controversy

In this post, I will break down the controversy of the Uber vs New York debate. Some of the things will include are the evidence and power each side has.

1. Who is involved in the controversy?

The public sides that are involved in the debate is the company Uber and the city of New York.

2.Who are some of the major speakers within the group?

The major speaker for the city of New York is the mayor, Bill de Blasio. The main speaker for Uber is David Plouff who is the head of Policy and Strategy at Uber.

3.What kind of social/ cultural/ economical/ political power does each group hold?

Uber has the upper hand when it comes to social power. They are first and foremost and app, therefore everyone who uses Uber, has the app. The mayor clearly has the political power and many politicians on his side. Cultural power probably leans toward Uber as the culture is shifting towards thier system of transportation. The city has more economical power because they can control the prices of parking, meters, and other things that would effect drivers and Uber.


4. What resources are available to each position?

Uber's app is a resource in an of itself. Through the app, they have already slandered de Blasio through it. The mayor has any resource he wants essentially, but he has to be careful in the public's eyes a he makes decisions.

5. What does each group value?

Uber definitely values money over anything else. Their main argument is that the cap on licenses will limit their company growth. De Blasio, I think values reelection. He is trying to be careful how he makes choices in order to be reelected as well as stay true to the support he has.

6. What counts as evidence for each position?

I think the only real evidence Uber has, is the people that want it to stay in business. The mayor though, wants traffic studies done.

7. Is there power differential between the groups?

I think both parties think they have the upper hand and are right.

8. Is there any acknowledged common ground between the groups?

I haven't seen much aggression from de Blasio, but Uber has made it into a nasty fight. I don't think that they could see any common ground.

9. Is there any unacknowledged common ground between the groups?

I think there is common ground. I think that both sides want to help people. The mayor wants to cut down congestion and pollution, and Uber wants to get people where they want to go fast. If they could both see this, I think they work something out.

10. Do the various groups listen to each other?

Considering how malicious Uber has been and personally attacking de Blasio, I don't think either of them can hear the other. If this is resolved, I think there could be a reasonable conclusion, rather than "New York backs down."