Class Discussion 12/7

I brought up a topic today in class discussion regarding the question "is the discussion about the difference about racism, sex and transitioning more generational? If so, is our generation more open to discussing these topics versus older generations?" 

As Wendy brought up that racism can't be weeded out by the decline of an older generation and is now more sly and crafty with the younger generations and communication technologies. 

I wanted to ask you all if you've experienced forms of racism or discrimination that has been considered "sly" or "crafty" by members of the younger generation, and if so what was your response? Or what has been your personal experience with discrimination? 

For example, I work in a restaurant and on more occasion than I would prefer men feel they have the right to touch me. Part of my job is to describe the daily specials that we offer to every guest and as I was doing so, a man who was at the table I was interacting with leaned over and brushed his hand against my face. I instantly felt violated and extremely uncomfortable and really didn't know how to react to a complete stranger touching my face. During that instance I questioned if I should go along with it, but if I say something will it affect my tip? How does this overt form of sexism differ among genders with a significant form of power distance? 

Chapter 12

This chapter centers communication ethics on the good of learning as the constructive pragmatic response to an era defined by difference"(210).  There are many multiple goods that we encounter in life and understanding the differences that are around is vital for communication ethics.  In order to do this we must learn from others and the experiences they have.  The text talks about using the pragmatics of talking. This means that we value the difference while acknowledging the viewpoints of the other person. 

Very harsh ideas about politics have been brought up recentLy and the candidates continue to use bad press against each other. They do not accept the other people's view, but they value only their opinion. Having a strong opinion politics may be acceptable, but doing it correctly and nicely is the way to do it. 

Chapter 12 - Communications Ethics Literacy and Difference

The final chapter of our book discusses communication ethics literacy and difference. As stated in the book, ethics literacy and difference is tied to three metaphors: pragmatic, crisis communication, and communication ethics literacy (210). The chapter stresses the importance of utilizing the knowledge we've gained through the discernment of the various social/cultural beliefs, values, and norms to be able to communicate ethically with the Other during crisis situations. When various goods come into contention in the public domain (210), we have to know how to communicate as civilly and ethically as possible. There are several examples that highlight the concepts from this chapter, including incidents like the #blacklivesmatter movement and its opponents, the Syrian refugee situation, illegal immigrants, and more. Each aforementioned topic has been extremely contentious, and highlights the unwillingness of both proponents and opponents to come to common grounds on each issue.

The #blacklivesmatter situation, in particular, is a perfect example for this chapter. I consider myself a proponent of the movement, and to me, it's absolutely mind-boggling how so many people are oblivious to the blatant racism involved in the many incidents that've occurred and continue to drive the movement. Perhaps it's a personal bias of mine that I see the racist undertones behind all of the cases of police brutality, but when I click on the many articles on Facebook, Twitter, online newspapers, and read the disparaging comments made by people towards black people, it further reinforces the belief that these incidents are heavily race-driven. 

Another situation is with the Syrian refugees. I see the same people that are against #blacklivesmatter, particularly those trying to back #alllivesmatter, are the same people that don't want to allow Syrian refugees into the US. This, to me, highlights the unwillingness of these particular people to learn and discern the social and cultural differences that drive human communication, and it's this unwillingness that keeps them from being pragmatic in the way they approach and decide to argue against incidents like these. 

Chapter 12: Communication Ethics Literacy and Difference

This chapter basically reiterates what has been talked about all semester long regarding communication ethics and the essence of learning from the Other. As defined in the textbook, communication ethics literacy "identifies the good in the interplay of self and Other and the particular historical movement, attending to what is protected and promoted" (210). It's easy to go into a conversation with an agenda that fits what you already believe in. This chapter and textbook as a whole has tried to shape the way we view conversing with another and finding out how we both can mutually benefit. We must take advantage of the Other and what they have to say because ultimately, it will lead to us having an open-mind, which will facilitate learning. That is the underlying goal, learning from the Other.

With people from different cultures and backgrounds, there's room for us to learn and that is why seeing other viewpoints is so imperative. It will help us grown individually and as a society. The book states, "we won't always agree with all ethical positions that we encounter nor should we" (209). I think this is where being open-minded has such a huge impact. It's our responsibility as a listener and a speaker to facilitate a meaningful conversation. Even if it's not on something we're passionate about or see eye-to-eye with someone, we still need to be respectful and find ways to learn from the Other. Communication ethics is prevalent everywhere. It goes unnoticed, but it has such a key impact on our society.

communications ethics and literacy

Communications ethics and literacy is about learning how to ethically communicate with the "Other" in this time of constant differences in opinion and ideas.  According to the book, it also seeks to address issues of "...religion, race gender and ethnicity" and how they have become a part of the question in dealing with communication literacy (pg 220).

Once we become aware of the cultural differences of the Other, we are better equipped to engage in an ethical exchange with them where learning can take place. For example, once I take the opportunity to learn from say, a transgender person, I at least know their individual perspective on being a trans person in the United States.  As such, it is less convenient for me to have stereotypes about them and people like them.  In that situation, I have used my communications literacy to avoid (for lack of a better term) "othering" them.  Because their otherness has been lessened, the two of us can more easily work together towards a common goal, for example, a civil rights issue.  I may, at that point, learn that a transgender woman and I have a lot more similar struggles regarding living in a female body than I had realized.

In this situation, the "other" and I have identified each other, used ethics to learn from each other, and have become more literate in the culture of another person, which means I have become a better person and future exchanges have become easier. Instead of just talking and looking at things from a theoretical perspective, the Other and I have taken a pragmatic, realistic approach in engaging in an ethical change.

Using a pragmatic approach gave us a learning opportunity and through learning we will have become more literate.

Chapter 12

In chapter 12 we are re-introduced to the underlying theme of the course text, communication ethics literacy and the difference of learning within dialogue. Two essential praxis of the chapter are pragmatism and crisis communication. The concept of being pragmatic is mentioned as "the need for practical engagement of ideas responsive to a particular historical moment" (p.210). While crisis communication is defined as "an increasingly relevant metaphor for today's postmodern moment of virtue contention; the unexpected emerges and requires discernment and action as we encounter differing particular 'goods' in the public domain" (p.210). Both pragmatism and crisis communication are involved in the navigation of difference among those of different backgrounds, cultures, and religions. We must be responsive to historical events, while accounting for the differences among the variety of people that can be involved. These two concepts are instrumental in global interaction and have become increasingly relevant to events of the last few years.

Many violent crises have occurred recently, including terrorist attacks and mass shootings/killings. These events can cause mass uproar, where opinions and ideas are expressed from a plethora of outlets, such as the mass media, or even social media. Awful tragedies like these start dialogue where suggestions are made to prevent future happenings such as these. Although some people may use these tragedies to fuel their political agendas. For example, the killings in Paris were used to express ideas on gun control/gun ownership. I also saw people use this horrible event to express their hate for the religion of Islam, even though an extremist group committed the violence. In these situations, we must be pragmatic, and ensure that dialogue is conducted with respect and sensibility in order to move toward the changes necessary. Communications within a crisis can be difficult with the mass amount of difference among groups of people, but it is imperative that it is handled with ultimate practicality.

Chapter 12

In chapter 12, the authors clearly state a the intent of the chapter that also captures the essence of the book. They say, "This chapter centers communication ethics on the good of learning as the constructive pragmatic response to an era defined by difference" (210). The ideas of the good, learning, and difference have been themes throughout the book and it seems only fitting to tie it all back together in the final chapter. Since we live in a time so filled with difference of background, ways of live, opinions, and more, it is important to remember how crucial the concept of learning really is. To have an open mind when faced with a viewpoint other than your own, can be difficult, but is very important. 
This particular historical moment we are living in is filled with a lot of bad. When you turn on the news you see reports of another attack somewhere, or unwarranted violence. It can be easy to think there are no solutions and lose hope. However, in moments of sadness and defeat we sometimes have to be able to pick our heads up and open a dialogue to look for answers. Once the conversation has begun we have to truly listen to each other and especially to those with different ideas so that we can come up with a good solution. Politics have turned a lot of issues into left versus right with no room for negotiation and from what I have read and heard it wasn't always like that. There were times when working together and having overlapping or similar views on topics was not out of the question and it would be interesting to me to see that happen again. Learning from difference doesn't mean being completely shut off to any thought that differs from yours. In this moment, it is more important than ever to think about that and apply it to not only everyday life, but also to greater issues facing our country and our world.