Chapter 2 looked to give us a definition for communication ethics. Throughout the chapter many different ways to look at communication ethics were introduced including the philosophical aspect, but the one that stuck out the most to me was the concept of the narrative. The book describes a narrative as "the ground that offers a sense of voice or articulateness to a good or set of goods... (Arnett, pg. 38). The concept of the narrative is an interesting one because it can help explain why people see the world in a different way.
One of the most apparent narratives in today's culture is politics. I have friends who have different political views than I have, occasionally, we will have discussions about political topics and it is obvious that we have a different approach. Both of us have a common goal, in terms of politics I would hope that is to make America the best it can be, but because of the different ground work we have different approaches as to how to get there. By understanding the narrative by which my friends live their life, I can better understand why they do certain things, especially those that differ from what I would do.
This whole concept of a narrative reminds me of the multiple goods which we discussed in chapter 1. These different goods, whether it be political affiliation, or religion, or any other good can help us understand why people in other cultures do the things that they do. They can also help us grow in our own narrative, by taking in new ideas.
I would definitely agree that they're many different types of narratives out there and that many different types of narratives can have the same intention just different ideas on how to get there. I liked what you discussed in your political example, where people can have different political philosophies while having the same intention of creating a better America. I think this example can relate to all areas of life because they're so many different types of narratives. Upon growing in our own narrative, we are able to better communicate our narrative with others.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to first understand the narratives you are apart of and why you fit into those narratives before making assumptions about other peoples narratives. First of all, a lot of times our narratives are built through life experience's, race, sex, class and your family. Each narrative has specific types of rhetoric that pull you into that category. For example, part of my narrative is that I am a woman and as a woman I follow certain qualifications that categorize me as a female. In addition, there are a specific types of rhetoric that have taught me how to be recognized as a woman. Each narrative has certain agreements that hold that narrative together and these agreements are characteristic's that qualify an individiaul as someone who is or isn't apart of a specific narrative. Moreover, a popular characteristic of women is that they shave their legs where as most males don't. This characteristic is an agreement that is known in the narrative of the female community. Thus, the female community utilizes the rhetoric of being cleanly and practicing good hygiene to enforce this aspect of the narrative. Hence, the reason as to why a lot of woman shave. In all, understanding the narratives you are apart of can assist individuals in remaining authentic and respecting other peoples narratives-prohibiting less conflict.