In response to the CC mass shootings, President Obama attempted to prompt an exigency to media outlets concerning statistics on gun violence vs. deaths from terrorism. He seems to frame the Communication Ethics concern as dialogue ethics as he requests media outlets to provide evidence...
I found his speech rather thought provoking. The exigency that he illustrates to the media is a call to a bigger issue than the tragedy itself.
ReplyDeleteHe is trying to get a dialogue going among the American people that sparks action in the direction of gun control regulations. Due to this clear intent I feel that it takes away from being Dialogic ethics. There is no ability for the unexpected to happen when the intention of the conversation is directly that of the statistics between gun violence vs. deaths from terrorism. The conversation is entered into and will come out with the results intended from that conversation or dialogue.
I feel that with his challenge to the media to provide the data and evidence about gun violence vs. deaths from terrorism he is trying to utilize Universal-humanitartian communication ethics. He assumes that because the polls show that even the "responsible" gun owners know that there is a need for regulations regarding how to obtain weapons, that with the evidence we will be able to discern what is right through a rational process. He says that it is common sense on multiple occasions and due to the diversity of the populous that he is addressing I have to assume that he makes this statement based on the commonality that above all else we as a nation have an obligation to the human community. That this issue ties us all on a level that is greater then our common sense we find as Republicans, Democrats, or Independents; and as gun owners or opposers. No matter where we affiliate ourselves he speaks to the common sense that "refers to decision making that seeks to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people". (Arnett, 48)
Will this open our eyes as a nation to be able to put aside our differences of opinions and work towards moderate regulations, as he requests, to protect a universal humanitarian good?