The Inarticulate The Role Intercultural Communication Plays In Communication Ethics Literacy

Communication Ethics Literacy The postmodern historical moment that we are currently living in is a

juncture in human history that challenges the assumption that there is only one form of reasoning and one understanding of the right and good (Arnett, R., Harden Fritz, J., & Bell, L., 2009, p. 13).

This era is highlighted by the continuing trend toward globalization and interconnectedness; and may be described through terms such as pluralism, multiculturalism, difference and diversity.

Communication ethics literacy does not require one to agree with the notions held by the Other (or persuade the Other to change their worldview) so that there is one universal good; but it does require one to endeavor to understand the position of the Other for the purpose of intellectual dialogue that will allow us to harmoniously co-exist in a postmodern era of difference (Arnett, Harden Fritz, & Bell, 2009, p. 20).

Communication Ethics Literacy The objective of this presentation is to analyze the film

Glory (Zwick & Fields, 1989) for specific communicative acts and exchanges that demonstrate and support the notion that communication ethics is the key to successfully navigating in this contemporary period of time through the practice of understanding and learning that leads to deliberate dialogue by both a dominant group and minority group so that dialogic communication may be achieved.

The story takes place during the Civil War and depicts the first organized unit of the U.S. Army to be entirely comprised of Black men (mostly “runaway” slaves).

Communication Ethics Literacy Specific scenes from the movie will be examined to

illustrate communication ethics practices or violations as defined by the concepts of : The inarticulate Personal narratives Emergent ideas

I am looking to determine whether the film provides “equipment for living” so that a viewer may make choices in future communicative acts and exchanges that promote and protect the good of embracing difference that allows for harmonious co-existence between diverse groups in this postmodern era.

Literature Review There is an abundance of scholarly material available that

examines particular concepts that individually contribute to the defining principles of communication ethics.

Kenneth Burke posited that literature provides readers with “equipment for living” (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 358) by outlining options for behavior depicted within the narrative that can be exercised to make good decisions relevant to everyday interactions.

Burke’s view explains that audiences may be self-aware in making connections between the meanings depicted in the book and everyday experiences; or rather, there exists the possibility of conscious effort by the communicator to find synergy between the art form and personal situations (Young, 2000, p. 448).

Literature Review The investigation into what viewers think their interpretations mean

and what they see as the implications of any resulting actions in the world remains a neglected area of study (Young, 2008).

Stuart Hall (1990) suggests that “the media construct for us a definition of what race is, what the imagery of race carries, and what the ‘problem’ of race is understood to be,” by unceasingly drawing the imaginary distinctions and relations between subordination and domination, and normalizing racial superiority and inferiority.

Spitzberg and Cupach (1984), as well as Ladegaard (2011) and Sharifian and Jamarani (2009) all agree that a competent communicator is able to engage and manipulate the social environment to accomplish goals because of an awareness to exhibit behavior that is both expected, and accepted in any given interaction.

Literature Review What is considered effective or appropriate is likely to differ from

culture to culture and may not successfully parallel with a predominant group’s definition of those attributes.

Thompson (2009), Arnett (2008), Leeman (2011), and Shuman (2006) all agree that narratives, those stories about the way the world is or should be that act as a guiding voice for people’s lives, can act as a stabilizing or destabilizing factor when a true attempt is made to understand and learn from the narratives of Others.

The narratives of Others contains an element of the communication ethics concept referred to as the Inarticulate, or that which cannot be described in words so that it is understood by people navigating outside of a particular culture.

Literature Review

Sharifian and Jamarani (2011) study a literal example of the Inarticulate in their research through the exploration of the Persian cultural pragmatic schema of sharmandegi (being ashamed).

Members of the culture use sharmandegi to express gratitude, offer goods and services, and to apologize.

English speakers not familiar with the culture do not understand its intent and communicative exchanges are misinterpreted and do not make logical sense to the ear.

Literature Review Scholars concur that understanding and learning leads to

dialogic communication and emergent ideas that make a predominant group aware of inequalities in power structures related to intercultural communication that: Leads to erroneous representation of marginalized groups Simultaneously repeats the position of superiority of a

predominant group.

Linking the ideas of “equipment for living” and communication ethics theories is Bakhtin’s Theory of Dialogics.

It aligns well with Burke’s hypothesis because it confirms the notion that the audience faces a relentless barrage of personal decisions that ultimately affect everyday life.

Literature Review The obstacles that an individual faces in daily life are constant, resulting

in an endless presence of disorder (cited in Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 238). Bakhtin suggests the world is in constant flux and, as such, all interactions undertaken to address the continuous change will influence the future (p. 239).

This supports Burke’s hypotheses because it aligns with the notion that literature poses a set of problems and suggests resolutions to them.

Film offers “equipment for living” by offering a variety of options regarding everyday communicative acts and exchanges in a manner that demonstrates that the “right” choice may lead to dialogic communication between a predominant group and a minority group, as well as between members of the same group, through the foundational communication ethics principles of understanding, learning, and intelligent dialogue.

Literature Review The literature provides robust studies and insight into power structures,

cultural phenomenon, and individual truths that serve as the background for the protection and promotion of particular goods that are either shared or divergent from the goods of Others.

The research does not address the idea that a group is comprised of individuals and, as such, there exists diversity in the goods that are promoted and protected among its members in the same fashion that it is present in relation to Others.

Analyzing Glory is an opportunity to further explore widely studied communication concepts that focus on effective communication ethics practices between a predominant group and a marginalized group while examining how a specific group with a large number of shared goods can use the same concepts to understand and learn about the differences among them for the purpose of intelligent dialogue and emergent ideas.

Intercultural Communication Ethics

Intercultural communication ethics protects and promotes the “goods” of a particular culture that ultimately shape the multiple “truths” of individuals and communities (Arnett, R., Harden Fritz, J., & Bell, L., 2009, p. 155).

An understanding of Others leads to learning and intelligent dialogue that is key to achieving communication ethics literacy in the postmodern era; and begins with the acknowledgement that particular standpoints are largely structured by culture.

Intercultural communication ethics begins before any communicative exchange because it predetermines those notions that will be considered shared “goods” and those that will be deemed as differences .

Methodology

Narrative communication ethics assumes that communication ethics begins with persons’ lives guided by stories about the way the world is or should be, thereby protecting and promoting the good residing within a particular narrative.

The goods manifested in a narrative structure also present the opportunity for one to evaluate one’s life as well as the lives of Others because they often display ideas that many cultures believe are “right” and “good”.

Aligning with the notion that our current historical moment acknowledges and embraces difference rather than one universal good, multiple and competing narratives exist that serve to frame a particular good and holds implications for action and evaluation of that action.

Narrative communication ethics offers the possibility of seeking temporal agreement on minimalist values protected and promoted by more than one story that will permit us to function together in the midst of our diversity (Arnett et al., p. 45, 53-54).

Methodology

The inarticulate is defined as goods that cannot be defined or pinpointed with precision, but shape and nurture a culture’s communicative life and practices (Arnett, R., Harden Fritz, J., & Bell, L., 2009, p. 156).

We experience the inarticulate when we cannot find words to describe our experiences to others and often governs the movement from book knowledge to genuine participation (Arnett, et. al., 2009, p. 157 & 166).

The inarticulate provides the background for what is “good” and “right” and provides a guiding voice that speaks loudly without the clarity of voice (Arnett, et. al., 2009, p. 167).

Dialogic communication ethics “acknowledges communication ethics as attentive to the emergent, is not owned by either party in the conversation, and responsive to multiple goods that give rise to and emerge in ongoing conversations, protecting and promoting the good of learning rather than that of the particular”(45).

Data

Shaw vs. the Quartermaster

Tear It Up

Rawlins Confronts Trip

Shaw & Trip Fall Together

Analysis

Shaw and the quartermaster share the privilege of belonging to a predominant group but their divergent notions of what should be protected and promoted as good are driven by their individual narratives.

Shaw’s familial background, coupled with the realization that he flogged Trip as a slave master would do (and in error, at that), has guided his decision to confront the quartermaster to demand basic necessities for his troops.

Conversely, the quartermaster subscribes to the popular universal good of the time that Black men are inferior, and protects and promotes that by withholding items that any man, White or Black, would need to efficiently operate in a developed society. The

The divergent goods between Shaw and the quartermaster further support the notion that difference exists between members of the same group. Not only are the men part of the same predominant group, they wear the same uniform and are purportedly fighting for the same political and social cause.

Analysis

Shaw and the quartermaster share the privilege of belonging to a predominant group but their divergent notions of what should be protected and promoted as good are driven by their individual narratives.

Shaw understands the discriminatory nature of not paying Black soldiers the same wage as White soldiers, but is resigned to the idea that he will have to voice his complaints through the proper channels at a later date.

His idea of what is “right” and “good” is driven by the military’s strong enforcement that members of its group must follow orders as they are given. However, Trip does not share Shaw’s good that orders should be followed. His personal narrative causes him to draw a parallel between the reduced pay and slavery, and drives him to immediately voice his outrage in the same rebellious manner he bucked the institution of slavery.

Analysis

Trip explains the “ought” of the situation; the outright disregard for their lives by offering them less pay, instigating Shaw and the other soldiers to the emergent idea that protest by a predominant group and a marginalized group can be immediate and unifying. In this sense, all the soldiers changed their personal narratives and were driven to action by the emergent goods of equality and fairness.

In the same way, Trip demonstrates the concept of the emergent when he picks up the flag and continues forward after the initial color bearer is killed.

He illustrates the idea that understanding, learning, and engaging in respectful, intelligent dialogue can lead to a change in thought as to the goods that should be protected and promoted.

Analysis

Trip explains the “ought” of the situation; the outright disregard for their lives by offering them less pay, instigating Shaw and the other soldiers to the emergent idea that protest by a predominant group and a marginalized group can be immediate and unifying. In this sense, all the soldiers changed their personal narratives and were driven to action by the emergent goods of equality and fairness.

Trip’s narrative change demonstrates the idea of communication ethics because he accepts the difference of Others and acknowledges that they have shared goods after all. This is poignantly depicted by the unity exhibited by the predominant group and the marginalized group as they work together in the effort to achieve the common goal of defeating the Confederate soldiers.

Analysis

The concept of the inarticulate is illustrated when Rawlins reprimands Trip for his obtuse behavior toward members of his unit, and Sharts in particular. There is no specific scene where explanatory dialogue is presented to detail the revulsion of slavery.

The scars revealed on Trip’s back when he is rendered shirtless in preparation for his flogging, coupled with his brief introduction in the tent, make clear that Trip is an angry man with physical and emotional scars that propel him to lash out at those within his group.

Sharts becomes the target of his ire because Trip perceives him as not having experienced the sting of the institution of slavery as deeply as the other Black men in the regiment.

Rawlins and his Black comrades understand whatever “it” is that causes Trip to behave inappropriately and expertly analyzes Trip’s narrative without benefit of being explicitly told his personal story because of the inarticulate factors of the culture that contribute to the narratives that drive one to act.

Analysis Glory (Zwick & Fields, 1989) provides specific examples of the shift from

previous historical moments that protected and promoted the notion that members of society should hold one idea of what is right and good to the contemporary era’s acceptance of differences amongst people.

The story takes place during a historical moment that subscribed to the universal thought that White people are superior to Blacks and illustrates the idea that communication ethics has been practiced across cultures before it became widely acceptable to embrace diversity.

Viewers can immediately understand that the time period in which the story is depicted will outline inequalities in power structures based upon race but expect to learn how the White officers and Black soldiers put their differences aside in order to perform as one unit for the accomplishment of the same goal.

The story lies in how diverse soldiers engage in communicative acts and exchanges that support their shared notion of what is right and good while simultaneously accepting differences that are driven by personal narratives and the inarticulate of their respective cultures.

Analysis

Glory (Zwick & Fields, 1989) provides specific examples of the shift from previous historical moments that protected and promoted the notion that members of society should hold one idea of what is right and good to the contemporary era’s acceptance of differences amongst people.

An audience member subscribing to Bahktin’s Theory of Dialogics which posits that life is chaotic and will always present problems for individual resolution is encouraged by the ability of the characters to practice communication ethics in a time that opposed such beliefs and can use the same tools of understanding, learning, and intelligent dialogue presented in the movie to make future communicative decisions that allow one to more efficiently navigate in a historical moment that seems to more fully embrace the acceptance of diversity.

Analysis

There indeed exists diversity between a predominant group and a marginalized group, but because individuals have personal narratives that guide their lives and provide individual notions of what should be promoted as right and good, diversity is also found within a particular group.

The practice of understanding, learning, and intelligent dialogue is not simply relegated to those that hold multiple differences from Others, but also applies to those that share numerous goods as a result of being part of the same culture.

Similarly, the inarticulate of a specific culture contributes to individual narratives but acts as the “background” story for each member of the group so that even those within it that do not necessarily subscribe to the protection and promotion of that person’s goods can still understand why that individual believes their worldview is right.

Analysis

There indeed exists diversity between a predominant group and a marginalized group, but because individuals have personal narratives that guide their lives and provide individual notions of what should be promoted as right and good, diversity is also found within a particular group.

This seems to only be the case for marginalized groups. Members of a predominant group are often unaware of the benefit of their privilege and question divergence that is present within it because it is viewed as the exception to the norm of that culture rather than as an expression of the inarticulate of the group.

Dialogic communication can only occur if communication ethics is practiced by all parties participating in a communicative act and/or exchange.

Analysis

There indeed exists diversity between a predominant group and a marginalized group, but because individuals have personal narratives that guide their lives and provide individual notions of what should be promoted as right and good, diversity is also found within a particular group.

Even a minimal effort to understand Others can lead to learning and intelligent dialogue that doesn’t necessarily result in agreement between the parties, but at least contributes to a fresh perspective not previously considered that can eventually lead to an appreciation of the inarticulate aspects of a culture that may drive genuine participation and an increase of shared goods between and within diverse groups.

Conclusion

Glory (Zwick, & Fields, 1989) provides “equipment for living” to those that interpret

contexts within the film as parallel to communicative situations within their own life,

thereby offering options for making right choices that will allow for dialogic

communication for the purpose of accepting and embracing the differences of Others

without necessarily agreeing with their notion of what is right and good.

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