Speaking ethically 4.3 57
Among other things, Morgan Spurlock joked about the intelligence
of McDonald’s employees and teachers smoking pot while he was speak-
ing at Hatboro-Horsham High School.
Spurlock, 35, told The Philadelphia Inquirer in a telephone interview
that he “didn’t think of the audience” and could have chosen his words
better.^18Being audience-centered requires that you become as aware as possible of other
people’s feelings, needs, interests, and backgrounds. Spurlock clearly violated
this ethical principal in his remarks.
Sometimes called accommodation, sensitivity to differences does not mean
that speakers must abandon their own convictions or pander to those of their au-
dience members. It does mean that speakers should demonstrate a willingness
to listen to opposing viewpoints and learn about different beliefs and values.
Such willingness not only communicates respect; it can also help a speaker to se-
lect a topic, formulate a purpose, and design strategies to motivate an audience.
DePaul University communication professor Kathy Fitzpatrick notes, “Our
success in public diplomacy will turn on our ability to speak in ways that rec-
ognize and appreciate how [our audiences] will interpret our messages.”^19 For
example, a Russian citizen recently pointed out a cultural contrast to your au-
thors, “Americans are always planning what they are going to do several years
in the future. In Russia, we do not plan beyond two or three weeks. Life is too
uncertain here.” Having gained this insight into Russian life, we know now that
it would raise false hopes or be dismissed as irrelevant if we were to attempt to
motivate Russian audiences with promises of benefits far in the future. Speak-
ing of immediate, deliverable rewards is a more realistic and ethical approach to
communication with our Russian friends.
A speaker who is sensitive to differences also avoids language that might
be interpreted as being in any way biased or offensive. Although it might seem
simple and a matter of common sense to avoid overtly abusive language, it is
not so easy to avoid language that discriminates more subtly. In Chapter 12, we
look at specific words and phrases that can be unintentionally offensive and that
ethical speakers should avoid.
Be Honest
In January 1998, President Bill Clinton’s finger-wagging declaration that “I did
not have sexual relations with that woman—Miss Lewinsky” was a serious
breach of ethics that came back to haunt him. Many Americans were willing to
forgive the inappropriate relationship; fewer could forgive the dishonesty.
In 2003, President George W. Bush and members of his staff accepted respon-
sibility for having told the public that Iraq was getting nuclear fuel from Africa,
even after intelligence reports several months earlier had discredited the claim.^20
And in 2012, Susan Rice, then U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, lost
her chance to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state when she