Ethical Considerations
The previous discussions in this chapter have focused on problems that can arise in
an intercultural situation and issues that can impede communication between people
of different cultures. At this point, we feel the need to examine some of the ethical
issues that can arise in intercultural scenarios. As an introduction to ethics, we offer a
series of contentions:
- Only God should decide when it is time to die.
- Assisted suicide should be made legal.
- Racial profiling is necessary and justified.
- Racial profiling violates the individual’s personal freedom.
- Women have the right to control their reproductive behaviors.
- Artificial birth control is wrong.
- School prayer is just exercising freedom of religion.
- School prayer violates the concept of separation of church and state.
Deciding how you feel about these propositions involves making judgments that
contain ethical implications and considering what is right or wrong, proper or
improper, good or bad. The propositions may also require that you think about them
in a global sense and decide if what is appropriate for your society is suitable for the
global society as a whole. Ethics can be seen as a reflection of convictions that are
rooted in culture. As a set of principles, ethics also provide guidelines that influence
your manner of communicating with other people. Ethics, therefore, helps you deter-
mine what you ought to do, how you ought to act, and how you should interact with
people.
Ethics in Communication
A basic concept of this text is that communication is an instrument that can be used
for an infinite number of purposes—sell a car, run for public office, teach children,
obtain directions, make friends, persuade others to believe your views, express feel-
ings, etc. Communication always has an impact, good or bad, desirable or undesirable,
significant or insignificant, intended or unintended. Something happens when you
send someone a message. Your words can change behavior, attitudes, beliefs, percep-
tions, moods, and even a person’s sense of
self. While the change may be immediate
or delayed, public or private, short term or
long term, when you communicate, you
produce changes. This very fact speaks of
the ethical component associated with
intercultural communication.
Most cultures recognize the ethical
dimension of communication on both a
legal and an interpersonal level. In the United States, for instance, the legal aspects
of communication are manifested in laws governing libel, slander, truth in advertising,
and political campaign practices. Although most of your communication contexts are
beyond the realm of legal control, you still need to consider the effects of your actions
REMEMBER THIS
Ethics is a tool that you may use when making difficult moral
choices. These choices often involve the balancing of compet-
ing rights when there does not appear to be one“correct”
answer.
400 CHAPTER 11• The Challenges of Intercultural Communication: Managing Differences
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