i copied and pasted your dialogue into my blog, is that ok? I have an idea it might be usable in teaching in a few weeks... http://www.stephaniejokent.com/blog/archives/001764.html On Oct 22, 2005, at 3:02 PM, air-l-request@listserv.aoir.org wrote:
Message: 2 Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 11:51:49 -0400 From: Radhika Gajjala <radhika@cyberdiva.org> Subject: Re: [Air-l] suggestions? To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Message-ID: <a0611047dbf800e8269a8@[192.168.1.100]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
Charles - I'm sorry it took so long for me to reply to this one.
To demonstrate that my background is in philosophy, not communication studies (for better and for worse)..
the issue you raise is not necessarily limited the discipline of "communication studies"
.
My my applied ethics class, we're reading an essay by Robinson A. Grover, "the New State of Nature and the New Terrorism," which argues that new media and globalization have brought about a new version of Hobbes' war of each against all, etc.
hmmm
I attempted to buttress some of Grover's claims with the work of Cass Sunstein, his notion of "The Daily Me," etc.
This inspired one of my students to ask: are there studies, etc., that suggest that the new media, by giving us greater communication with "the Other" works to make us _less_ fearful of the Other, and thus, under some circumstances at least, _more_ likely to engage in aggressive behaviors, including warfare?
my first response to this was - is this for real? Hasnt this person seen Television and Film portrayal of some "Others" all his/her life and seen how that can as effectively work towards building up fear and paranoia?
My general response is - depends on who's producing this "Other" and what context this "Other" is being permitted to speak/represent hirself - and what code of (contextual) behaviour and hierarchies this representation of the Other is placed.
In other words - yes - in a state of ignorance what your students suggests is likely to be true - but the media dont necessary help us not be ignorant ...
As for citations - I know postcolonial media theorists, critical race theorists and critical media theorists etc have written about this sort of thing.
That is, his thought is that in a state of ignorance of the Other, one is more likely to assume the worst - the Other is bigger, more powerful, etc., so I'd better stay home. But once I see the Other on TV, the Internet, etc., I discover that this is not so...
I thought it a worthwhile question - citations and suggestions?
thanks in advance,
Charles Ess
Distinguished Research Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies Drury University 900 N. Benton Ave. Voice: 417-873-7230 Springfield, MO 65802 USA FAX: 417-873-7435 Home page: http://www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html
Co-chair, CATaC'06: http://www.catacconference.org Co-chair, ECAP'06: http://www.eu-cap.org
Professor II, Globalization and Applied Ethics Programmes Norwegian University of Science and Technology NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway http://www.anvendtetikk.ntnu.no/pres/bridgingcultures.php
Exemplary persons seek harmony, not sameness. -- Analects 13.23
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