Communication Ethics- BeeJay Chapman

Section four of Cooper's book A TIME BEFORE DECEPTION entitled "Communication Ethics" begins by defining "custom" and "ethics" seperately. Ethics are defined as "standards of moral conduct" and "way of life" while custom is defined as 'traditional convention enforced by social approval/ disapproval." The intro. goes on to say that "COmmunication ethics refers to that subset of rules that is moral in nature, while communication law refers to that subset of rules that's physically enforced by community authority."

Basically, the "rules of communication" differ with culture, from tribe to tribe. For example, a rule held important by Ubangi children is never to shout in somebody's ear. By incorperating this rule of ethics, the Ubangi people are taught at a young age the ethic of "passion and respect." Some tribes emphasize not turning your back on somebody while other tribes emphasize turning your back while eating.

The bottom line seems to be that people differ, and the respect of these differences is both crucial and interesting.