COMM 614 Refl 4

8/7/2019 COMM 614 Refl 4

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Liz Horgan - Reflection for Chapter #4 Communication Ethics Literacy

! Common sense, or “theory in the eye(s) of the beholder” as our textbook titled

the chapter, is a commonly understood belief, an assumption of how the world is and

works. Postmodernity suggests that there is no common sense, only many uncommon

ways of believing. The many interpretations of “good”, of common sense, are affected

by individual experiences and grounded in time and place. The danger and conflict that

we see played out daily, in our lives, in the news, in fiction and film, comes from one

group assuming that their “common” sense is universally correct.

! In the film, “The Constant Gardener” (2005) starring Ralph Fiennes as Justin

(aka the avid gardener) and Rachel Weisz as Tessa (his wife) are faced with different

“goods”, different “common sense” which ends up tearing them apart. They are

stationed in Africa, and Tessa ends up uncovering a secret where a big pharmaceutical

company is doing illegal drug testing on the unsuspecting and powerless poor who are

already infected with HIV. Tessa is an activist and has a common sense that all life is

valuable. She investigates and, pregnant, is found daily in the slums helping the

disadvantaged. She feels compelled to stop the drug company from taking advantage

of the poor, sick and disenfranchised. Her husband Justin, is a low-level, seemingly

meek diplomat whose passion is plants instead of people. He tells Tessa that they canʼt

involve themselves in the lives of millions, and urges her to be reasonable as he puts

her health and that of their unborn child first. When Justin and Tessa discovered their

“common sense” was not universal (in this case not shared by the other), they withdrew

their conflicting values/ideas from their relationship dialog and did not seek to learn of

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and from the other. Outside influences reinforce their individual perceptions, and when

Tessa loses the baby and the diplomatic corps pressures Justin to rein in his outspoken

wife, their communication shuts down completely. Neither Justin nor Tessa talk to each

other about what is going on, silent on the issues that are most powerful for each of

them. This unwillingness to tackle their differences led to terrible outcomes. Their

relationship falters, and misunderstandings blossom. When Tessa is murdered, Justin

sets out to discover what happened, and only then finds Tessaʼs truths that she hid from

him (because she loved him and didnʼt want to get him into trouble or upset him). Tessa

hid her truth for what I believe she felt were “right” reasons, yet the damage this did was

catastrophic.

! I think if Justin and Tessa had talked, if they had dialog and a sharing and

learning of the otherʼs point of view, the outcome might have been different. The

assumptions each character made, though well intentioned, clouded the situation!and

precluded any sort of learning about the differences; learning was actively avoided.

What does it take to be open to listening, to put effort into dialog and learning, to try to

find a way to live together with differences in personal “common sense”?

! I believe motivation is an important factor. The motivation to dialog, to open up

and learn about the “common sense” of others. But motivation is hard to come by, just

look at all of the failed diets and people who have quit smoking a dozen times. Practice

helps, especially because it is through practice habits are formed and changes are

made. One idea is that motivation can come out of a crisis; for example, shifts in the

regular environment shake up normalcy and pacivity and put people in a need-to-know-

more place, which is conducive to learning. The challenge is to find the motivation to be

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active in learning and consensus building, to accept different “common senses” and to

be willing to discuss differences respectfully with intention on a regular basis. Is

awareness of this enough? Probably not, but it is a start.

! Because of the differences in group/individual definitions of “common” sense and

“common good”, agreement is unlikely, and consensus rare. Learning about other

positions and points of view, by open and respectful listening and dialog, is the best we

have today. It is important to find the motivation to have difficult conversations and the

address differences. Openness to otherʼs possibilities and a willingness to share

conflicting values and ideas is risky; however, not making the effort to learn from others,

as illustrated by this movie through Tessa and Justin, is even more risky.

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COMM 614 Refl 4