Different Questions About Communication

¶ … rhetorical strategies when appealing to their audience, McCarthy hearkens far more to an emotional appeal building on fear and mistrust. Murrow recognizes McCarthy's logical fallacies and appeals more to logic than to emotion. He notes, for example, "we must not accuse dissent with disloyalty," and that due process of law is the only honorable means of addressing some of the issues McCarthy is concerned with.

McCarthy works to incite fear in his audience because of the prevailing sentiment against communism, whereas Murrow appeals to the rationality of remaining true to constitutional values and the foundational values of America. The Government in the Sunshine Act was designed to promote transparency. It sets out specific provisions for the carrying out of agency meetings and other events, mandating that the public should be made aware of meetings and proceedings.

The Act, and others like it, are designed to prevent government agencies and committees from finding loopholes in pre-existing laws that would enable them to proceed in government matters in secrecy. In the Legally Blonde clip, the chairperson attempted to silence Elle Woods instead of allowing her to speak. Woods used a technique similar to that of a filibuster, in which speaking on its own can become a powerful tool for diverting attention. I would not do anything differently, as her testimony proved highly effective in the end.

Unit 4 Discussion: Gandhi's policies, although widely revered as being the benchmark for nonviolent protest, have not been universally loved and admired. His adamant ousting of the British did lead to partition, in which the subcontinent was divided artificially along the lines determined by the British. Those lines resulted in the creation of India and Pakistan, leaving the disputed regions in Kashmir undefined politically. It is difficult to determine what exactly Gandhi's alternatives were, or those of the British.

On the one hand, Gandhi was correct in ousting the British rapidly, because the colonial government had become entrenched and was systematically preventing self-rule and autonomy. On the other hand, Gandhi worked with a sizable base that supported his vision for India. Those who might have benefitted from a continuation of the Raj did not enjoy the fruits of Gandhi's political activism as much as his primary constituency.

Unit 2 Discussion 2: Managing a diverse group of employees is difficult in any scenario, but age diversity is often given less press than cultural or gender diversity. Managing a diverse age group of employees presents particular problems, including those related to power and status seeking. Persons in older age brackets may resent having younger supervisors and perceive the younger supervisors as being unworthy of their status.

Attitudes towards people of an older age bracket may also be prejudicial, as young members of the group might mistakenly believe that the older persons are out of touch. On the other hand, young members might realize that their older counterparts have a lot to offer and vice-versa. Diversity can increase job satisfaction because it introduces each member of the team to different points-of-view, and offers the means by which everyone can feel supported.

Unit 3 Discussion 2: Rescue and fire fighter employees keep their emotions balanced in a number of different ways, including relaxation exercises.