Page 131 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

98 Part 1 Foundations

Advertisers frequently use men and women as sex symbols to promote smoking, even though the practice is both
exploitive and unethical.

do so by a charismatic communicator. Just as the judges at the Nuremberg trials
following World War II concluded that “following orders” was not an excuse for
war crimes, audience members cannot excuse their unethical behavior on the
grounds that they were complying with a speaker’s request.

Stay Informed

A third guideline, which logically follows from the fi rst two, is that listeners are
responsible for keeping themselves informed on issues of the day. People who
are uninformed about important topics and vital issues are easy prey for propa-
gandists. History is replete with examples of people who have tried to attribute
unethical behavior to ignorance, real or imagined. They range from the people
who said they didn’t know the Nazis were sending millions of Jews to their death
during World War II to the tobacco company executives who claimed tobacco
was not addictive. Simply put, ignorance is no excuse for unethical behavior. As
a result, we ask our own students to at least think about making a commitment
to do the following:
• Read a newspaper daily, preferably one published in a major metropolitan
area.
• Read a weekly newsmagazine.
• Read a publication at least once a month that holds a political view
contrary to their own.