“The public arena lives and prospers when public space for conversation, not one’s own opinion, is the ultimate good” (Arnett, Fritz, & Bell, 2009, p. 103).
Diversity is important to address in our everyday lives. The variety of ideas and interpretations present serve as an opportunity for all of us to be lifelong learners. Being able to comprehend and acknowledge stances outside of our own can enhance the way we communicate with each other. Issues can arise when an individual thinks that it’s “their way or the highway,” blocking out the possibility of other viewpoints.
I recently read an article about the Mega Millions jackpot winner who has still not come forward in South Carolina. Shortly afterwards, I took a look at the comments. Once I got past the ones about money-making scams, I was able to analyze the others.
Readers were mostly concerned with the good of the winner, hoping that he/she has not come forward yet due to consultation with attorneys and accountants. It was nice to see that there was a consensus on this matter. There was a bit of backlash towards the writer because some did not consider this “news.” They believed that the identity of the winner is not important and should not even be something to report.
From a simple post such as this one, it is easy to see that everyone had something unique to contribute to the discussion about this article. While some focused on the winner, others brought up the sincerity of the store owner where the ticket was sold. They spoke about his generosity in sharing his proceeds with his employees.
Of course, there were some missing voices here – the most obvious being the winner, who is not able to speak for himself in this situation. Maybe he/she is having internal conflict about the differentiation between public and private space. How public should they be in coming forward? Who should they share this news with? Who can be trusted? There is so much to think about when a life-changing event happens.
Arnett, R. C., Fritz, J. M. H. & Bell, L. M. (2009). Communication ethics literacy: Dialogue and difference. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Winner of $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot has not claimed prize
Tierra Thomas 