The Associated Press reported on June 23 that Obama uses the N word in remarks on racism.
A white teacher at a public school reported in a letter to the editor in the July 13 edition of The Tribune Review that his black students tell him: I (he) can say it; you can’t.
I am totally uninterested in entering the debate over racism. However, I am interested in initiating a debate over the ethics of the situation.
I co-wrote a book with Bill O’Rourke, The Power of Ethics, in which we posit that the cause of unethical behavior is arrogance– the insolence and snobbery that places one person above others. Didn’t the black student exhibit just that with his statement about getting away with an offensive word? Didn’t Obama? Aren’t they exhibiting unethical behavior?
I witnessed arrogance several times in my career as a writer for businesses, and each time I was struck speechless, a painful admission for a writer. I was working with a marketing manager at a huge steel company to publicize a new, totally unrelated business: lending money to others to lease equipment and buildings. When I asked why anybody would want to borrow from the company, thinking naively that the answer might be lower interest rates or a willingness to take greater risks, I was told: ‘We’re xxx Steel company, and that should be enough.’ I wrote a few meaningless buzz words, and was told that I was brilliant. The leasing business soon folded, and, perhaps not surprisingly given this arrogant mindset, the company is losing money and, some say, is headed for bankruptcy Let’s hope that a new leader will bring enlightenment and humility.
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Photo via: WSJ
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