Spirituality is always a double-edged sword. Where there is good evil always lurks. Journalists have to be committed to counter it. Past experience shows that this is never easy. Nothing could be taken for granted. Should an American question the necessity of the Patriot Act? Some might say that by so doing an American is unpatriotic. They argue that America is at war. Does such an Act fit our present circumstances by having sweeping effects on our liberties?
TV viewers are bombarded with pictures and arguments for the battle of our minds. Viewers saw graphic footage of the war in Palestine between Israel and Hamas. On TV programs they witnessed rockets and bombing raids by Israel against Hezbollah. With a rising body count and destruction the nations of the world scrambled to make deals for peace.
Although a peace was brokered there have been violations of Lebanon's airspace by Israel. The Middle East continues as the 21st century's battleground for atrocities in the fight for democratic processes.
Western-Profit Motives
In an individualistic society of the West the profit motive is glorified. Advertising, situation comedies and even news stories and documentaries show the extent the major networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN go to make profits. Through scientific research techniques, gratuitous sex and violence between individuals are promoted to entice audiences to gain the type of ratings advertisers like. The core of the mass communications industry is a multi-billion-dollar-per-year enterprise. Print, the electronic media and the Internet especially the tabloids tend to pander to the lowest common denominator.
The messages in the media are worrisome. In many American companies profit motives are their main priority. Americans are entrusted with the responsibility to love and care for their various sectors as guardians. Reports of studies of environmentalists show that there are ever great concerns about the ozone layer, water and air pollutants, the chemicals used in our foods, the trees in our forests and the dwindling of our fish and animal populations. “We are not alone.” There has to be some realistic balance. What will be our legacy for our children? Are we going to be the cause of our own demise? Some prophets of doom feel so. We are blessed with the necessary tools to turn these doomsday scenarios around before it is too late. Are the mass media in cahoots with negative developments? After all they receive advertising dollars from some corporations that are seen as the culprits that are not doing enough.
The Eastern Approach
In the East “collectivism” is more emphasized. The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius recognized a hierarchal structure (Kipfer 2001). In the West everyone is thought of as being equal. In the 1800s this only referred to white males. This concept has radically changed over time. The Bible and the American constitution support the notion of equality of all persons.
With Confucius the harmony of all individuals in a society was stressed. Persons are viewed as different players of instruments like in an orchestra. Each person like an instrument would have a specific role. Confucius believed that it was in a citizen's interest to realize this. By so doing a citizen would understand his role in society.
In this “collectivist approach” competitiveness is not stressed. There is nothing that says, “Be first.” “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” “I can make it to the top.” It might say, “ Be the best you can in your team.” A worker would simply see himself as a team player whose motivations were shaped by the group. This “group think” mentality is largely responsible for the success of the Japanese automobile industry and their other technological fields.
Generally speaking, Chinese citizens whose lives depend on the State are most concerned in achieving State goals. Such incentives lead to workers toiling long hours without extra compensation. The State is viewed as supreme in their lives. Western critics raise opposition to such conditions. Orwell, in his classic book 1984, provides an exposition of how such control would have devastating
consequences on societies.
Orwell's paradigm has much to say about government's intrusion in the personal lives of citizens. This is a major problem in a collectivist society where institutions and companies are government-owned and controlled. What news and information citizens receive are censored by their governments to reflect the government's party views and State goals. To put it another way news, information and directives are managed. Such State policies could be best summed up as “the ends justifying the means.”
In such cultures some form of Marxism exist with a blend of democratic principles. Such societies claim that ideologically they are adherents to social democratic values or some variation of it. Such is the case of Russia today.
Unlike a democracy Marxism like in Cuba would look at the relationship of class distinctions in an economic context as being paramount in State policies. Social democracy then would embody democratic principles in combination of a Marxist approach that their proponents hope would better reflect the economic, cultural and social goals of their nations.
There has to be a balance between the “individualistic” and the “collectivist” approach. It would not be prudent to simply dismiss one system in favor of another.
In instances the emphasis on the individual would be necessary. In a Rwanda genocide story of 1994, it took individuals from the Red Cross and journalists that were willing to remain behind to bring the world the atrocities that pervaded that nation. This they did this at their own risk. The United States and the European governments and UNESCO were not going to be further involved.
In other situations, teamwork is important. “Individuality” could be a necessary bedfellow with “collectivity.” One important consideration is when best and under what conditions must such an approach' be used? There would never be an orchestra that stressed playing as one likes. It would be chaos. For a journalist or individual, it would best be to determine what is productive as opposed to what is destructive.
