Frustration

Frustrate: To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart; to cause feelings of discouragement or bafflement in.

I didn't blog yesterday because I was kind of in a bad mood, and then, today I found myself in the same mood as I woke up to the news of the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi.  I can't decide not to write something every time I'm in a funk, right?  Or even when I don't have any idea what to say.  So, what to write about today?

Well, I'm thinking a lot about censorship and about my personal set of ethics.  There are times when I find myself totally convinced on the injustice of something and total clarity on how to fix it.  This is usually in situations regarding labor issues, human rights, civil rights, and disenfranchised individuals and groups.  Lately, I find it difficult to articulate -- or really even to locate -- my personal position on some specific ethical matters and that is a source of major frustration to me today.

One of the issues that is in the forefront of my mind is using photographs of the dead in the media.  I find this hugely problematic.  Today, while reading a story about the death of Chris Stevens in Libya, I was looking at the photo coverage, which included a picture of Chris Stevens' dead body.  The photograph was focused on his face.  I was horrified, but I'm finding it difficult to articulate the specific reasons that I find it horrifying.  The first is that it seems to me that dead bodies are not merely pieces of news for circulation, and when they are treated as such, the value of life is reduced to a symbol of propaganda that supports whatever the media is reporting.  Do I believe in censoring the media?  Absolutely not.  Do I believe that it is heinous to circulate pictures of the faces of dead men?  Absolutely.

My irritation about this was exacerbated by the uproar at American University regarding the professor who brought her sick child to class and nursed the child in the middle of the class.  Her act has sparked enormous outrage on campus and a much wider debate about when and where women can nurse their children.  I feel that I should have a position on this, but I can't seem to find solid ground to stand on.  I do see it as unprofessional to nurse a child while lecturing rather than inserting a break into the class.  However, I'm also aware of the supremely slippery slope that these basic opinions toward nursing a child in a public space lead to reducing basic rights, which would make it even harder for mothers to care for their children AND provide support for the child by working.  

This is a debate that has been going on for a long time and women have fought hard for every single right we have to be in the workplace, and we are still fighting for equality.  I would never want to support any idea that hinders equal rights for women in the workplace.  Further, I definitely do not think this was an eggregious offense; I think it was a simple matter of unprofessionalism, which happens ALL THE TIME.  How many unprofessional moments have non-gender-specific professors been guilty of in the classroom that might be similar but more socially acceptable?  How about the many times I have personally been patronized by male professors, in particular?  Another example I can provide is that I definitely sat through class when a professor have had to briefly answer a phone call from his wife ensuring that a visit to the hospital with their child was successful.  Would this have made it into the student paper?  Not likely.  But at the same time, do I think that nursing in the classroom should become a regular part of the classroom experience?  No.

Anyway, I suppose I have a lifetime ahead of me to better grasp with my personal ethics.  I certainly have strong principles that I live by, but today has highlighted the areas where I do not have much clarity.  I do think there is great benefit to having an active, evolving set of personal ethics that requires me to consistently interrogate the principles that guide my behavior.  However, at times, when an issue gets heated up in the news or simply in conversation, I find it paralyzing to clearly state a position for or against an issue that has disturbed me emotionally.  I'm interested in further understanding this disconnect between feeling that something is not right and articulating what a just and moral response would be.  I suppose I simply must keep working to bridge that gap.

In the meantime, I am preparing for the start of school by reading The Iliad, and at the least, this reading adds even more ideas of morality into this mix.