To borrow an expression from Glenn Beck, Ed Schultz has “a big, fat mouth.” The left-wing talker suspended himself from his own MSNBC show after calling conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham a “right-wing slut” on his radio program. On the Wednesday night edition of his MSNBC show, Schultz began with an apology to Ingraham, MSNBC, his own family and...

“So act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world.” – Immanuel Kant “Surely, I have made my meaning plain. I mean to avenge myself upon you, Admiral.” – Khan, a genetically enhanced superhuman who justifies his evil actions due to the death of his wife. “KHAAANNNN!” – Kirk, frustrated that his nemesis has...

Lately, the words Breaking News have come to represent the latest announcement by Donald Trump or stories about Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan. Last night, shortly before 8:00 pm (pst), network silliness morphed into dramatic sobriety that demonstrated one of the primary purposes of journalism: to provide citizens with important, accurate and trustworthy information. CNN, ABC, NBC,  » Read more about: Real News  »...

What follows is the introduction to the new e-book, “Shameless – The Ethical Case Against Three Out-of-Control Critics and the Need for Civility Now, More than Ever.” More next week. We currently live in a cable news media-induced echo chamber where, much of the time, opinion too easily passes as fact. This is as much the fault of those who...

Last may, I discussed the downside to Web sites such as Facebook, (Facebook Nation) which has grown into a 500-million-strong social networking behemoth. “ ‘Social Networking,’ ” I wrote, “that’s geek speak for sharing interests, photos and whatever-pops-into-your-head-at-any-given-moment to one or more individuals via the internet. (God forbid you should pick up a phone and/or actually interact with someone face to face.)”...

Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do. That quote, from former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, came to mind when I read the recent decision by the current U.S. Supreme Court regarding Snyder v. Phelps. The First Amendment case had the Westboro Baptist Church appealing a lower court’s...

At the age of sixteen, George Washington copied, by hand, 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. Based on rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595, the conventions outline how we demonstrate respect for others. In a time of widespread self-interest, the rules focus on others. In his biography of Washington, historian Richard Brookhiser writes, “all modern...

Do you tend to be trusting of others or distrustful? Trusting others to be considerate and respectful toward us can be difficult in light of our own experiences as well as news reports that tend to show the worst of people. Years ago, I remember being warned by several friends when they learned I would be working with a particular...

“Improving the world starts with ourselves.” That’s how one New Hampshire student summarized ethics. A straightforward message not far from Gandhi’s assertion that we must “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” However, putting that principle into practice can sometimes be daunting, particularly in dealing with individuals who may interpret the Golden Rule as something considerably less than...

Amanda Yost is a frequent visitor to this site as well as a student at Santa Monica College currently studying cultural anthropology, with an eye toward cultural ethnography. (Yeah, I had to look that one up, too.) “I’m hoping,” Amanda says, “to focus on the ethnographic side of anthropology as another way to give a voice to the voiceless. Ethnography takes into...