Communication theory is a theory or assumption we make regarding any situation. This editorial cartoon portrays a common theory that we have about the thanksgiving holiday. The turkey representing a thanksgiving dinner is stating “I thought we agreed not to talk politics!!” The donkey and elephant symbolizes two opposing political parties. The theory in this cartoon is thanksgiving family gatherings conclude in a family feud about politics. This is one of the common communication theories. 

One communication theory is common in childhood, it’s the assumption that many of us had as kids that if a boy is mean to you, it’s because he has feelings for you, and the opposite was also believed to be true. 

According to this unit, another example of a theory some might have is that people who are attractive are difficult to approach and talk to, in comparison to less attractive people.  If one finds this theory to be true they will avoid or limit who they choose to communicate with. It’s vital that we don’t always limit ourselves with these beliefs because out personal theories are not always true. 

This editorial cartoon illustrates a Magic Bullet theory also known as the hypodermic needle theory from chapter 8. This theory has been highly criticized and discredited but it is noted that this theory might not reflect the large population however there are certain parts of the population where people verbatim trust any information presented by media that is over exaggerated. This editorial presents a media spoon feeding an audience meaning the person is not evaluating what is being fed to him, rather accepting any information given as a truth. Although this is not the case for every audience, there are people who still don’t consider the fact that the media is biased and presents information from their own perspective. 

Media outlets tend to be biased and sometimes the same story is twisted and presented by two news outlets differently and leads to news distortion. I recall seeing the same story being published by two very different news outlets with differing perspectives. The headlines were completely opposed to each other telling a completely different story from the other. 

Unit 11 discusses organizational communication, the importance of bureaucracy is expressed in this chapter. Bureaucracy is an  organizational hierarchy so that organization can operate in a predictable manner. In bureaucracy organizations have a hierarchy, top-down communication is utilized in bureaucratic hierarchy. Bureaucracies can lead to operations for a prolonged period of time and are sometimes inefficient, but they often provide us with stability and predictability. 

This editorial cartoon portrays bureaucracy with a negative connotation. The editorial cartoon illustrates a message that a university is overly bureaucratic and they want to set up a committee to discuss how they might tackle this issue. This statement is ironic because the actions they want to tackle bureaucracy further expands the bureaucracy in the university. And all of the characters depicted are armless; perhaps the artist is suggesting that no work is being accomplished other than just talking about the problem. 

One of the ways I have faced difficulty due to bureaucracy is when I am on call for a specific matter and when they answer after a prolonged period of time just to tell me that a different department handles this and would be placed on hold a second time. 

Chapter 10 discusses group communication and in group communication the different types of leadership is presented. Laissez-faire, authoritarian leadership style, and democratic leadership style. Laissez-faire is the type of leadership style where the leader is least involved as a leader. Authoritarian style is where the leader is most involved and decisions are made only by them. Democratic style is the balance of both, where decisions are made by both the leader and in collaboration with other people.  The editorial cartoon above illustrates a Laissez-faire leadership, the leader directly states  “I don’t want to be involved” and his body language sends the same message, he is seated laid back, uninterested in getting much work done. 

I have seen this type of leadership style at work, when a leader, the person who is supposed to put the most effort on growing the business puts the least effort, it sends a message to others that this leader is not aiming to achieve a higher goal. Particularly when workers are distracted and not completing their jobs, a leader is in the position to bring everyone together. 

When I was in 5th grade I attended school in my country, once a week the students cleaned their classroom. On one of those occasions our teacher took the laissez-faire approach by leaving the students to decide what tasks they want to take to clean. Soon we realized that not much has been done because everyone was starting a task and moving on without finishing. Afterwards our teacher had given each one of us each corner of the classroom to organize and clean. 

This editorial cartoon does a great job at illustrating the gender differences in communication. Particularly how they react differently to the same situation, they both react very differently on divorce. The wife is willingly taking all the blame stating “there’s something wrong with me” indicating that she is the only one at fault.

While on the other hand the husband is without a doubt thinks he has nothing to do with this divorce and unabashedly states “there’s something wrong with her” he thinks he is fully innocent. He is also forcing this narrative on the wife. And his statement is confirming her thoughts, and she is being conditioned to believe this perspective. This cartoon is perfectly explained by symbolic interaction theory from chapter 13; this theory explains that gender is learned through words (symbols) expressed to them through interactions with others. In this cartoon the wife was raised with a low self-esteem and confidence while the husband was thought to never doubt himself. 

Growing up I have seen symbolic interaction play a role in gendering kids. From a young age little boys are asked about what cars they like, and what car they would like to buy when they are grown up. I have seen this scenario with my brother, but those people wouldn’t ask little girls those same questions. 

This cartoon is an example of acknowledgement messages from the chapter. Acknowledgement messages are messages more than confirming which is recognizing one’s presence such as greeting a colleague. Laughing at a joke is a form of nonverbal acknowledgement messages, which demonstrates support for an individual. Listening to one’s sorrow and supporting them emotionally by acknowledging their feeling is a form of acknowledgment message. This cartoon conveys the importance of acknowledging messages in a relationship by stating “they lived happily ever after, so long as…” . 

This example is resembled in every relationship dynamic. I have experienced this when I share my distress with my mom, and she gives a response devaluing my emotional distress. This act persuades a message that would ignore and reject to listen and support me emotionally.  Acknowledgement messaging is a great tool that teaches us that when a person is sharing their emotion, we should never state one individual’s emotions are an unreasonable reaction, but rather to listen and support them by not criticizing an individual but purely be a shoulder to lean on.  It demonstrates sympathy towards one another by acknowledging them and valuing their emotions.  https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a26262

Chronemics is the study of how people use time, and it’s a form of nonverbal communication. There are people who are always on time and earlier and in contrast there are always late comers as well. How we perceive them differs, if its consistent tardiness we start to assume that they will always be late. How we allocate time is part of nonverbal communication, when a student listens and pays attention to the teacher and participates in class we come to conclude that this student has a higher level of interest in comparison to another student who is on their phone. 

Similarly this cartoon illustrated the low level of interest in parents to their family. The entire family is distracted and busy entertaining themselves, this is the sad reality of today’s world. As the title of this cartoon suggests it’s an unending spiral of screen time. This family is nonverbally communicating to each other that their phones and ipads are more important than each other. 

I strongly agree with the message of this cartoon, there is a rule in my family that there are no phones during dinner and when we are having a conversation with our family. This act shows respect and signals that we are fully present. 

https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a60287-rd

Chapter 2 places an emphasis on the significance of the nonverbal communication through the example of the Nicaraguan children. In an attempt to educate deaf children, the Nicaraguan government brought all the deaf children from remote places in one place and soon those children started communicating with each other through the signs and gestures they have used to communicate. They have established their own new language, the Nicaraguan sign language. Through collaboration with other deaf children, they have established this language. 

This editorial cartoon defines the role of non verbal communication, as an example of a peacock non verbally calling the waiter to the table. The peacock is unintentionally grabbing the attention of other dinners, as we can see them looking over their shoulders. 

I have been through a similar situation when I was in the train and nearing my stop, I changed my spot and sat next to the door. I felt that as if I had unintentionally nonverbally signaled that I preferred to sit elsewhere to the other passenger that I was seated beside. Perhaps after a short period of time, they have realized that my intention was only to move closer to the exit.  

https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a60451

Welcome to CUNY Academic Commons. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!