Communication Codes of Rationality and Spirituality in the Discourse of and About Robert S. McNamara's In Retrospect

Abstract

This study explores the dynamics of 2 communication codes within 1 speech community. The case study is grounded in speech codes theory and oppositional codes theory, and centers on Robert S. McNamara's In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam(1995a) and 210 media responses to his revelations about U.S. decision making during the Vietnam War. McNamara's (1995a) book reflects a code of rationality, with McNamara believing that communication could and should be forced. Although varying widely in their assessment of McNamara's book, responses to his comments reflect a code of spirituality, a code that honors morality. The study of McNamara's communication, both on its own terms and through the words of others, provides a more complex view of his code than would have been possible through a study of his words alone, and also provides an explanation of why his account was not comprehensible to many of his hearers.