Ethical Dilemmas

"Ethics is the study of values and customs of a person or group and covers the analysis and employment of concepts such as right and wrong, good and evil, and responsibility." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics)

When considering this defintion provided by Wikipedia and the movie Radio, there are fundamental ethical dilemmas that are brought about by the movie's storyline. Throughout the movie, there is a struggle for Coach Jones to do what is right. He has to maintain his values and committment to Radio throughout the movie regardless of what his colleagues, peers, and family members say about his actions. In essence, what Coach Jones was struggling with can be referred to as 'Pragmatics', or the struggle for goodness or virtue. John Dewey, esteemed educational philosopher wrote indepth about the subject. Dewey wrote that "the conception of education as a social process and function has no definite meaning until we define the kind of society we have in mind." (Flinders and Thornton, 2004, 264)

Even though Coach Jones was an educator in the 1970s, his ethical standards are comparable to those held by the teaching profession of Ontario teachers of our day. The Ontario College of Teachers recently revised the ethics document of the College to a revised document entitled the Foundations of Professional Practice (2006). In this document, there are four areas of ethical standards that are described. They include: care, respect, trust, and integrity. When considering these four areas in terms of Coach Jones' teaching practice, he is an exemplary example of each item. Coach Jones cares for Radio, shows him and his family respect, establishes trust, and indeed has integrity. He is committed enough to his purpose to stand up to his community and show by example how others should be treated.

A definite underlying theme of the movie could easily be titled, 'Do Unto Others as you Would Have Them Do Unto You.'

The ethical dilemmas are resolved in a series of events in the movie. Initially, Radio is not accepted by the football team members. As he is present at more practices, he becomes involved and gets to know the team. They in turn also get to know him. Their initial fears about individuals with special needs are beginning to be broken down. Once Radio is brought into school, there are a whole new set of people who must adjust to him being around. This includes educational administration, other colleagues, and students of Hanna High. The more people are around Radio they realise that he is just like the other kids in many ways, and is in no way dangerous to be around. Coach Jones brings Radio into the community on several occasions. They eat at a local cafe regularly, and attend community functions together. These outings again help the community adjust their preconceived notions of who Radio really is.