#communication ethics

When people ask, “Which public figure do you disagree with the most?”, my honest answer is that I don’t really choose to disagree with any one person. It’s not that I always like what they say or how they say it. It’s that I understand something deeper: public figures rarely speak only for themselves. They often represent teams, organizations, or entire groups of people who rely on them to…

In recent weeks, Sam Altman offhandedly remarked that people saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT costs OpenAI tens of millions of dollars annually in compute. While he framed it as “money well spent,” the internet did what it always does: turned it into a meme war between earnest politeness and pragmatic nihilism. But as with most internet debates, the loudest voices missed the deeper…

In a global economy driven by efficiency, metrics, and measurable outcomes, vagueness often appears as a liability. Capitalist logic privileges clarity, speed, and decisive action—traits that seem at odds with Japan’s deeply embedded culture of ambiguity. But when viewed from another angle, Japanese logic reveals a quiet resistance to the reductive tendencies of capitalism. It offers a different…

The adage “Always say less than necessary” has stood the test of time, serving as a guiding principle in communication strategies across centuries. On the surface, this principle advocates for brevity and careful word choice to avoid misunderstandings or complications. However, beneath this seemingly innocuous advice lies a dual-edged sword—one capable of facilitating both ethical restraint and…