(ONLINE) 5/22 (Sat) Pandemic Morality—which way do you go? (Host: Kat)

回覆文章
頭像
Kat C
Member
文章: 377
註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

(ONLINE) 5/22 (Sat) Pandemic Morality—which way do you go? (Host: Kat)

文章 Kat C »

⚠️ Special Announcement:

In response to the new pandemic alert, this meeting will take place online. Let's keep Yoyo going—and our English in top shape! 👍

➤ If you don't have Zoom:
Please download, install and test the Zoom App BEFORE the meeting. If you're using if for the first time, or having trouble during the testing, please come into the meeting at 3:30pm for assistance. For questions before the meeting day, please contact Jerry.

➤ To download Zoom:
https://zoom.us/download

➤ To join the meeting, just click on the meeting link:
https://zoom.us/j/93386974175?pwd=b2xyY ... pDS2I2QT09

➤ You can choose to turn on your camera or only the audio for the meeting. :mrgreen:

I posted the topic BEFORE this new pandimic phase, and now it's unfortunately apt. I'm a firm believer of the value of public discourse and exchange of ideas. I'm looking forward to all the thought-provoking discussion, and the exciting new experience of having our meeting online!


--------------------**☽☾**----------**☽☾**----------**☽☾**-------------------



圖檔

Dear friends,

For this meeting I thought I'd pick a more provocative and timely topic than my usual "fun and games English" selection—but we'll still try all kinds of formats to make the discussion as lively and engaging as we can!

The Covid-19 Pandemic has arguably become the biggest challenge we're facing today. A pandemic of this size may not be new, but every generation and era must deal with new issues with its own sense of ethics and moral values.

📌 How do we make decisions on:

1. When faced with bed shortage in a Covid treatment center, do we give a bed to an elderly patient with higher death risk but lower survival or recovery rate, or a younger one with lower death risk but higher survival or recovery rate?

2. Should a government have power to implement lockdowns, social distancing, mask-wearing, contact-tracing and data collecting, testing, or vaccination in any way it sees fit?

3. Is it right to engage in public-shaming or shunning people, or to deny service to those who do not observe Covid measures by the established standards?

4. Is it ethical to set priorities when providing vaccinations to different groups? (e.g., age, profession, class, nationality, etc.) Should the Covid testings, treatments, and vaccinations all be free?

5. Should the international community find a way to enforce equal distribution of vaccines among nations? Is vaccine nationalism justifiable?

6. Should we limit the freedom of speech or the press on pandemic-related misinformation and disinformation?

7. Should UBI (universal basic income), unemployment benefits, universal health care, housing protection and other social safety nets instruments proven needed and widely provided by governments around the world during the pandemic be continued after the pandemic?

8. The pandemic has exacerbated the economic inequality. "Between March 18, 2020, and April 12, 2021, the collective wealth of American billionaires leapt by $1.62 trillion, or 55 percent." (Inequality.org) If the general progressive taxation—a practice of income redistribution—now implemented in every democratic country is considered fair, should there be a "pandemic tax" to respond to the drastically widened income gap resulted from this pandemic?

9. The pandemic has also severely worsened the gender inequality. Women are disproportionately impacted by work (women account for 70% of frontline workers) and home ("Home-working through the pandemic is thought to have landed women with a disproportionate workload in childcare and home schooling, while disparities in housework persist." (BBC)) Should women be compensated for the greater demands and sacrifices imposed on them?

10. Should prejudice and crimes perpetrated during the pandemic against Asian-descent citizens in the West, travelers from high-case countries, or religious groups associated with those countries (such as Muslims in Taiwan), be spotlighted and pursued as hate crimes? Or should it be taken as part of the pandemic response, therefore justifiable in their treatment, such as barring them from certain activities, or dismissing verbal and other forms of assaults (such as online speech) targeted at them?

11. Should governments waive the vaccine pattern protections to make them more accessible (boosted production) and affordable (lower prices) for the world, especially the countries still in line for them?

And the list goes on! In a democratic country, every citizen is inevitably responsible for considering these moral questions, as our decisions pick our leaders and shape our own fate. Let's talk!



📌 Helpful links:

We'll explore some of the ideas from the links below. The views expressed are solely those of the respective authors.

➤ Harvard Live Pandemic Ethics with Michael Sandel

(This Harvard debate is one-year old, so certain questions raised may be outdated. But the spirit of the discussion and the principles applied can still be helpful.)



➤ Opinion: Why have we failed women so badly during COVID? (DW)
https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-why-have- ... a-57116761

➤ Covid: Pub vaccine passports 'risk social division' (BBC)
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56548357

➤ The world's richest countries are hoarding vaccines. This is morally indefensible (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... -eu-africa

➤ Bucking Big Pharma's Warnings, U.S. Backs Vaccine Waiver (Foreign Policy)
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/05/06/wt ... er-patent/

--------------------**☽☾**----------**☽☾**----------**☽☾**-------------------


We won't skip our usual Idiom Blast no matter the topic. :mrgreen: Did you spot one in the opening comic? Here are some very useful common expressions for crisis, debates, or decision-making:


• Highly-charged
• Cut corners
• Get a taste of one's own medicine
• Miss the boat
• Running on fumes
• Show promise
• Bone of contention
• A moot point
• Learn the hard way
• Take hold
• Do the math
• One for the books



So what's your take?

--------------------**☽☾**----------**☽☾**----------**☽☾**-------------------

Agenda:

3:30 ~ 4:00pm Zoom App testing and setup / Free talk
4:00 ~ 4:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
4:10 ~ 5:10pm Discussion and activities
5:10 ~ 5:15pm Regrouping / Break
(Session II)
5:15 ~ 6:20pm Discussion and activities
6:20 ~ 6:30pm Concluding remarks / Announcements
最後由 Kat C 於 週六 5月 22, 2021 2:59 pm 編輯,總共編輯了 4 次。
Kooper
YOYO member
文章: 2725
註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: (ONLINE) 5/22 (Sat) Pandemic Morality—which way do you go? (Host: Kat)

文章 Kooper »

Having a virtual Yoyo gathering on pandemic morality in the midst of a rapid worsening local pandemic outbreak and it's going to be held by Kat? Wow, that's going to be one for the books so don't miss the boat! :mrgreen:
頭像
Gloria Lo
YOYO member
文章: 367
註冊時間: 週一 2月 04, 2008 7:51 am

Re: (ONLINE) 5/22 (Sat) Pandemic Morality—which way do you go? (Host: Kat)

文章 Gloria Lo »

Attendees(20):
Alice, Amy, Carmelo, Gloria, Howard, Jessica, Kooper, Leon, Mandy, Michael, Miller, Monika, Sunny, Shirley, Monika, Sabrina, Jerry, Debby, Light, Kat(Host)
Kooper
YOYO member
文章: 2725
註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: (ONLINE) 5/22 (Sat) Pandemic Morality—which way do you go? (Host: Kat)

文章 Kooper »

cut corners:
to save time, money, or energy by doing things quickly and not as carefully as you should
Ex: The agency accused the airline of cutting corners on safety.

get a taste of one's own medicine:
when sb gets the same bad treatment that he has been giving others
Ex: Don’t be rude to others. You won’t like it when you get a taste of your own medicine.
Ex: Now you see how it feels to have someone call you names! You are getting a taste of your own medicine!

miss the boat:
to fail to take advantage of an opportunity by not taking action quickly enough
Ex: You should have sold that house a year ago – you missed the boat.
Ex: You will miss the boat if you don’t buy shares now.

show promise:
have potential for future success or excellence
Ex: She showed promise as a singer at an early age.

bone of contention:
a subject or issue over which there is continuing disagreement
Ex: The examination system has long been a serious bone of contention in this country.
Ex: The main bone of contention between us is our children’s education.
Kooper
YOYO member
文章: 2725
註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: (ONLINE) 5/22 (Sat) Pandemic Morality—which way do you go? (Host: Kat)

文章 Kooper »

moot point
a point that is unimportant or not worth talking about/debating
Ex: The real NBA Finals will be the second-round matchup between Milwaukee and Brooklyn. Arguing over which team will come out of the West is a moot point; whichever team comes out of the Bucks-Nets duel will steamroll all comers in the finals two rounds of the playoffs.
Ex: Debating whether global warming is human caused or a natural planetary cycle is almost a moot point when decreasing the greenhouse effect and slowing global warming is humanly possible.

learn the hard way:
to learn what you need to know through difficult, painful, unpleasant personal experience or by making mistakes
Ex: I learned the hard way not to trust door-to-door salesmen.
Ex: He doesn’t want to take my advice, so I guess he'll have to learn the hard way.

take hold:
become strong, effective, established, or popular; start to have an effect
Ex: It is best to treat the disease early before it takes a hold.
Ex: The economic recovery is just beginning to take hold now.

one for the books:
an act or occurrence worth noting (because it's outstanding, memorable, or record-breaking / surprising or unexpected)
Ex: Wow, you finished a 32-ounce steak in less than five minutes? That's one for the record books!
回覆文章