Understanding Society
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Spotting Talent: The Teacher’s Role
One of the most satisfying aspects of being a teacher must be recognising that, amid the mass of averageness passing through the classroom, every so often a child with real talent for a subject or activity will emerge. For me, the identification and nurturing of such special talents – whether it is academic, creative, musical…
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Positively Against Discrimination
Society, having deemed discriminatory practices unethical and illegal, has sought to impose laws to prevent such discrimination. And yet the challenge remains: is society doing enough? Should society be doing more in order to ensure that minorities are given equal opportunities? Despite society’s efforts to guard against discrimination, it is often argued that the situation…
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A Criminal’s Human Rights – An Existential Threat
In relation to criminal behaviour, there often arises a conflict between the preservation of individual human rights and the fulfilment of societal duties. The two are not always compatible, meaning that it is not always possible to satisfy both requirements. The classic example is a terrorist who has information that would save lives or protect…
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Things are Just Not Made to Last
“The washing machine’s stopped working!” “What’s wrong with it? It’s not that old. We’ve only had it a few years.” Though the machine in question may vary, the conversation is common and often ends with the purchase of a new appliance. In a consumption-led economy, goods are designed and produced to encourage their usage. The…
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Managing Society by Television
We know the power and influence of television: it can create celebrities, initiate and drive fashions, establish what is important in the news, and set the agenda for debate. Having a presence in most people’s homes, it has a direct channel into our lives. Unsurprisingly, this has been recognised, and television is now used more…
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Stand Out Beauty Attracts Attention
Most of the time, you hardly notice other people. You will just walk past them in the street. Even for the dedicated people-watcher, the vast majority of those surveyed are quickly overlooked and soon forgotten. Plain, ordinary and common make them uninteresting and unremarkable. But every so often, you will see someone who captures your…
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Taxation by Stealth – How to Hide the Burden?
Governments are often criticised for raising taxes by stealth – perhaps by not adjusting thresholds in line with inflation or by hiding tax changes in the small print of a budget – but the problem is much more fundamental than that. The whole system by which the government seeks to raise revenues is actually built…
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What’s in a Job Title?
Over the last few years, there has been a trend to give people fancier job titles. The job role will not have changed; only the job title will change. Salespeople have become Sales Executives. Cleaners have become Cleaning Operatives. Receptionists have become Front Desk Executives. Sandwich makers have become Sandwich Artists. The reason is that…
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Defining an Exploitative Relationship
If I have something and you need it, is it wrong for me to take advantage of that situation to achieve personal gain? If that something is a rare commodity and I am one of the few people in possession of that something, is it wrong for me to take even more advantage of my…
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A Thin Blue Line – The Difficulty of Policing
When there’s a clear distinction between the good guys and the baddies, it’s not too difficult to enforce the law. But unfortunately, it’s not always like that! You’re a police officer; you’re clad in full riot gear; you’re on the front line facing a large, noisy protest. The situation is confrontational. The order comes through…
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Too Scared To Say Anything At All
As Thumper says in Bambi, “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” Wise words from the young rabbit! But in this age of correctness and sensitivity, we even need to be wary of saying something nice. Too often, our words can be misconstrued, overly dissected or considered inappropriate. Even compliments…
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Travel Pay for Low Pay
An environmentally positive change to the employment market that would operationally improve the labour force, as well as having a beneficial levelling-up effect on incomes with no governmental cost… too good to be true? Here’s an idea. All employees on minimum wage (or to a specific amount above this) should be paid “Travel Relief” by…
Oxthink 