Text: “What it’s like to attend a flat-Earth convention.” Quartz. https://qz.com/1268605/what-its-like-to-attend-a-flat-earth-convention/ The belief in the flat earth theory – despite a lack of evidence supporting it – is actually somewhat gaining in popularity. This degree of open-mindedness (i.e. believing in something without a solid basis for that belief) could easily Read more…
Text: “China bans Namewee’s viral pop song Fragile.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-china-59379880 Extract: “A viral pop song that pokes fun at Beijing and its supporters has been banned in mainland China. Fragile mocks so-called “little pinks” – a term which refers to young nationalists who rush to the defence of the Read more…
Text: “Rebuild it.” A certain amount of open-mindedness is required for someone to take the 9/11 tragedy and try and turn it into something humorous. To what extent is the parody ad “restrictive”?
Text: “Twitter steps up Ukraine misinformation fight.” BBC.com https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61512261 Extract: “Twitter has said it plans to put misleading tweets from official accounts about the Ukraine war behind warning notices. The change follows heightened scrutiny of the social media platform after the war unleashed a new surge of misinformation, sometimes from Read more…
The advertisement below focused on a frequently used technique of linking female beauty with narrow view of an ideal (i.e. thin) body type. Although the ad is legal almost everywhere, critics argue that repeated exposure to ads like this cause severe harm to viewers, particularly women. Questions related to November Read more…
Text: “‘Why Bother Talking To Liars?’ Estonia’s Former President Says No Point Negotiating With Russia.” Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty . https://www.rferl.org/amp/ukraine-war-ilves-interview-western-response/31805297.html In the interview Estonia’s Former President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, discusses the pointless of negotiating with Russia about the invasion of Ukraine. He states “why bother talking to liars Read more…
Text: “Trudeau faced harsh critics in the EU Parliament this week. Here’s who launched the attacks.” CBC news. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/european-members-parliament-attact-trudeau-1.6397579 Extract: “When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently addressed the European Union Parliament and warned of growing threats to democracy, he received an angry backlash from some elected members who accused him of Read more…
2. If pushed too far, can open-mindedness itself become restrictive? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge. The phrase “pushed too far” needs to be addressed in an essay on November 2022 prescribed title #2. You may find specific examples that have a solid link to “open-mindedness” but don’t Read more…
Text: Live Science. “Are flat-earthers being serious?” https://www.livescience.com/24310-flat-earth-belief.html Extract: “a fringe society founded in the 1950s, dedicated to insisting that the Earth is flat, has given rise to a modern ground of flat Earth adherents. These believers claim that the Earth is a flat disc, and that evidence that it is round Read more…