Tag: Social Issues

Is the Death Penalty Ever Moral?

C1 – Advanced

Capital punishment or death penalty is a practice whereby a person is killed by the state as a punishment for a crime.

Supporters of the death penalty say it is an important tool for sustaining law and order, inhibits crime, and costs less than life imprisonment.

Detractors of capital punishment say it is not a disincentive to committing crime. They say life sentence is a more severe and less expensive punishment than death.

Are there circumstances under which a murderer deserves the death penalty? In other words, should capital punishment be abolished or not?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree with capital punishment?
  2. Which is worse, life imprisonment or the death penalty?
  3. Do you think the victim’s family should be able to choose the method of execution?
  4. Is the death penalty a deterrent to violent crime?

The Gender Pay Gap

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Data show that the majority of medium and large companies pay higher wage rates to men than to women. In spite of all these records, skeptics still do not believe in the existence of the idea. See how the video debunks myths about the gender pay gap.

Discussion Questions:

1. Discuss the six myths about the gender pay gap.
2. Do you experience the pay gap in your company?
3. How can we resolve issues about the pay gap?
4. In what other phenomena are men considered to be more privileged than women?
5. In what events are women thought to be more advantaged than men?

When You Drink Coke Instead of Water

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In a small town in Mexico, water is not so readily available. Its residents therefore, have resorted to drinking the much more plentiful Coca Cola instead.

Check out the article to find out more about the dire consequences this situation has brought about.

http://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/when-you-drink-coke-instead-of-water/

Discussion Questions:

1. What does the article say about this Mexican town?

2. Who do you think is to blame in these circumstances, and why?

3. Do you like soft drinks or soda? Talk about the effects of drinking too much of these.

Japan Lowers Age of Adulthood

B1 – Intermediate

More and more young Japanese do not want to get married and start a family. This would affect the economy and the whole society in the future.

To avoid serious consequences of this trend, the Japanese government has decided to change adulthood age from 20 to 18.

Read on about this change through the article below:

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1806/180617-adulthood-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What can you say about this change?
  2. What effects are the Japanese government hoping for with this change?
  3. Do you think those would be achieved?
  4. How do you think the traditional “Coming of Age” Day in this country will change now?
  5. What are some things 18 and 20 year-olds do in your country?

The Green Card Lottery

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The government’s protection on one’s pursuit of happiness is the main concept of the American dream. People from different parts of the world would like to have a piece of this dream. In order to do so, the first step would be to secure a green card.

There are millions of immigrants who are applying for this to gain residency in America. Every year, a lottery is held by the US government to give out green cards.

Read on to find out more details about the American Green Card Lottery.

https://www.english-online.at/government/green-card-lottery/green-card-immigration-to-the-us.htm

Discussion Questions:

1. What is a green card?

2. What are the benefits of having a green card in the United States?

3. Why do people from many countries wish to live in the USA?

4. Would you ever want to live in the United States of America? Why or why not?

America’s Position on Breastfeeding

B2 – Upper Intermediate

For decades, doctors and health experts have praised the wonders and benefits of breastfeeding. Breast milk contains antibodies that help strengthen a baby’s immune system. It also lowers the risk of asthma and allergies. In general, breastfed babies have a healthier outlook compared to those who have never been breastfed.

Shockingly, however, at a recent World Health Organization (WHO) meeting, America changed its stance on breastfeeding.

Read the article below to find out more about this stunning news.

http://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/americas-position-do-not-encourage-breast-feeding/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What were America’s reasons for changing their position about breastfeeding?
  2. What is your opinion about the article?
  3. Should this practice be encouraged or discouraged? Kindly explain.
  4. How is breastfeeding in public viewed in your country?

The Menstruation Taboo in Rural Nepal Can Kill

B2 – Upper intermediate

Through the centuries, the fight for women’s rights has always been a slow and uphill battle. Although steady progress and changing attitudes towards women have been very positive in a lot of countries, there are others who still cling to tradition and see women as second-class citizens. For instance, in some parts of rural Nepal, a woman’s “period” is bizarrely regarded as a time of shame.

Read the article to find out more.

http://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/the-menstruation-taboo-in-rural-nepal-can-kill/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Explain the article in your own words.
  2. Talk about women’s rights in your country. What are some issues concerning women that are still regarded as taboo?
  3. What can be done to improve the plight of women around the world?

Spikes Stop People Sleeping in the Streets

B1 – Intermediate

Over the last year, many buildings have installed “anti-homeless” spikes like these to stop people sleeping in the streets. The spikes are appearing in major cities such as London and Manchester, outside shops and under bridges where homeless people usually sleep.

The shops and businesses believe that when homeless people sleep near their buildings, this gives a bad impression to customers and it might stop people entering the buildings.

These spikes were installed outside Selfridges, a luxury department store in Manchester, on the 1st December last year.

The store says it has installed these spikes because customers have complained that people who sat here smoked and left litter. This made the front of the shop look ugly.

The phenomenon of “defensive architecture” such as this is very controversial. Over 3,000 people have signed a petition to remove the spikes from Selfridges saying that these spikes are “inhumane” and that they will not help solve the problem of homelessness in the UK. It will only move the problem to a different place.

The Guardian newspaper says that this type of architecture is a type of apartheid: it stops homeless people living in public places. It makes them invisible to the rest of society.

The UK is not the only country to install “anti-homeless” architecture. Spikes are also used in China. In New York City a famous bookstore has used water sprinklers to get rid of homeless people from the front of the shop.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about “defensive architecture”?
  2. Why is “defensive architecture” a controversial issue?
  3. What do you think can be done about homelessness in general?

Should Animals Be Used in Laboratory Testing?

B2 – Upper intermediate

Research on living animals has been practiced for a long time. Millions of animals are used every year for scientific and commercial testing. They are used to develop medical treatments and check the safety of products for humans. However, opponents of animal testing say that it is cruel and inhumane to experiment on animals.

Read the article and be able to discuss the questions that follow:

https://www.livescience.com/41123-is-animal-testing-necessary.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about animal testing?
  2. What are the pros and cons of it?
  3. Does animal testing go against animal rights? Why or why not?

 

Can Facebook Lessen Corruption?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The emergence of the Internet has allowed people to communicate in faster and more efficient ways. Dissemination of opinions and self-expression have been pushed into even more new areas where everything can be exposed with the advent of social media, especially Facebook. For this reason, can this be a tool to hinder corruption?

https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/social-media/facebook-corruption-social-media-internet-penetration

Discussion Questions:

1. Talk about corruption in your country. What are the government’s actions to fight corruption?

2. If you were to post about your thoughts on corruption on Facebook now, what would you say?

3. How else can Facebook and other social media make a positive impact?