Ethics news:
archived: 20 February 2007
Ethics News is regularly updated with links and introductions to ethics-related news stories gathered from all over the web. We regularly archive the stories collected.
Fashion fights anorexics' charter
Emaciated models are being driven off the catwalks of Europe, but don't expect their synthetic sisters to flounce off quite so dramatically. Three months after designers agreed to banish models with a body-mass index of less than 18 from their Madrid Fashion Week shows, Spain's big retailers reached an agreement this week with the Ministry of Health. To combat the anorexia epidemic, they would "fatten up" their in-store dummies ... more.
The Sydney Morning Herald - 26 January 2007
Bit unappetising, this over-cooked patriotism
One of the beggars now sprinkled through Sydney streets was wearing an Australian flag the other day. The flag was fashioned as a shirt, or, perhaps, the shirt was just made to look like a flag, fetchingly designed in red, white and blue, with the stars of the Southern Cross prominent on his chest, and the Union Jack disappearing under an armpit ... more.
The Sydney Morning Herald - 26 January 2007
Not as equal as we feel
'Fair go' is an old Australian term with a variety of meanings. It could mean give a man a chance or keep the fight fair or be reasonable. Only recently has it been regularly applied to society at large - as in "Is Australia a fair-go society?" - and the differences in meaning continue. "Fair go" has come to be the Aussie term for "egalitarian" and it carries all the complexities of that concept. ... more.
The Age - 24 January 2007
Co-opting a symbol for nefarious purposes
The Australian flag has come a long way, baby. At its troubled birth in 1901, The Bulletin called it "a staled rechauffe of the British flag, with no artistic value, no national significance. The bastard flag is a true symbol of the bastard state of Australian opinion." More than 100 years later, Prime Minister John Howard is so publicly passionate about the national symbol it is easy to imagine that he might, like Tim Brooke-Taylor from The Goodies, be wearing an Aussie flag belly-button cover ... more.
The Age - 24 January 2007
What's lost in translation?
It's said that you can't translate "fair go". But if you've got it, you can feel it, writes Father Frank Brennan. The recent spate of Iraqi hangings reminds me of my first political awakening 40 years ago. I was 12 years old, having just been promoted to the large dining room at my country boarding school. It was February 3, 1967. Breakfast started at 7.45am. The din of 300 boys at table was always deafening ... more.
The Age - 23 January 2007
Wealth can't guarantee happiness, but it may give a head start
Once upon a time, there were two men. The first, Gary, had a child in a shaky marriage. The couple separated, but then reconciled. When Patti discovered she was pregnant, both knew the child could be that of the lover she took during their time apart. Patti agreed to put Gary's name on the birth certificate, and Gary pledged to love and raise the child ... more.
The Age - 23 January 2007
Women still wait for a fair go
The gender divide remains a major hurdle in Australian workplaces, writes Sharan Burrow. Debate was ignited last week about the role of women - to be a mother, to have a career or to do both and try to balance the two often conflicting roles. In today's working environment, it is a difficult choice that women are far too often forced to make ... more.
The Age - 22 January 2007
The ramifications of dobbing for Australians
Chris Berg argues trust is vital to our sense of community and is at odds with the idea of dobbing. Australia is a nation founded by people who were dobbed in. Perhaps that's why one of the first rules we learn in life is not to dob in each other: what happens in the playground, stays in the playground ... more.
The Age - 21 January 2007