Bb Articles, read all, you will use 1 for this weeks book discussion:
Fur Trapping Laws
Gratuity included
Yulin dog
Book Discussion due 3/8 by 11:59 pm on the Paper Drop Box:
Read the provided Bb articles above. Select one and relate to Ethical Relativism. Following the discussion rubric, please analyze the article and explain how it relates to Ethical Relativism (Cultural Relativism or Ethical Subjectivism). You may cite the article in your discussion (but it will count as your 4th in addition to the 3 you need on ethical theory).
NOTE: this should not simply be a summary of the article. You should use the same RUBRIC and principles utilized in previous discussions to relate ethical theory to the ideas in the article you select.
See RUBRIC and Example tabs (Maximum 30% similarity).
AG 40 1 Book/Video Discussion Rubric (Total Points 1 2 ) |
||||
Being scored on: |
0 Unacceptable |
1
Poor/Very Limited |
2
OK/Good |
3 Excellent |
Criteria 1: Word count and organization |
100 words or less and/or single spaced. |
Greater than 100 words without paragraphs and/or single spaced. |
Greater than 100 words with two or more paragraphs with a minimum of one citations in each paragraph and/or single spaced. |
Greater than 100 words and at least three paragraphs with a minimum of one citation in each paragraph AND double spaced. |
Criteria 2: Critical Thinking and use of ethical theory |
No ethical theories applied |
Minimal application of ethical theory |
Good application of ethical theory |
Detailed application of ethical theory |
Criteria 3: Number of ethical theory citations used in support. These should add value and be meaningful. |
No ethical theory citations (paraphrase or direct quotes). Pp, video, topical and Open Web citations do not count. |
2 or fewer ethical theory citations (paraphrase or direct quotes from 2 or fewer sources). (NO Pp, video citations, topical or Open Web). Sources are well-rounded, peer-reviewed ethical theory sources (philosophical in nature). (Must be reputable: CPP library or S-L textbook). |
3 ethical theory citations (paraphrase or direct quotes from 3 different sources). (NO Pp, video citations, topical or Open Web). Sources are well-rounded, peer-reviewed ethical theory sources (philosophical in nature). (Must be reputable: CPP library or S-L textbook). |
3 or more ethical theory citations (paraphrase or direct quotes from 3 different sources) used in support for all theories being applied. (NO Pp, video citations, topical or Open Web). Sources are well-rounded, peer-reviewed ethical theory sources (philosophical in nature). (Must be reputable: CPP library or S-L textbook). |
Criteria 4: APA citations and References section |
Numerous improper APA citations and/or References errors. Use APA book! |
2 or more improper APA citations and/or References errors. Use APA book! |
1-2 improper APA citations and/or References errors. Use APA book! |
Proper APA citations and References section on sources used. When you cite make sure and list the page number or paragraph number. Use APA book! |
Note: Extra points deducted for misspelling, poor grammar or errors made repeatedly week after week after corrections and feedback have already been given. Professor reserves the right to deduct points, give warnings or zeros for submissions slightly over 30% similarity (includes References section at end). If you are having trouble with % similarity, paraphrase MORE and direct quote less and include more original thought to reduce. Zeros can and will be given for submissions that do not follow the prompt or have % similarity exceeding the 30% threshold.
Book Discussion Example
Ethical egoism fosters an environment of competition and promotes lack of self-lessness. Because self-interest differs from person to person, competition to fulfill personal self-interest becomes acceptable. For example, many people who have careers in the trade of business view personal gratification and fulfillment as essential to success. Pursuing one’s self interest demands that individual desires are elevated above another’s. Ethical egoism does not allow consideration for another person’s needs or permit aiding someone to reach their personal goals (Debelijak & Krkac, 2008). This philosophy fundamentally alters how society and individuals uphold or value standards of morality. If one’s goal in life is to seek personal satisfaction, then it is morally justified via ethical egoism. However, there are serious ramifications to this self-seeking ethical philosophy.
Ethical egoism advocates individual preservation above the common welfare of society. If one’s desire is to steal believing he is justified because his own self-interest is being fulfilled, then he commits the crime with the belief that he is morally justified in doing so. An action is moral so long as self-interest is the only goal being achieved. Individual interests and social welfare are often in conflict due to the reality that self-interest does not permit self-sacrifice. Ethical egoism mandates that social welfare is not a priority, not even a consideration when contemplating how best to pursue one’s self-interest (Olson, 1961). This corrupt pattern of thinking creates a fixation on individual preservation rather than universal prosperity. Therefore, the only one benefiting from ethical egoism is a single individual. Everyone’s needs are not met nor are they considered important. It is a human being’s tendency to value or pursue self-interest at the cost of common welfare and prosperity.
Individualism states that the interests or desires of an individual are regarded as supreme. Individualism is often associated with the ethical egoism because an individual’s desires are considered paramount above the collective society. As a result, the individual relates to society or their community based upon what said community can offer them as an individual. There exists no internal motive to assist another individual in pursing their desires or achieving their goals. Ethical egoism is self-centered by nature which causes a disconnect and lack of care for another’s prosperity (Gantt & Burton, 2013).
I believe that the only benefit to pursuing self-interest is temporary fulfillment of a particular desire. A society or community cannot benefit from each individual seeking self-satisfaction. This self-centered philosophy ultimately leads to competition and misplaced animosity between people. It would be impossible to encourage, uplift, or connect with others if we are viewing each other as obstacles or hindrances to our selfish desires. I find ethical egoism to personify the selfish, depraved nature characteristic of human beings. If self-interest is the idol to be worshipped, then other people will suffer the concequences of such narrow-minded thinking. I believe that many people benefit when we put aside our self-interest to acknowledge and consider another person’s needs above our own.
Works Cited:
Debelijak, J. & Krkac, K. (2008). “Me, myself & I”: Practical egoism, selfishness, self-interest
and business ethics. Social Responsibility Journal, 4(1/2), 217-227.
Gantt, E. E., & Burton, J. (2013). Egoism, altruism, and the ethical foundations of personhood.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 53(4), 438-460.
Olson, R.G. (1961). Ethical egoism and social welfare. Philosophy and Phenomenological
Research, 21(4), 528-536.
Gratuityincluded
Geyer, Allison.Isthmus; Madison, Wis. [Madison, Wis]28 June 2018: 31.
Full Text
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Headnote
Team behind new cafe and music venue considering tip-free business model
In Wisconsin, the minimum wage for restaurant servers is just $2.33 per hour. Tips are supposed to
bring the wage up to the legally required $7.25 per hour – and oftentimes much more than that – but
servers’ incomes * are essentially at the mercy of fate.
“It’s so hit or miss,” Tori Vancil says of tipping. “One night you take home $300, and you’re like ‘Heck
yeah, I can pay my rent,’ and other times you take home $50 and it’s like, ‘Why did I even come in?”‘
Vancil is part of the team behind a project to bring a new music venue and cafe to the old Sons of
Norway Lodge on Winnebago Street. Tentatively called the Winnebago Arts Cafe, the space is
intended to be a hub for local musicians, artists and creatives as well as a locavore cafe serving
breakfast, lunch and dinner. In keeping with the progressive mission of the project, the founders are
considering the idea of paying servers a higher wage and instituting a no-tipping policy.
“It’s a really open conversation right now, but it’s definitely something that we all feel passionately
about,” says Vancil, who will serve as cafe manager. “We want to make the best work environment
for everybody.”
The idea came from co-owner John DeHaven, a musician who has spent time abroad and observed
service industry and tipping culture in other countries. Others in the U.S. have proposed raising
server wages and abolishing tipping – most notably New York restaurateur Danny Meyer, founder of
the Union Square Hospitality Group – but the idea remains somewhat controversial. This would likely
be the first example of a Madison restaurant adopting a no-tipping policy, but there’s at least one
place in Wisconsin that does this: the Delta Diner, a classic roadside spot near Ashland.
Vancil anticipates phasing in the notipping policy over time to help customers get used to the idea. “It
definitely seems scary. It’s something different than what everyone is used to,” Vancil says. It would
be a major shift for servers, too. “Servers are used to taking home cash at the end of the night –
that’s just part of the industry.”
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But the biggest benefit of a no-tipping policy is consistency. “It’s about letting servers know that
they’re going to get paid for their work, even when it’s slow,” Vancil says. During downtime, servers
often do other tasks like cleaning and organizing. “It doesn’t feel good at work when you’re doing all
this sidework and getting paid less than $3 per hour.” *
Word count: 436
Copyright Isthmus Publishing Jun 28-Jul 4, 2018
Yulin dog meat festival 2018: Why are animals
tortured and eaten at Yulin dog festival?
Hughes, Amani . Express (Online) ; London (UK) [London (UK)]21 June 2018.
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THE Yulin dog meat festival is held in the remote southern Chinese city of Yulin every year and thousands of dogs
are killed and tortured for the festival, but why does it happen?
The Yulin “Lychee and Dog Meat” festival is held every year to mark the summer solstice.
The annual ten-day event can be traced back to 2009 and it is believed between 10,000 and 15,000 dogs are
slaughtered for the festival.
Yulin as been slammed by animal rights activists who are looking for new ways to pressurise organisers to cancel
the event.
Activists say the dog meat trade is inhumane and unhygienic, pointing to videos of dogs caught with wire lassos,
transported in tiny cages and slaughtered with metal rods.
Related articles Yulin dog meat festival 2018 in pictures: Shocking pictures Yulin dog meat festival 2018 facts:
What is the dog meat festival?
Why are animals tortured and eaten at the Yulin dog meat festival?
Dog meat is a traditional food in some areas of southern China, where it is believed to be good for the body in
warm weather.
Yulin resident Wang Yue told Reuters: “Yulin’s so-called lychee and dog meat festival is just a popular custom of
ours. Popular customs themselves cannot be right or wrong.
“Those scenes of bloody dog slaughter that you see online, I want to say that the killing of any animal will be
bloody. I hope people can look at this objectively.”
People in the southern city of China defend eating the meat as it is a way to celebrate the summer solstice.
Getty
Yulin dog meat festival 2018: Thousands of dogs are tortured for the festival every year
However animal protection group Humane Society International said in a statement the festival was
“manufactured” by the dog meat trade and insists dog meat is not part of mainstream food culture in China.
Eating dogs is not illegal in China with around 10 to 20 million killed for human consumption every year and even
thought the festival is new the custom can be traced back at least 400 years.
The Yulin Municipal Government has repeatedly said it is not able to stop the festival as it claims it does not exist
as an official event.
Calls from animal lovers to boycott or cancel the festival provoked a defence of local tradition and accusations
that activists were disturbing public order.
Getty
Yulin dog meat festival 2018: Animal activists have petitioned against the annual festival
International animal rights groups say putting pressure on the dog meat trade has become harder after China
stepped up scrutiny of foreign groups by requiring them to register with police.
Chinese activists are trying new tactics to convince authorities to end the dog meat trade.
Zhang Huahua, a university professor at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou province,
complained to Yulin authorities that the festival infringed environmental protection regulations.
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Zhang said: “The messy slaughter of numerous dogs transported to Yulin without inspection severely damages
public order, popular custom and the environment.”
Authorities told Zhang her letter would be processed in line with regulations.
Credit: By Amani Hughes
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Subject: Torture; Activists; Summer solstice; Dogs; Festivals
Location: China
People: Wang Yue
Company / organization: Name: South China University of Technology; NAICS: 611310; Name: Humane
Society International; NAICS: 813312
Publication title: Express (Online); London (UK)
Publication year: 2018
Publication date: Jun 21, 2018
Publisher: Express Newspapers PLC
Place of publication: London (UK)
Country of publication: United Kingdom, London (UK)
Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals–Great Britain
Source type: Newspapers
Language of publication: English
Document type: News
ProQuest document ID: 2057712738
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Copyright: Copyright Express Newspapers PLC Jun 21, 2018
Last updated: 2018-06-22
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- Yulin dog meat festival 2018: Why are animals tortured and eaten at Yulin dog festival?
California puts an end to fur trapping; Lawmaker
calls the practice unnecessary, cruel and costly.
Sahagun, Louis; Willon, Phil . Los Angeles Times ; Los Angeles, Calif. [Los Angeles, Calif]05 Sep 2019:
A.1.
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California has enacted a new ban on fur trapping for animal pelts, making it the first state to outlaw a centuries-old
livelihood that was intertwined with the rise of the Western frontier.
The Wildlife Protection Act of 2019, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, prohibits commercial or
recreational trapping on both public and private lands.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), who introduced the legislation, said it was time to end fur
trapping. “It seems especially cruel, obviously, and it’s just unnecessary and costly,” she said.
Although commercial trapping was an early part of California’s economy, opening the San Francisco Bay Area to
international commerce even before the 1848 California Gold Rush, its fortunes have waned over many decades.
Gonzalez said the roughly six dozen trappers still working in the state, down from more than 5,000 a century ago,
cannot afford to pay the full cost of implementing and regulating their industry.
The ban also comes as California lawmakers consider more aggressive measures to protect animals and wildlife,
often threatening age-old traditions.
Legislators are considering proposals to ban the sale of all fur products, including fur coats, and to outlaw the use
of animals in any circus in the state, with the exception of domesticated horses, dogs and cats.
“There’s been a real change in attitudes about how we treat animals,” Gonzalez said.
A total of 68 trappers reported killing 1,568 animals statewide in 2017, according to the California Department of
Fish and Wildlife. Among the 10 species reported taken were coyote, gray fox, beaver, badger and mink.
Trapped animals are strangled, shot or beaten to death, with care taken not to damage pelts before skinning them.
Under the law, using traps to catch gophers, house mice, rats, moles and voles would still be permitted.
The law followed a 2013 public outcry when conservationist Tom O’Key discovered a bobcat trap illegally set on
his property near the edge of Joshua Tree National Park.
O’Key stumbled upon the trap, chained to a jojoba bush and camouflaged with broken branches, just north of the
720,000-acre park, where the cats are a dominant force in the ecosystem.
He immediately alerted neighbors and contacted the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and Hi-Desert
Star newspaper, triggering an angry tide of complaints that put a spotlight on the practice of trapping, killing and
skinning bobcats to supply fur markets in China, Russia and Greece.
“I could not have guessed in a million years,” O’Key said in an interview, “that trap would spark an unstoppable
movement capable of shifting legislative thinking toward wildlife.”
Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) pushed through his Bobcat Protection Act of 2013 in response to
petition drives, social media campaigns and telephone calls to lawmakers from wildlife advocates who decried
trapping and killing as a cruel trade.
Eight months after O’Key sounded the alarm in Joshua Tree, the California Fish and Game Commission voted 3 to 2
to ban commercial bobcat trapping statewide.
The Wildlife Protection Act of 2019 was backed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the nonprofit group
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Social Compassion in Legislation, which spearheaded a recent bill that put an end to the sale of mill-bred dogs,
cats and rabbits.
Opponents included the California Farm Bureau Federation, which warned that the bill, if passed, could have
significant economic consequences for the agriculture industry.
The trapping industry declined over decades in California.
Before California’s population ballooned to roughly 40 million people, fur trapping played a significant role in the
extirpation of wolves and wolverines and the severe declines of sea otters, fishers, martens, beavers and other fur-
bearing species.
Over the last two decades, animal protectionists have partnered with mainstream environmental groups to put
pressure on state and federal wildlife authorities, and to take their animal-cruelty concerns to voters. Trappers are
anachronistic, they said, and their snares subject wildlife to horrific suffering.
“The signing of this bill into law is the result of compelling data and a change of heart in public opinion regarding
animal cruelty,” said Judie Mancuso, founder and president of Social Compassion in Legislation.
Caption: PHOTO: BOBCATS near Joshua Tree National Park in 2013, the year the state banned trapping them. A
new law prohibits trapping any fur-bearing mammal for pelts.
PHOTOGRAPHER:Annica Kreuters
DETAILS
Subject: Animals; Legislation; Trapping; National parks; Wildlife conservation
Location: San Francisco Bay San Bernardino County California Russia Greece China California
People: Newsom, Gavin
Company / organization: Name: Center for Biological Diversity; NAICS: 813312; Name: Joshua Tree National
Park; NAICS: 712190; Name: Sheriff-Coroner Department-San Bernardino County CA;
NAICS: 922120
Identifier / keyword: CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION FURS TRAPPING WILDLIFE CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
Publication title: Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles, Calif.
Pages: A.1
Publication year: 2019
Publication date: Sep 5, 2019
Dateline: SACRAMENTO
Section: Main News; Part A; Local Desk
Publisher: Tribune Interactive, LLC
Place of publication: Los Angeles, Calif.
Country of publication: United States, Los Angeles, Calif.
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Copyright: Copyright Los Angeles Times Sep 5, 2019
Last updated: 2019-09-05
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- California puts an end to fur trapping; Lawmaker calls the practice unnecessary, cruel and costly.
CompanyMaking Costco Pajamas Flagged for Forced
Labor
Alonso, Luis; Wang, Yanan; Kang, Dake; Jeantet, Diane.The Epoch Times, New York ed.; New
York (NY) [New York (NY)]09 Oct 2019: A6.
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The Trump administration is blocking shipments from a Chinese company that makes baby pajamas
sold at Costco warehouses, after the foreign manufacturer was accused of forcing ethnic minorities
locked in an internment camp to sew clothes against their will.
The U.S. government is also blocking rubber gloves sold by industry leader Ansell, whose customers
include surgeons, mechanics, and scientists around the United States, accusing a Malaysian
manufacturer of staffing its factories with migrants from Bangladesh, Nepal, and other countries who
went into crushing debt from paying exorbitant recruitment fees.
Imports of bone charcoal from Brazil that firms such as Plymouth Technology and ResinTech Inc.
use to remove contaminants in U.S. water systems, diamonds from Zimbabwe, and gold from the
Democratic Republic of Congo were stopped as well.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Oct. 1 slapped rare detention orders on goods
imported from an unprecedented five countries in one day, based on allegations that people
producing those items might be children, or adults subjected to forced labor. The orders are used to
hold shipping containers at U.S. ports of entry until the agency can investigate the claims of
wrongdoing.
CBP didn’t release information about the companies that were importing the goods covered by last
week’s detention orders. But The Associated Press tracked items to several buyers, including
Costco and the U.S. subsidiary of Ansell, an Australian maker of industrial and medical gloves. The
companies said they weren’t aware that the products were being made with forced labor.
Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan said the orders, the most issued in a single day, “shows
that if we suspect a product is made using forced labor, we’ll take that product offU.S. shelves.”
The Customs action is sending ripples globally, with exporters now on notice to improve labor
conditions. Domestically, some U.S. importers were shaken to learn their products might have been
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made by people forced to work against their will or under threat of punishment. Human rights experts
warn as many as 25 million people globally are victims of forced labor.
In recent years, investigations by media organizations and advocacy groups have tracked products
suspected of being made by forced labor as they travel from manufacturers, through brokers and
dealers, into the hands of U.S. consumers.
“
CBP’s announcement is significant because of the unprecedented number of actions and for the
message that it sends across corporate supply chains,” labor advocates at Humanattorney ity United
and Freedom Fund said in a joint statement. “We know that myriad imported goods U.S. consumers
enjoy every day-from clothing to electronics to chocolate, fruits and vegetables, and other foods-are
likely tainted by forced labor in their supply chains. Making real progress to change this will require a
concerted effort across and outside of government, including through strong enforcement of existing
laws like this.”
Until recently, the detentions orders used to block the shipments on Oct. 1 would have been almost
impossible.
Before 2016, the TariffAct-which gave CBP the authority to seize shipments where forced labor was
suspected and block further imports-had been used only 39 times over its first 85 years, largely
because of two words: “consumptive demand”-meaning if there was not sufficient supply to meet
domestic demand, imports were allowed regardless of how they were produced.
After an AP investigation found that seafood caught by slaves in Southeast Asia was ending up in
restaurants and markets around the United States with impunity because of the loophole, Congress
and President Barack Obama changed the law. Since then, under both the Obama and Trump
administrations, CBP has used its detention authority 12 times to stop shipments, including those
recently.
Under the law, U.S. importers have 90 days to prove no forced labor was used to produce their
products. If they can’t, they can either ship their products to another country or surrender them to
Customs.
Costco Pajamas
One major case from last week involves China’s Hetian Taida Apparel, which AP reported in 2018
was forcing Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities to sew clothes for U.S. importers inside a
Chinese reeducation camp.
This was one of a growing number of internment camps in China’s farwestern Xinjiang region,
where, by some estimates, 1 million Muslims are politically indoctrinated while detained and forced
to give up their language and their religion. The Washington-based Worker Rights Consortium
published further evidence this year that Hetian Taida was doing business both inside a camp, and
at nearby state-subsidized factories, where detainees are sent once they are released.
In response, Hetian Taida’s U.S. buyer Badger Sportswear, in Statesville, North Carolina, cut
offimports and Hetian Taida stopped exporting to the United States, according to records published
by ImportGenius, which tracks shipping activity around the world.
But in September, Costco Wholesale Corp. began importing baby pajamas made by the company.
On Sept. 21, and again on Sept. 26, Hetian Taida sent shipping containers filled with 100 percent
polyester blanket sleepers for babies and toddlers to the United States, labeled for Costco,
according to shipping records.
In an interview with AP, Costco officials said “we believe (the baby sleepers) were made in a factory
other than the one that was the subject of the CBP detention order. As the facts develop, we’re
prepared to consider what action we should take relative to the issue of a supplier to our supplier
owning factories that may have problems.”
As of last weekend, the microfleece, zippered pajamas, sold under the label Absorba, were seen by
an AP reporter on some Costco shelves in packs of two, for $14.99.
Scott Nova, executive director of Worker Rights Consortium, said he was shocked that Costco
agreed to do business with a firm already associated with China’s re-education camps.
“The Chinese government has created a human rights nightmare for the Uyghur people and Hetian
Taida has been an active partner in Beijing’s brutality. The company’s use of forced labor is well-
documented and CBP is right to act,” Nova said.
Reached by phone on Oct. 7, Hetian Taida Chairman Wu Hongbo told the AP that the company will
cooperate with U.S. Customs and provide the agency with any documents it needs. Wu declined to
answer further questions and said he has chosen to reject all media interview requests.
Associated Press reporters Luis Alonso, Yanan Wang, Dake Kang, and Diane Jeantet contributed to
this report.
Sidebar
CBP’s announcement is significant because of the unprecedented number of actions and for the
message that it sends across corporate supply chains.
Labor advocates, Humanity United and Freedom Fund
Word count: 1080
Copyright The Epoch Times Oct 9, 2019