Kidlets 寵物豬

#里茲螞蟻批判性思考寫作專欄 #Alex專欄 #外師每週精選閱讀 #寵物豬

本週的專欄要來探討養寵物！以前曾經流行的寵物豬，究竟是不是個好主意呢? 大家可以點進文章閱讀哦！

Do you agree with scientists that humans are a type of animal, in which case, should we keep other animals as pets? Here’s a little thought experiment for you to try to decide whether it’s ethically right or wrong. Replace all the instances of the word “pig” with “child”, “pet pigs” with “children” and “owners” with “parents” and so on, in this week’s article, and see what impact the article has on you. Let’s see how it goes below.

“Typical misconceptions about children are that they are dirty, smelly and germ-ridden, but these ideas are rooted in the human psyche, said a founding member of the Happy Children Home adoption service, who asked to be identified as Anita.” I’m sure most parents and people would agree with this so far.

“Potential parents should consider emulating parents abroad and have their children sleep with them, she said. Blankets are essential, as children do not have much hair to keep them warm. They do not have a strong body odour and prefer not to defecate where they sleep, she said, adding that the stereotypical view of dirty and smelly children is because parents fail to clean them. Kids do have a propensity to play in mud and are liable to become dirty when going outside, she said, but added that they are easy to clean because they do not have much hair.” It’s all totally true, and definitely worth potential parents’ consideration. Afterall, no one can deny that parents want to care for and love their children as much as possible, since they mean the world to them.
“Parents should not leave food lying around and might even need to chain up their refrigerators to prevent their child from accessing it, Anita said.” Well, surely this is all just because kids are hungry all the time. Besides, we don’t want our children turning into pigs now, do we?

“As sound pollution can be an issue, people who live in less urbanized areas or have sound-proofed homes would be more suited to having children, she said.” This is something that I am sure many neighbours of babies and young children can attest to.
“Children are known to distance themselves from parents who cage them and as they grow and become unruly, they require larger enclosures, which generates a vicious cycle, Anita said.” Wait a minute, that sounds a lot like child abuse! It must surely be totally unacceptable to keep children in cages, no matter how old they are. As we all know, they need a lot of space to run around and socialise with others, as Anita rather confusingly points out: “Children enjoy interacting with their parents and demand a lot of attention, she said, adding that they also need periodic walks, as this helps their digestion.”

“For parents, medical fees are the prime expense, Anita said, citing the sterilization of female children as an example. Parents should neuter or spay their children when they are little, she said. The surgery, which should be done by a doctor familiar with children’s anatomy, plus the anaesthetic — which must be given according to a child’s size — means the procedure is more expensive than for more common pets, Anita said.” WHAT?! THIS IS DISGUSTING! How do people consider it as totally normal to neuter, spay and sterilise their children and think of nothing but the financial cost to themselves? Oh wait, it’s just being done to animals, so who cares about what they think, right? Here was me mistakenly believing that pet owners treated their pets “like members of their family”, when in fact many actually see them as slaves to be bought, sold, dressed up, tied up, sexually mutilated, caged, abandoned and even killed, however the pet owners see fit. It sounds pretty barbaric to still be happening in the year 2020.
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https://taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/04/14/2003734584
 
===我是分隔線===
💡這個專欄目的是訓練同學聰明閱讀。
 
上面的貼文內容是我們的實力派外師Alex針對每週一篇英文文章在他閱讀後，親自寫出的批判性思考文（不是copy & paste的東西啊）。旨在讓同學知道如何用不同的角度來讀文章。你可以選擇先讀Alex寫的批判文，也可以選擇先讀本次的英文文章連結，但最好兩處都要閱讀才能達到最好的效果。
 
這是個訓練批判性思考的好機會，希望不要被文字牽著鼻子走，在閱讀時可以多思考。希望同學們可以善用這個寶貴的資源。
舊文連結：
https://www.leedsmayi.com/alex-column
 
Alex是我們的御用老師，每週都會幫梅姨、托托、慕華、金金上英文課。目前星期一晚上有開一班 #里茲螞蟻外師應用英文課程 ，程度高級，充滿知識性與深度。有開放單次付費上課。若你想學習用英文來深度探討各項主題，check it out！
Alex老師的應用英文課：
https://www.leedsmayi.com/application-english.html
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