Objections from certain sectors of Malaysian society to the film neatly illustrates both the fear and lack of understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the country.
Does including torture or other human rights violations in video games trivialize the actions? Or might it force us to think more critically about them?
Locavore, freegan, kangatarian, flexitarian … what we eat has become a moral minefield. Religions have long enforced food-related prohibitions, but in a secular context we could do with a little less moralising at the kitchen table.
A recent onslaught against gays and lesbians in Indonesia shows a fresh wave of moral panic over homosexuality in the world’s most populous Muslim country.
The hyperbole used to describe the dangers of new drugs can be counterproductive. Rather than containing their spread, the media can act as advertisers for emerging substances.
Baseless claims about the damage done to kids’ development create needless panic. And they distract from legitimate, evidence-based concerns with which parents need to engage.
It’s a well-worn political trick that you caricature and call your opponents names when you don’t want to engage with the substance of their claims. In debates about porn, pornography advocates often seek…