Assignment task: Racism Application Paper
Background:
Our goal in this unit has been to use the skills we're learning to think more productively about what counts as racist and what doesn't. To do so, we focused on developing arguments about a particular case:
Case study: At a family gathering in 2020, Uncle Clint (echoing former president Trump) calls the disease caused by the novel corona virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic "the kung flu." Some of the family thinks this is harmless and funny, and others think it is racist. So: is it racist when Clint calls COVID-19 "the kung flu"?
Instructions:
1. Represent in standard form the best 'yes' Argument from Principle you can think of: in other words, the best Argument from Principle for the conclusion that Clint's action is racist. Be sure to use the strategies from Doing Practical Ethics Chapter 7.
2. Provide supplementary information for the 'yes' argument: give a short paragraph for each premise that explains what the premise is saying and why we should think it is true. Be sure to use the strategies from Doing Practical Ethics pages 105 - 107.
3. Represent in standard form the best 'no' Argument from Principle you can think of: in other words, the best Argument from Principle for the conclusion that Clint's action is not racist. Be sure to use the strategies from Doing Practical Ethics Chapter 7.
4. Provide supplementary information for the 'no' argument: give a short paragraph for each premise that explains what the premise is saying and why we should think it is true. Be sure to use the strategies from Doing Practical Ethics pages 105 - 107.