What we read
On page 18, Rogers and Wilkin ask us to think about and discuss the quotation: "Life is not fair. Get used to it. The quotation itself has an interesting history, and it appears that the authors of Skillful did not check carefully enough, although their mistake is a common one. The source of the short quotation is not, as they say, Microsoft founder Bill Gates"(2013), but rather, the much less famous Charles J. Sykes, who first said it in a newspaper column in 1996 — the San Diego Union Tribune, on September 19, 1996 ("Bill Gates High School Speech," 2013; Jones, 2010).
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Rogers and Wilkin's questions
- Do you agree or disagree with this quotation? Why or why not?
- When is it acceptable for things to be unfair?
"Life is not fair. Get used to it."
(Charles J, Sykes, 1996)
(Charles J, Sykes, 1996)
Think for one minute. Then write a comment to share your ideas about Sykes' words.
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Reference
- Bill Gates High School Speech. (2013, November 25). Retrieved from https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/some-rules-kids-wont-learn-in-school/
- Jones, H. K. (2010, September 10). Don’t Believe Everything You Read! [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://achievemax.com/blog/2010/09/10/dont-believe-everything-you-read/
- Rogers, L. & Wilkin, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing, Student's Book 2. London: Macmillan Education
I strongly disagree with Sykes' idea that we should accept things that are unfair. For example, if a mafia woman corrupts judges to send an innocent person to death for a murder that the person did not commit, that is definitely not fair, and accepting it as Sykes seems to suggest is morally bad. We might not be able to always fix unfairness, but that does not mean we should accept it as something that's OK. Just because rich people can bribe schools to let them in unfairly does not mean that that traditional social system should be accepted.
ReplyDeleteNaturally, I don't think it's ever acceptable for things to be unfair. However, this does not mean that all things have to be equal. Fairness does not seem to me to require equality of wealth, of ability, or of opportunity, even though good morals do demand that all citizens, whatever their condition, have an equal voice to determining how their society is governed, its rules, its institutions, and its customs. This is why democracy demands strong legal protection for free speech that is deeply offensive: it would unfair to allow unjust laws to interfere with the offensive speech of some citizens.
I agree with this quotation because since everyone born they have different appearance.Each family also have different social status.
ReplyDeleteYou have to accept the difference such as social status, your title and your appearance because it's stay with you since the day you born.
Do we really have to accept these things? I think that some of them must be accepted, for example that some people are more beautiful or handsome than others, and that some are richer, but I'm not sure that this is the same as being unfair. If someone like Bill Gates becomes super-rich by working hard and creating enormous value for people like me who use MS products every day, that does not seem to me unfair, only unequal. In contrast, if someone awful inherited a fortune from his parents but did nothing to deserve such good luck, that might be unfair, and if it's unfair, I don't think we should accept it. This is why I think good citizens protest about injustice in society, especially about laws that are unfair, that are morally wrong.
DeleteI agree with the quotation, because it reminds you some truth of life and you have to move on no matter what.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things in our life that we could consider them unfair. In general, I think if it is something that you can't do anything with it such as your health, your appearance or your intelligence, then it is acceptable unfairness.
I do agree with Teng's idea that it's important to move on sometimes, but I'm not sure how strongly that supports Sykes' idea in the quotation. Perhaps we need to argue about what he meant.
DeleteI agree with this quotation. Because everyone born with several families that have a social classes and money is the thing that make people lower or higher. Nowadays parents have to pay much to give their children a good education.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this quotation, because when we was born, everything is not fair. Some people born in a rich family and they have a lot of things than poor's. We can't choose our family, but sometimes we can choose our life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this quotation, because unfair may occur on any aspects, for example some people are born the rich family initially,they can get the best education and most substance goods what they want.
ReplyDeleteI think life has its reason. So if it meant to be,it will be. Every situation taught you in different lesson. Thus, in my opinion, although everything may be not fair, life is fair and we should find the happiness of each lesson in order to learn and grow.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with his quotation because I think that Life is fair for people who prepare for fight not a loser. I believe that everything happens for reason. If you do more,you will get more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this quotation that life is not fair. In every communities isn't equal, people who have more power will oppress the people who have less power. So they have to accept and used to it.
ReplyDeleteWe have to accept when parents tell us that the thing we do is not right, but we have to accept it because they are your parents.