雜崩能閱讀報告
JBL Reading Report

Labels: Interesting, On the light side

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/28/2008 04:01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

「歧視」Vs.「區別對待」
中文大學政治與行政學系高級導師 蔡子強

【明報專訊】周一周融的「學歷歧視論」，一石激起千重浪，惹來議論紛紛，甚至社會分化，但其實當中存在不少誤解，有必要在這裏澄清。

有關的「學歷歧視論」，明顯混淆了兩個基本概念，就是：「歧視」(discrimination)和「區別看待」(differential treatment)。

現實生活上，對不同類別的人，予以不同待遇，這是難以避免，甚至是無可厚非的。是否構成歧視，關鍵是構成區別看待的原因，在那一項處理上，是「相關」(relevant)還是「不相關」(irrelevant)的因素。如果原因是相關的，那是區別對待，如果是不相關的，才可算是歧視。

關鍵是「相關」還是「不相關」

舉些例，在大學裏，教師到圖書館借書可以最多借60本，研究生是40本，本科生是25本，這不是學歷歧視，而是假設不同崗位，不同研究水平，有不同程度的需要，是「相關」的，是「區別看待」；但如果男教師可以借60本，女教師卻只可以借40本，那就是「不相關」的，就是「歧視」。

政府在聘請政務官時，請男不請女，這也是歧視，因為我們相信在政務官這個崗位上，男女的能力和表現，也沒有本質上的分別，男性能夠做好的，女性也能夠做好。

但一間機構聘請男洗手間管理員時，只聘用男性；女洗手間管理員時，只聘用女性，這便不能算是歧視，因為這關乎到男女用家，對自己性別私隱保障之關注。

今天香港的大學收生，都有最低學歷要求，例如高級程度會考中、英文以外，另加兩科合格，試問一名中三後輟學的同學，能否走來大學叩門，不得其門而入後，便「聲大夾惡」的投訴大學「學歷歧視」呢﹖

我們相信教育、考試和學歷制度，是現代文明社會的一項基石，透過考試成績、教育程度和學歷，我們區分不同人士的不同能力水平，再予以區別看待，委以不同的責任、分工和待遇。無錯，這個制度並不是盡善盡美，但暫時我們仍然設想不到可以取而代之的制度。當然，大家可以指出這個制度的不足，但當某次結果對自己不利時，才上綱上線的指控這個制度是對自己「學歷歧視」，便真的有點令人啼笑皆非，尤其是這出自一位建制派人士的口中，如果這是出自一位長毛(梁國雄)式的反建制、顛覆性人物，或許還能換到別人更大的同情。

民意授權Vs.擇優錄用

周一，周融亦有以特首也不需要大學學位，來為自己辯護；而昨天朋友王岸然，亦以〈英國首相也可以無大學學位〉為題在報章撰文，加入聲援行列(他指的是英國前首相馬卓安)。但我認為兩者都再次犯了概念混淆。

所有標準政治學教科書都會指出，選舉產生的官員(elected officials)，以及公務員(civil servants)，是兩個不同的概念，是兩類完全不同的崗位。前者講求的，是在選舉中贏得民意授權(public mandate)；而後者講求的，則是在「能者居之」、「擇優錄用」(meritocracy)的前提下，脫穎而出。

如果你參與的是選舉，哪管你是大、中、小學學歷，只要人民投你一票，你就是他們的代表；只要你能夠贏出，就無人能夠挑戰你不夠資格。

相反，學歷，在現代文明社會，是「能者居之」、「擇優錄用」的其中一個重要考察憑據。所以，今天大部分的公務員崗位，都有最低學歷要求。

一間飯店收費昂貴，是歧視窮人，所以要到平機會去控告這間飯店；

老師嘉許和獎勵成績好的學生，是歧視成績差的學生；

老闆晉升勤奮的員工，是歧視懶散的員工……

現實生活上，我們聽到愈來愈多類似慷慨激昂，但卻似是而非的指控。在這些指控中，我不知道哪些是晦氣說話，哪些是認真的這樣想。我只能奉勸大家一句，應該以批判的眼光，去思考指控的對確與否，而非人云亦云，看到歧視兩個字，就熱血上腦，義無反顧，遇神殺神，遇佛殺佛。

Labels: News, Recommend

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/27/2008 01:54:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

梁文道先生就藝人性愛自拍事件在《明報》發表了逾3000字的〈誰需要玉女？〉長文(2008年2月17日)，暢論「玉女」形象及其破產問題。
依梁先生看來，對女藝人的是非對錯的一切指控反映出「一種群體受騙的情緒」。問題的關鍵在於女藝人的「玉女」形象，「玉女」謊言的戳破使大家有被「蒙騙的感覺」。對該事件的指控，以及揑造出的新聞都是為了說明所「受到的傷害是真的」。他進而指出「玉女」形象總是一種「無慾之女」的想像，是父權社會中的處女情意結，是一種「性慾對象」的塑造，以滿足征服欲望和教化快感。

梁先生認為，錯誤不在藝人而在於藝人的「玉女」形象，因此「玉女」形象破產問題的研究才「更有益於社會整體」。依照這種邏輯，錯誤當然也不在政客不在商人不在公務員，而在於社會加諸其上的「公正」、「信實」、「廉潔」等「怪異的不合常理的」形象，在於一種「高尚」、「無慾」、「純潔」的社會想像，在於「為什麼在21世紀的香港，(這形象)仍然如此重要？」
「玉女」形象固然是社會的需求、構造和賦予，但同時也是藝人的接受、承擔和責任。維護這形象是藝人的最基本專業道德。「難道我們應該要求一名藝人和他的性伴侶要考慮自己私下性行為的『公眾影響』嗎？」我相信任何一個演藝機構的老闆或藝人都可以毫不含糊地回答梁先生的這一提問。
誰需要玉女？社會顯然需要玉女！敢問梁先生，在一個完全沒有玉女的社會中，家庭會是怎樣？青少年又會是怎樣？

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/26/2008 11:15:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: News, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/25/2008 12:46:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

【明報專訊】政府近年雖加大禁煙力度，但有調查顯示，大多數受訪市民仍覺得政府在預防和禁止青少年吸煙工作上有所不足。87.5％市民認為政府應立例禁止向穿著校服者賣煙，亦有74.3％受訪者支持大幅增加煙草稅。防止青少年吸煙委員會促請政府大加煙草稅100％，令煙價顯著上升，減低青少年購買意欲。

Labels: News, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/25/2008 12:36:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

欣宜獨力送母　免父難堪
失去至親的欣宜，深切體會親情可貴，沒有了媽媽，當然最顧及爸爸的感受。今次欣宜着鄭少秋不要前往，除不想爸爸舟車勞頓外，背後原因，是顧慮到爸爸到場可能會被媽媽親友排斥，內心不好受。
短訊中透露，欣宜向鄭少秋說，想出席葬禮的人太多，名額早滿，保安不會讓不在名單之列者進入，所以建議爸爸改去追思會。其實，論親疏關係，鄭少秋的身份本極具分量，只是欣宜體貼父親，作出用心良苦的安排。

欣宜怒拒秋官出席肥姐喪禮
肥姐（沈殿霞）病逝之後，前夫鄭少秋一直玩失蹤，令愛女欣宜大為不滿，肥姐葬禮將於本月27日在溫哥華ForestLawnMemorialPark舉行，秋官竟不在出席名單內，欣宜建議他出席3月2日在香港舉行的追思會，表面上為是父親着想，不想他飛來飛去勞累，實則是不滿秋官的所為。
肥姐離世後，秋官一直在橫店拍攝《書劍恩仇錄》，日前陳淑芬接受電台訪問時炮轟秋官無情，連一個慰問電話也沒有。而鄧光榮被記者追問秋官沒露面時，他碌大眼瞪着記者反問：「邊個嚟？」本周四，欣宜與姨媽及陳淑芬到灣仔晚膳，在新世界酒店外記者問她關於秋官會否陪她返溫哥華出席肥姐的葬禮，當時欣宜淡然說：「你自己問佢啦。」似乎欣宜也不想多提父親。

Labels: News, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/23/2008 07:19:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

一對年輕男女，剛剛結婚，囑寫「新婚快樂」。我說：「只『新婚快樂』便足夠了嗎？不！要一生快樂。」我給他們寫了「風雨同路，苦甘共嘗」；並說：「『苦』在『甘』之前，『苦』盡『甘』來，能夠這樣，便一生都快樂。」

一個青年，說剛剛出來工作，囑寫「一帆風順」。我說：「工作不能全靠運氣，還要自己努力，去克服困難。」我給他寫了「乘風破浪」。

Labels: Interesting, Recommend, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/21/2008 08:03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

In human life, suffering is not merely an episode, an event, or a passing psychological state - it is a condition. [...] suffering is as much a feature of human life as is joy, wonder, or satisfaction.

If Christianity is to be any more than an interesting explanatory system for those who enjoy the diversions of metaphysical philosophy, then it must open in us a way to live abundantly in and with our suffering, give us hope, empower us to live with others in their suffering, and discern the difference between the suffering characteristic of human existence and suffering that demands alleviation or resistance. That is, Christianity as a living faith must sustain and heal human persons as we "suffer" the long journey of a life lived through the ebb and flow of pain and joy, struggle and peace [...] Christianity must open a way for us to face suffering, not as an anomaly or a momentary obstacle on the way to a place where God will be present tous but as an enduring feature of human life in which God is with us.

Labels: Recommend, Reflection, Thorns

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/19/2008 11:53:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

當這分享放在大家面前的時候，「擴建神家‧傳揚主道」這個2008年的教會主題應該高高掛起一個多月了。但是究竟我們要「擴建」甚麼？怎樣「擴建」？是誰在真正「建造」這個家？

容讓我提出一個反建議：面對自己、面對其他的肢體、面對外面的世界，在說要「建造」之前，我們實在不能不先說「拆毀」。拆毀甚麼？讓我認真地對你說，至為重要的三方面：

拆毀那自以為認識神的自恃
拆毀那不可能和好的隔膜
拆毀那「從世界撤退」的圍牆

倘若我們可以培養出一種意識，讓捨己的愛、公義和盼望成為我們自我認同的核心—白天帶著去上班，晚上帶著回家—那麼我們其實就是在作顛覆世界的工作。我們必須了解，信徒這顛覆的行為與血氣之爭其實毫無關係，顛覆者並不是要在血氣上打仗，他們只作一件事，就是預備地土，一點一滴地改變，使人心漸漸朝向信與望，等候基督的顯現。

等候，因為建造的，從來就只有神，而不在我們。

「拆毀有時，建造有時。」

Labels: Recommend, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/18/2008 11:18:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Planning to buy flowers today in the name of St. Valentine? Choose a still-growing houseplant or herb instead—not only will it last longer and add some air-purifying life to your loved one’s pad, but it’ll reduce your chances of bringing home a bunch of chemically grown cut blooms that have already traveled the globe. And whatever you do, avoid roses: they may have been grown using questionable business practices before being wrapped in all kinds of packaging and imported from a faraway place like Columbia or Ecuador or Ethiopia. Consider it your Valentine to the planet.

Labels: Interesting, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/17/2008 01:27:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

蘇丹人道主義災難：暴徒用鎖鏈綁女學生放火焚燒──而竟然有人還對陳冠希的私人生活感興趣。

我們已經陷進屬靈爭戰的水深火熱中──而竟然有基督徒還對______________感興趣。

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/16/2008 07:32:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: News, Recommend, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/13/2008 11:11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: Reflection, Thorns

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/11/2008 10:13:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

I suffer from chronic depression. This means that I go through periods of major depression, but unlike other people, my depression never really leaves me. When I am not in a cycle of major depression, I am suffering from a less serious case of depression, which still makes day-to-day life a great effort.

And most important of all, I know my relationship with God. The darker my depression the gets, the more I depend on God to carry me from one day to the next. Sometimes the pain is so heavy I need God just to get from one breath to the next. However, I feel almost at an advantage because my depression reminds me everyday of my weakness and this reminds me to depend on God for strength and to recognize that He is more powerful than any chemical remedies devised by man.

So the truth, is the stigma of depression is still out there. [...] You just have to understand who you are and how you function when you are in the clutches of depression. And it’s important to understand whose you are. That no matter how dark it gets, the Light is right next door. Hope is never too far away to find you.

Labels: Reflection, Thorns

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/08/2008 01:15:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Many Christians seem to believe that God’s relationship with the universe is deterministic, that God has already filmed the future in his mind, and what we’re seeing unfold in history is the showing of a movie that’s already ‘in the can’ so to speak. I don’t believe that. I believe God’s relationship with creation—including us—is interactive. God gives us warnings, which are an invitation to change our ways. God gives us promises, which are an invitation to persevere when the going gets tough.

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/07/2008 02:33:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: Interesting, Learning

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/06/2008 01:15:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

港鐵、巴士、電車車箱的對話，
足以反映了小市民對陳冠希事件的心態。
甚麼憐憫、甚麼道德，於我們來說不值一晒，
我們想要的，是「Nudity」，是「Reality」，是「Sex and the City」！

Labels: News, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/05/2008 02:10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

We all know pain. Some of us know it very well. But not all pain has to be a devastation to our lives. It is never meant to be. God is within even the darkest moments of our days, and choosing to search for him and wait upon him through the struggles of each day will, without fail, shed light unto our hearts. And in the moments where God speaks to us in speeding cars, healing and purpose gain a new strength. And even the dead can find life.

God is still God in the bankruptcy, in the cancer, in the divorce, in the death, in the fire. God is still God when people walk away and when the addictions don’t break. God is still God when insurance doesn’t cover the damage or the loans aren’t granted. God is still God in our broken circumstances, just as He was God when He hung on the cross to redeem the world.

All things. Even these broken days.

Labels: Thorns

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/04/2008 11:07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

What’s happening to Britney Spears has me thinking about how we treat the stars in our own communities. I think Britney is more of a victim of our culture than the cause of her own demise. I’ve seen this over and over again in my own life and in the lives of others in churches. This is roughly what happens:

1. She shows that she’s gifted.
   
2. She is invited to take responsibility as an opportunity to exercise or share this gift.
   
3. She, usually being young in years or in the faith, gladly takes it on because she can use her gift and there’s some gratification in her gift being recognized.
   
4. She is rewarded with praise, admiration, adoration, recognition, fame and sometimes money.
   
5. With rewards and responsibility comes more responsibility, so this person is given more to do or the level of responsibility is increased. They become, necessarily, committed with verbal, written or unspoken expectations or contracts.
   
6. Because this person was too young or immature to recognize her own boundaries or endurance and because she was unable or unwilling to say “No!”, they start to show signs of wear and tear.
   
7. In the industry, this is met with more praise and the ethic of hard work paying off is preached, as well as the old idea that this is the cost of responsibility. Our curiosity into her humanness and vulnerability elevates her even further in our own eyes. In the church, this wear and tear is met with more prayer, encouragement, and servant-theology, service and sacrifice is preached even harder.
   
8. Over time she begins to crack. This is evidenced by increased absences, embarrassing mistakes, illness, sloppiness, outspokenness and surprising behavior.
   
9. This is met with either pity or outright condemnation. Correction is attempted. But we still expect her to produce and perform better than she ever has before.
   
10. Finally, she crashes and burns. She totally loses it.
    
11. The general reaction is scorn and blame. She is perceived and treated as though she is the scum of the earth because it is her own fault. She asked for it!

I see this with Britney. I see this is the church. All the time. These people are seen as failures, burn-outs, has-beens, dead wood… whatever. And it makes me sick because we are the ones who created them. I can’t see us stopping it either because we love to be entertained and the show must go on.

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/03/2008 12:03:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

香港傳媒走向娛樂化，早是陳腔濫調；邊罵報刊淫賤，邊看淫賤報刊，在香港也早見怪不怪。但是，原來除了聲色、娛樂，傳媒更可販賣「曖昧」。當相片真偽未有一個最後說法，傳媒借「中立」、「客觀」的報道手法，貼身報道「貌似」誰的男星及「疑似」誰的女星，在睡房「好像」做什麼事，然後每天緊貼事件，帶領全民「緝兇」之餘，一有新相又齊齊登，然後全城等待當事人的「不認不認還需認」。口說忠實報道，實質渲染炒作，不是偽善，又是什麼？

新聞自由促進社會開放，網絡自由帶來資訊共享，但只有建基在對別人的尊重，自由才有價值。[...]若相中人是親友，大家必感憤怒；若淫照主角是陌路人，大家也會有一絲惻隱；為什麼換了是藝人，大家便可以奉上「藝人食得鹹魚抵得渴」，而為自己完全開脫？
大家甚至心安理得地把別人的傷害及不合理行為，若化成充滿娛樂、可供茶餘飯後高談闊論的「話題」。

Labels: News, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/02/2008 01:47:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Imagine you're a consultant to the New Year's Resolution industry. Your clients are a deeply dysfunctional bunch. Every January, they proudly announce their resolutions. Two weeks later, most have already veered off plan, and by mid-spring, they may not even remember having a resolution at all. [...] If these were goals, mind you, we'd all consider ourselves utter failures, but with our resolutions, we get a pass. So how do you make sure your business is setting goals rather than resolutions?

What's fun about goals is the end point, the completion. If your goal is to "grow sales by 13% in the Southeast region," and you nail it, you're ecstatic. What's fun about resolutions, on the other hand, is the announcement. Think of a stereotypical offsite meeting where a team has the sudden epiphany: What we really need to do is "Amaze the Customer!" That's a resolution...

[...] your organization's culture will often determine what's a resolution and what's a goal. Some cultures are strong enough to make ambiguous, unenforceable behaviors possible. [...] So if you want your own New Year's resolution to become a viable goal, you need to surround yourself with resolution achievers.

Labels: Management, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 2/01/2008 01:04:00 AM | Permalink | Comments