Thomson Heinle Publishing Taboos And Issues - Past 3

The survey gave points for things like 'politeness,' 'willingness to understand and speak English' and'cultural sensitivity.' People working in jobs ranging from taxi-drivers to hotel r

" H e a v e n is where the police are British, the cooks are French, the mechanics

a r e G e r m a n , t h e l o v e r s a r e l t a l i a n and it's all organised by the Swiss Hell is

w h e r e t h e p o l i c e are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are

F r e n c h , th e l o v e r s are Swiss, and it's all organised by the ltalians."

D i s c u s s i o n

D i s c u s s in p a i r s or small groups:

1 D i d y o u f i n d the joke above amusing? I f y o u d i d , i s i t b e c a u s e o f w h a t y o u k n o w a b o u t t h e s e

n a t i o n a l i t i e s p e r s o n a l l y , o r w h a t y o u k n o w o f their reputations?

2 W o u l d y o u l i k e to charnge t h e j o k e i n s o m e way? Can you improve it by changing somc of rhe

n a t i o n a l i t i e s o r s o m e o f t h e j o b s ?

3 D o y o u h i r v e tourists from other countries w h e r e y o u l i v e ? \7 h i c h n a t i o n a l i t i e s ? W h a t a r e t h e y l i k e ?

Reading

R e a d th i s a r t i c l e and underline anything that surprises you or that you think is not fair

BRAZILIANS VOTED BEST TOURISTS, GERMANS WORST

In a recent survey conducted by the American Board

of Tourism, professionals in various areas of the tourism industry have rated Brazilians as the world's best tourists The survey gave points for things like 'politeness,' 'willingness

to understand and speak English' and'cultural sensitivity.' People working in jobs ranging from taxi-drivers to hotel receptionists and airline flight attendants almost unanimously rated the Brazilians as being 'friendly'and 'polite.' The opposite seemed true of the Germans "The Germans just don't seem to get it," said one manager of a hotel chain, based in New Orleans.

"They're

rude and impatient yet they expect service with a smile They travel outside Germany yet want

to have things just like at home Plus, they never

t i p "

The best tippers are the Japanese, according to the survey A travel agent representative explains: "The Japanese are afraid of 'losing face' They'll do what they think is expected of them in the country they're visiting, so they're usually extremely polite They rate very high in the cultural sensitivity category." The French scored extremely low in the 'willingness

to understand and speak English' category "It's amazing They can be so rude and snobby," said a ticket agent at Chicago O'Hare International Airyort "You try to explain things to them and they answer you back in French Not only that, they smoke too much even where it's not allowed -and they're generally messy, leaving cigarettes -and other rubbish on the floor It's unbelievable." A summary of the Board's survey is given below:

Friendliest nationalities: Most polite: Willingness to understand Most

l B r a z i l i a n s

2 Japanese

3 Koreans

4 Canadians

5 Portuguese

1 Japanese

2 Brazllians

3 British

4 Spanish

5 Koreans

l Brazilians

2 Dutch

3 S w i s s

4 Hungarians

5 Poles

l B r a z i l i a n s

2 Japanese

3 Romanians

4 Egyptians

5 Koreans

D i s c u s s w i t h y o u r p a r t n e r what you underlined in the text

22 National stereotypes Taboos and /ssues

True or false?

Read the text again and mark the statements below true (T) or false (F):

l P e o p l e a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d t h i n k B r a z i l i a n s a r e t h e b e s t to u r i s t s

2 The Jirpanese are often afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing when travelling

3 T h e F r e n c h il r e g e n e r a l l y n o t v e r y h a p p y t o s p e a k E n g l i s h

4 The Gcrmans wanr to get a real feel for the local lifestyle when they travel

-5 Thc Germans are happy to show their appreciation for good service

6 The French don't seem to be very tidy when they travel

l f y o u r n a t i o n a l i t y i s n o t m e n t i o n e d in t h e f o u r c a t e g o r i e s i n t h e s u r v e y , d o y o u t h i n k i t s h o u l d b e ?

Language

T h e a r t i c l e d e s c r i b e s th e B r a z i l i a n s a s ' p o l i t e ' a n d

the Germans as 'rude.' Below are some more

words from the article and some other ones to

describe character Match the words on the left

w i t h t h e i r o p p o s i t e s o n t h e r i g h t :

L p o l i t c e q u i e t

2 f r i e n d l y b m e a n

3 l o u d c r u d e

4 g e n e r o u s d u n f r i e n d l y

5 o p e n - m i n d e d e m e s s y

D o t h e s a m e w i t h t h e s e :

D i s c u s s i o n

W o r k i n p a i r s o r s m a l l g r o u p s W h i c h n a t i o n a l i t i e s

d o y o u t h i n k a r e b e i n g d e s c r i b e d b e l o w ?

1 T h e y ' r e a l w a y s in b i g g r o u p s

2 T h e y t a l k t o o l o u d

3 T h e m e n x r e w o m a n i s e r s

4 T h e y ' r e g o o d d a n c e r s

5 They smoke too much

6 They're all fat

7 They think they're the best

8 T h e y ' r e v i o l e n t p e o p l c , I t h i n k

9 They're so mean They cor.rnt every penny

1 0 T h e y t a l k w i t h t h e i r h a n d s

I l T h e y ' r e b a d d r i v e r s

1 2 T h e y ' r e a l l r i c h

1 3 T h e y a l w a y s w a n t t h i n g s d o n e t h e i r w a y

14 The women are beautiful

1 5 T h e y ' r e a l l b l o n d e - h a i r e d a n d b l u e - e y e d

D o y o u t h i n k y o u r d i s c u s s i o n w o u l d h a v e o f f e n d e d people from any of the countries you have been

t a l k i n g a b o u t ? D o y o u m i n d i f y o u r c o u n t r y i s talked about in the same way?

7 h o n e s t

8 g e n t l e

9 p a t i e n t

1 0 f u n

1 l e x c i t a b l e

1 2 d i s t a n t

g impatient

h w a r m

i b o r i n g

j dishonest

k aggressive

l c a l m

How do you think people from other countries see

people from your country? Would they use any of

the adjectives above?

Taboos and /ssues Nationalstereotypes 22

Cheating on your partner

D i s c u s s i o n

W o r k i n p a i r s o r s m a l l g r o u p s W h i c h of the following do you consider to be cheating?

1 Y o u r p a r t n e r fl i r t i n g with another person

2 Y o u r p a r t n e r h a v i n g fa n t a s i e s a b o u t a f r i e n d o f y o u r s

3 Y o u r p a r t n e r h a v i n g fa n t a s i e s a b o u t a c e l e b r i t y

4 Your partner kissing another person after a few drinks at a party

-5 Your partner going to bed with another person after a fcw drinks at a party

6 Y o u r p a r t n e r fr e q u e n t l y h a v i n g c o f f e e w i t h a n o t h e r p e r s o n a n d s h a r i n g in t i m a t e th o u g h t s a n d

d r e a m s w i t h t h i s p e r s o n

What do you think of internet chatrooms? Are they just fantasy or are they part reality?

R e a d i n g

R e a d th e a r t i c l e a n d a n s w e r this question:

tMould you stdy with your husband/wife/partner if this happened to you?

Soon after getting the computer, Jennifer's husband,

S i m o n , ( n o t t h e i r r e a l n a m e s ) s t a r t e d u s i n g t h e

i n t e r n e t n i g h t l y A t f i r s t , s h e d i d n ' t w o r r y B u t s o o n h e

w a s s p e n d i n g m o r e a n d m o r e t i m e i n t h e h o m e

o f f i c e , s i t t i n g a t h i s c o m p u t e r lo n g i n t o t h e n i g h t H e

stopped coming to bed with her and sometimes

would even sleep on the office sofa A few times sne

e v e n c a u g h t h i m s n e a k i n g s i l e n t l y o u t o f t h e i r b e d i n

the middle of the night to go to the office computer.

A t f i r s t s h e t h o u g h t h e w a s s i m p l y a d d i c t e d to t h e

i n t e r n e t o r e v e n b r o w s i n g t h r o u g h o n - l i n e

p o r n o g r a p h y B u t w h e n S i m o n s t a r t e d t u r n i n g d o w n

s e x , Jennifer g o t s u s p i c i o u s

"He'd

never not wanted to have sex before," says

J e n n i f e r " T h a t w a s a n e w t h i n g A n d I d i d n ' t t h i n k i t

w a s b e c a u s e h e w a s u p a l l n i g h t v i s i t i n g n e w s s i t e s

I k n e w s o m e t h i n g w a s w r o n g "

W i t h s u s p i c i o n s o n f u l l a l e r t s h e s t a r t e d g o i n g

through Simon's drawers and trouser pockets She

f o u n d n o t h i n g T h e n s h e w e n t t o t h e c o m p u t e r ,

l o o k e d t h r o u g h h i s f i l e s a n d f o u n d t h e a n s w e r :

S i m o n w a s h a v i n g a n e - m a i l a f f a i r w i t h a w o m a n i n

another part of the country.

" l was devastated," s h e a d m i t s " l never imagined my

h u s b a n d w o u l d e v e r c h e a t o n m e "

B u t i s ' c y b e r - c h e a t i n g ' s t i l l c h e a t i n g ?

" Y e s , d e f i n i t e l y , " s a y s o n e m a r r i a g e g u i d a n c e

c o u n s e l l o r " F r o m a psychological point of view, it

d o e s n ' t m a t t e r i f i t w a s r e a l o r i m a g i n e d - i n b o t h cases the marriage has been damaged in the same way."

N o t a l l p r o f e s s i o n a l s i n t h e f i e l d o f f a m i l y p s y c h o l o g y

a g r e e " l t ' s r i d i c u l o u s a n d d a n g e r o u s to t r y a n d monitor the thoughts and fantasies of your partner," warns one psychologist "We are bombarded with images of attractive people by the media on a daily

b a s i s l t ' s i m o o s s i b l e n o t t o f a n t a s i s e T h e i n t e r n e t is

a place for people to carry out those fantasies in a safe and unharmful way lf, as a result, there is a

c r i s i s in t h e m a r r i a g e f o l l o w i n g a n e p i s o d e o f i n t e r n e t

i n f i d e l i t y , t h e n i t i s o n l y a s y m p t o m o f s o m e t h i n g t h a t

w a s a l r e a d y w r o n g i n t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p , a n d n o t necessarily a direct result of the cyber affair."

This is, of course, of no comfort to Jennifer, who is

f i l i n g f o r d i v o r c e " l a c t u a l l y s a w t h e i n t i m a t e th i n g s

he wrote to her He really hurt me and I know that I

w i l l n e v e r b e a b l e t o t r u s t h i m a s a i n "

23 Cheating on your parTner Taboos and /ssues

True or false?

Read the text again and mark the following statements true (T) or false (F):

l J e n n i f e r g o t s u s p i c i o u s b e c a u s e S i m o n s t a r t e d c o m i n g h o m e l a t e

2 Jenr-rifer discovered Simon's internet affair by accident

3 Psychologists agree that an internet affair is damaging to any relationship

4 Jennifer and Simon are divorcing

5 J e n n i f e r k n o w s w h a t S i m o n a n d h i s l o v e r ' s a i d ' t o e a c h o t h e r

D i d S i m o n c h e a t o n J e n n i f e r ? D i s c u s s th i s q u e s t i o n in s m a l l g r o u p s T h e n t a k e a c l a s s v o t e

Language

ln English we often use expressions to describe serious or taboo matters in an indirect way These

e x p r e s s i o n s a r e c a l l e d 'e u p h e m i s m s ' l n t h e t e x t b e l o w , u n d e r l i n e t h e f i v e e u p h e m i s m s t h a t r e a l l y m e a n

to have sex with someone

"l've always been more or less faithful to my girlfriend OK, OK, once I had a

one-night stand with a girl at the office But we were both drunk I'm not the

k i n d o f g u y t o s l e e p a r o u n d I m e a n , k i s s i n g a n o t h e r p e r s o n is o n e t h i n g , b u t

actually going to bed with them is another story I don't know how I could

look myself in the mirror knowing I had been intimate with another woman

The same goes for my girlfriend If I knew she had been with another man, I

couldn't let the relationship go on A very important trust would have been

b r o k e n "

l f y o u a r e a m a n , d o y o u h a v e a s i m i l a r v i e w t o t h e m a n a b o v e ?

lf you are a woman, would you be happy to have this man as your partner or not? Give your reasons

D i s c u s s i o n

Y o u a n d y o u r p a r t n e r , C h r i s , li v e t o g e t h e r O n e n i g h t y o u c o m e h o m e a n d f i n d t h e f o l l o w i n g a c c i d e n t a l l y left on the computer:

< < C h r i s > > I r e a l l y lo v e c h a t t i n g w i t h y o u

<<Lonely>> Me too When are you going to send me your picture?

< < C h r i s > > I ' l l h a v e to s c a n o n e I ' m n o t v e r y p h o t o g e n i c

<<Lonely>> It doesn't matter I like you for you You make me feel special

< < C h r i s > > Y e a h , y o u m a k e m e f e e l s p e c i a l , t o o I h a d a d r e a m a b o u t y o u l a s t n i g h t

< < L o n e l y > > Y o u d i d ? W h a t a b o u t ?

< < C h r i s > > H m m m I t h i n k I ' d b e t t e r n o t s a y

What would you do next?

a sit down at the computer and see if there are more e-mails like this?

b confront your partner straightaway?

c give them 'the silent treatment' until they ask what is wrong?

d p a c k y o u r b a g s a n d l e a v e ?

e have a good laugh about it and tell your partner to grow up?

O r w o u l d y o u d o s o m e t h i n g e l s e ?

D o e s th i s e - m a i l in t e r a c t i o n t e l l y o u a n y t h i n g a b o u t t h e s t a t e o f y o u r r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h C h r i s ?

What about the state of this internet relationship? (How serious is it? How long has it probably been

g o i n g on?)

Taboos and /ssues Cheating on your paftner 23

Are you happy with your body?

D i s c u s s i o n

Y o u bump into a woman friend in town You knew she was thinking of having breast implants and you

c a n s e e t h a t she has obviously had the operation W h a t d o y o u s a y t o h e r ?

r l N o t h i n g I t ' s too embarrassing

b " \ 7 o w T h o s e lo o k g r e a t ! How much did they cost?"

c " W o w I ' n " r s u r p r i s e d y o u can stand up straight!"

d S o m e t h i n g e l s e

l s p l a s t i c surgery popular in your country? ls it expensive?

D o y o u t h i n k p e o p l e who have plastic surgery are too concerned about their looks?

Reading

R e a d th r o u g h the article and answer this question:

Is there tt similar trend in your country?

YOUNGER PLASTIC SURGERY PATIENTS

Surgeons at clinics specialising in plastic surgery

are reporting increasingly younger patients,

according to a report released recently by the

National Association of Plastic Surgery in the

United States

"They

want to look like the people they see in

films or the models they see in magazines It's

becoming an obsession," said one doctor in a

beauty clinic in California "Last week we had a

woman in here who, at 30, said she was looking

too old and wanted a facelift I told her to come

back and see me in 15 years."

The average age for patients undergoing plastic

surgery over the last year was 32, down from 34

just the year before In England recently, a

15-year-old girl was in the news for announcing that

her parents were going to pay for breast

enlargements as her 16th birthday present

Her mother said, "If it makes her happy and gives her more chance of success in life, then what is the problem?" Though women still dominate the plastic surgery scene, men are growing increasingly concerned with their physical appearance and are doing something about it According to the report, men now make

tp 39Va of all surgeries performed - that's an increase of nearly 20Vo from last year

One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he got his liposuction - removal of excess fat - after pressure from his wife "She's a very athletic woman and, well,I enjoy a good steak." Liposuction tops the list of plastic surgery performed on men, followed by hair implants and breast reduction For women the top order is still breast enlargement, followed by liposuction and facelifts

R e a d th r o u g h the article again and answer these questions:

l W h y arc younger people turning to plastic surgery?

2 W h y did the cloctor refuse plastic surgery to one patienr?

3 W h y i s p l a s t i c surgery now more popular with men?

4 W h v c - l i d t h c m a n h a v e li p o s u c t i o n ?

D i s c u s s i o n

D o y o u think the number of men who want plastic surgery will eventually equal, or even surpass, the

n u m b e r o f w o m e n ?

R e a d a g a i n w h a t the mother of the 1S-year-old g i r l said Do you agree with her?

24 Are you happy with your body? Taboos and /ssues

L a n g u a g e

Match these types of plastic surgery solutions to the problems below:

breast enlargement

bair impldnt

rhinoplasty (nose job) uaricose uein remctudl

facelift tummy tuck

4 " l h a t e b e i n g fl a t - c h e s t e d T h e b o y s a t s c h o o l

u s e d to c a l l m e ' i r o n i n g - b o a r d ' I m a g i n e !

I think I have a pretty face but I don't feel confident about myself from the chin down

I w o u l d l i k e t o f e e l g o o d a b o u t w e a r i n g a t i g h t

s w e a t e r o r a l o w - c u t d r e s s "

5 " l u s e d to h a v e s u c h a y o u t h f u l , v i b r a n t

-l o o k i n g f a c e N o w m y s k i n j u s t s a g s I t h i n k

I l o o k t w i c e m y a g e "

6 " N o matter what I do, my belly sticks out

I think it has something to do with my posturc

I f I c o u l d j u s t g e t a f l a t s t o m a c h , I w o u l d n ' t

f e e l s o b a d a b o u t l o o k i n g a t m y s e l f s i d e w a y s i n the mirror."

1 " T h i s t h i n g o n m y f a c e is a n a t r o c i t y I' m

s u r p r i s e d b i r d s d o n ' t s i t o n i t o r t h a t l i g h t n i n g

d o e s n ' t s t r i k e it i n t h u n d e r s t o r m s "

2 " 1 h i r t e th e m I c a n ' t w e a r s h o r t s o r a b i k i n i

b e c a u s e t h e y s t i c k o l r t , e s p e c i a l l y o n t h e b a c k

o f m y t l - r i g h s T h e y ' r e th e u g l i e s t th i n g s I' v e

e v e r s e e n a n d t h e y ' r e g e t t i n g w o r s e e v e r y y e a r

b c c a u s c I h a v c b a d c i r c u l a t i o n "

3 " l s t a r t e d re c e d i n g r e a l l y b a d l y a t t h e a g e o f

2 3 M y w i f e s a y s s h e d o e s n ' t m i n d , b u t I h a t e

i t I m e i r n , I' m n o t c o m p l e t e l y b a l d o r a n y t h i n g ,

b u t I c o n s t a n t l y w e a r h a t s a n d b a s e b a l l c a p s

b e c i r u s c I ' m s o s e l f - c o n s c i o u s a b o u t i t I c o u l d

n c v c r w c a r a w l g

Which of the above treatments are most popular in your country? Are there any other ones that were not

m e n t i o n e d ?

lf you had the problems above and plenty of money, would you have the surgery? Tell your partner what

y o u would do for each problem

D i s c u s s i o n

l n a s u r v e y o f 3 7 , 5 0 0 g i r l s aged 12 to 15, more than half listed appearance a s t h e i r b i g g e s t w o r r y What do you think is the reason for this? ls it a worrying statistic?

A r e y o u h a p p y w i t h y o u r s i z e a n d w e i g h t ? ls t h e r e a p a r t o f y o u r b o d y t h a t y o u w o u l d l i k e t o c h a n g e ( i e m a k e s m a l l e r , m a k e b i g g e r ) ?

Here is an alternative point of view from a culture where people take a different view of size:

" l must eat so l'll be fat and people won't laugh at my figure," explains one of the

w o m e n i n a f a t t e n i n g r o o m i n C a l a b a r , S o u t h e r n N i g e r i a " N o b o d y will marry me if

I d o n ' t g e t fa t t e r " W o m e n c o m e f r o m a l l o v e r N i g e r i a to p u t o n e x t r a p o u n d s a t t h e s e

f a t t e n i n g ro o m s " W e c a n m a k e a n y w o m a n o b e s e , " b o a s t s t h e o w n e r " T h e y will

g e t a h u s b a n d a f t e r t h e i r s t a y h e r e , n o p r o b l e m " T h e w o m e n e a t a l l d a y a n d a v o i d

m o v i n g s o t h e y d o n ' t b u r n o f f a n y c a l o r i e s " l t ' s a bit tiring eating all the time, but I

k n o w w h e n l c o m e o u t l w i l l b e a t t r a c t i v e , h e a l t h v a n d b e a u t i f u l , " s a i d th e w o m a n

w e s p o k e to

D o y o u t h i n k i t w i l l b e f a s h i o n a b l e t o b e f a t o n e d a y ?

Taboos and /ssues Are you happy with your body?

lmmigration and racism

Reading

Read the article and decide if these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

1 The villagers don't mind that the refugees are living nearby

2 t - i t t l e H u r l i n g was the only place the refugees c o u l d g o

D i s c u s s i o n

D i s c u s s th e s e q u e s t i o n s in small groups:

1 What different ethnic groups are there in

2 \Where h:rve they come from and why?

3 D o e s y o u r country offer help to refugees?

ASYLUM SEEKERS

There was trouble yesterday

i n t h e v i l l a g e of Little

H u r l i n g i n K e n t a s 1 5 0

Kosovar refugees arrived to

stay in the Hurling Business

C e n t r e j u s t o u t s i d e the

v i l l a g e L o c a l p e o p l e , upset

that no one had spoken to

them before sending the

refugees there, held a protest

m e e t i n g i n t h e v i l l a g e h a l l

"We are a tolerant group of

people in Little Hurling," said

Major Ronald Smythe, who

has lived in the village for 25

years "We are happy that the

government has offered

assistance to these people and

y o u r town / regloni

If so, are you happy that your taxes help to support them?

provided accommodation for them But Little Hurling is not the place they should be

It would be better if they were

in a large town or city."

Amanda Parker-White, 52, leader of the village

c o m m i t t e e , s a i d : " T h e r e i s n o

e n t e r t a i n m e n t h e r e , n o cinema, no library, and only one small village shop The

p o i n t is: what are these people going to do?"

Basil Lloga, a spokesman for the refugees, said: "I am sure the villagers are not discriminating against these people Most of them have come here as genuine asylum

seekers They are afraid that

if they return home, they will

be killed or persecuted After the terrible time they have had in their own country, they

n e e d s o m e p e a c e a n d q u i e t to help them recover."

"Unfortunately, there was no time to talk to the villagers", said Kim Thompson of the government's Refugee Action Group "We only found out

t h e r e f u g e e s w e r e a r r i v i n g this morning and there was nowhere else for them to go

We very much hope the villagers will welcome them

a n d a c c e p t t h e m i n t o t h e community."

R e a d th e a r t i c l e again and answer these questions:

1.Vhy do the villagers think Little Hurling is nor a good place for refugees?

2 Why might it be a good place for refugees, according to Basil Lloga?

3 Why did nobody talk to the villagers first?

D i s c u s s i o n

1 Do you think the villagers are being honest about their reasons for wanting the

I f n o t , w h a t d o y o u think the real reasons a r e ?

2 How do you think the villagers in a small village in your country would react i{

s e n t to l i v e n e a r b y ?

3 H o w w o u l d y o u p e r s o n a l l y r e a c t ?

refugees elsewhere?

150 refugees were

lmmigration and racism Taboos and /ssues

F

l-Ff.f

l

tr

fH

IF

FI

'F

H

rF

hl

-FI

ts

Ll

F

Fr

bf

F

hl

+

Fl

F

rf

+r

Fl

-Ll

H

E

F

-t

lF

FF-Frr

F.

l-

i.-

l-fF

-

l-

f

-F

t-E

1-E

E

F

It

L a n g u a g e 1

Match the words on the left with the words on the

r i g h t :

1 a s y l r " r m

2 b o r d e r

3 c c o n o t n i c

4 i l l e g a l

-5 irnmigration

C o m p l e t e t h i s t e x t

e x e r c i s e a b o v e :

F o l k r w i n g th e d i s c o v e r y o f f i f t y ( 6 )

i n t h e b a c k o f a l o r r y a t C a l a i s ,vesterday, thc government has ordered stricter

s e c r r r i t y a t ( 7 ) a n d h a s

w a r n e d ( 8 ) t o b e

v i g i l a n t " S f e i l r e v e r y w i l l i n g t o h e l p g e n u i n e

g o v c r n m e n t m i n i s t e q " b u t these people are just

c a n n o t a l l o l v j u s t a n y o n e in t o t h e c o u n t r y ' "

a m i g r a n t s

b i m m i g r a n t s

c c o n t r o l s

d o f f i c i a l s

e s e e k e r s with expressions from the

Now look at this sentence from the text:

The point is: wbat are tbese people going to do?

L o o k a t t h e s e o t h e r e x p r e s s i o n s w i t h p o i n t Decide if you would use them to agree (A)' to disagree (D) or to partially agree (P)

l Y e s , I s e e y o u r p o i n t

2 I t a k e y o u r p o i n t b u t

3 I a g r e e u p t o e p o i n t

4 T h a t ' s a g o o d p o i n t

5 N o , y o u ' r e m i s s i n g th e p o i n t

6 T h a t ' s n o t t h e p o i n t

7 I c a n ' t s e e y o u r p o i n t a t a l l

8 T h a r ' s e x a c t l y t h e p o i n t

D i s c u s s i o n

Work in pairs To what extent do you agree or disagree with the points of view below? The expressions

i n L a n g u a g e 2 m a y b e h e l P f u l

I don't mind the refugees Tbey really need helP, but I don't see wby we sh<tuld let anyone else into the crnntrY, thougb.

Asylum seekers dre asylum seekers They are desPerate women, men and children.

You neuer know - ue could be in their situaticttt one day.

'We shctuld be proud that sct many lteople would like to liue in our country.

A lot ctf these refugees are Muslims Wouldn't it be hetter if tbel' u'snY 7 t Muslim country where they u'oLrld feel more at home?

I dctn't see tt,hy my taxes should supl)ort people irctttr otber countries I'll nerer gct anl,thing from

t h e i r c o u n t r y , u i l l I ?

Wdre already doing enougb in this country \X/hy can't other countries dct more?

There dren't enctttgh iobs

f , t r l o t d l p c o l t l c ; s i / l s 'We cttrt't hdt,e people front otber corrntries taking our jobs.

V/e haue lots of menidl johs that no one udnts to

do We need immigrants

to come and do this w<trk Let them come, I say.

Iaboos and /ssues lmmigration and racism 25

Changing sex

L a n g u a g e a n d d i s c u s s i o n

Put words from the list into the diagram below, according to whether you think these character traits are predominantly male, or female, or both male and female Use a dictionary if necessary

pttssionate rttl,sterious emotional

Talk about your choices in small groups For exampl e: "women tend to be more sensitiye than men.,, (Notice 'tend to' makes your statement less definite.)

reckless logical

practical reliable

senslttue talkatiue efficient

agSressrue maniltulatiue intuitiue

Reading

R e a d the article below and answer these questions:

l W h y wars L i s i r Jones banned from the pub?

2 \ f i l l she go back to the pub now?

LANDLORD PAYS OUT OVER TRANSSEXUAL BAN

The British pub landlord has who has been living as a f-emale

always had the right to choose for the last lg months, hacl never

who he serves drinks to But that gone to the Jacob's well as a

right may have ended yesterday man but started going recentry

w h e n D a v i d W o o d h e i d , l a n d l o r d w i t h a triend

o f t h e Jacob's Well pub in Afier her first appearance

Honley, West Yorkshire, decided customers began to feel

to remove his ban on customer uncomfortable about sharing

Lisa Jones rather than face a conversations with her women

court case and charges o1' sexual customers in particular were

d i s c l i m i n l t i o n unhappy that she was using the

Mr Woodhead had banned Ms laclies' toilet Although living as

Jones a transsexual, because she a woman, she has not had a sex

made his regular customers feel change operation.

uncomfortable as they sat at the Mr wooclhead said, "l had to do

bar of his small village pub 43- something My job is ro make

y e a r - o l d M s J o n e s a 182- sure that the majority of the

c c ' n t i m e t r e - t a l l f a t h e r o f t w o , c u s t o m e r s e n i o y w h a t t h e v h a v e

Changing sex

come for." After the ban Jones took the landlord to court on

t h e g r o u n d s o f s e x u a l

d i s c r i m i n a t i o n M r W o o d h e a d settled out of court, paying Jones

f 1 0 0 0 c o m p e n s a t i o n a n d g i v i n g her a letter of apology and an invitation to return to the pub.

Yesterday Ms Jones said the decision was "brilliant" but she would not be returning to the

p u b " l k n o w I ' m t a l l , " she said,

"and

my voice is not as feminine

as it should be but I hadn't done anything to upset the regulars.

I ' v e n e v e r f' e l t s o i n s u l t e d "

Taboos and /ssues

True or false?

Mark these sentences true (T) or false (F):

1 L i s a Jones has been going to the Jacob's'Well s i n c e s h e w a s 1 8

2 M s J o n e s m a d e b o t h t h e m e n a n d w o m e n c u s t o m e r s f e e l u n c o m f o r t a b l e

3 M s -f orres cloes n o t s o u n d li k e a w o m a n

D i s c u s s i o n

D i s c u s s th e s e q u e s t i o n s in p a i r s o r g r o u p s :

l W a s t h e l a n d l o r d r i g h t t o b a n L i s a Jones? W h y ? ' S f h y n o t ?

2 l f y o u w e r e a r e g u l a r c u s t o m e r , h o w w o u l d y o u h a v e fe l t a b o u t M s Jones being in the pub?

3 D o l.or.r t h i n k i t m a k e s a n y d i f f e r e n c e t h a t M s Jones has not had a sex change operation?

L a n g u a g e

T h e w o r d s b e l o w w i l l h e l p y o u i n t h e d i s c u s s i o n th a t f o l l o w s Y o u c a n u s e t h e m t o d e s c r i b e h o w y o u

m i g h t f e e l o r r e a c t in a p a r t i c u l a r s i t u a t i o n C h e c k a n y w o r d s y o u d o n o t k n o w i n y o u r d i c t i o n a r y

4 You have been out a few times with a member

of the opposite sex You have seen a couple of films together and been out for drinks a few times You get on very well and find this person quite attractive You go out for dinner

t o g e t h e r o n e e v e n i n g a n d ( s ) h e t e l l s y o u t h a t ( s ) h e i s t r a n s s e x u a l

5 You have offered an important iob in your company to a well-qualified woman who performed very well at interview She accepts

t h e j o b a n d a t t h e s a m e ti m e s h e s a y s : " P e r h a p s

I should tell you that until three years ago I

w a s a m a n "

6 Y o u r b e s t fr i e n d s u d d e n l y t e l l s y o u t h a t ( s ) h e i s

g o i n g t o h a v e a s e x c h a n g e o p e r a t i o n T h i s

i s a c o m p l e t e s u r p r i s e a s y o u r f r i e n d h a s n e v e r told you of any worries about gender identity

awkuard intrigued

D i s c u s s i o n

W o r k i n p a i r s D i s c u s s h o w y o u w o u l d f e e l a n d w h a t y o u w o u l d d o i n t h e f o l l o w i n g s i t u a t i o n s T h e w o r d s

a b o v e m a y h e l p y o u

l A c l o s e fr i e n d i s a b o u t t o g e t m a r r i e d Y o u

h a v e m e t t h e i r f i a n c 6 ( e ) a n d l i k e t h e m v e r y

much A week before the wedding your friend

t c l l s y o u ( s ) h e i s a c t u a l l y m a r r y i n g a

t r i r n s s e x u a l

('\Wtuld it make any difference if your friend is

ct tndn marrying a transsexudl woman or a

ruonlon marrying d trdnssexual man?)

2 Y o u a r e s i t t i n g in a b a r a t a t a b l e o n y o u r o w n

A w o m a n c o m e s a n d s i t s a t t h e s a m e ta b l e a n d

,volr start chatting After a while you notice that

s h c h a s v e r y b i g h a n d s , ra t h e r a d e e p v o i c e a n d

o b v i o u s l y s h a v e s

.1 One of your friends is having a party She rings

y o l r u p a n d t e l l s y o u t h a t a l l t h e m e n h a v e to

clress as woffren ar-rd all the women have to

d r e s s i t s m e n

Transsexuality, gender and sex: Although the terms are often considered interchangeal:le, gender and -ssrc firc ve ry diffcrent things Sex is physical; gender is a part of your identity A transsexual is someone

w h o s c p h v s i c a l s e r i s i n o p p o s i t i o n to t h e i r g e n d e r id e n t i t y s o , f o r e x a m p l e , s o m e o n e w h o h a s a m a l e

b o d y c a n s a y " l feel I am a woman" A common treatment for this condition is to change the person's

p h ; - s i c a l s e r b y a n o p e r a t i o n a n d h o r m o n e tr e a t m e n t

Taboos and /ssues Changing sex