#trolleydilemma | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shibashouse · 4 years

Text

Battling with Invisible Enemies (2) Trolley Dilemma Everywhere When Addressing Coronavirus

Since last month, I have often heard the news, which is mainly from the international media, that the Japanese government takes coronavirus least seriously because it hasn’t taken strong measures to prevent the outbreak.

Democracy in a Team

Japanese politicians think consensuses are important when working in a team. Even in an emergency, strong leadership might be considered a dictatorship, which delayed the national statement for addressing COVID-19. The PM rarely makes political decisions alone, which will be harshly criticized as a dictatorship and reminds citizens of the military government during WW2.

Japanese Paradox in Coronavirus

It is often said that the Japanese tend to avoid touching each other when greeting or chatting in daily lives, which is considered the reason why Japan has fewer coronavirus cases compared to other G20 countries, which seems quite unnatural. A rumor also says that the mandatory BCG vaccination to babies under 12 months old in Japan works not only for TB but also for COVID-19 since the BCG vaccine specially developed in Japan covers a wide range of TB mutations, which might be able to deactivate coronavirus.

Huge Personal Space

After WW2, young couples have started smaller families because they prefer to live apart from their parents to protect their personal spaces, which should be kept in private. On the other hand, visiting their parents is quite important especially in the New Year holidays and the graveyard visit in Obon. Japanese tend to avoid receiving welfare since welfare recipients' buying behaviors are all checked by the finance ministry.

Moreover, welfare recipients are not allowed to own a car. They must get permission from the city office to own a computer; finance ministry workers consider a PC is a typical cashable fortune. A welfare recipient is someone who lives in minimalism; he or she can't even go to a concert or a sporting event. In other words, he or she dare refuses to receive welfare to keep on his or her hobbies or fun activities, which is his or her reason for being.

Japan Does Not Follow the International Consensus of Social Distancing

https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/content/000061935.pdf

Japan has been conducting coronavirus prevention measures called 3Cs, which Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced on February 28 evening. The 3Cs mean social distancing measures; they were confusing to me at first. The next day, the majority of public spaces have the 3Cs poster, transparent plastic shields in front of the cashier counters, hopscotch-like floor linings to encourage social distancing, which disappointed me a bit. To tell the truth, I expected that the government would implement the measures China or Singapore did in February. Recently, no customer is seen at nearby restaurants or cafes; the government finally realized that social distancing means almost the same as evacuating at home.

I assume the Japanese government misunderstood the 3Cs slogan that only activities held in crowded places with poor ventilation and a huge audience would be prohibited. Prohibiting big events is too partial to lower the curb; just one C (a closed space, a crowded place, or close-contact settings) brings us infection as neither vaccination nor medication is available yet. In this way, coronavirus has put all humans into a disaster.

Trolly Dilemmas When Addressing COVID-19 Prevention

I rarely watch TV news about coronavirus. I prefer watching vlogs on YouTube because it's fun for me to study insider's stories and connect the dots with news from mass media. When I hear the news about city lockdown in other countries, I strongly feel the national leaders and their citizens can trust each other with empathy.

Compared to the other national leaders, Japan PM and local governors seem to have much more conflicts among patronage companies before issuing the emergency measures. In other words, they don't seem to focus on keeping their citizens' health. Some of them might care more about how to prevent the Great Depression than reducing coronavirus victims. There are a few critics who predict the Great Depression caused by the COVID-19 pandemic would kill more people than the virus itself. It's natural for them to follow the trolley dilemma and recommend the chief politicians prioritizing the economy, betting that enhancing citizens' mental health would boost their immune system enough to conquer coronavirus.

Here’s another trolley dilemma the doctors in Iwate Prefecture faced:

https://www.tellerreport.com/life/2020-04-24-iwate-hospital-that-refused-pregnant-women-on-their-way-home-home-improvement-of-infection-control-system-new-corona-.Bkul76XgYI.html

The initial problem might be that a pregnant woman in her 30s who lives in Chiba prefecture temporarily visited their parents in Iwate Prefecture. She accidentally gave premature birth and called an ambulance, but was rejected by the first two local hospitals as she was suspected positive in coronavirus. Not only the doctors but also the pregnant woman was in another trolly dilemma and put her baby and herself at risk.

What does each element in the trolley problem picture symbolize?

The trolley problem picture is basically used for morals education or problem-solving training. The trolley problem logic is called the trolley dilemma, which was ironically used in the COVID-19 treatment strategy.

The survey conducted by Wroclaw University and Norweigian University joint team shows that Westerners tend to associate one severely injured person on one track with the Great Depression and five severely injured people on the other track with the number of deaths by coronavirus syndromes, whereas forestkeepers in Papua don't agree with Western medicals' treatment strategy. In short, people's health is the most important to Westerners and they even sacrifice freedom to overcome the deadly virus. The dashing trolley symbolizes COVID-19, and the derailed one stands for the future after beating an invisible enemy to all humans.

https://twitter.com/hornby32mm/status/1117308307415322624?s=20

Surprisingly, a Japanese railway fan found a win-win solution to the trolley problem. The main agenda is how to operate the rail pointer lever, and he or she on twitter mentioned that the railway engineer should keep holding the lever in the middle of the pointer until the trolley derails.

How to Operate the Trolley for a Brighter Future

Imagine there are rows of hospitals along the two tracks in the picture. Medics are taking care of COVID-19 patients and those with other chronic diseases 24/7. The trolley represents the deadly toxic coronavirus, which is never allowed to cross the fork. Non-medic people including politicians, store staff, educators, couriers are concentrating on their minimal tasks or staying at their homes. None of them is dispensable. They all unite to conquer the coronavirus.

What is more important than life?

I want to survive from COVID19! In other words, my own life comes first, but there is only one exception. I wouldn't be afraid of passing if my death can contribute to saving other people. For now, I promise I'll do my very best to prevent the virus, but the moment I would, unfortunately, get infected with the fatal virus, I'm ready to give my hospital bed to someone more serious than I would be. I have been helped, encouraged, cheered up by so many people I've met; I simply want to express my gratitude by saving someone.

To live with fun is wonderful. To see someone live with fun is fulfilling.

#covid19 #stayhome #savelives #trolleydilemma #triage

0 notes

veganosunidos-blog · 7 years

Photo

En el dilema del tranvía, experimento mental y moral propuesto por la filósofa Philippa Foot, se establece la siguiente situación: un tranvía avanza por un carril en el que hay cinco personas que inevitablemente serán atropelladas, la única posibilidad de salvarlas es moviendo una palanca que desviaría el tranvía, pero mataría a la persona ubicada en la vía lateral. Si modificamos un poco el experimento, poniendo en la vía por la que pasará el transvía a un grupo de animales (vacas, cerdos, pollos, entre otros) y dejando vacía la vía lateral, ¿qué haría usted? ¿Movería la palanca o dejaría que el transvía siga su curso? Aunque parezca ridícula esta situación, la decisión la está tomando día a día al elegir, o no, comprar productos animales. Cada compra condena a estos a la muerte o a una vida de esclavitud. Mover la palanca es la decisión que le lleva al veganismo, la decisión de no seguir financiando estas situaciones. ¿Qué será lo que decida, entonces? #veganismo #transvia #logica #coherencia #cuestionarse #filosofia #etica #moral #moralidad #dilema #tranvia #trolleydilemma #troll #problemasveganos #terricolas #reflexion #autocritica #testimonio #vegan #vegana #vegano #activismo #interseccionalidad #transversalidad #derechosanimales #noalmaltrato #amigosnocomida #noaluso #noalaexplotacion

0 notes