'This broken system leads to unfair competition'

'The Paralympics are supposed to be fair and inclusive, but often fail to be'

Connor Stewart at Al Jazeera

The Paralympics are "supposed to guarantee fairness and inclusivity," but the system "often accentuates rather than diminishes disabilities," says Connor Stewart. The Paralympics' "classification system does not accommodate the wide spectrum of disabilities now present in the games," and an "athlete with a distinct advantage due to misclassification often emerges as the winner in competitions." The system "needs an overhaul" with "independent oversight and input from a diverse group of experts, athletes, and advocates."

Read more

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

'Punishing a shooter's parents delivers some justice. But not enough.'

Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post

Charging a "parent of a teen mass shooter with murder might be emotionally satisfying," but it's "not sufficient, however, to address the problem of easily accessible weapons of war," says Jennifer Rubin. There is "no reason to limit potential defendants to parents, although they plainly have primary responsibility for their children," and there is "some justice in holding peripheral figures accountable for cavalier handling of weapons." But that "begs the larger societal issue of mass shootings."

Read more

'Are you working yourself to death? Your job won't prioritize your well-being. You can.'

Marla Bautista at USA Today

Americans are "tired and overworked, with many earning low wages and suffering from job dissatisfaction," says Marla Bautista. Society's "expectation of employees — where exhaustion, overwork and isolation often go unnoticed until it's too late — is unsafe and outdated." If "we're not prioritizing our own well-being, no one will," and "we can't afford to wait for laws to change or for employers to prioritize us over profits. We have to set boundaries and seek balance."

Read more

'The scientific establishment is turning "science" into a dogmatic tool of oppression'

Jay Bhattacharya and Bryce Nickels at Newsweek

For "university scientists with unblemished reputations in the before times, the price of speaking up has been vilification by social media companies, the media, and, unfortunately, even scientific journals," say Jay Bhattacharya and Bryce Nickels. People who "would benefit from sober, reasoned discourse" are "instead presented with bluster from scientific bullies." Science "thrives on skepticism, on challenges to the status quo," but society "forfeits the benefits of science when scientific discourse is hijacked by dogma."

Read more