You Burn With Us

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(NB: potential spoilers of the entire Hunger Games trilogy, as well as of the brutality of supposed civilised society)

In 2012 I wrote an article comparing The Hunger Games to The X Factor. After watching the live shows of the latter I was given an uneasy feeling as, for me, they almost paralleled the brutality of the Games. I even went so far as to claim that I saw little difference between the contestants and the tributes. Although I still stand by this comparison I now realise that the brutality of the Games is not only relevant to The X Factor, it is prevalent throughout modern society.

I recently went to the cinema to watch the third film in The Hunger Games saga, Mockingjay - Part 1. After having read the trilogy in 2012 I already knew the basics of the story and vaguely what to expect. However, I was not prepared for the intensity of which I would relate Mockingjay to current affairs. Not only the violence and the comradery, displayed by both the rebels and the government, but the propaganda and rumble of revolution, of the majorities revolting, were naturally connected to real life events within my mind.

I went into the cinema with few expectations which was both a positive, conscious effort and an unconscious effort with disturbing results. Going in I had forgotten all of the comparisons I had previously seen around the internet. From the brutality displayed by the Peacekeepers of Panem to the slogans taken directly from the film and applied to real life, the reality of revolution became all too real for me through the fiction of the film.

From the murder of Mike Brown to those occurring throughout the world every single day the brutality of the dystopian world is seeping into our everyday lives. People may find the violence depicted in films such as Mockingjay shocking but it is nothing compared to the broadcasts of real beheadings and torture readily available on the internet.

In addition to subtle similarities between The Hunger Games and current, horrific events are blatant ones. Protestors in Ferguson, Missouri even graffitied a monument with a line of desperation from Mockingjay: “if we burn, you burn with us”. When my eighteen year old self read the trilogy these words held little relevance for me, but now they are scarily real. In addition, the three-fingered Mockingjay symbol used throughout the film is starkly similar to “hands up, don’t shoot” sparked by the murder of Brown and supported throughout the world.

One of the lines of the film which stuck with, even haunted, me the most was one spoken by President Snow directly to Katniss. President Snow, the tyrant of Panem, reminds Katniss that “[he] told [her] what a fragile thing peace was”. After the recent murder-provoked riots throughout the US and, indeed, the world these fictional words from Snow resonate strongly and painfully with me. Civilians are supposed to be able to put their faith, even their lives, in the hands of the authorities but these is no longer the case for countless individuals.

In addition to that, the propaganda created by District 13, as well as that used by the Capitol, presented a harsh reality. While it is not widely believed that our western governments publish propaganda in this day and age, the information presented to the general public is always warped. Whether it’s in the subtle way that they condemn all believers of Islam, especially after the recent events in Sydney, or the strategic cropping or selecting of images propaganda and falsities are widely spread by the government and the media every single day.

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It makes it almost impossible for the general public to view the full picture, to get both sides and to judge fairly but it is the only information they are provided with. While the Peacekeepers were mowing members of the public down I was starkly reminded of the brutality of, and fear instilled by, the police, experienced especially by young, black, American men.

The constant attacks and consequent unrest has led to protests all over the world. The recent Mall of America protests not only displayed protests and rumbles of revolution, as in Catching Fire and Mockingjay, they also contained similar warnings both to and from the masses. The physical warning presented by the authorities were enough to transport anyone into a dystopian world.

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#blacklivesmatter

#handsupdontshoot

#justiceformikebrown

#ferguson

100 Happy Days: 11 - 20

Day 11

A slight theme may begin to show between the things which make me happy day to day. When you're out of the house for nearly twelve hours a day it becomes difficult to find importance in things other than food and bed! 

Day 12

The theme continues: Graze flapjacks and reading in bed often bring happiness to my day.

Day 13

Now that it turns dark before I've even left work these warm, summer evening bike rides seem like a distant memory.

Day 14

There aren't many things which make me happier - in the simplest way possible - than lazy Sundays in bed with my boyfriend.

Day 15

Another thing which I now miss from summer is the drive to do yoga every day. I try to remember the benefits but it's difficult to find the motivation now it's cold and dark when I get home!

Day 16

Ever since meeting my boyfriend - which occurred around the dawn of time - I had been waiting for this day and it finally arrived.

Day 17

And with the new found freedom which accompanies a driving license and car insurance we decided to do something which we had never been able to do before: drive to the countryside.

Day 18

As has been previously mentioned, The Great British Bake Off is the second biggest highlight of my year and it continued to be until mid-October.

Day 19

This day contained mixed emotions: I ate amazing Thai food and drank peach beer but said goodbye to seeing Hazel every day at work (we're still not over it).

Day 20

I spent most of this evening wandering around a huge house and trying to avoid cream coloured carpet.

100 Happy Days: 1 - 10

http://100happydays.com

92 days ago me and my sister were having a bad day. We had recently started working together and I had begun to feel the strains of 9 to 5 life. So, instead of complaining about it, as we usually would, we decided to become more positive.

We first believed that we could only manage shed our years of pessimism for 24 hours and, as you can see, our family were highly supportive. But, after enjoying our optimistic day, we decided to jump on the 100 Happy Days band wagon and appreciate the little things in life for 100 days. I am going to use my blog as a platform to recount my 100 days of happiness as a reminder to myself, and others, that there are things to be happy about every single day.

Day 1

I began my quest for daily happiness by celebrating my new job with my mum. I only got my job thanks to my sister's determination and was glad to be in employment so soon after leaving university. And so, to celebrate this, me and my mother ate chicken.

Day 2

After celebrating my employment outside of work it felt more than appropriate to celebrate it in work in the form of a Graze box. 

Day 3

I was initially hired as a link builder but I was more than happy to fill the role of copywriter too; another string to my bow.

Day 4

One of the best things about moving back home after university: coming home from work to presents and food.

Day 5

After binge-listening to my friend's band's album it was great to finally see them perform.

Day 6

As a rule I dislike humans who are under the age of about 20 I make a couple of exceptions. I hadn't seen my friend Sarah and her baby Rosalie for about 6 months when we met up in July.

Day 7

Again, a second exception to my rule, my cousin Rosie is one of my favourite humans. She is a beautiful, intelligent little angel and I have the desire to squish her face any time anyone even mentions her. I absolutely love spending time with her.

Day 8

A lovely summer's evening spent with my mum, aunty, uncle and two little cousins. We talked, we laughed and we ate incredible food.

Day 9

Now I'm working I have very little free time. When I do get some I spend it with the people I love. (Or sleeping, I also spend a lot of time sleeping).

Day 10

This day marked the beginning of an incredible journey and the second biggest highlight of my year: The Great British Bake Off series 5.

Being happy and remaining positive rarely relies on grand gestured or conscious efforts. My first 10 happy days consisted of simple pleasures and appreciated moments; whether it was a snack I'd been looking forward to or an evening spent with my family it wasn't hard for me to find happiness within my day.

The Semantics of Censorship

In 2012 I wrote an article about censorship in the media. I was angry that children and other susceptible people were being exposed to harmful, influential and offensive images and words through music. Within the article I particularly focussed on the music videos of Nicki Minaj. Although, even at the time, I was a fan of Nicki and her celebration of the female form - her own form - I professed that it was unsuitable material to expose children to. I didn’t believe that Nicki’s videos - or any videos which displayed nudity - shouldn’t be made, just that they shouldn’t be easily accessed - even unwillingly accessed - by minors. Since I wrote the article, my views and opinions have evolved and I believe I should not have singled Nicki out as one of the main culprits.

Since writing the initial article I have been exposed to two categories of media: feminist opinions and sexist images. While I previously professed that it was inappropriate to expose minors to the scantily clad female form, I have since realised that the gender inequality of the music industry (or, rather, the world) is much more inappropriate and harmful to minors. While it’s one thing for artists such as Nicki Minaj and Beyonce to choose to be naked within their own music videos, it is quite another thing for naked women to be displayed as accessories, as pieces of furniture, by the likes of Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake. I find it very difficult when these male artists are celebrated and rewarded as they parade half-naked women throughout their music videos while female artists are condemned for choosing to do the same thing themselves: how is that justified?

It seems as though it is fine for an unnamed model or actress to prance around naked (literally, in the case of ‘Blurred Lines’) in a male’s music video while it is unacceptable for a known famous woman to do the same in her own music videos. Rihanna is another female artist who has been condemned by the media for acting sexually and being practically naked in her music videos. Rihanna even showed up to an event wearing a sheer dress, which exposed her nipples, and confronted people as to why they were so offended by her body. Or, rather, the way in which she chose to display her body.

To me, it seems blinding obvious what the issue is: it is fine for women to be naked, exposed and presented as sexual beings in relation to a man but it is inappropriate when a woman chooses to be sexual herself. Women’s sexuality and bodies are allowed to be exposed and, even, taken advantage of for the benefit of men but not for the benefit of themselves.

I think women such as Nicki, Beyonce, Rihanna , to name only a few, should be congratulated and celebrated for displaying their bodies and sexualities. For hundreds of years the sexualities, and even physical forms, of women have been highly controlled by men (and, of course, in many ways still are) but these woman - and many more - are rebelling against this in the public sphere. Of course there are still many problems (don’t even get me started on the “leaked” naked photo fiasco) with the inequality of the sexes, but it inspires me to see quite a large portion of women in the public eye rebel against the oppressions of patriarchy.

All of this being said, I do still believe that there is a serious issue to do with censorship within the 21^st century. As I said within my original article, my twelve year old self would be shocked by the music videos of today and what is deemed appropriate for general viewing. However, I was wrong to attack the likes of Rihanna and Nicki. I now realise that they are simply rebelling against their male counterparts within their industry and are showing women that they can be sexual beings and do not have to exist simply in relation to men. For too many years woman’s existence has only mattered in relation to men: from birth you were owned by your father until he “gave you away” to your husband. While these traditions still apply in many cases and cultures, I do believe this sense of ownership has evolved within recent years. I am glad that these women are defying gendered assumptions and are displaying themselves as sexual being who do, surprisingly, have autonomous thoughts and self-governed naked bodies underneath their clothes.

Not Just Girly Things

 

Six months ago, when I first heard that Emma Watson had decided to become politically active, I was thrilled; not only because she is female but because she is the heroine of an entire generation: my generation. Politically active celebrities often receive criticism in the media (for stepping out of their expected roles) but I’m glad that the majority of reactions that I have seen and heard to Watson’s activity have been positive.

After learning of Watson’s “ground-breaking” UN speech this week I was, unwittingly, reminded of Hermione Granger. I recalled an interview I'd watched where J.K Rowling admitted how much of herself was put into the character of Hermione and, also, how much of Hermione she saw in Watson. This was further explored in an interview with Watson herself where she, too, admitted to similarities between herself and Hermione. Not to reduce the power of Watson’s recent speech but the notion of it reminded me of Hermione’s campaign for elfish welfare. The fact that Watson and Hermione are so similar, I think, makes her words even more relevant to an entire generation. Although we are only just beginning to see Watson (and, indeed, women) as a politically active figure an entire generation have suspected that that aspect of her was just waiting to shine.

When I first came across articles about, and links to, Watson’s speech at the beginning of the week I knew it was special. Facebook and Twitter were bombarded with people, particularly women, sharing and linking things relating to the speech. I didn’t watch the video of the speech as soon as I heard about it as I was working; plus I knew that I needed to wait for a specially selected time in order to appreciate Watson’s eloquence and message. I modestly supported Watson by sharing a link to the video on Facebook and I was surprised to find that, while most of the people taking an interest were female, a good portion of the support was coming from males. This is an active, positive step and perfectly complements the intentions of the He for She campaign.

Whilst watching the video for the first time I became unexpectedly emotional. It affected me, partly because I was watching a well-known actress from my childhood speak about things close to my twenty-one year old self’s heart, but mostly because of the things she was saying. The fact that the decision to become a feminist was “uncomplicated” to Watson spoke volumes of relevance to me as well as her belief that feminism has become a dirty word. However, as Watson herself professes, “it is not the word that is important, it is the idea and ambition behind it” which is enough to silence anyone who has contributed towards the dirtying of the word.

And if that wasn’t enough to convince feminism haters, Watson’s appeal to men and boys should have been. Watson admits that it is the prescribed male stereotype of masculinity which leads to the majority of problems between the sexes. Watson states that “both men and women should feel free to be sensitive, both men and women should feel free to be strong” and that if men are released from the strict constraints of masculinity “things will change for women as a natural consequence”. As a feminist, I cannot imagine anyone not being moved by Watson’s words - you only have to follow Twitter accounts and hashtags such as @EverydaySexism and #thatswhathesaid to gather examples of current gender inequalities - but I’m sure there are those who are still in denial that feminism can help them.

I am so pleased that Watson is using her celebrity and political statuses as few people seem to: for good. While there are people who claim that she was trying to “brainwash a generation” and other, similar, ridiculous sentiments (a demonstration of the frailty of masculinity, if nothing else) the majority of people see the truth and relevance in her words. Watson is using her position as a famous actress and, now, political activist for the good of all rather than for personal gain. This adds to the equality issues raised by Watson by displaying the use of one's power for universal good which is very rarely displayed. Instead of exploiting or undermining those who idolise her, Watson is doing everything in her power to speak to them about highly important issues which are critically relevant to us all. Any hostility shown towards the campaign only helps to display the need for feminism and is bound to fuel any progress towards viewing gender as a “spectrum” and males and females as equals.

To keep up to date with the latest #heforshe developments follow @HeforShe and @EmWatson on Twitter.