MIND’S EYE 2020
DEMOCRACY
What
is
About
Us?
DYING
ORDER!
Out
ORDER!
of
TIME A
LOOK
SMART
SEAT
at the
TABLE Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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Mind’s Eye | July 2020
Contents 18
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32 | Off the Wall
80 | Case Closed
Elizabeth Idowu wonders if conceptual art has had its day
Pippa Ströem revels in a happy marriage between law and science
39 | A Little Help
84 | Leagues Apart
Ina Lin thinks private tutoring has its limits
Hannah Edwards hates films that chauvinistically mismatch chicks and chaps
40 | You Wish Hans So thinks we should aim to please ourselves
42 | Of Sound Mind Riccardo Boiteux recommends music for all
46 | Bitter Sweet
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88 | Damned Yanks Edwin Scott charts rising worldwide hatred for the United States
91 | Out of Time Cici Zhao explores the effect of granny murder on time travel (sort of)
Inigo Lenderking marvels at branded drinks tasting different across the pond
94 | Classical Cool
48 | In and Out
96 | A Seat at the Table
Joshua Platt tells us what to keep and what to trash
Daniel Koo muses on the gender divide in South Korea
6 | What About Us?
50 | Dinner with Cleopatra
Grace Chester says Indian women need more than #metoo
Ella Rowe reveals what she would ask the Queen of the Nile
12 | Candle in the Wind
56 | The Bliss of Solitude
Anonymous confesses to being a dating dunderhead
Lockdown reminds Friya Siebert of Wordsworth
16 | Democracy is Dying
58 | Comfort Food
Alistair Green tells us why people power is on its last legs
Kathryn Rand shares recipes that will make it better
18 | Double Standards
60 | Order! Order!
Jack Pelling wonders how Hong Kong can survive going back
Joshua Platt explains what we really mean by The Rule of Law
22 | Pack Your Bags
64 | Look Smart
Téa Sand celebrates the healing power of travel
Nick Clarke asks when education is not education
28 | Business is Busyness
67 | And the Loser Is...
Florence Brealy asks an expert for the tricks of trade
Ben Helme says Hollywood relies too much on a few bad men
30 | Body Talk
74 | The Glory of Byzantium
Maisie Cosgrove considers how our bodies betray our true feelings
Alex Ströem thinks Rome and Greece have a serious rival
Medomfo Owusu finds youth digging Bach and Brahms
12 Editors: Florence Roberts & William Goslett Sub-Editor: Anthony Lyons Design: CobwebCreative
Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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Editorial Welcome to the 10th edition of Mind’s Eye, a magazine for young writers started in 2011 by a Sixth Form student, Tom Boulton. Although some of the articles are commissioned by the annual Editor or, this year, Editors, most of the subject matter is chosen by the writers themselves, generated by their moral outrage, philosophical enquiry, aesthetic wonder or just rampant curiosity. As ever, in the following pages there is plenty of intellectual energy and verbal dexterity. This year Covid 19 affected the magazine in three ways. First, for medical and monetary reasons we decided not to print the edition but to publish it entirely online. Second, because of lockdown the production team lost touch with the Editors, who were not able to put their planned finishing touches to the content. And, third, also because of lockdown, the writers were scattered across the globe and had more important things to worry about than polishing prose. But I’m happy to say that enough had been done, despite the chaos, for the happy occasion of Issue Number Ten to be honoured admirably. Many thanks to this year’s Editors, Florence Roberts and William Goslett, both fine writers who inspired others to produce their best but were not able to contribute anything themselves. We are all sorry that there could be no party to celebrate a whole decade of publication, but perhaps we will have the chance to do so in 2021. And thanks to all the contributors, who once again have shown that however mad the present might be the future has a good chance of being sane.
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AS EVER, IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES THERE IS PLENTY OF INTELLECTUAL ENERGY AND VERBAL DEXTERITY
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MOST OF THE SUBJECT MATTER IS CHOSEN BY THE WRITERS THEMSELVES, GENERATED BY THEIR MORAL OUTRAGE, PHILOSOPHICAL ENQUIRY, AESTHETIC WONDER OR JUST RAMPANT CURIOSITY
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What About
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Mind’s Eye | July 2020
GRACE CHESTER says the bleaguered women of India need more than a social media campaign to gain equality
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n recent years new movements have ten years earlier whilst on set. A decade ago, emerged on social media to highlight when Dutta first spoke out, she says nobody the sexism that still exists in society was really listening and after a day or two today, such as #metoo or #timesup. Whilst of media reports the story faded away and these have done an important job in raising nothing happened. Dutta returned to India awareness of what constitutes acceptable from America (where she had emigrated) behaviour, and giving more women the to repeat the allegations, which soon went confidence to speak out, their focus is largely viral and led to many other actors voicing on developed Western economies, where their support. She quickly became the women enjoy more rights and leading figure of the #metoo advantages than they do in campaign in India, especially many developing countries. concerning Bollywood’s One of the main reasons these treatment of women. NEWS OF A FAMOUS campaigns are successful is This is important because HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS because it’s easy to join in Bollywood is notorious for its SPEAKING OUT ABOUT – you just need access to the sexist plots, which reinforce SEXUAL HARASSMENT internet. the idea that the culture of MAY SELL PAPERS, BUT harassment is acceptable in SEXUAL ASSAULT IN But if you’re a woman living Indian society. DEVELOPING COUNTRIES in rural India, the chances DOES NOT are you don’t have access to Although the press coverage social media. The movements and the feeling of outrage have also taken off thanks to high-profile are a good start, the Indian government celebrities. News of a famous Hollywood is still ignoring the issue and refusing actress speaking out about sexual to comment. Until there is a change in harassment may sell papers and create a stir legislation many women’s activists in India on social media but news of sexual assault in doubt the allegations will go anywhere. So developing countries does not. Campaigners far, men who have been accused by women for women’s rights must also focus attention of sexual assault, inappropriate behaviour in on countries such as India where the status the workplace, and even rape, often face no and treatment of women falls far below that consequences. How can there be significant of countries like the UK and US. change if women aren’t even protected by the law? The #metoo movement reached India almost a year after it had peaked in America. India Currently in India there is still massive started to join in when former Bollywood inequality between men and women in actress Tanushree Dutta accused another terms of economic participation, education, actor, Nana Patekar, of sexually harassing her healthcare and political empowerment. In
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2001 India had 397 million workers but only 124 million of those were women. There is a disproportionate number of women working in agriculture in India where wages are lower than in the manufacturing and service sectors; indeed Indian women complete 70% of the agricultural work. There is also a huge gender pay gap with Indian women overall earning 64% of what their male counterparts earn for the same job with the same qualifications. Eighty percent of women in India do unpaid domestic work, which often means that women can’t get a paid job (or at least not a full-time one) because they don’t have enough time, so either they are unemployed or they have to take badly paid, part-time jobs. The inequality is also apparent in education; the literacy rate for women in India is far lower than that of men, although recently it has been improving. In 2011 65% of Indian women were literate as opposed to 82% of men. There is also a gap between the number of girls who go to school and boys, with many parents holding the view that for a girl school is pointless since they will marry and have children rather than pursue a career. Many Indian communities continue to value women most highly in the role of mother. Another situation which sometimes occurs is that within the same family boys will be sent to a good, private school and the girls just to the local government one. This lack of education for women leads, in turn, to fewer opportunities to get a paid job and, therefore, lower incomes and harder lives than men. Historically there have been sexselective abortions in India. For example, in 2011 in the states of Jammu and Kashmir there was a ratio of 128 boys to every 100 girls aged 0-1, and nationally for every 100 boys born 89 girls are born. It’s estimated that in India 15 million expected girls weren’t born between 2000 and 2010. Sexselective abortion is illegal in India but is actually increasing due to improved technology enabling couples to find out the gender of their unborn child. Even female infanticide exists in very 8
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BOLLYWOOD IS NOTORIOUS FOR ITS SEXIST PLOTS, WHICH REINFORCE THE IDEA THAT THE CULTURE OF HARASSMENT IS ACCEPTABLE IN INDIAN SOCIETY
rural parts of India. The reason for sexselective abortions and infanticide is often that girls are viewed as a burden whilst sons are favoured as they are seen as the main income earners and won’t need a dowry. The dowry system is also illegal but carries on in many communities throughout India. Gold is often used to pay a dowry and when gold prices rise more girls are aborted or killed during childhood. Between 1972 and 1985 there was a 1% increase in gold prices which is estimated to have led to an increase of 13,000 neonatal deaths of girls per year. Dowries are a large factor in gender inequality in India with an estimated twenty women dying every
day because of harassment for a dowry, either by murder or suicide. In 2018 a poll ranked India as the most dangerous country for women because of human trafficking, sexual violence, forced marriage, stoning and female infanticide. After the horrifying gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in India, the government decided to bring in the death penalty for convicted rapists of girls under the age of twelve. However, there is concern that this may cause the rapist to kill their victim. It has been shown that in 94.6% of rape cases the rapist is someone known to the victim, often a brother, father or family friend. Activists fear that the death penalty will cause families to
Eighty percent of women in India do unpaid domestic work, which often means that women can’t get a paid job cover up sexual crimes or that the perpetrator will kill their victim to avoid discovery. Despite the fact that India has had a female Prime Minister, only 12% of its MPs are women. The policy of reserving seats for women on some local councils has been abused, with men forcing their wives to run for election only to subsequently control their decisions. The current government in India hasn’t helped to improve female political participation because, despite having a large majority in Parliament, it didn’t pass the Women’s Reservation Bill that would have reserved 33% of seats for female candidates. In addition, only six out of twentysix cabinet members are female in Narendra Modi’s government, a depressing statistic, particularly given his claim that women are his top priority. Modi has taken some steps to improve women’s lives, including passing an anti-trafficking bill, but according to Indian feminist V. S. Elizabeth
‘in reality nothing has changed very much; violence against women continues; sexual assault of women continues; the conviction rates are still low; reporting is still low.’ This shows that women’s rights need further protection in law. Men need to be held accountable for their actions and people sometimes need to challenge societal norms. The media and Bollywood have a responsibility not to normalise sexist behaviour and to increasingly represent women as being equal to men. It might help if the Indian government creates laws that say for the same job men and women get paid the same amount, and ensure this happens. The government needs to work with unions like SEWA (a trade union of self-employed women that began in 1972) to make women aware of their rights so if they are subject to any discrimination when
After the horrifying gang rape and murder of an eight-yearold girl in India, the government decided to bring in the death penalty for convicted rapists of girls under the age of twelve
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THE LITERACY RATE FOR WOMEN IN INDIA IS FAR LOWER THAN THAT FOR INDIAN MEN; IN 2011 65% OF WOMEN WERE LITERATE BUT 82% OF MEN
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GOLD IS OFTEN USED TO PAY A DOWRY AND WHEN GOLD PRICES RISE MORE GIRLS ARE ABORTED OR KILLED DURING CHILDHOOD
There is a disproportionate number of women working in agriculture in India where wages are lower than other sectors Indian women complete 70% of agricultural work
trying to get a job or to work, they can hold their employer to account. Then many argue the government must try to spread a more positive mindset towards women’s work, encouraging it and ultimately trying to change the and a large rural population with no current expectation, particularly in access to social media, a different rural communities, of women having approach is needed; these movements haven’t done enough to remain at home. to put the spotlight There is also a feeling These movements on countries like India haven’t done enough that the government where the situation is to put the spotlight must pay to improve on countries like India in crisis and it’s going infrastructure further where the situation is to take more than with the tax money in crisis and it’s going a hashtag to fix it. that will come as the to take more than a In India these social economy grows. This hashtag to fix it media campaigns are will enable women to very much restricted have access to child to middle class educated women with care and education for their children, access to the internet, not the women care for the elderly and, therefore, give them more time to focus on their living in rural areas who experience the worst sexual violence. career. #metoo and #timesup are successful movements that have brought attention to issues of sexual harassment in countries where there is often complacency. After a couple of decades when lots of young women have felt uncomfortable to call themselves feminists, # movements have served their purpose and caused a new generation of women to stand up for their rights. They have worked in countries where women’s rights are already protected by law, but in countries like India, where there is much more endemic sexism, far less legal protection of women’s rights,
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The fact that these movements rely on social media makes them inaccessible to many women who need help the most, and whilst they did for a while raise awareness of sexual harassment in India there was no concrete progress. Maybe now is the time for us to turn the world’s attention to the country with the fastest-growing economy in the world but also the worst record of human rights violations against women. 42% of girls in India have been sexually abused and it is time now that global feminism widens its focus, standing in solidarity with Indian women and bringing international pressure to the countries where women need it most.¢
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IT IS TIME NOW THAT GLOBAL FEMINISM WIDENS ITS FOCUS, STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH INDIAN WOMEN AND BRINGING INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE TO THE COUNTRIES WHERE WOMEN NEED IT MOST
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Candle in
the
Wind
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THERE’S THIS GIRL AND, AS YOU MIGHT HAVE GUESSED, SHE PUT A HEX ON ME
Caleb Bren Aldrich Ermendrud Widogast (pseudonym) confesses that he is a total dork
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f I were granted the joy of watching a compilation of my life, I guarantee that at least 75% of my regrets would be the mind-numbing and face-scrunching embarrassment of my legendary poor decision-making and irrational paranoia. However, we don’t have all the time in the world, so I’ll spare you and give you something, or rather someone, to laugh at. Think of it this way: after reading this excerpt from an autobiography nobody will want to read, you can sigh with relief and say, ‘I’m sure glad I’m not that guy.’
this merciless magic to entrance anyone foolish enough to gaze into them, like yours truly, and in what seems like simple seconds your heart skips a beat and you fall.
That’s right. This tale is one of unrequited love, a tale four years in the making. A wise man once said, ‘When a girl calls someone a nice guy it means she couldn’t care less about him.’ Let this be a warning to anyone who may find these sentences familiar. If you should encounter someone who puts the sun to shame and Some people’s eyes brightens your day just by existing, someone are orphic; they you could gaze at and listen to for hours as possess this merciless though time stood still just for the two of you, magic to entrance flee the country and change your name. anyone foolish enough
I don’t normally let others into my heart, because whenever I do whichever entity observing me from their couch ‘on high’ sees fit to punish me for my hubris. As much as I to gaze into them hate to admit it, my emotions tend to get Where was I? Oh yes: la douleur exquise. You the better of me, and when they do it fills see, I suffer from a very rare condition known me with the same morbid intrigue you would expect to feel only as alexithymia, the bane of hopeless romantics, a breed from watching a car crash in slow-motion; you feel like there’s of human I hope will be culled in the near future and, yes, I something you can do to stop it but you really can’t. am aware that that would include myself. There’s this girl and, as you might have guessed, she put a hex on me. People often say that the eyes are the window to the soul, but what they forget to warn you about is the sorcery behind the For years her orotund voice, her phantasmagoric passion, gelatinous orbs we fry with day-to-day digital stimulation. her eyes that coruscate, her arcadian vibe, her very existence, To put it simply, some people’s eyes are orphic; they possess manifested itself within the confines of my brain, casting Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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I MADE HER A CANDLE. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, SO LONG AS IT IS LIT SHE WOULD THINK OF ME; THAT’S ROMANTIC, RIGHT?
Naturally, I devised the most (ir)rational demonstration of affection. I sent her not one, not seven, but 20 carnations.
me into a twitter-pated state of no return. In my dreams I would be greeted by visions of fulfilled vows and reciprocated sentiments that would then flee from me as though they were grapes and I Tantalus. Sooner or later I’d had enough, and on Valentine’s Day I seized the opportunity to vent my feelings. Naturally, I devised the most (ir)rational demonstration of affection. I sent her not one, not seven, but 20 carnations.
Blindly I let myself believe that this was a sign, allowed myself to think for a moment that maybe I had a chance, but sometimes people do things to be kind; they act certain ways not out of Now now. Hold the slow sarcastic interest but as a formality. The worst applause for the end. I haven’t quite part about that is having to make shown why I should yourself vulnerable to just change my name Sometimes people do realise the truth, like a to Morosis. We spoke things to be kind; they hermit crab without its act certain ways not for some time after that shell. Naturally, I reached out of interest but as a out to this girl again. but only coincidentally formality through other people. Do you want to guess Despite not getting a the content of the first single carnation from her that year, or message I sent her? Trust me, you can’t the year after, I was content with how get it right away. Unless your first guess things were; at least I thought I was. was, ‘Want to get married?’ Believe it or not, there is a critical period for pining, and affection towards the one we admire can wane even if you happen to be as hopelessly hapless as me. After years with no sign of reciprocity, things changed. On 14 February 2020 – yes, the four-year anniversary of the Deadpool movie’s release in cinemas – I received what I saw as a sign. The sentence I read in that tiny red parchment adorning that friable flower, the very words that brought about my undoing were as follows: ‘Maybe we should grab sushi and cookies sometime?’
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Unexpectedly, and much to my later dismay, she took my insane proposition very well. In fact, it almost seemed like we’d hit it off. After mere days of brief discourse and minimal insight into one another, I had a brilliant idea. I came up with another token of affection to bequeath her, a labour of my lame cognition and inability to learn from the unreciprocated hoard of flowers and messages I gave her. I made her a candle. I thought to myself, so long as it is lit she would think of me; that’s romantic, right?
You may have realised by now that I have no idea about how human emotions work or what love is. After a few weeks of occasional virtual interaction that would only amount to sphallolalia, I finally had a chance to give her my gift. And I remember that night vividly. A chill breeze persisted when my feet were leading me towards my destination, albeit reluctantly. Frantically I gripped the strap of my satchel, the thought of turning back becoming increasingly reasonable. Five metres from my destiny I changed course; I began to retreat; then I stopped and turn back. I repeated this process four or maybe six times before I decided enough was enough. ‘After all, I might never have a chance like this again,’ I probably thought. I am just relieved that we can’t see ourselves from another’s perspective, but to make my demise more palpable just picture a portrait of awkwardness and that would describe my demeanour as I approached the woman I hoped to one day wed. She smiled and care radiated from her frame like the rays of our great bringer of life. And much like young Icarus, I flew far too close.
I yearned to know what she thought about the candle, and impatient and reckless as I was I sent her a message the following evening. If I were atop a cliff, the edge is where I was at this point, mindlessly admiring She wasn’t the sun, the view and taking in the fresh Wrapped up in a bundle of pink and I was never packing paper, I placed the present air. Unbeknownst to me, I was Icarus; she was in her palms. She asked me what it being reeled towards the page Earth’s splendour was, and feeling unjustly pleased as the typing icon infiltrated my and I a mere with my confidence, I said, ‘That’s screen. When she finished typing, mortal to be unravelled.’ The thumping I felt the rubble break way and my of my heart became unbearable, a tumultuous plummet began. And sound sweet yet sickening overwhelming my with a swift strike to the welcoming, all-numbing, auditory orifices. In a moment of pure genius, earth her words hit harder than stone. I stammered, ‘I’m going to run away now.’ And I tore through the night with breakneck pace, ‘The candle was lovely, but I just want to make never looking back. sure we haven’t got our wires crossed. I’m not interested in anything more than being friends, but you’re a really great guy :)’
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A WISE MAN ONCE SAID, ‘WHEN A GIRL CALLS SOMEONE A NICE GUY IT MEANS SHE COULDN’T CARE LESS ABOUT HIM.’
Her pity engulfed me, and my soul was razed by a storm of shame. The restrained smiles and sporadic interactions finally made sense. She never really knew me. She never saw me in a similar light of affection. She wasn’t the sun, and I was never Icarus; she was Earth’s splendour and I a mere mortal. If it wasn’t evident already, I am a moron and the shame I have cursed my bloodline with after that day will likely never be revoked. But at the end of the day, isn’t that what life is all about? ¢
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Democracy is dying The reports of democracy’s death are not an exxaggeration, says ALISTAIR GREEN
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democratic society functions like no other. The very idea of democracy has built the most powerful country in the world and has allowed the human race to make huge leaps forward.
However, the recent rise of polarised politics, protest and the success of China have caused democracy to falter and authoritarianism to spread throughout the world. Many cases reveal a problem with the political ideology that built many Western societies and many people have had to pay the price for a failure of our democratic system. Early in 2018, Chris Wylie, a former research director at Cambridge Analytica, came out to the world’s media alleging that his company had been using private data to target 16
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campaign ads. The result of this was that Donald Trump beat all the odds and fought his way into office and the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. These two major political events brought about a whole new wave of right-wing opinion and shows the loopholes in a supposedly safe system. Cambridge Analytica’s case is still being argued to this day but the conclusion is likely to be they operated unlawfully. The case for democracy is not helped when you look at China. Over the last two decades China’s growth has been phenomenal. The country operates with a communist government; no elections are held and candidates do not represent any states or constituencies like they do in the UK or the US. But China’s economy is double the size it was in 2010, while in Western countries progress has slowed because time spent on local elections, campaigning and trying to please everyone hinders us from fulfilling our economic potential. Over the last 50 years economists have been blindsided by China’s success. Thinking China had to adapt to the West to find a future, or it would fail, they were proved wrong. This has now created a problem. If a country’s economy can grow at double the rate of the biggest democracy, do we need democracy itself?
of momentum. This has occurred with voters becoming more independent, since democracy itself gives voters independence. This leads to a problem: our politics is not just right and left or democrat and republican, but Far Right, Far Left and Centrist. With more
part in politics recently. The Labour Party in the UK has come under fire for not being able to deal with a clear problem among MPs. The Brexit Party has had issues with two councillors in the 2019 General Election eventually leading to the two leaving the party. These issues are, however, relevant to democracy as well. Dictators tend to blame society’s problems on a minority, whether that be homosexuals or Muslims. We are seeing persecution occur in Western democracies, not just dictatorships. The very fact that these issues are still relevant show the major political shift the West is going through. The idea that a country’s economy grows in a democratic state is certainly not true. Russia and Venezuela are key examples that go against the norm. While Russia’s government still controls a vast amount of its citizens’ choice, they do not compare to the previous six decades when Russia was the USSR. The country’s progress for positive action has increased but the poor were better off in the 1990s. A recent study shows that nearly two thirds of Russians aren’t better off in a democracy than they were in a Communist state. Income inequality has increased more than eight times in Hungary and five times in the Czech Republic (formerly part of the USSR).
Many cases reveal a problem with the political ideology that built many Western societies and many people have had to pay the price for a failure of our democratic system
One group can’t be blamed for a possible breakdown of democracy but we can cite a political shift in the direction of extremism. Populism has become prominent in Western politics throughout the last few decades. From UKIP to Matteo Salvini, the populist movement has gained large amounts
representatives for a whole range of different opinions and policies a government can’t progress. A spate of hung parliaments and coalitions in Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom has arrested political movement and made way for populism. Religious, racial and sexual orientation persecution has not faded away in Western Countries. Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism have played a large
While democracy may look as if it is here to stay, the cracks are becoming more and more visible each year. The election of Boris Johnson and his cavalier disregard for the normal business of the British Parliament may be an obvious sign of a breakdown happening right in front of our eyes. ¢ Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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Double Standards How can western culture under Chinese rule come out on top? JACK PELLING
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THERE ARE VERY DIFFERENT CULTURES AND BACKGROUNDS BETWEEN CHINESE MAINLANDERS AND HONG KONG CHINESE
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ong Kong was never an independent country. It became a colony of the British Empire when Qing in China ceded Hong Kong Island after the First Opium War in 1842. Hong Kong then expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula after the Second Opium War in 1860, with further expansion claiming the New Territories area. This was formalized in a 99-year lease until 1997, when it was known that Hong Kong would be returned to China.
After Typhoon Ellen in 1983, the Hong Kong dollar plummeted on Black Saturday, and the Financial Secretary John Bremridge publicly associated the economic uncertainty with the instability of the political There were many factors in play when Margaret Thatcher climate. In response, the PRC government condemned negotiated to hand back the territory. China could have Britain through the press for ‘playing the taken Hong Kong easily by force. Deng economic card’ in order to achieve their Xiaoping told Thatcher bluntly during ends: to intimidate the PRC into ceding to negotiations: ‘I could walk in and take the British demands. As China continued to whole lot this afternoon.’ And she replied, develop it gained experience and expressed ‘There is nothing I could do to stop you, AS CHINA CONTINUED authority over the diminishing Hong Kong. but the eyes of the world would now TO DEVELOP IT GAINED know what China is like.’ EXPERIENCE AND The transfer of sovereignty over Hong EXPRESSED AUTHORITY Kong, commonly known as ‘the handover’, Leading up to the hand-over, China OVER THE DIMINISHING occurred at midnight on 1 July 1997, when started to show its dominance. During HONG KONG the United Kingdom ended administration former British Prime Minister Edward of Hong Kong and returned control of the Heath’s sixth visit to the The People’s territory to China. Hong Kong became a Republic of China (PRC), Deng Xiaoping special administrative region under the concept of One commented quite clearly on the impossibility of Country Two Systems in order to maintain governing and exchanging sovereignty for administration, declaring an economic systems separate from those of mainland China. ultimatum: the British government must modify or give All these key events in the control of Hong Kong brought up its position or the PRC would announce its resolution controversy and change for the economy and politics. on the issue of Hong Kong sovereignty unilaterally. This openly announced China’s quest for dominance over Under the basic law of Hong Kong, Mandarin was made Hong Kong. an official language along with English and Cantonese. On paper these languages are equal but, in reality, Mandarin is increasingly given more importance. This has led to fear of Cantonese being replaced. In May 2018, the Education Bureau of Hong Kong stated that Cantonese is a dialect, which cannot be considered the mother tongue, and this was seen as downgrading Cantonese in favour of Mandarin.
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There have been many infrastructure projects and policies connecting Hong Kong to China. Although it could be argued that China will turn Hong Kong into another typical Chinese city, this provides both economic and financial opportunities.
Up to 60% of youth between 18 to 29 are thought to want to emigrate and about 80% are unhappy with the political situation in Hong Kong
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Relations between Hong Kong and China were tense in the early 2000’s, with various factors contributing. Hong Kong under the rule of the UK was a The press and company freedoms successful economic powerhouse and are declining in Hong Kong as Beijing prosperous city and because of that watches over. Employees and staff of China respected it. When it was handed companies, especially in the press, over China retained that respect for a are very conscious of period of time, but this what they say through may now be decreasing HONG KONG UNDER THE fear of losing relations as many of China’s RULE OF THE UK WAS A with Beijing and future cities now economically SUCCESSFUL ECONOMIC opportunities. exceed Hong Kong. Some POWERHOUSE AND say this has led to China PROSPEROUS CITY AND In recent times up to thinking it has further BECAUSE OF THAT CHINA 60% of youth between authority over Hong RESPECTED IT 18 to 29 are thought Kong and is interfering to want to emigrate in matters which in 1997 and about 80% are it promised to avoid, unhappy with the political situation including politics. in Hong Kong. Inflation keeps rising and is already high. Personal freedom This conflict led to multiple impacts appears to be on the decrease and with the emergence of localist parties, high Chinese education expectations primarily caused by the 2014 Hong contribute to increasing pressure on Kong protests which led to the birth of future generations. new political parties. Traditionally, the pan-democratic camp campaigned for democracy in China and Hong Kong. With the rise of localism, there were calls to make Hong Kong democratic. In recent years, localism within Hong Kong has been gaining popularity with Hong Kong youth. Some localist parties
also promote the notion of Hong Kong Independence, believing that only when Hong Kong is independent from mainland China can real democracy be established.
This Millennium brought struggles for Hong Kong. The worst appeared with the 2019 to 2020 Hong Kong protests, an ongoing series of demonstrations in Hong Kong triggered by the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment The pro-Beijing camp, as well as mainland officials, along with bill by the Hong Kong government. If enacted, the bill would Carrie Lam, have said that the development of democracy have allowed the extradition of criminal fugitives who are in Hong Kong is not a top priority wanted in territories with which and that the Hong Kong government Hong Kong does not currently have should focus on livelihood issues first. extradition agreements, including Taiwan and mainland China. This There are very different cultures led to concerns that the bill would and backgrounds between Chinese subject Hong Kong residents and mainlanders and Hong Kong Chinese, visitors to the jurisdiction and legal who have been under the rule of system of mainland China, thereby the British with a typical Western undermining the style of life from the 1850s to 1997, region’s autonomy and whilst China was under the control the Hong Kong people’s of a communist party from 1949 civil liberties. This led to onwards. These disparities have led ongoing mass protests to social conflict between groups. A against the proposed major significance is the rise of local extradition bill, with awareness in self-identity with people protesters laying out five in Hong Kong who regard themselves key demands, namely as Chinese plummeting between 2008 the withdrawal of the and 2014. This is believed to be the bill, investigation into product of continuous conflict. alleged police brutality and misconduct, the On 9 November 2015 a motion of anti-mainlandisation (to release of arrested erase the Mandarin influence in Hong Kong) was not passed. protesters, a complete Supporters of the motion argued that mainlandisation leads retraction of the official characterisation of the protests as to fakeness, rampant corruption and abuse ‘riots’, and Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s of power, so Hong Kong risks becoming resignation along with the introduction another Chinese city. Opponents of the of universal suffrage for election of the motion argued that it was seeing different Legislative Council and the Chief Executive. cultures with a narrow perspective and THIS MILLENNIUM BROUGHT attempting to split the Chinese nation to The PRC supports Hong Kong, and is STRUGGLES FOR HONG KONG; cause conflict. In recent years, there have ambitious to increase trade and help the THE WORST APPEARED WITH been incidents of mainlandisation where economy grow, along with other cities in THE 2019 TO 2020 HONG some sectors of society are worried about the area around, and to sustain Hong Kong KONG PROTESTS, AN ONGOING the changing environment of Hong Kong. as a financial success. This will benefit Hong SERIES OF DEMONSTRATIONS Mainlandisation or Integration of Hong Kong as a nation and international hub but IN HONG KONG TRIGGERED Kong is the official policy of the Beijing that does not necessarily mean the general BY THE INTRODUCTION OF government and its Beijing supporters in public desire that, but the vital connection THE FUGITIVE OFFENDERS Hong Kong are actively helping to promote between PRC and HK was tested this year AMENDMENT BILL its agenda, using their power to influence and past multiple protests on sensitive certain key decision-making choices within Hong Kong topics could lead to an intolerant China. From 2030 onwards, society. PRC has proposals to integrate Hong Kong with eleven other Chinese cities to create an economic centre. There is a possibility that this procedure will take away Hong Kong’s relative freedom and unique culture.
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With the guidance from China and investment into the city, will Hong Kong soar internationally, or will the outcome that the public fear come true? Will democracy diminish, and will Hong Kong be flooded by Mandarin influence? What does the PRC want to do with Hong Kong? Time will tell. ¢
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PACK YOUR
BAGS
TEA SAND suggests that if you are down you need to get out more
M
ental health. You’ve probably heard that phrase before. What you probably haven’t heard before, though, are the generally unknown effects on our mental health of something that most of us are lucky enough to experience. This is the beautiful concept of travelling.
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that isn’t seeing a therapist. By booking a train, plane or bus, and packing your bags in anticipation of a holiday, you can improve your mental health in more ways than one.
2018 statistics show that 1 in 4 people have a mental health problem in the UK alone. Sadly, only From London alone, 1 in 8 adults were actively specifically Heathrow Airport, receiving treatment. Such 475,624 flights were made in a low number of people STUDIES SHOW THAT PEOPLE 2018, carrying an impressive not getting help can be ARE HAPPIEST WHEN A HOLIDAY 80.1 million passengers. increased just by a holiday. IS PLANNED, BECAUSE THE With 1,303 flights as the It’s not always easy – EXPECTATION OF A POSITIVE daily average, this is around money, time, accessibility TIME GIVES THEM A MORE 200,000 people who have – but even a long walk in a OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK just, unbeknownst to them, forest or along the seaside boosted their own mental is an easy way to benefit health by simply walking out of their front you greatly in the long term. doors on the day of departure. The Oxford English Dictionary says that Studies show that people are happiest ‘travel’ means ‘to go from one place to when a holiday is planned, because the another’. Yes. It’s exactly that. Walking, expectation of a positive time gives them running, flying, driving and sailing are a more optimistic outlook on everything: all forms of travel. And all are generally school life, work life, or just life in general. So forgotten methods of boosting your mental everyone who is struggling with depression, health, even if it’s at its lowest. If you ever anxiety or any other mental health malady feel run-down, or feel like you are stuck at has an alternative way to relieve that stress one place in your life and can’t seem to be
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able to escape it, this is where travel comes in. And the best news is, this isn’t just a conspiracy theory. It really does work. For example, if I am feeling abnormally tired and down or stressed, because I am quite a busy person and burn-outs are common for me, the place I feel happiest is in my holiday house in Northern Italy. Simply being there calms me down immensely and I completely forget about my problems back home. On a spiritual level, there are many places on Earth that have healing properties. When you travel, you are lucky in the sense that you get to experience these healing sites when most others don’t. There are natural hot springs in Turkey and Iceland, for example, which draw on those healing properties. By sitting in these lakes and soaking up the minerals, you relieve pain and stress, and it is also good for your skin. Moreover, the mineral salts also increase longevity. Energy vortexes are sacred places that are made up of water, electricity or wind. These destinations rejuvenate and expand the mind, which is very useful for those who are close-minded and pessimistic. These energy points are so powerful that they can open the mind to the elements and introduce it to meditation and mindfulness, which lots of people have already discovered helps improve mental health too.
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BURN-OUT AFTER AN INTENSE PERIOD OF WORK OR A TERM AT SCHOOL CAN EASILY BE RELIEVED BY FORGETTING ABOUT ALL YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND GIVING YOURSELF SOME SPACE
If you have the chance to travel to a place like Iceland, with its fiery hotspots and tranquil mineral lagoons, I suggest you do. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt more calm and collected than when I have sat in those salt springs. It felt like all the negative energy was draining out of me and getting absorbed by the salt, leaving nothing but peaceful
energy in my mind and body. Also, you sleep incredibly well the night after. Aside from that, there are a great many ways to better one’s mental health, but here are six critical methods that are not obvious to see, but do radically decrease your chances of a mental health problem. The first is the most
THERE ARE NATURAL HOT SPRINGS IN TURKEY AND ICELAND, WHICH DRAW ON HEALING PROPERTIES 24
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The suspense of experiencing a new place really can boost your mood if it is low elementary way: the increase of happiness in anticipation of the journey. The excitement of going on a trip, and the suspense of experiencing a new place really can boost your mood if it is low. There is the uncanny ability to balance your mental health by just looking forward to a new experience when it comes to daily life. Furthermore, travelling can provide stress relief. It acts like a break from working, and allows you to escape from the chores and routines, for a few days or a few weeks. The familiar feeling of burn-out after an intense period of work or a term at school can easily be relieved by forgetting about all your responsibilities and giving yourself some space away from those daily anxieties. Amazingly, travel also enriches one’s creativity. Finding yourself in an unfamiliar place is the equivalent of a clean slate: it opens the mind to new ideas and expands your creativity. If you
are someone who is subject to writer’s block or any other form of restriction, then getting immersed in a new landscape can help you get over those boundaries. In addition to these personal ways of boosting mental health, travel can also strengthen relationships. Whilst solitary travelling helps you connect with your body and mind in its own rewarding way, going abroad with those you love can actually help you to learn to feel safe in new environments, thus improving your bonds with them. Although some people are resistant to this, travelling abroad helps you see things in a new perspective. If you are struggling with something at home, either intrapersonal or involving others, taking a step back from the situation and looking at it from a new angle can let you see what the problem looks like
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GOING ABROAD WITH THOSE YOU LOVE CAN ACTUALLY HELP YOU TO LEARN TO FEEL SAFE IN NEW ENVIRONMENTS
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from afar and allow you to decide whether it really was so bad, since humans have the tendency to exaggerate and make issues bigger than they really are. This is when travel steps in and lets you be elsewhere, away from your problem, to analyse it from a different point of view.
Finding yourself in an unfamiliar place is the equivalent of a clean slate: it opens the mind to new ideas and expands your creativity And finally, though it seems like the most obvious factor, this next way of elevating your mental health is often overlooked: fun! The activities that people do whilst travelling are often enjoyable, which leads to your own happiness, thus releasing endorphins and pushing down any warning signs of depression. A much deeper regard for your own wellbeing and happiness can be found during a holiday, and can lead to travelling more often to up your mental health whenever you feel tired and unhappy.
TRAVELLING ABROAD HELPS YOU SEE THINGS IN A NEW PERSPECTIVE
So, if you are for whatever reason feeling dispirited or fed up with the many burdens of life, try travelling to a new place. It can be the opposite side the world, or the opposite side of your town. It doesn’t matter how far it is, because as long as you take that step back, your mind can do all the hard work for you. I certainly feel happiest when travelling, and I guarantee you will too. All you have to do is to take that first step. ¢
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A MUCH DEEPER REGARD FOR YOUR OWN WELLBEING AND HAPPINESS CAN BE FOUND DURING A HOLIDAY, AND CAN LEAD TO TRAVELLING MORE OFTEN TO UP YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
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STUDIES SHOW THAT PEOPLE ARE HAPPIEST WHEN A HOLIDAY IS PLANNED, BECAUSE THE EXPECTATION OF A POSITIVE TIME GIVES THEM A MORE OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK
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According to my mother, my first career-minded question was at the age of six: ‘What is profit?’ Since then I have taken a growing interest in the business world, particularly the fact that many of my peers have great aspirations and dream of commercial success. Some will become a success, whilst others will fail – many times. So what determines success in the business world? That’s a question I have been pondering for some time. There are countless books and websites proposing answers but I find listening to those who had achieved success in the business world to have the most relevant advice for young people today. I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Vardy, who spent 16 years as a partner at Spencer Stuart, leading executive and board searches for some of Europe’s most successful businesses.
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Image: Tony Vardy - Renovata.com
Busyness
is
Business
FLORENCE BREALY asks Tony Vardy what makes a successful entrepreneur Today Tony is a senior advisor at Renovata & Company, which focuses on executive search in the technology sector, working with some of the fastest-growing tech players. Tony advises the firm’s partners on strategic planning, business management, good governance and executive search practices. He explained what business leaders need to succeed, especially in start-up companies. There are five qualities that improve one’s chances: vision, passion, resilience, judgement, and confidence. Tony believes a start-up business leader has to have a sense of vision and clarity for the future of their business. Investors want to know where they think the business will go. This may be defined by the products they are selling, the market they are entering or the target customer group, but without a clear aim further development of the
business will be stagnant. After all, if you were an investor, would you invest your money into a start-up business destined for uncertainty? An unsupported or poorly considered vision is not in the entrepreneur’s interest: ‘The leader must have a passion for the business and its product because in order to get past the first stage of starting up you need to be willing to sacrifice a lot to commit yourself fully to this vision.’ Tony implied that no one should be willing to sacrifice significant amounts of time, sleep and money for an idea in which they do not fully believe.
don’t go to plan, but the willingness to go through all the difficulties and still come out the other side is what separates the weak from the mighty.
In this competitive world one cannot be content with a vision and the drive to see it through to completion; entrepreneurs must also be brave enough to make risky decisions. Tony noted that entrepreneurs sacrifice much in their lives, such as taking on additional debt (e.g. re-mortgaging their homes) or giving up great jobs in big corporations, so to see a large return from their efforts they must take on a lot of risk. It seems that decisionmaking amongst entrepreneurs must In this age of Instagram influencers be both bold and exercised with good and instant social media success, it judgement. Tony suggested that every is tempting to believe decision, large or small, profits are easily made. shapes the company Tony was quick to into its own identity. disabuse me of this idea This can be done when CONFIDENCE AND when he said, ‘The road emerging leaders ask SELF-BELIEF ARE NOT to success is not always the right questions, STRAIGHTFORWARD easy. No one has ever such as: Who should CHARACTERISTICS TO created a successful our suppliers be? What POSSESS, BUT WITHOUT business without lots of is our target market? THEM MOST THINGS hiccups along the way.’ What needs to be done COULD NOT BE ACHIEVED In fact, the quality of to expand the business? determination is crucial Of course, some of those to business success. decisions will lead to When 60% of start-up businesses fail mistakes, since we are only human, but in the first three years, it is essential it was reassuring that Tony implied it that entrepreneurs do not give up was key to learn from failure. when the going gets tough. Many like to disparage Facebook so I was Throughout Tony’s years of experience somewhat amused that he used it as his confidence has increased, but a salutary example of the necessity of confidence is not something everyone perseverance. has from the start. He admitted that ‘confidence and self-belief are not ‘We all know Mark Zuckerberg, founder straightforward characteristics to of Facebook, was successful in creating his social networking platform. What many people don’t know is the struggles he went through in the early years of developing Facebook. He was sued by two others who claimed that he stole their idea and tried to stop him legally from developing his network. This did not stop him from persevering. In the end he did have to pay them off but this was only a tiny fraction of Facebook’s estimated $76.4 billion net worth.’ It is clear that there will always be setbacks or times when things
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possess, but without them most things could not be achieved.’ Self-belief is paramount for every entrepreneur: ‘It is so important to be a good sales person for your start-up. You need to be able to convince people why your vision and your passion has a future.’ It is a lack of confidence that often prevents young people from pursuing dreams. Near the end of the interview, I wanted to ask Tony whether confidence could be taught. He was clear that you can develop and grow your selfbelief from a less-than-confident start. He said, ‘There is a whole industry of people who come in and coach leaders; even the top chief executives often have some self-doubt and need a means of letting it out. Confidence can be learnt but everyone should recognise that although you can work to develop the skills to become a successful entrepreneur, everyone has their limitations, specific areas that they are skilled in and others that do not come so easily.’ After my interview with Tony I felt that I better understood the characteristics needed for success in the commercial world. Vision, perseverance, risk-taking, and the confidence gained through life experiences are all essential. The most important thing I have learnt throughout this process is that without hard work you can get nowhere and there is no quick fix to becoming a successful entrepreneur overnight. In the future, by using the advice from experienced people such as Tony we can, one step at a time, get closer to fulfilling our own dreams. ¢
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y d Bolk Ta MAISIE COSGROVE reminds us that one may smile and smile and be a villain
O
ur bodies are rarely not transmitting information. The smallest of motions often conveys more than one realises. Joe Navarro (a leading body language expert) knows this best. His whole career was based solely on his accurate observation of non-verbals. His observations were key to identifying liars, child abusers, arsonists, robbers, rapists, and even murderers. Most of us believe we have only one brain. This was disproved by Paul MacLean, who correctly stated that we have a triune brain (three brains in one). The triune brain consists of a ‘reptilian (stem) brain’, ‘mammalian (limbic) brain’ and ‘human (neocortex) brain.’
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Although each is invaluable, I wish to you notice them perspiring heavily, explore the limbic brain, more widely for them an abnormal trait. What’s defined as the ‘honest’ happening is simple: the brain. Your neocortex limbic brain is regulating may allow you to lie the body’s response to convincingly, but your the emotional stress limbic brain will show by producing cooling visible signs of that lying. perspiration (‘breathing YOUR NEOCORTEX MAY The latter never turns off through’) while the ALLOW YOU TO LIE because its continuous neocortex is allowing CONVINCINGLY, BUT YOUR operation is essential for them to lie. LIMBIC BRAIN WILL SHOW survival. For example, VISIBLE SIGNS OF THAT let’s say you’re about to The rubbing of the neck LYING sit a critical exam. When is pacifying behaviour you glance around the used to calm oneself room several individuals are rubbing when feeling an undesirable emotion. their necks or sitting frozen in their Indeed some of the motions we seats. Your friend, a seat behind you, is associate with lying are just incorrectly bragging about how hard they studied. diagnosed pacifiers. We often see in Contrary to their compelling words, crime movies a crook’s inability to
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look a prosecutor in the eyes or to hold eye contact for more than short, infrequent intervals. Nevertheless, that one suspicious moment does not condemn the individual because this behaviour could be a personal pacifier related to a different stressful event. Widespread pacifiers include filing your cheeks with air and then blowing out; loosening a tie; covering the suprasternal notch (the frontal hollow at the base of the neck); and playing with hair (preferably your own). When you fulfil one of these motions you stimulate nerve endings that cause a soothing effect. Again, this is a subconscious decision regulated by the limbic brain. So it is difficult to lie without physically disproving what you just said. Joe Navarro once prevented a crime in a shop, after he noticed a man standing close to the checkout for no obvious reason. He was not buying food, was not an employee, and was not leaving. This was strange and, as Joe watched him closely, his nostrils flared, which made it clear he was about rob the store. Navarro warned the cashier at once and that was that.
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YOU ALWAYS PROJECT YOUR EMOTIONS, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO SUPPRESS THEM
The interpretation of body language is not solely limited to crime. Such observations may be valuable in a variety of social interactions. For example, imagine you are in the midst of a cocktail party, when someone introduces you to two middle-aged women. You notice that they lean imperceptibly towards one another and their crossed legs point to each other, not you. This behaviour implies an affection for each other. This likely means that the two women are well acquainted and may even be good friends. You always project your emotions, no matter how hard you try to suppress them, and it may be rather annoying that you are not in control of your body language. But when applying such methods to read the body language of others you must be careful to perceive contextually, not let the person you are watching know what you are doing, and have extensive knowledge of both the limbic brain and key body language. And remember, before you jump to conclusions, that even a trained observer is right about 50% of the time. ¢
Joe Navarro once prevented a crime in a shop, after he noticed a man standing close to the checkout for no obvious reason
Widespread pacifiers include filing your cheeks with air and then blowing out; loosening a tie; covering the suprasternal notch; and playing with hair Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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ELIZABETH IDOWU wonders whether it’s time art returned to sentimentality
‘I
n 2000 a group of art experts voted Marcel Duchamp the most influential artist of the Twentieth Century. Now, in order to tell if something is a work of art, all we need to know is that someone says it is. This seems to me like quite an arrogant assertion.’ Playing to the Gallery, Grayson Perry
Therefore, to assert their dominance they remove a major vehicle of discourse.
I was intrigued by the postulations of Marx on the place that art has within society, and while I am not completely convinced by the veracity of his conclusions, some serve as interesting stimuli to help us question the status quo. In his theory on historical The subjectivity of art does not allow for a materialism Marx surmised that economic concrete definition of art that isn’t transient. structure serves as the basis for society – this What if we say art can be anything? Yes, that includes labour and production. Then there may be true of society now, is another facet of society, a but what about in several social conscience that acts as The onus is on art hundred years? This dilemma a superstructure; this consists to communicate the alludes to the existence of changes that need to of the Arts and Literature. art as a purely abstract entity. Typically, it does not change occur in the whole of So, the preliminary question as fast as the superstructure, society, as economic is not: What is art? It is: Art as despite its being the basis mobility eventually opposed to what? of society. Instead, the changes policies superstructure is what allows Art doesn’t perpetuate the economic structure to stagnation in society. This predicate can progress. This implies that the onus is on art already be readily observed in the very nature to communicate the changes that need to of art itself: an abstract entity. An abstract occur in the whole of society, as economic entity cannot be monolithic, but a status quo mobility eventually changes policies. This built primarily on preconceived notions and theory is what allowed me to think of art ideals can be resistent to change. as the nemesis of stagnation, except that in Marx’s theory economic structure acts as a Art’s recalcitrance is blatant when one suppressor and art rectifies the problem. observes adversarial circumstances. Institutions of power very much seem to Art could be a mode of communication recognize the potency that art has as a within society, but what constitutes the communicator. Many fascistic or dictatorial efficacy of communication? The definition governments censor or control art. These of communication is the exchange of powers are often too enamoured of their information, and an exchange is something farcical doctrines to allow change, because that, for me, is contingent on two tenets: change inevitably brings revolution. quantity, which is inextricably connected to
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Off the Wall
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complexity, because substance implies a message is fraught with information; and quality is also important because quality signifies to what level the data is comprehendible. The data bearer here is art, and the recipient society, yet using these grounds one could argue that art today is a poor communicator to society because the quality of the exchange is not accessible. This question contains the crux of the issue. It also delineates why I think it is necessary to defend art in its current state of
Art is a mercurial medium, which is evident from the large number of artistic movements Pablo Picasso, Les Femmes d’Alger (Version “O”), 1955 © 2015 ESTATE OF PABLO PICASSO / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
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CONCISION SHOWS TRUE UNDERSTANDING AS OPPOSED TO A REGURGITATION OF KNOWLEDGE
Louise Bourgeois ‘Maman, 1999’, cast 2003 © The Easton Foundation. Photo: National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Conceptual art has been in vogue for a while now, but an unfortunate biproduct of its ubiquity has been that art has increasingly become inaccessible Alexander Calder ‘CHEVAL ROUGE’ 1974
sparsity and vapidity. Conceptual art has been in vogue for a while now, but an unfortunate biproduct of its ubiquity has been that art has increasingly become inaccessible to many people. Even as an art enthusiast I understand the derision of conceptual art: superficially it looks like rapacious neophytes pontificating as creative Art is a mercurial medium, which is savants, when in fact their ‘Art Works’ evident from the large number of look like the progeny of a young child. artistic movements. What is striking Perhaps the adage ‘less is more’ stands about modernism and postmodernism true in this context; feasibly, non- to me is that they are a great example aestheticism could still support the idea of dialectical antagonism (then versus now). Postmodernism of art as a communicator. came as a result of If one can convey a Totalitarian governments modernism, just like substantial piece of shut art down, because it many art movements data aphoristically then surely that is better then moves too fast for them, who were borne out silently subverting the their predecessors: complex data filling presuppositions of society the art world is in reams of paper; in the a constant state of former the density of synthesis. The tension complexity is higher. Furthermore, concision shows true between then and now is what causes understanding as opposed to a art’s dynamism. Therefore, totalitarian governments shut art down, because regurgitation of knowledge. it moves too fast for them, silently To explain fully how we got to the subverting the presuppositions of place we are in art today, whilst still society. maintaining the idea that art is a master communicator we must start Modernism or modernity is not to be from when a perceived ‘drop in quality’ mistaken with today or now. Modernity began in Western art. Furthermore, itself refers to an epoch of copious the antecedents of modernism were revolutions, both technological and caught in a nexus of religion and industrial, during the 19th and early undemocratic politics; hence free 20th Centuries. It is these revolutions communication was disallowed owing that allowed for art to become what to censorship.
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it is today; new technology in the arts such as photography were emergent. They threatened the fabric of the art world. During the late 19th Century there had been a renewed interest in the works from classical antiquity; after the iconoclastic church revolution in the 16th Century the protestant church had negated such an interest. Neoclassism avenged this suppression, and artists would make a concerted effort to try and emulate classical techniques. Therefore, a new wave of artists was focused on attending Draconian institutions that would help them master such techniques. However, photography made some artists question their authority as interpreters of reality, with photography capturing energy – an art that aimed to resemble the likeness of their subjects seemed redundant so the onus was off traditional artists to achieve such goals. Furthermore, science was thriving, so artists started to incorporate this into their artwork. This was the impetus that Picasso and Braque needed to embark on their journey with cubism. Retrospectively, cubism mimics photography and Quantum Mechanics on a mechanistic level. Photography is essentially many pictures sped up into a constant stream so something that seems to be singular can be comprised of many components, just as Cubism portrays many different perspectives from different moments into time and
TRACEY EMIN ‘MY BED’ 1998 combines them into one piece. The duplexity of Cubism can be seen in the duality of particles within Quantum Mechanics. Quantum deposed Newtonian physics and art usurped reality itself, and to negate reality is to question what one sees before one, so a lack of perceived naturalism in art is not due
to a lack of talent, but really a lack of interest on the part of the artist: how can something debase if it depicts life as it is? Along with a disregard of reality came the audacity of artists to present the ‘unrepresentable’, meaning marginalised groups of people. Les Demoiselles Davignon, originally called The Brothel, depicts five prostitutes. The flatness of their bodies juxtaposes
DAMIEN HIRST ‘LOVE’S PARADOX (SURRENDER OR AUTONOMY, SEPARATENESS AS A PRECONDITION FOR CONNECTION.)’ 2007 36
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Cornelia Parker ‘Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View’ 1991
Postmodernism, a direct response to Modernism, heavily references the philosophy that emerged out of the First and Second World Wars
common notions one has of a female figure: fecund and docile. These women caustically disregard the expected softness of femininity. Art, however, is reactionary so what is avantgarde cannot stay that way for long. A subversive form is inherently esoteric so if the status quo accepts it then it subverts nothing – this is what led to the eventual surcease of Modernism. It was a movement founded on the glorification of the human mind. However, after the events of the First World War art changed irrevocably: it was the first time technologically enhanced warfare was used en masse and something that was deemed to be an implement of progression suddenly became the regressor. It has exposed humanity to be inherently self-destructive, and this bred a new way of thinking about humanity. Philosophical quandaries such as nihilism and existentialism came to the forefront, both seeking to devalue the place of humans in the world. The prominent writer 19th Century writer, Baudelaire, once remarked that modernity was punctuated by the ‘ephemeral’ and the ‘contingent’. Postmodernism also shares this transience. Postmodernism, a direct response to Modernism, heavily references the philosophy that emerged out of the First and Second World Wars. The unveiling of humanity as decrepit, graceless animals masquerading as civilised individuals allowed society to question major establishments run by fallible creatures. Something intrinsic to every establishment is a set of principles, and these principles are based
on history in long-standing unquestioned traditions. This kind of aprioristic rationale is what dissenters of Modernism criticised. Structuralism, a branch of the philosophy of linguistics, directly challenges the heavy hand of historicism within society, and hence metaphorically epitomises postmodern ideals. Before Structuralism people would approach a language or the world by looking at its history or etymology but Structuralism was adamantly against the use of meta-language and establishments. A word was just a word simply because that is how it functions; it was the denial of metalanguage and institutions that led to the idea of Deconstruction and post-Structuralism. For post-structuralists metanarratives and meta-language were moot because they gave reference to the world with principles, and nihilism is dissociative. This visually manifested as a lack of perceived originality, so forefathers of Postmodernism like Duchamp denied authorship of ‘their work’, and pop art used commercial universalities to make their art. Derrida’s deconstruction of binaries and Foucault’s tendency to liken organizations
Doris Salcedo ‘Shibboleth I’ 2007 Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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to prisons gave prudence to the idea that art could be non-representation, even devoid of a definitive subject. This is seen very clearly in Tracy Emin’s ‘My Bed’, where she lackadaisically presented her unmade bed and even her countenance seems nonchalant. The birth of non-representation foreshadows an impending selfannihilation in art and society.
Marcel Duchamp ‘Fountain’ 1917
Rowan Geddis, curator of 2019’s Turner Prize, said ‘We owe a lot to Duchamp but conceptual art alienates people.’ Postmodernism’s irreverence and incessant irony is rampant in society. Memes are a prime example of this: these seemingly harmless witticisms function as a coping mechanism to ignore the state of the world. The planet is dying, and oligarchical manbabies have control of nuclear weapons that could wipe out humanity. When I was reading a Grayson Perry book, Playing to the Gallery, I was appalled by his denegration of Duchamp and conceptual art, until I really considered his opinion. I believe he was wrong to put boundaries on what art should be, but perhaps society is too suffused with irony and Duchamp unintentionally opened pandora’s box. Unfortunately, humanity doesn’t have time for such trivialities now; Baudrillard likened Postmodernism to a flickering television screen with no ‘underlying truth’, and indeed we live in a posttruth world where, instead of seeking veracity, we can cultivate our own truths. The world exists in a dystopian universe tantamount to the imaginings of Ray Bradbury in the sense that we no longer seek objective information independently. Our machines mantle us. I was given the opportunity to present in front of the curator of 2019’s Turner Prize, Rowan Geddis, due to a school
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excursion, and after the event I managed to ask him a few questions about the role of conceptual art. I was hesitant to approach him because after my presentation he had rebutted my argument that both communism and socialism are not practical. I conceded. Sheepishly, I queried him about the role conceptual art should have in society, and what he thinks of Grayson Perry’s comments about Duchamp. He said, ‘We owe a lot to Duchamp but conceptual art alienates people.’ About a month later, I heard on the radio that all three of the nominees won the Turner Prize, and it reminded me of what he said. All the pieces were heavily focused on issues involving socialism and community. Oscar Murillo’s work was heavily invested in viscerally portraying this theme, with effigies hailing from uncanny valleys aggressively rammed through the heart with metal cylinders. Perhaps this is what we need for art today, a return to sentimentality. Art doesn’t show us what we want to see, it shows us what we need to see. ¢
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rivate tutors offer classes outside school that teach students how to pass exams, but many people say they cause inequality in education and should be banned. Private tutoring is expensive and is not affordable for all so it further widens the gap between rich and poor. But some say parents have the right to do whatever they like with their money as long as it not illegal, and what parent would not invest heavily in their child’s success in exams if they could afford to do so? Also, private one-to-one tutors can work at the child’s pace when in a class there are many people with different learning speeds and it is very difficult for the teacher to be flexible and fulfil the needs of all. Students with a private tutor learn more quickly. So it would be wrong if private tutoring were banned, because it can help students who struggle at school, but it should not become the leading method of teaching at the expense of mainstream education. ¢
A
e l Litt
Help
Ina Lin says private tutors have a role to play but should never be centre stage
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You Wish! HANS SO outlines the danger of judging ourselves by the judgement of others
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t’s your birthday. The candles on the chocolate cake coated in vanilla whipped cream are lit, and your loved ones bring it towards you. You prepare to blow out the candles and make a wish. What do people usually wish for? I wish my family health and happiness. I wish I was rich. I wish I was famous. I wish I was more athletic. I wish I was more popular. According to psychologists, wishes can be grouped into two categories – intrinsic desires and extrinsic desires. Intrinsic desires are wishes that make us feel good because they are selfrewarding, and do not need external 40
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recognition. These wishes push us to be the best person we can be, and strive to be more selfless.
Even when students over the age of 16 were interviewed 36% wished for wealth alone, and 26% wished for influence via superpowers, or superior Research shows that our wishes are intelligence, physical ability or, most influenced by our age, personality and commonly, through fame. Participants gender. To test this, I said they wished for designed a study of my these things because own. If you had three they wanted to be wishes, what would you admired. These wishes wish for? The results INTRINSIC DESIRES ARE can be classified as from the survey show WISHES THAT MAKE US FEEL examples of extrinsic that people rarely wish GOOD BECAUSE THEY ARE desires. intrinsically. Under SELF-REWARDING, AND 25% under the age of DO NOT NEED EXTERNAL Extrinsic wishes come 16 wished for positive RECOGNITION from a desire for people relationships, peace, a to think more highly of healthy environment us. These wishes are and the health of others, with less than only fulfilled if people notice. Common 10% of male participants doing so. extrinsic wishes include: ‘I want to be
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The Ventral Striatum (VS) is responsible for rewardprocessing and creates an incentive to pursue things that create this feeling of reward admired’; ‘I wish I was wealthy’; ‘I wish I was popular’. Changes in personal qualities such as these directly link to a desire to increase status. People who openly crave status are frowned upon because they are associated with traits such as greed and avarice. However, at some point we all want to be admired and envied to an extent. This inclination is emphasized by the prevalence of social media, where the number of ‘likes’ become a primary method to seek selfworth. As adolescents, it only seems natural to talk about who has it, and strategize how to get it. Is this impulse childish, or even trivial? This instinct can be explained by the neural networks in our brain, specifically an intersecting region called the Ventral Striatum (VS). The VS is responsible for rewardprocessing and creates an incentive to pursue things that create this feeling of reward. This comes from the high of a drug to the prospect of being well known. In the beginning of society, that region of the brain reacted to status related to dominance – how much land, food and shelter one controlled, so this instinct was essential to survival. In spite of the rapid change in civilisation where we don’t need to hunt or depend on authority to survive, our Ventral Striatum still functions in the same way but now recognises status in social groups as the status that allows us to survive. For instance, when we read about people of high status, or even look at a photo, these actions are enough to activate the VS without us realising it, so we are oriented towards status. We also experience reward in the VS when someone we admire also feels the same way. The fact that the VS is now so easily triggered means we will be tempted by social rewards on a frequent basis, and elicit conformity.
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WE ALL WANT TO BE ADMIRED AND ENVIED TO AN EXTENT; THIS INCLINATION IS EMPHASIZED BY THE PREVALENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, WHERE THE NUMBER OF ‘LIKES’ BECOME A PRIMARY METHOD TO SEEK SELF-WORTH
Participants would give a rating out of 10 to some food that was shown in a collection of photos. After rating the food, the participants were shown a false average of food ratings out of 200 participants. When ratings were made to seem extremely similar to that of the participants, activity in the VS increased. Participants were then asked to rate the foods again and those who conformed (changed their ratings) had the most activity in their VS. This demonstrates that not only are we built biologically to enjoy social agreement, but those who have the most dramatic social reward response are the most likely to conform.
Not only are we built biologically to enjoy social agreement, but those who have the most dramatic social reward response are the most likely to conform
So, how often is your behaviour driven by social agreement and status? In reality, this happens to the best of us because it is part of our biomechanics. When people agree with us, we feel like we have more power, and perhaps dominance. But overpursuing this status may end in disappointment because the individual will view status as the basis of self-worth. Thus, we all need to remember not to become obsessive about the views of others, but court only what we can control instead. ¢
This theory was tested by psychologist Jamil Zaki and Stanford student Erik Nook.
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Of Sound
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Given its miraculous virtues RICCARDO BOITEUX claims nobody should be denied a musical education
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nly a few decades ago, it was still simple tasks that previously didn’t require believed that humans were born with much focus suddenly become difficult an already developed brain, that the and must be relearnt before once again connections between the various neurons becoming easy. would stabilise during one’s childhood and would only change if neurons were Not long ago, neuroscientists found that lost by aging or accident. Thanks to new every single interaction uniquely shapes technologies, neuroscientists connections in the brain have been able to disprove as well as producing this theory. In fact, new studies neurons. When activities are have shown that the brain regularly practiced, such develops as a baby grows as music, synapses (sites of CONTINUITY IN MUSIC into a child and later into transmission of electrical PRACTICE IS DESTINED TO an adolescent, as different nerve impulses between two HELP THE DEVELOPMENT areas of the brain begin to nerve cells) are consolidated. OF THE BRAIN INVOLVING be stimulated or formed. This is why the brain is COORDINATION, MENTAL, For example, the prefrontal constantly developing and is MOTOR, VISUAL AND cortex is only completely never stable. MEMORY SKILLS established towards the end of adolescence and some Continuity in music practice neurological changes are so drastic that is destined to help the development of the for certain daily tasks children use different brain involving coordination, mental, motor, parts of the brain than adults. visual and memory skills. In the long term, this helps to increase concentration, learning According to Professor Sarah-Jane speed, general coordination and empathy. In Blakemore, connections in our brain grow simpler terms, music practice has beneficial during adolescence to such an extent that, effects on learning, and emotional and like a garden, unused connections need social skills. Due to this, a musical education to be trimmed to look orderly. This is why becomes extremely important for a child’s healthy growth.
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Moreover, studies have linked regular instrumental practice to academic improvements in children with learning difficulties – dyslexia or attention deficit disorder, for examples. On the other end of the spectrum, it can help reduce the severity of brain-related diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In fact, as a result of practice the brain becomes so active that in moments of distress, deficiency or accidents, it has developed a form of compensation strategy to complete the same exact task but using a different pathway.
Multiple studies have found evidence that the Corpus Callosum (fibres connecting the two hemispheres) is more developed in musicians
STUDIES HAVE LINKED REGULAR INSTRUMENTAL PRACTICE TO ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENTS IN CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES – DYSLEXIA OR ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
A study led by Professor Gottfried Schlaug at Harvard Medical School compared the anatomy of the motor cortex (a region of the cerebral cortex involved with the planning and execution of movement) of pianists and violinists, with that of non-musicians. The IRMs (machines used to measure the relative abundance of isotopes in a given sample) showed that the musicians had a larger volume in the region that controlled the movement
The IRMs showed that the musicians had a larger volume in the region that controlled the movement of fingers 44
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of fingers. This volume augmentation is visible in both the right and left motor cortexes for pianists, but only seen on the right motor cortex (which controls the left hand) for violinists. The growth in volume is a result of a region of neurons being often stimulated. When neurons are frequently stimulated, they communicate with adjacent neurons calling for help and this sometimes causes Neurogenesis, the process by which neurons are formed in the brain. In addition, for musicians coordination between both hands is just as important as the movement of individual fingers. This coordination requires a massive amount of information to be transmitted between both hemispheres (the two sides of the brain). Multiple studies have found evidence that the Corpus Callosum (fibres connecting the two hemispheres) is therefore more developed in musicians.
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PLAYING MUSIC WITH OTHER PEOPLE HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE GREATLY BENEFICIAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS
Now, looking at music from a more exterior view, aside from the processes of individual practice or performance, music is often created and enjoyed with other people. The act of playing music with other people has been proven to be greatly beneficial in the development of social skills. Conductors often refer to orchestras as a Utopian Society where each instrument represents a citizen fulfilling a duty. In the end, the extra connections that form as a result of playing music can enable a person to think more efficiently and quickly. However, this is not to say that musicians are more intelligent than non-musicians. This is simply to explain that a musical education cannot only help the constructive development of the brain but also aid rehabilitation in the case of accidents or help delay symptoms of neurodegenerative illnesses. ¢
For musicians coordination between both hands is just as important as the movement of individual fingers
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r e tt Bi
Sweet
Inigo Lenderking is amazed at the differences between US and UK drinks that have the same name
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hen I first came to England I was amazed by the wide selection of American drinks. (I go to the US every summer and love to drink these delicious sodas.) One day my room-mate was getting some food and bought a Mountain Dew, which he let me try.
change also applies to Pepsi. HFCS makes the cola taste thicker and richer and sugar produces more of a soda flavour.
UK Cream Soda by A&W also has changes in levels of caffeine and slightly less sugar, and in Europe Fanta has 33% less sugar than in the US. 7 Up in the US It was disgusting, like drinking chemicals out of a is claimed to be 100% natural, a virtue achieved by test tube. It had no lime flavour whatsoever. When eliminating the chelating agent calcium disodium I looked at the ingredients I realised to EDTA, and replacing sodium citrate my horror there is a British Mountain with potassium citrate to reduce Dew that doesn’t actually contain any the beverage’s sodium content. This Voltage, Code Red, or BVO (Brominated reformulation contains no fruit juice Vegetable Oil). So that was that. IT WAS DISGUSTING, and in the US it is sweetened with our old friend HFCS, which in the UK is not LIKE DRINKING Next I tested a British Doctor Pepper, generally used in foods, even 7 Up. CHEMICALS OUT OF which tasted okay but still a bit funny. In 2011 7 Up began test-marketing a A TEST TUBE Google told me it is manufactured in formula called 7 Up Retro using sugar the UK but still contains the same US rather than HFCS and labels with the ingredients, which was fine because I never really caption ‘Made with Real Sugar’. liked Doctor Pepper anyway. American drink brands may have come to England Then I wanted to see if this principle applied to but in the US they contain HFCS, the country’s most every drink brand imported to the UK from the US. I popular sweetener because it is cheap, ubiquitous googled a bunch of different drinks and found that and tastes better. It also makes you hungrier. But even Coca Cola is slightly different. In the UK they the reason the UK does not use HFCS is simply use sugar as a sweetener, but in the US they use because it is really bad for you. Studies have shown HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup). This ingredient it can cause diabetes and heart disease. ¢
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In&
Out
Where style is concerned, JOSHUA PLATT reckons retro is the way forward
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efore we kick off, I by no means claim to be a fashion guru. My friends know me as a Victorian, pocket-square-wearing,brogue-loving, vinyl-treasuring eccentric. So how should I know who or what is ‘in or out’? Full disclosure: I have no idea. If you are searching for advice on your next investment in Supreme Oreos or Gucci sliders, then please search elsewhere because I guarantee you know far more than me, my friend. But I think a few items from long ago are making a comeback and we should welcome them with open arms. First, vinyl records. Charity shops, record sellers and car boot sales are awash with bargain discs, so why not fork out 48
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for a new record and take pleasure in most about records, besides cranking unwrapping the box, extracting the up Billy Joel’s ‘Vienna Waits for You’ to record from its sheath double speed, is that and placing it carefully you own something on your very own, tangible. Digital music stylish record deck? and the ‘right to play’ As well as providing a are both incredible A FEW ITEMS FROM crisp, clear, authentic and regrettable. Vinyl LONG AGO ARE MAKING sound, a turntable is a records are a trip down A COMEBACK AND WE retro fashion statement. memory lane and give SHOULD WELCOME THEM If like me you enjoy a you Dire Straits etched WITH OPEN ARMS retro/modern hybrid into a pickupable disc. with glass casing and Vinyl in. jet-black deck, good on you. But if you want And so to brogue boots to go older then get a gramophone (or Oxford boots with no brogueing). with a big speaker composed of more I’m for classic Oxford but I’m guiltily brass than a symphony orchestra. drawn to this Victorian, edgy style, The options are endless. What I enjoy which works only in dark brown and
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never with white soles. The new way is to roll up one’s jeans so the hem can be seen on the outside and the boots themselves are revealed. A shirt and jacket work well too, for the geeky, Victorian, smart-casual look I like. Saunter up Saville Row, Piccadilly or Jermyn Street if you can afford the hefty price tag. If not, get DMs, which still look great! There is much to be said for double-breasted suits for both men and women. Who doesn’t go for Colin Firth or Taron Egerton in Kingsman? The perfect suit may not exist but find a suit that suits you. With so many workers in white-collar jobs now wearing fifty shades of grey T-shirt, especially in Technology, suits may be going out of fashion but for work experience, internships or job interviews, invest in a grey doublebreasted suit good for broad shoulders and the less trim figure. Avoid patterns or whacky colours, even light or sky blue. For an overcoat Burberry in beige (H and M will do) or a blue trench coat (double-breasted if with a knotted belt) are back. Flared trousers, especially for women, are also back. I’m told these are comfortable, affordable and in with the crowd. For a Seventies disco vibe, look no further. Ditch the pumped heels, though, unless you’re heading for the dance floor. The flares are not for me but they do look damn good.
Polaroid pics pepper teenage bedrooms up and down the country, jazzed up with white borders or fairy lights
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I’M GUILTILY DRAWN TO THIS VICTORIAN, EDGY STYLE, WHICH WORKS ONLY IN DARK BROWN AND NEVER WITH WHITE SOLES
Polaroid pics pepper teenage bedrooms up and down the country, jazzed up with white borders or fairy lights. It’s easy to go digital with smart phones but retro can be better. I’d like to see the iPhone X print a 3 by 4 colour photograph out of its charging port. New designs are popping up all the time in every colour under the sun. Worth every penny! My title from the editors was ‘In and Out’ but I can’t do the second bit. Yes, I think all styles are okay and individuality should be encouraged (hello, John Stewart Mill), but also I’m in no position to judge. But for balance I will pick a few fashion howlers. Bum bags are functional but never fashionable, even with fur or sparkles. Difficult to polish. Cheap T-Shirts with tiny logos from big brands that cost fifty quid are an uncool waste of money. Drop Supreme or Palace and head to Topshop. And Off White is the colour a tablecloth goes when you spill tea, not a luxury brand.
Off White is the colour a tablecloth goes when you spill tea, not a luxury brand
And there you have it. I don’t do catwalks much but I hope you agree it’s good that what’s good but out is not out for long and what’s bad but in was never really in at all. ¢
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Dinner with
a r t a p leo
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The Death of Cleopatra - Reginald Arthur / Public domain
ELLA ROWE tells us what she would ask Cleopatra face to face and why If I had a chance to dine with any historical figure, it would be Cleopatra VII Philopator. I envisage conversation by interpreter in the Field of Reeds of the Egyptian afterlife, over a feast of spit-roast ducks accompanied by jujubes fruit and finished with honey cakes and wine, a meal typical of Cleopatra’s time and reserved only for royalty. I would catechise the iconic ruler about her life, her relationships, her rule and her death.
her loyal servants. I don’t believe the Queen would choose to take her life in such a long and agonising way since she was a highly intelligent academic known to test potions and poisons, and knew what concoction would be strong enough to end her life in a dignified way. Was this combination of poisons known as ‘The Asp’, ‘The Viper’ or ‘Venom’? Maybe.
Cleopatra’s knowledge of poisons and narcotics leads me on to my next question for the self-proclaimed goddess: Did I would begin our conversation with my ultimate question: you use opium to wrest control over Marc Antony in a way How did you really die? Since her death in 30 that love never could? Opium was commonly BC, we have been told Cleopatra died from used in Ancient Egypt as a recreational drug the poison of an asp, either solely from a bite and consumed orally rather than inhaled. Marc Anthony would on her breast or with another bite on her wrist. My theory is that Cleopatra, a long-time user not leave Cleopatra’s This was to stop Octavian taking her prisoner herself, introduced Marc Anthony to the side and was said to and parading her through the streets of Rome. lose his mind when she drug when he arrived from Rome. Antony, a It has also been proposed that Cleopatra did renowned drinker and possibly not having was absent not die from the venom of an asp but instead had exposure to such a drug before, may from a cocktail of hemlock, wolfsbane and have become addicted and reliant on his opium because she committed suicide in the supply, a supply that Cleopatra controlled. month of August, the hottest month of the year in Egypt, This would make sense, since Marc Anthony would not leave when a snake would be too lethargic to bite Cleopatra and Cleopatra’s side and was said to lose his mind when she Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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DID CLEOPATRA USE OPIUM TO WREST CONTROL OVER MARC ANTONY IN A WAY THAT LOVE NEVER COULD?
Cleopatra possessed extreme beauty and this was the main reason why leaders became so infatuated
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was absent. This would also explain the irrational decisions Marc Antony made at the time, which seemed very out of character. Was this due to his reliance on opium and the subsequent withdrawals that he endured when he was separated from the Queen? Was Cleopatra his primary source of opium? Or was she just his original ‘enabler’?
Alexander and followed his conquest routes. Supposedly, Cleopatra was Cleopatra had relationships with both named after Alexander’s younger sister, Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony so I and I wonder if this was appealing to would ask Cleopatra what captured powerful men. Since Cleopatra was the heart of Rome’s the only female leader great rulers. Cleopatra with such a connection We suppose Cleopatra possessed extreme at the time, did this fled the battle when beauty and this was the serve as inspiration for she heard Antony had main reason why leaders those men to strive to been killed, but there became so infatuated. have a child by her, so is a theory that the This is shown in many Queen fled due to sheer that they might also modern depictions claim they held control embarrassment of the Queen, such of Egypt through the as Elizabeth Taylor’s connection of family portrayal in the 1963 film, Cleopatra. and that of Alexander the Great? Did Most believe her beauty must have Caesar arrive in Egypt with ulterior been prevalent. However, a coin dynastic motives, apart from Pompey bearing Cleopatra’s silhouette suggests and grain? she was not classically beautiful. I would like to see Cleopatra for myself I would be desperate to ask her whom and hear her reaction to such modern she actually loved more, Caesar or depictions. Antony? Was she ashamed of Antony and his downfall, and did this lead her And what about her lineage? The to flee the battle of Actium? We suppose Ptolemy dynasty emerged from Cleopatra fled the battle when she Alexander the Great’s chain of heard Antony had been killed, but there command. His leading general and is a theory that the Queen fled due to most trusted advisor, Ptolemy I, was sheer embarrassment because before like a brother to Alexander, who Cleopatra’s rule Egypt commanded granted him the land of Egypt but was the best and largest navy in the world, this common knowledge in Cleopatra’s which, under the leadership of Marc time? I would want to ask the Queen Antony, was now being defeated if even she knew of her own lineage. right before her eyes. Did Caesar ever Caesar and Antony both revered embarrass himself in the presence of
Cleopatra? Did the Queen ever witness one of Caesar’s epileptic seizures, thus finding him weak, or did she view him as blessed by the Gods like Alexander the Great for having the same disease? What did defeat mean to Cleopatra? And what about Cleopatra’s relationships? Some claim Cleopatra was married to King Herod of Judea, as his seventh wife, and even bore him a child, Philadelphus, named after one of Herod’s brothers. Apparently Cleopatra spent time in Judea, after Marc Antony married Octavia, and experienced intimate relations with Herod, despite still loving Antony. This is documented by a scholar named Josephus, who appears to be a reliable source, a wellregarded scholar who documented the Roman war and its final takeover of the region. It is also claimed that Herod was Cleopatra’s rival. As a Ptolemy, Cleopatra held a hereditary claim on Judea and Herod supposedly hated Cleopatra: when he tried to rid himself of his in-laws, who were of the Hasmonean Dynasty preceding Herod, his wife’s mother found an ally in Cleopatra VII. Thus the Queen suffered Herod’s animosity for the rest of her life. It is said Cleopatra scorned Herod, even demanding Antony make Herod surrender his whole kingdom to her, which Antony did not do because Herod was a good ally. It is alleged that Herod considered assassinating Cleopatra but decided against it for fear of Antony’s wrath. Was the claim that she was not only Cleopatra VII of Egypt but also Cleopatra of Judea true? Also, what did she really think about King Herod? Cleopatra’s relationships are famous for their turbulence and the threats they posed to Rome. Over dinner, I would want to find out if her relationships with the two most powerful men of the Roman Empire were simply business transactions, or if she truly loved them. Possibly they were just a re-enactment of myths about who she claimed to embody, the goddess Isis. The story of Isis and her relationship with her brothers foreshadows that of Cleopatra with both Caesar and Antony. Isis, who represented life and magic, was the
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CLEOPATRA’S INTELLECT CANNOT BE DISPUTED; SHE WAS THE FIRST OF THE PTOLEMY DYNASTY TO LEARN THE EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE, AFFILIATING HERSELF WITH HER PEOPLE IN A WAY NO PTOLEMY HAD BEFORE
greatest goddess of Ancient Egypt. She married her brother, Osiris, the King of Egypt, but her other brother, Seth, became jealous of his brothers’ power and trapped him in a coffin that he threw into the Nile. Seth then became king. After searching for her husband, Isis found Osiris in Byblos, still trapped. They returned to Egypt and enraged Seth once again. He chopped Osiris into pieces and scattered them around the land. But Isis would not rest until her husband was returned so she gathered every piece of her husband’s body and, with the help of Nephthys, another brother, resurrected Osiris. After this, Isis bore Osiris a son, named Horus. Osiris, at this point being mummified, was crowned King of the Underworld. Isis then hid with her son from Seth until Horace was old enough to avenge his father’s death, to take back control of Egypt and inherit the power that his
father once held. I wonder if this is what Cleopatra envisaged for Caesarion, her supposed son with Julius. I find the similarities between this ancient tale and the reality of Cleopatra’s story compelling. Cleopatra embodies Isis, Caesar Osiris, the ruler for whom Isis bore a child and who eventually is murdered. Caesarion depicts Horus. Although the relationship between Cleopatra and Antony is different to that of Isis and Seth, the similarity in Caesar and Antony being like brothers is significant. I wonder if Cleopatra planned to distract Antony from ruling the Roman Empire, much like Seth ruled Egypt, so that Rome became weaker the older Caesarion grew. So when her son came of age, he would be able to enact his birthright and be hailed, like his father, as Rome’s saviour. Cleopatra’s claim to be the embodiment Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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of Isis is not just to do with Rome or Egypt. Isis was always depicted with an ankh, as was Cleopatra. The ankh resembles a Christian cross, although it has a loop at the top. It was used in ancient Egypt as a symbol of eternal life. However, some say it represents the woman, the loop representing the womb and the cross below being the fallopian tubes, with the stem representing the vaginal canal. I would want to ask Cleopatra what the ankh represented for her and if she only associated herself with the symbol because the ancient gods did.
prosperity. The flooding of the Nile stood for the tears of the Goddess Isis, tears she cried over her husband Osiris’s death. The lack of flooding not only hurt the economy but the Queen’s reputation because she aligned herself with Isis. Was she able to be personally blamed by her subjects for the drought? Modern research tells us the droughts came from volcanic eruptions that disrupted weather patterns by injecting sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere, which then formed aerosols that reflected the sunlight and caused significant cooling which decreased the evaporation of water. No rainfall was able to occur over Northern Africa, so Cleopatra associated herself with powerful female characters the Nile did not flood. Despite a lack of scientific knowledge who ruled before. Few, we are told, in the era, Cleopatra was still a matched her stature during her popular ruler with the people reign. One leader I came across because she fought the drought was the Pharaoh Hatshepsut and through international trade with the similarities between the rulers Arab nations and Egypt became are uncanny. I would want to ask attractive to conquer. She also Cleopatra if she looked up to the revived early dynastic beliefs Pharaoh and modelled herself and traditions, along with social on her. Hatshepsut was the first structures and practices that recorded woman to hold real power are still associated with ancient and the first woman in ancient Egypt Egypt. She tried to make Egypt to declare herself Pharaoh, a position an independent nation and, like restricted until then only to men. a modern democratic leader, she Much like Cleopatra, she married valued state-led social services her brother but he died shortly after. such as healthcare and education Hatshepsut was also not considered with a focus on expanding and ‘classically’ beautiful and reportedly gathering knowledge from acted and appeared much like a previous civilisations across the man. She even depicted herself as world, placing great importance a man when commissioning stone on developing the library at Cleopatra valued state-led social services carvings. Despite a claim that she Alexandria, although it was such as healthcare and education with should not be allowed to rule, she later burned down by her lover, a focus on expanding and gathering was endorsed by Egypt’s aristocratic Julius Caesar. I would like to ask knowledge from previous civilisations elite due to her perceived abilities Cleopatra if she resented Caesar across the world as a ruler, abilities that were also for this vandalism. What did she attributed to Cleopatra. Hatshepsut believe her society should change was also depicted with the ankh. Was Hatshepsut’s legacy part to become more prosperous and how did she enact reform? of the reason for Cleopatra’s perceived fierce demeanour? Despite her oldest child Caesarion being murdered by Cleopatra’s intellect cannot be disputed. She was the first of Octavian’s forces, her other three children by Marc Antony the Ptolemy dynasty to learn the Egyptian language, affiliating survived and went on to rule other client nations of Rome. herself with her people in a way no Ptolemy had before Her daughter Cleopatra Selene, still considered a Ptolemy, her. I would want to ask what drove her to learn Egyptian, also rivalled King Herod when she held and asserted her as well as the other eleven languages that she spoke. Her own claim over Judea, mirroring her mother. Known as the tutor, Philostratos, is said to have taught her mathematics, Queen of Mauretania, Selene posed a threat to Herod but oratory, astronomy and philosophy in a primarily Hellenistic this could have been due mainly to his paranoia. Selene and education. This gave Cleopatra an education equal to that of her husband Juba held the trust of Octavian, favoured more the leading men of her time and was said to be her greatest highly than Herod by the ruler of Rome and this caused Herod asset. Having access to the Library of Alexandria must have much unrest. I would have to ask if Cleopatra was proud of her been an incomparable asset to her studies and I would want daughter for holding such power as a woman in the ancient to ask her what her favourite books were in the library’s world, much like she did, and what advice she would have collection. given if she had lived to witness Selene’s struggles. Finally, did Cleopatra understand that Selene could not further her Cleopatra was an excellent ruler who dealt with many mother’s own legacy and would forever be known as a ‘lesser hardships, such as the lack of flooding from the Nile. This led Queen’? ¢ to limited silt in the floodplain’s soil, the basis of the region’s 54
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The Bliss of litude
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FRIYA SIEBERT suggests that in isolation we are more in touch than ever with the spirit of Wordsworth, who is 250 this year.
‘When from our better selves we have too long been parted by the hurrying world, and droop, sick of its business, of its pleasures tired, how gracious, how benign, is solitude.’ William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850) Wordsworth’s observation is relevant to our current situation, yet it was written more than two centuries ago about a world very different from our own. The poetry of William Wordsworth and his ‘Lake Poet’ comrades marked an important turning point in literary history. Wordsworth was a pioneer in British Romanticism, bringing to life the awe-inspiring aspects of Nature and her sublime qualities. He drew his inspiration from the Alps, his journeys in France in his youth and from the green valleys and soaring hills of his home in the Lake District. His poetry depicted vividly the stars above his head and nature around him and he connected nature with the human condition in his musings. Wordsworth had mastered the art of conveying delicately what he saw, through his rousing rhythms and lyrical rhyming, as seen in ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ or ‘My Heart Leaps Up!’ His poetry had a reason to be this way since it illustrated an England on the brink of mass industrialisation, a world before our own. This idea is conveyed brilliantly through his concepts of connecting man and nature and blending the man-made and the natural worlds into one. The population of England in the 1800s was verging on 11 million compared to the gargantuan 56 million of the present day. Wordsworth mused over a world where the only ‘crowd’ he saw was ‘a host of golden daffodils’. He would reference the entrancing state of the stars in the night sky, which were ‘clothed in radiance’. This world created by the Romantic poet is very different from the world today. Instead of a clear starry night, countries are smothered in smog and crowds of people engulf areas previously desolate. Yet this is not quite so with our lives this year. I realised that the 19th Century landscape painted by Wordsworth surprisingly mimics our own landscape in today’s quarantine life. Indeed we are all in ‘isolation’ but the negative connotations that colour this word
prohibit its true meaning. It is apparent that we are in solitude, but we are also isolated with our thoughts, as the people in Wordsworth’s time would have been. There were no phones, fewer people, less reason to go out and thus the smaller things in life were appreciated, much like the poems themselves. This idea is represented beautifully in ‘Upon Westminster Bridge’:
Earth has not any thing to show more fair: Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: This City now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie Open unto the fields, and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will: Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still!
What is so eloquently described by Wordsworth in this sonnet – itself a love poem to the city – feels close to the state of London during this Spring’s period of withdrawal and isolation. Rarely has there ever been an English poet whose reflections on England, solitude and the power of nature have been more apposite than now. Whilst many of his poems may wander into the realms of over-indulgence of feelings, this sonnet shows us, simply, a London smaller than today’s but now one that we can reflect on through our own ‘silent’ and ‘touching’ time. It gives us reason to pause once again and consider the connection between sky and earth, river and city. Many people have experienced a sense of re-connection with the world around them whilst being forced to stay at home and we are emerging from the lockdown, discovering again things that we took for granted and missed: the ‘bright and glittering’ things around us, ‘the beauty of the morning’ and the sense of might and majesty in the city, asleep but soon awake once more. And so, if we are ever now in ‘pensive mood’ we can enjoy this ‘bliss of solitude’. ¢
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Kathryn Rand
The Food Agony Aunt ave eople h ntine p h people a r a u q of ing wit ecause socialis aking to ously b So obvi ing in and not . I’ve been spe s been s y e’ d a h l t o s h d house been ne an ne of their days on the pho ives alo l e h e outside s t u s y. a o t c m i e n b u d m a h m d c my grand ugh a rough pat ion from his co 19 and o d t r i a h v l t o o C s g i n m goi fro ete f in compl bour passed away t he has left o and is . I g wha neigh e n n s i o i t y h s n a a y w l Recent t seeing ke he’s feels li g indoors and no y when I deliver he just n l i k y e a e t w s tance. n y b in perso t a social dis fter his life a a see him o m m t i i h h e l g o b n am a speak t the te leavi d a s n h ’ a t a I d h o t d o n his f anddad a because I know he moment. r g y m food I love ing at t n off his e’s gett dad’s outlook o dropping l interaction h d n a r g but I y m s a n i y o c l i o e t s t o a only d em ltim views an estions you had e that u I realis pendent on his sugg y n a e e breaking d r without life is there we p f u i m g i n h i r e to cheer was wond ? I can do distancing rules of what l a i c o s e h t f any o le any peop ike one m ght now. l s m e e s n ri Hi, situatio can relate to think nddad’s y old ne and I time l o r l Your gra a a l u t c o i n r rt s u a ’ o p e y h e g r s n a who feeli e know ep ortant h and that idea of ou to ke It’s imp he has y st r is y e k d t c n i u u l d l s n l we can a etter spent. He’ occasionally, a le t t a b b eously if only could be simultan this time in y, even o n t a p m g o n c i hav him view busy and s an opportunity ate he’s unfortun ood way to stay t a i e e s g g, doing o grief. A itive light is t r that be sewin cooking e h os ls, whet rument. Likewise can be a more p new skil that an inst g to learn n i n r tivity a your or le ming ac o offer u t s n e o k c puzzles i l e m d i l t try. u s o a r w p e h I t is anot filling and so hortcrus further s c i s a b l u prevent highly f y recipe for a m ile base nough to granddad is it simple e ovides a versat r p y l o n s it al Not o ial. ion, but f potent frustrat finite amount o nch of n i and a pi ter. with an ut in flour b a l d p e b f u o c 50 grams ding 75 grams of nts together 1 h t i w Begin ore ad gredie e bowl bef b the in resembles coars salt in a ingertips to ru r ix e m t a e w h t d f d l of co ined an Use your 2 tbsp are comb y kneed n y l i e f h e t r i i r l t b i s unt and t, e a dough mbs. Nex g in th breadcru omes together as ilm and leavin 0 grams f c 5 g t d n i d until in cli e ively, a rapping Alternat the mix to creat before w n hour. a o t f l k a l h o . y or ts fridge f ugar and an egg used for desser s e of icing stry that can b ine pa sed to l a sweet ut and u a variety o d e l l o now be r nd filled with vely and try can shapes a t will producti e this This pas o t n i t u a c op h h t r o s I n o tins nati time. him ur combi ur granddad’s d makes n a m o o of flavo y d e r l o l b i f s i y h l t relieve pleasan on helps eful. suggesti s u e r o m it feel a b
y Dear Kat
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Dear Katy
Dear Katy I’m a vegan and my family finds it really hard to accept. It’s especially anno ying during lockdown becaus e I can’t just avoid them and they make it seem like I’m being un difficult on pu necessarily rp reasons to be ve ose. I have really good gan and it’s fr ustrating how they always disc redit it, which makes me feel excluded, especi ally when my siblings are always treated with snacks that they make no effort to make edible for me to o. Help! Hi, It can be frustr ating when your family refuses to take your pers onal preference s into account but you’ve show n a lot of resili ence sticking with them. I kn ow it’s easy to feel isolated, especially with no one but your interact with, family to but you must re member you’re not being ‘diffi cult’ for being different. If the fact that yo u’re not being given the same attention as yo u were before is bothering you, I can reco mmend a vegan ch ocolate cake recipe that tast es just like th e real thing. I suggest baki ng it and then let the rest of your family try some so they can see you still want to en joy the same th ings as before and realise how similar this ve rsion tastes. Perhaps it will even prompt them instead in the to make it fu a few simple de ture once they see that viations from the original recipe are not as problematic as they may have thought. First, in a bowl stir together 20 flour, 50g of 0g of plain cocoa powder, 20 0g of caster sugar, 1tsp baki ng soda and a pi nch of salt. Then add wet in gredients of 25 0ml soy milk, 2tsp vanilla ex tract, 75ml vege ta tbsp apple cide r vinegar and ha ble oil, 1 lf a banana. Mix together un til well combin ed and then divide into tw o cake tins ea ch lined with baking paper an d greased with vegetable oil. Bake for 30 mi nutes at 180 de grees Celsius and allow to co ol completely wh ile you make the icing.
I am really in need of some advice on how to cope with anxiety and the current events surrounding the corona virus. This sudden change has completely thrown me off my daily routine and I am finding it hard to adjust and find different activities to do other than watch Netfix and stare out of the window! I feel like I have tried absolutely everything to keep me entertained and fight off negative thoughts but being stuck inside has affected me in ways I didn’t expect and it doesn’t help that I am currently dealing with a breakup. It would be great if you could suggest any ways to make things easier and help me get through these countless days in lockdown. Hi, You’re definitely not the only one feeling like this at the moment. I suggest trying to throw yourself into work, or learn a new skill. Perhaps try and draw up a routine, even if it’s simple, just to give yourself some structure in these uncertain times and help counteract repetitive habits. Boredom, particularly coupled with the pain of a breakup, is bound to make anyone feel low and unsettled. So I’m going to give you the recipe for my extremely easy go-to comfort food of mac and cheese in an effort to help you feel more normal. First, bring a heavily salted pan of water to a boil on the stove. Add your pasta (any shape will do: it doesn’t have to be macaroni) and follow the instructions on the back of the packet until it is cooked. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, add 50g of butter and 4tbsp of plain flour to 500ml of milk. Over a medium heat, continuously whisk until the butter melts and the mix begins to thicken as the flour cooks when it comes to a simmer. Whisk for another few minutes while you add 100g of whatever cheese you want until it melts. Now, drain off your pasta and mix it into the cheese sauce. Season to taste and stir in anything extra you want, for example ham or peas, and tip into a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with even more grated cheese or breadcrumbs before cooking for half an hour at 170 degrees Celsius. This ultimate comfort dish will hopefully not only give you something to do but also act as a stress reliever when coupled with a good movie and some ice cream afterwards.
Using an electric mixer, combine 45 sugar, 60g of co 0g of icing coa powder, 5tbs p coconut oil and 5tbsp soy mi lk until smooth . Turn out the sponges and asse mble the cake wi th the icing, decorating howe ver you want be fore eating. This should give you an opportun ity to still enjoy sweet trea ts without feel ing limited by your choice to be vegan and he lp normalise this choice amon gst your family .
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Order! Order! The Rule of Law by JOSHUA PLATT
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hilst it may seem a long time ago, now usurped as a divisive and important political issue by the Covid-19 crisis, I would like you to think back to the 12th December last year (2019), when the British public were called to their local polling stations for the third time in half a decade.
This scandal (if it gained significant enough magnitude to be called a scandal) became known as #page48. Whilst it, of course, did not affect the results of the election, for about a week internet fanatics and bored bloggers went hysterical, denouncing the Conservative Party and likening them to the Nazis attempting to take control Each individual arrived at the ballot box to cast of England-in-Crisis just as their vote, with different Hitler did with Germany. fears and apprehensions These, without wishing to of what may be on the cause offence, lunatics were horizon wrong, and very much in the minority.
Each individual arrived at the ballot box to cast their vote, with different fears and apprehensions of what may be on the horizon bouncing around their brains. Brexit, socialism on the doorstep, lying leaders: the list goes on for quite some distance. But it was only towards the end of the campaign period that what many considered an equally large problem was spotted on the horizon by a few keen readers of the Conservative Party manifesto.
The reality is that the Conservative Party won the general election on the back of the vaguest plan since, well, ever. To be fair and just to our government (a trait that the media seems to have totally abandoned), this is working relatively well for the nation so far. Credit where credit is due. However, squirrelled away in Johnson’s document was a rather threatening few clauses concerning the power of Parliament, reform of the judiciary and the fundamental rights of British citizens.
In reality, the Conservatives targeted page 48 at the Fixed Term Parliament Act, to prevent a repeat of the ‘dilly-dallying’ or block that parliament had placed upon Johnson’s BREXIT bill, leading ultimately to the decisive election. But still – the slightly less anarchistic critics had a point: this could mean anything. The stripping away of rights, the creation of an autocracy or police state, total governmental control on a national scale…or perhaps not. When I was first shown the Conservative Manifesto, page 48 initially set off alarm bells. Seeing my confusion, the first comment made to me was by a friend of mine: ‘I should say the Judiciary are quaking in their boots over this.’ After due consideration, I disagreed. At the time I was undergoing Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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work experience at the Central Criminal Court in London (the Old Bailey). I was honoured with the role of marshal for an experienced Judge, recently promoted to sit on the Royal Court of Appeal. That same day we had talked of the Rule of Law (or, rather, she talked and I listened; I do not claim to have any knowledge whatsoever in this field). Having seen the vast network of tunnels and cells running underneath Fleet Street, the huge mahoganyclad courtrooms, hangman’s walk and the rooms of the judges, QCs and treasury councillors, and seen the look on the faces of convicted men and women as they were sentenced to life imprisonment, it was easy to understand how such a powerful legal and judicial system could be abused. So, I asked Her Ladyship what protected the masses from the heavy hand of the legislator should they decide to abuse the enormous power bestowed upon them. The answer was simple: The Rule of Law. The Rule of Law is a phrase used by hundreds of politicians in dozens of countries, most of whom misunderstand what it means or use the expression generally.
The Rule of Law is not the extent to corruptions, episodes of violence and which the laws of a nation are enforced violations of rights have been allowed upon its citizens. It is quite the opposite. to happen in these regimes, because The late Lord Bingham, in his book so the Rule of Law was not upheld. aptly entitled The Rule of Law, defined The Rule of Law as the ‘one of the We can now see how integral the greatest unifying factors’ in the world. doctrine of the Rule of Law is in It is simultaneously the protection of governing our daily lives, or rather individuals from one another, and the ensuring our freedom from excessive protection of society and morality, and governance. The Rule of Law is very the protection of those confined by the much a principle that has emerged from law from the abuse of English Common those who make it. The Law, meaning here Rule of law is essentially in Britain (as in most The Rule of Law is not the a balance; it defines extent to which the laws of other democracies) the way that nations a nation are enforced upon we currently have should be governed. an inbuilt, invisible its citizens. It is quite the Bingham himself safeguard against opposite. states that, when that tyranny. But that balance is disturbed, does not mean to say we are faced with such this convention does moral atrocities as ‘show trials, torture, not continue to grow and develop ethnic cleansing and concentration organically. An example of this is the camps.’ The Nazis, Stalinist Russia, Blair reforms, separating the Judiciary Mussolini, Assad’s regime and North from the House of Lords through the Korean governance are all examples creation of a Supreme Court, and doing of governments so heavily rejected by away with the legal powers of the Lord society for one reason and one reason Chancellor, a position that managed only. They did not respect The Rule of to have its fingers in the three pies of Law. All of the other wrong-doings, executive, legislature and judiciary all at once.
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JUDGES KNOW THAT THEY MUST DEFEND, TO THE DEATH IF NEED BE, THEIR DUTY TO BE IMPARTIAL, UNBIASED AND MAINTAIN THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF CRIMINAL LAW
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Law Lords no longer had the final say as Judges of Appeal and the establishment of the new Supreme Court was a move towards the structure of justice served in the United States, although I am not advocating that moves towards US justice are a good thing, and a legal system where one can partially choose the structure of one’s own jury is questionable. This topic is a controversial one considering the current political climate, where the lines and divisions between legal and political topics have become slightly blurred. Perhaps what we are seeing now is the emergence of the first inevitable problem one faces with a Supreme Court of Appeal. This is the fear of politicisation of the courtroom. This is a divisive, highly important issue that cannot be overlooked. The courts can never ever politicise themselves. Judges know that they must defend, to the death if need be, their duty to be impartial, unbiased and maintain the most important aspect of Criminal Law in the United Kingdom, that innocence is to be presumed until guilt has been proven. Whilst the Brexit issue with the Supreme Court has raised questions concerning politicisation, I would argue that whatever the situation it is better than having your upper Parliamentary chamber deciding the final verdict: talk about politicisation! It is hard to imagine the idea of a system in which Parliament has the final say in justice, when they themselves pass the legislation that people are tried and convicted under. It seems such an easy system to abuse, but throughout the time it existed it has proved enormously successful. That was thanks to the genius and integrity of Law Lords such as Denning, Bingham and Devlin, to name a few famous ones. Lord Devlin’s studies on Morality and the Law have shaped both British and global legal history and the same can certainly be said for Denning and Bingham with their verdicts. So why did this system of legal-political intertwining work, and how was it not a threat to the principle of the Rule of Law that I irritatingly won’t stop talking about? The answer is English Common Law. This is a remarkable principle that puts much power in the hands of English judges. Legislation cannot cover every single legal grey area or individual case, so that judges can simply apply the relevant piece of law and move on. It can’t work like that, since it’s impossible to create that much law. So the solution, and the one that
THE IDEA OF TO IMAGINE IT IS HARD IAMENT HAS WHICH PARL EY A SYSTEM IN E, WHEN TH Y IN JUSTIC SA L N NA IO FI AT THE GISL PASS THE LE THEMSELVES
makes the British legal system such a beacon of legal and political genius, is common law, the ability of judges to take the relevant pieces of the law and apply them in new ways, with reference to verdicts and decisions in old, relevant cases. In deciding on a case, a judge is making law. Justices across the nation will have to refer to past cases and the interpretations of previous judges and Law Lords, to reference what their decision should be, and then take the initiative. This allowance for the creation of law is summed up in the famous (and perhaps overused) example of Donoghue vs Stevenson, the story of a slug in ginger beer and the decision of the judge to allow the case against the drinks manufacturer, Stevenson, setting a new precedent in Tort Law that manufacturers could be sued for negligence, even if they did not sell the good to the end consumer directly. This legal idea was not drawn up in a piece of legislation, but rather branched from the decision of the judges in the House of Lords who were presiding over this case. It is easy to see now why such power of the essential creation of law may wish to be put in the hands of a Parliamentary body such as the House of Lords. Nevertheless, the total independence of the judiciary is a big step in realising Montesquieu’s Separation of Powers. Perhaps this separation has also strengthened the power of the Rule of Law. It now has an independent protector, a body to fight for the upholding of such an important principle whatever the cost. However unlikely it seems, whether or not Page 48 will ever be used for nefarious purposes and threaten such a powerful beacon of justice I cannot tell you for certain. But for now, I think, we can sleep easy. ¢ Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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NICK CLARKE asks when education is not education
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Smart
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he Oxford English Dictionary may define genius as ‘exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability’ but I don’t think this is what people think of when they hear the word ‘genius’. They invariably think of just a bright person, an ‘exceptional intellectual’ – the person who scored 100% in a Maths test or got all 8s and 9s in their GCSEs, or even just someone with a ‘high IQ’. I find it infuriating when people miss out the latter part of the definition: ‘creative power or other natural ability.’ I’ve always wondered why we don’t call people who are talented artists or sportspeople geniuses, and I believe we can track this back to the education system. In the UK education is split into 4 key stages, Key Stage 2 and 4 finishing with exams, the most major being GCSEs. And it’s the GCSEs I want to focus on. 64
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Although you can take A Levels and are in the lessons so they can pass a degree, GCSEs are the only exams and do not need to retake the subject, that every child in the and those who enjoy country will need to the subject and need a take, but it’s the GCSEs much more expansive that are the issue, since and fascinating course in almost every subject (obviously there are I’VE ALWAYS WONDERED many students find the exceptions to these WHY WE DON’T CALL syllabuses very limited, two groups and not PEOPLE WHO ARE Science in particular. everyone loves or hates TALENTED ARTISTS OR This is because these a subject; some are fairly SPORTSPEOPLE GENIUSES exams are tailored to impartial). This disparity the whole country, is less of an issue in and some schools are private schools because naturally happy with a narrow course. there are fewer pupils and ability ranges in each set, allowing brighter But this narrowness becomes an issue pupils to study more intensively than when pupils, instead of being taught others. certain subjects to expand their knowledge of the world, are merely It may also be worth taking note of IQ taught GCSE to pass GCSE and end testing. An IQ or Intelligence Quotient up being ‘taught to the test’. What we test is one way to measure someone’s end up with is two groups of people intelligence. It is most often taken by taking the same course, those who primary school students but can also
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THE LARGE MAJORITY WHO SCORED LOW AND WERE STERILISED WERE POOR PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF ETHNIC MINORITY
be taken by adults. Those who take an IQ test are given a number as a result: 100 is average; above 100 is considered intelligent; and people below 100 are considered challenged. Then any child who scores below 100 is often tested for separate learning difficulties to explain why they scored lower than 100.
Art, Music, Drama and DT are considered merely extra and do not play a central role in GCSEs
that low IQ scores were thought genetic and the US government wanted to eliminate the ‘feebleminded gene’.
The true injustice here is that the large majority who scored low and were sterilised were poor people and I disagree with IQ testing, which may people of ethnic minority. They were be helpful in identifying a learning also people who did not have access disability, but there are other ways to to a proper education. Obviously this identify a learning disability than being is incredibly dated: today everyone (at handed a piece of paper that says your least in the UK) gets access to a proper child is not that bright. I take an even education; IQ testing has come a long larger issue with adults taking IQ tests way in terms of fairness; and the US since people will already know whether government no longer chemically the person is bright or castrates people for being not considering they Low IQ scores were ‘stupid’. What this shows will already have been in thought genetic and is the stigma attached the US government to those who fail at a and spat back out of the education system by this wanted to eliminate subjective, limited test. the ‘feebleminded point. gene’ In GCSEs today one can Only a certain type of take creative subjects person with a certain kind of brain will such as Art, Music, Drama and DT. score highly on an IQ test and an IQ test The issues with these is that they are is only one of many ways to define a considered merely extra and do not person’s intelligence so I still struggle play a central role in GCSEs, which to see why for many it is the be-all and are still predominantly academic, and end-all of intelligence in the modern creative subjects lead to only one or day. The history of IQ testing proves my two grades out of 9 to even 13 total point. In 1927 a large proportion of the grades. US population was forceably sterilised by the government. These people were This is where we can make a change. identified by their low IQ scores as We should model GCSEs on the French ‘feebleminded’. The cause of this was Baccalauréat (or just ‘bac’), for which Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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a student will pick either the Literary, Economics or Science exams, choices that mean the student still has to do every exam but there will be a much larger emphasis on the certain subjects that are more central to the group. In the Science course a much larger emphasis is placed on the Sciences and less work is put into Maths, English and Modern Languages.
IF A PUPIL WAS BETTER AT DRAMA AND MUSIC THEY COULD PLACE MORE EMPHASIS ON THOSE SUBJECTS
We could take that principle even further to replace GCSEs: if a pupil was better at Drama and Music they could place more emphasis on those subjects and less upon academic subjects. So some do more academics, some do more PE if they are better at sport and so on. I also suggest that if a pupil is more of an all-rounder they would take an all-rounder course with equal emphasis placed on each subject. This way students would receive more grades for the things they are better at, and can excel at what they truly want to do. The obvious objection to this would be that, aged 14, people will not know what they are good at so they should not need to make such major choices.
To that I say all the people that I have spoken to already know their strengths and weaknesses, as I certainly do.
My mother once told me a revealing story. She went to a famous school in the sixth form, where she knew a boy who, because of his supposed low IQ, was not expected to pass any A Levels, let alone be successful in later life. But when he left school he started up a job agency that he later sold for a few hundred million pounds. Although making money is not the only measure of success, this at least shows that a having high or low IQ doesn’t mean much at all. ¢
Students would receive more grades for the things they are better at, and could excel at what they truly want to do
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And THE
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BEN HELME laments the persitent dominance of troubled white males at the Oscars Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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RED MEN SECU LITTLE WO E AND INING OF UR AG CT IM PI RE ST BE GERWIG’S TING ONS FOR E TWO AC NOMINATI ALONGSID COVETED EFORE ENPLAY, ER RE TH SC S D TE LF WA BEST ADAP T FILM ITSE S SHUT OU ONS. THE NOMINATI GERWIG WA E IL WH ED, AT BR LE CE
A The Academy can no longer claim to be a tragic but just reflection of an industry that lacks diversity, because there is huge variety in films FOR MINATED W WAS NO R N BIGELO ARS AFTE RY YE TH 35 KA NEARLY DIRECTOR RECTOR DI LOCKER’. ST RT BE HU R HE NATED FO RST 2009’S ‘T WAS NOMI ME THE FI T WOMAN LOW BECA THE FIRS DS, BIGE N AR WI AW Y TO ADEM LMMAKER AT THE AC FEMALE FI AND ONLY
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s someone who loves film, I am drawn to the Oscars. Serving as both a summary and an evaluation of the year’s filmography, the voting system capitalises on the altogether more worrying. This is expertise and breath of knowledge because the Academy can no longer of the voters by having creatives from claim to be a tragic but just reflection of across the industry vote for the best an industry that lacks diversity, because films. With the nature of art precluding there is huge variety in films, both in an objective best from being found, terms of the films themselves and the this allows the next best thing, filmmakers. They just aren’t nominated. consensus. In order to ascribe value to This leads to a question of how the this agreement, there must be some Academy draws its conclusion of what form of validity to the process through constitutes genius. which it is formed. The supposition that the Oscars reward the best films seems This year, at the 92nd Academy Awards, to be challenged by the correlation the highly acclaimed directorial efforts of auteurs such as Lulu between campaigning Wang, Celíne Sciamma for Oscars and success We are left with a and Greta Gerwig on the night. system which rewards went unnoticed. This problematic auteurs and occurred despite More insidiously, there aggressive films, leading Sciamma’s Portrait of seems to be a bias to a lack of gender and a Lady on Fire being within the perception ethnic diversity so highly regarded of greatness, which by critics that it has causes us to reward similar auteurs at the expense of earned some of the highest Rotten others, while they produce films which Tomatoes and Metacritic scores of all fit our established perception of artistic time, currently at 98 and 95 percent merit. This is regressive and restrictive, respectively. The oversight of such a forcing the consideration of art to exist renowned film could be attributed within the confines of what was valued to the language barrier, since it was in the past. We are left with a system not chosen as France’s entry for Best which rewards problematic auteurs International Feature Film, or able and aggressive films, leading to a lack to break into the major categories. of gender and ethnic diversity, but also However, when viewed in the context to a lack of thematic variety, within the of the other ‘snubs’, it is one of many elusive concept of the Oscar-worthy films with a female director who has been ignored. On the contrary, film. Gerwig’s reimagining of Little Women We seem to have moved from a system secured coveted nominations for Best in which homogenous winners were Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, drawn from an analogous pool of alongside two acting nominations. The potential nominees to something film itself was therefore celebrated,
while Gerwig was shut out of the Best Director category. This can be explained away as being due to the nomination process; ten films receive nominations for either adapted or original screenplay and up to ten can be nominated for the ultimate prize of Best Picture, but there are only five nominees for Best Director. It could therefore be argued that Little Women was viewed as between the 6th and the 10th most worthy film of the year across the categories, hence missing out on a directorial nod. Trying to explain this away does not change the end result; the film was celebrated as exceptional; the director was not. When analysed more closely in the context of the Academy’s history, this seems to move from being one case of a director being ‘snubbed’ to an indication of the institution’s problematic perception of genius. Whereas other categories, such as makeup and hairstyling, can be tied to reality by a practical focus, the best director prize seems more indistinct. What is it that makes a great director? After all, the category is not merely looking for competent direction, but an exceptional artistic flair. This is particularly subjective; it is a question about the quality of the vision and execution which can be gleaned from the finished product. This makes it highly susceptible to confirmation bias, as voters appreciate what they expect to be an artistically valuable film, based on what they have learnt to view as greatness. The lack of an objective answer for the best auteur allows critics to reward the names which they expect to reward, as they are more likely to watch and appreciate a film they anticipate will be excellent. On top of this, with only the small directorial branch of AMPAS voting for the nominees in the category, only a minority of opinions are heard. Five of 449 nominations for best director have been awarded to women, displaying the Academy’s
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WHY DO FILMS THAT GAIN FUNDING AND THE INTEREST OF A GREAT DIRECTOR APPEAR TO BE SO FOCUSED ON MEN AND VIOLENCE?
IN 2004, SOFIA COPPOLA BECAME THE FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN TO RECEIVE A NOMINATION FOR HER 2003 FILM ‘LOST IN TRANSLATION’
tendency to glorify the male filmmaker. With Lina Würtmuller receiving the first of these in 1977, there has been remarkably little progress, with only two of these nominations occurring in the last 15 years, despite the increase in female-led film. With women directing 46% of the films at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, they still remain largely unrepresented on the industry’s biggest night. This inability to reflect the industry as a whole may have been caused by a system which only hears a small number of voices, which are those of the same voters, year after year. We can therefore see an antiquated pattern in the filmmakers who are rewarded, as they not only seem to be male, but men who glorify aggression. This centrality of male aggression is prevalent within the 2020 Oscars. Amongst the Best Picture nominees, there is a World War One film, a mafia epic, an origin story for a comic-book villain and an ode to the Sixties that not only obsesses over the Manson cult but has a protagonist heavily implied to have killed his wife but faced no repercussions. Another protagonist within this same film is the admitted paedophile and fugitive from the law, Roman Polanski, who is himself still rewarded for his work by various awarding bodies. I do not mean to deny that some of these films are fantastic, but question why the films that gain funding and the interest of a great director appear to be so focused on men and violence.
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FIVE OF 449 NOMINATIONS FOR BEST DIRECTOR HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO WOMEN, DISPLAYING THE ACADEMY’S TENDENCY TO GLORIFY THE MALE FILMMAKER
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Martin Scorsese famously said that in filmmaking ‘the most personal is the most creative’. This sentiment is reflected by the fact that the maledominated industry seems to prioritise male stories, which are best understood by the filmmakers themselves and perhaps the voters. Although it could be argued that there is a universality to film and any person could sympathise with any protagonist, even if the stories can be understood by many people they only focus on few. This can be seen in this year’s Best Picture nominees, which show that the top-billed actor in the films the Academy acclaims the most highly is almost always male. Even if we were to consider Scarlett Johansson’s co-lead performance in Marriage Story to be the top-billed, this would mean that 2 of the 9 Best Picture nominees this year have female leads. This is similar to the 2 of 8 last year. There is a similar lack of diversity in the acting categories, since although there will always be 10 male and 10 female nominees, there is here a bias based on ethnicity. In 2020, 19 of the 20 actors who were nominated were white, with highly acclaimed turns from Eddie Murphy in Dolemite is My Name, Lupita Nyong’o in Us and Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers being ‘snubbed’ despite considerable success with other awards ceremonies, such as the Golden Globes and SAG awards. The answer that we repeatedly get in response to
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IF SCARLETT JOHANSSON’S CO-LEAD PERFORMANCE IN MARRIAGE STORY WAS TOPBILLED, 2 OF THE 9 BEST PICTURE NOMINEES THIS YEAR HAVE FEMALE LEADS
this lack of diversity is that the Oscars should serve as a perfect meritocracy and reward the best performances, films and creatives. This begs the question why highly acclaimed films and performances are still disregarded; if the Academy truly rewards greatness, why would so many categories exclude those viewed by critics as great? We therefore realise there is variety in the films that are made, but not in those that are rewarded. We can never know
TIPPI HEDREN FAMOUSLY SUFFERED INJURY WHILST BEING ATTACKED BY REAL STARLINGS FOR A SCENE IN ‘THE BIRDS’ UNDER HITCHCOCK’S DIRECTION
for certain why this may be, but I believe it can be understood in relation to the subjectivity of greatness, and the way in which we appeal to past examples of talent in order to consider what makes a film impressive. One ‘great’ film which has topped critics’ lists of the best films ever made for many decades is Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. Released in 1941, this film is now viewed as revolutionary in both its storytelling and production. It has hence secured Welles’ reputation as a great auteur, who displayed his artistic capabilities by combining different established styles into something entirely new. The critic B Ruby Rich wrote that Welles’s success ‘ushered in’ ‘nauseating boywonder syndrome’, as he established a precedent for the controlling, visionary director who deserves to have his work revered. Later, Hitchcock gained a similar reputation for being a revolutionary auteur, with the distinctive style of his films leading him to be viewed as one of ‘the greats’. His 1958 thriller Vertigo recently overtook Citizen Kane as best film of all time according to the British Film Institute. While Citizen Kane revolves around the ambitions of greedy men, Hitchcock’s greats seem to
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similarly focus on the male perspective. As the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Roger Ebert wrote, the Hitchcockian heroine is ‘blond’, ‘icy and remote’, typically being introduced to the plot due to being observed by a male character, whose perspective is given narrative centrality. Ebert similarly observes that these female characters seem to suffer throughout the story, writing that ‘sooner or later, every Hitchcock woman was humiliated.’ This is indicative of the problems with realistic and sympathetic portrayals of groups who are not represented in the writing rooms. There were similar issues of mistreatment behind the camera, with Tippi Hedren famously suffering injury whilst being attacked by real starlings for a scene in The Birds under Hitchcock’s direction. This is again not intended to cast doubt upon the artistic merit of these films, but instead to highlight a particular issue. In this case, it is that Hollywood’s perception of the great auteur was built around problematic men, with the ‘masterpieces’ of early film typically having antiquated portrayals of certain characters. This presents a problem for the evaluation of modern film, since if we not only consider these men to be examples of great artists, but evaluate what constitutes art, and what is acceptable within a story or the production of a film with reference to their works, we are destined to reward conformity to the past norm above progress. This idea of the undeniably talented ‘troubled artist’ has persevered into recent decades. For example, Uma Thurman has spoken out about being endangered by Quentin Tarantino on the set of Kill Bill Vol. 2, with a discourse about the mistreatment of female actors having arisen due to the MeToo movement. We can similarly see evidence of this behaviour in the verbal abuse Lily Tomlin faced from the director David O. Russell, which was leaked to YouTube. Therefore, there seems to be a precedent for great auteurs, of ‘troubled’ men, who had a creative vision and went to destructive lengths to execute it, with the Oscars having rewarded those men who fulfil
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UMA THURMAN HAS SPOKEN OUT ABOUT BEING ENDANGERED BY QUENTIN TARANTINO ON THE SET OF KILL BILL VOL. 2, WITH A DISCOURSE ABOUT THE MISTREATMENT OF FEMALE ACTORS HAVING ARISEN DUE TO THE METOO MOVEMENT
this characterisation. With aggressive men still being revered within the industry, this leads to a perpetuation of a culture that privileges machismo. This is where the subjectivity of the Oscars is relevant. There still seems to be a culture in which auteurs make films largely about men, with little diversity within the casts and a glorification of aggressive male characters who reflect the problematic natures of the directors. It is possible that these ‘troubled geniuses’ truly do make the best films but, as discussed at the beginning, this seems to presuppose an objectivity that is not possible. Instead, people seem to be rewarded due to their ability to fit the archetype of the auteur, which has been established as a problematic man making films that glorify aggression. Whilst Welles and Hitchcock were themselves somewhat neglected by the Oscars during their lifetimes, they are now viewed as creative visionaries. This has perpetuated the archetype of the volatile male genius, Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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who creates films that focus on men and essentialise women. Through their fulfilment of this norm, a consensus of greatness is formed around them. We must therefore question whether this consensus is deserved. After all, what is it that makes a film Oscar-worthy, if not just the fact that it appears to show similar merits to the previous greats? This suggests to me that the Oscars need to re-evaluate their view of what constitutes greatness. Maybe they would conclude that these problematic auteurs truly do produce the greatest art, but this could at least provoke a consideration of why the filmmakers are considered talented. In order to defend the current nomination patterns under scrutiny, they would have to defend a process that overwhelmingly rewards problematic auteurs, male stories, and white casts, rather than just rewarding films that resemble the past ‘greats’. This issue is not limited to the Oscars, but to the larger societal consideration of merit; if we continue to reward and respect the same small subset of art,
we will never see true development of new film. To my mind, a movement beyond the constraints of what is considered genius to facilitate greater variety within the films we celebrate would not be a sacrifice of meritocracy, but a movement towards it. After all, the ability to embrace unique films and original filmmakers will not only ensure that the Oscars remain fresh, but that they truly give each film a chance.
true meritocracy, in which the Academy can form a consensus about the artistic talents of films without a consideration of the language, the fame of the auteur or how it seems to reflect some of the great films of the Golden Age of Hollywood. This has come with the diversification of the voting boards, with the Academy making an effort to have a greater number of voices heard. Last year, 50% of the new Academy members were female, and there was an effort to bring in a greater number of international voters. The international votership may have been critical in helping Bong Joon Ho and Parasite to be recognised, but they were still not enough to extend the rewards to the excellent cast. As evidenced by the overall batch of nominations, the Oscars seem to be moving towards a more even playing field, but they still have a long way to go. ¢
The ability to embrace unique films and original filmmakers will ensure that the Oscars remain fresh
While the Academy still seems to celebrate films with traditional critical appeal, there have been suggestions that we should be optimistic about greater divergence in future. This year’s Best Picture win for Parasite shows a movement away from the Academy stronghold of English Language films, with Alfonso Cuaron similarly being able to overcome this and win Best Director last year for the Spanish-language film Roma. These are major steps towards a
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THERE HAVE BEEN SUGGESTIONS THAT WE SHOULD BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT GREATER DIVERGENCE IN FUTURE
Image: Scene from Roma. 22 Tepeji Street, Colonia Roma By ProtoplasmaKid - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Image: Alfred Hitchcock By Stan Osborne - Own work, CC BY 3.
HITCHCOCK GAINED A REPUTATION FOR BEING A REVOLUTIONARY AUTEUR, WITH THE DISTINCTIVE STYLE OF HIS FILMS LEADING HIM TO BE VIEWED AS ONE OF ‘THE GREATS’
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The
Glory of Byzantium
What did the Byzantines ever do for us? Quite a lot, says ALEX STROĂ‹M
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hink of a major empire in world history shows the widespread promotion of their and many would come up: Mongol, religion, which they were able to spread as British, Roman. But there is one unlikely far as Russia. For example, colourful frescos candidate. The Byzantine Empire in and mosaics can still be seen, depicting my opinion is given far too little attention. emperors as well as empresses and Christ. It had the best claim to be the inheritor of Its architecture stands today with churches the Roman Empire and has changed history such has Hagia Sophia (later an imperial and the world around us enormously. The mosque and now a museum). Its dome was Byzantine Empire was the Eastern half of once the largest in the world and is visited by the Roman Empire, centred around Turkey millions each year. and Greece, after it was divided for a second time by emperor Theodosius I in 395 AD. This Byzantine architecture is seen around the empire would last until 1453, world, not only in churches when Constantinople was but also in mosques. Mosque The beauty of these conquered by the Ottoman domes are influenced by mosaics shows Turks. During this time, it Byzantine domes, showing the widespread succeeded in several areas of that the empire spread in promotion of their life, such as arts and culture, culture to others, even to its religion, which they the military and religion, much enemies who would attempt were able to spread as of which is still relevant today. to end the empire several far as Russia The world could still learn more times. Byzantine culture from this under-appreciated was very similar to Roman empire that led the medieval world from a and Greek, with Byzantines considering dark age into an age of enlightenment. themselves the descendants of both. Byzantium also kept much of Roman and If you were to go into an Orthodox church Greek scholarship such as medical work by in any part of the world you would see some Hippocrates or philosophical texts by Plato Byzantine influence. This could be in the and, as a result, many survive through both mosaics inside or the architecture outside. Byzantium and the Islamic Golden Age. The mosaics inside would mostly represent Cultural exchanges happened between Christ or the Virgin Mary. These were known both, and when Byzantium fell in 1453 to the as icons and were worshipped as imagery Ottoman Turks, the Italian Renaissance was of Christ and His mother. These would later accelerated, with an increase in Greek and be destroyed by iconoclasm, but fortunately Roman culture being discovered. many remain. The beauty of these mosaics
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By military standards, it was continuously one of the greatest powers in the world. Byzantine military tactics have influenced modern ways of thinking about the military and even invented a medieval version of the flamethrower, known as Greek fire. Since the very beginning of its existence, the empire had to fight to survive against armies such as the Huns, the Sassanid Persians and later Seljuk Turks. Its ability to master fire made it almost invincible at sea and
Our laws, religion and architecture are all coloured by the Byzantines, who considered themselves one of the greatest empires in existence during sieges, when it would burn its enemies down to nothing. With its expansion of land, the Cataphract was used. This heavily armoured form of cavalry was renowned for its strength and ability to cause destruction. The Byzantine domination on land is shown by Emperor Justinian’s campaign to reconquer Italy. Led by the general Belisarius, the Byzantines were able to reconquer Rome for a while and defeat much of Ostrogothic-controlled Italy. After a loss of land during the 6th and
7th Centuries, the empire introduced the system of Themes, which divided the empire into regional administrative civil and military districts led by a general called a Strategos, who was responsible for everything in that territory. This system was like that adopted by several countries and empires, such as the Russian Empire,
Sweden, and Germany, showing that Byzantine military systems still influence the modern world. It is hard to believe that its military strength would one day become its weakness, yet it did, and after the loss of central Turkey, Egypt and even Constantinople. Byzantium fell in May 1453.
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Many think of Christianity as unified but this is only partly true. Today many churches exist, with Greece and most countries around the area following Orthodoxy, something spread by the Byzantine Empire. After the legalisation of Christianity in 314 by Emperor Constantine, the religion was able to spread far. Byzantium is a prime example of a pious and theologically successful empire. In the 9th Century, the empires faced a new threat from the Rus, a people of modern-day Ukraine and Russia. Two men rose to be in the spotlight during this threat, Methodios and Constantine, who would both later be known as St Methodios and St Cyril, who were to convert the state of Moravia (modern day Czech Republic and Poland), and whose work would later convert Bulgaria and the Rus. These two are known as the Apostles to the Slavs due to their work in converting people to Orthodoxy and introducing the Glagolitic script, a precursor to the modern Cyrillic alphabet. Without the empire, Russia and much of Northern Europe would have been
pagan much longer and diplomatic relations would have been much more violent and the modern Orthodox Church may not be based in modern Russia. Overall, the Empire was a success. Even after its fall, Byzantium still influenced the world, and much of what we know today is influenced by this underappreciated empire. Our laws, religion and architecture are all coloured by the Byzantines, who considered themselves one of the greatest empires in existence and rightfully so, rivalling that of the Chinese empires in the Far East and that of the Arabs, who respected it as another civilised culture. Along with its influence, its fascinating history makes its one of most memorable empires in history and in my opinion deserves a place alongside empires such as the British, French and Mongol, as being part of the most successful in world history. ¢
Even after its fall, Byzantium still influenced the world, and much of what we know today is influenced by this underappreciated empire
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Sailing to Byzantium I That is no country for old men. The young In one another’s arms, birds in the trees, —Those dying generations—at their song, The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas, Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. Caught in that sensual music all neglect Monuments of unageing intellect. II An aged man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick, unless Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing For every tatter in its mortal dress, Nor is there singing school but studying Monuments of its own magnificence; And therefore I have sailed the seas and come To the holy city of Byzantium. III O sages standing in God’s holy fire As in the gold mosaic of a wall, Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre, And be the singing-masters of my soul. Consume my heart away; sick with desire And fastened to a dying animal It knows not what it is; and gather me Into the artifice of eternity. IV Once out of nature I shall never take My bodily form from any natural thing, But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make Of hammered gold and gold enamelling To keep a drowsy Emperor awake; Or set upon a golden bough to sing To lords and ladies of Byzantium Of what is past, or passing, or to come.
By William Butler Yeats
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Case Closed PIPPA STROËM examines cases solved by the use of forensic science
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orensic science is a matter of applying science and psychology to matters of criminal and civil law, as well as to aid in the investigations by authorities. Crime has always been a part of society, but the way it is discovered differs for each country, and especially for each period.
DNA and blood analysis, modern justice systems have it easier than their ancient and medieval counterparts.
DNA profiling in criminal investigations compares a suspect’s DNA to their profile to evaluate the possibility of involvement in a crime. This technique For example, in the first began in July 1986 century BC, in Rome, with the murder of lawyer Quintilian won a 15-year-old when his case by proving genetics professor his client’s handprint Alec Jeffreys had did not match discovered patterns that of the crime in regions of DNA scene. Furthermore, which differentiate handwriting analysis individuals from one was commonly used another and help to to detect a forgery catch the offender. in administrative In this case, another investigations. But this fifteen-year-old girl is nothing compared named Linda Strait to the forensics we use was abducted when nowadays, introduced she was walking to a by Scotland Yard grocery store on the 26 detective, Henry September 1982, near With the use of lie detectors, facial Goddard, the first her house in Spokane, analysis, DNA and blood analysis, person to use physical modern justice systems have it easier Washington. A day evidence in 1835. And later, her body was than their ancient counterparts in the 1970s the FBI found floating in the started using a top-down profiling method of Spokane river. She had been assaulted and forensic psychology to help catch offenders. strangled. For two decades, investigators With the use of lie detectors, facial analysis, grew more and more irritated at their lack of
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IN ALL, THE MAD BOMBER PLANTED AT LEAST 33 BOMBS, OF WHICH ONLY 22 EXPLODED
The discovery of the weapon in Lake Mead provided the last evidence needed to arrest Margaret Rudin, who went on the run
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progress in the case, and in their failing technology. They did, however, have a DNA sample and a suspect who had already been in prison since 1983 but could not fully prove it. But technology was improving and, after 22 years, in March 2003, they produced a match to their main suspect, Arbie Dean Williams, who was formally charged with the murder in August 2004. His first explosive device was a George Metesky (aka the Mad Bomber) short length of brass pipe filled with was an electrician who planted gunpowder and an ignition mechanism explosives for 16 years before he was made of sugar and flashlight batteries. caught through forensic psychology. It never exploded, but there was a note He planted bombs all over New York found that said CON EDISON CROOKS City including Grand Central Terminal, – THIS IS FOR YOU. His second bomb Radio Music City Hall and New York was also a failure. He started replanting City Subway. In all, the Mad Bomber bombs in 1951, after World War 2, planted at least 33 during which he promised bombs, of which only George Metesky (aka not to set off any more 22 exploded. Not only the Mad Bomber) was bombs. 15 people in total that but he would call were injured but luckily no an electrician who to warn the buildings planted explosives for one was killed. but not specify the 16 years before he position; he went Even though police had was caught through as far as writing to handwriting experts forensic psychology newspapers warning and fingerprint experts them that he would nothing worked. Police plant more. He worked at a subsidiary captain John Cronin approached of Consolidated Edison but was James Brussel, who then developed a injured in a boiler accident and was ‘portrait’ of the bomber (now known out for 26 weeks, which resulted in as an offender profile) which relies on his employment being terminated forensic psychology. This is known as and him developing tuberculosis. The one of the first cases using such criminal dismissal provoked his vengeful hatred profiling. This ‘portrait’ eventually of the company. led to Metesky’s arrest in January 1957. During the trials, Metesky was eventually diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, and according to the
judge was hopeless and incurable both physically and mentally. However, he was a model inmate and was deemed harmless by doctors after he had served two-thirds of his 25-year sentence. He was released in December 1973 and went back to his home in Waterbury, Connecticut.
When they examined the shape of the stain to determine the direction of the liquid’s impact they mapped two individual sets of blood splatter In 1955, Ron Rudin’s body was found at a lake with gunshot wounds. The police were suspicious of his fifth wife, Margaret Rudin, and of her reaction when she was accusing him of having affairs. A warrant was obtained to search the house. The police found a missing gun from Rudin’s collection and brown spots on the ceiling which turned into a further investigation and a discovery that ten years ago, in that same bedroom, a former wife, Peggy Rudin, committed suicide. The Las Vegas police turned to CSIs who discovered, using Hemastix and Luminol, that the brown stains were blood, but they were unsure whose. When they examined the shape of the stain to determine the direction of the liquid’s impact they mapped two individual sets of blood splatter, one belonging to Ron and the other to Peggy. And the discovery of the weapon in Lake Mead provided the last evidence needed to arrest Margaret Rudin, who went on the run and was not arrested until 1990. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence in North Las Vegas after her conviction in May 2001. Forensic science can also help prove the innocence of wrongfully convicted offenders. There are many factors in wrongful convictions, such as mistaken identification, false confession, perjury, official misconduct and forensic science errors, and one study suggests that 10,000 people may be unlawfully convicted of serious crimes every year. For example, Phillip Thurman served 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. In 1984, a woman in
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TESTS PROVED THAT THURMAN COULD NOT HAVE COMMITTED THE CRIME AND THAT HE DID NOT LEAVE THE STAIN BECAUSE IT MATCHED ANOTHER PERSON’S DNA
Alexandria, Virginia, was assaulted at a bus stop. Thurman was taken in by police shortly afterwards because he fit the description of her attacker and was seen near the crime scene: a tall, thin, African-American man wearing a green jacket. His trial in 1985 showed the victim and an eyewitness identifying him as the offender and he was sentenced to prison with evidence of blood typing, even though blood type B is found in only 20% of African American males. During his prison sentence, he wrote letters to lawyers, judges and charity organizations to help prove his innocence. In November 2004, after serving 20 years of his 31, he was released but registered as a sex-offender. The analyst who had worked on his case had been ordered to test 10% of her cases since she had faulty evidence that led to the exoneration of two other inmates, and luckily Thurman was one of the randomly chosen cases. These tests then proved that Thurman could not have committed the crime and that he did not leave the stain because it matched another person’s DNA. He was granted a full pardon and the Virginia Legislature awarded him almost $470,000 in compensation. Although forensic science now plays a critical role in the solving of crime, mistakes are still inevitable when the eye behind the microscope is only human. ¢ Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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Leagues
Apart
HANNAH EDWARDS scorns films that make hot chicks suffer dopy dullards
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he film She’s Out of My League is a romantic comedy that follows unluckyin-love ‘5/10 Kirk’ in his pursuit of ‘10/10 Molly’. The message of the film is that it’s what’s on the inside that counts, not just physical appearance – a good lesson. But what about all the films and TV shows where ‘she’ really is out of his league, where the male character has all the personality of a used facemask and there is no reason for the woman to date him? Think about Ross and Rachel (Friends), Howard and Bernadette (Big Bang Theory) or Ted and Robyn (How I Met Your Mother). A pattern emerges that is about far more than just appearance.
but gives us insufficient reasons why any Rachel would be giving a Ross the time of day. There are multiple narratives beneath this trope that are not deserving even of canned laughter.
First, consider appearance alone. Can you think of an onscreen instance in which a stereotypically unattractive woman with a weak personality is in a relationship with a man who wouldn’t stick out if he were shoved into a Calvin Klein campaign? They are certainly rare. In the unlikely instance when you would say the female character was ‘punching’, the storyline is likely to give you a multitude of reasons for this, with her The phrase ‘manic pixie dream girl’ was personality at the forefront (eg. Hairspray). coined by film critic Nathan Rabin. It defines In fact, the hot male character reciprocating eccentric female characters who exist ‘to the attraction of said ‘ugly’ female is often a teach broodingly soulful plot twist! See the big romantic young men to embrace life.’ ending of Sierra Burgess is Screenwriters love Inspired by this, I present to a Loser: ‘You’re not exactly to show the ABPM you another screen character everyone’s type…but…you’re pursuing beautiful, trope, the ‘awkward but my type.’ Enough said. charming women, persistent man’ (ABPM). This relying on his man exists mostly in sitcoms It is not ground-breaking to stammered advances and romantic comedies. There’s point out that Hollywood for easy comedy nothing remarkable about has different standards for him. He bumbles through the appearances of their life unable to talk to women male and female actors. The and whines about his subsequent lack of a age gaps between men and women that girlfriend. Screenwriters love to show the are cast in relationships, or the proportion ABPM pursuing beautiful, charming women, of female to male actors who get plastic relying on his stammered advances for easy surgery can tell you that. The ABPM bothers comedy. me because I think it has narratives beyond just appearance inequality. I have two main Once you’ve recognised this trope it issues with the ABPM: the experiences which becomes uncomfortable viewing. Hollywood his love interests are put through and the continues to give us ‘Rosses’ landing ‘Rachels’, basis on which his relationships are formed. 84
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IN REALITY THIS WOULD BE BRAVELY ENDURED AND RECOUNTED LATER AS A WEIRD TINDER ANECDOTE
I am tired of being shown women sitting through undeniably unpleasant romantic encounters, and then being told they enjoyed them
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Put yourself in the romantic comedy genre and imagine one of these scenarios: the disastrous first date; the clumsy first encounter; the embarrassing sex scene. Our ABPM protagonist is sweating when he fails once again. We cringe on behalf of his female love interest, who possesses both a sunny disposition and all the genetics of a Victoria’s Secret model.
Worse than this, though, is when the female character is evidently uncomfortable but continues to date ABPM despite the toe-curling scene Screenwriters, that is not an enjoyable minutes earlier. Enter our second realexperience for the woman! It must be life encounter: female discomfort acknowledged that it is in relationships with an awkward situation. men. We know that These films promote In reality this would be women often find it the idea that men bravely endured and difficult to speak out in should just keep trying recounted later as a situations where they feel until the woman finally weird Tinder anecdote. I uncomfortable, having says yes am tired of being shown been taught not to cause women sitting through a scene. Here I think undeniably unpleasant romantic ABPM furthers the notion that women encounters, and then being told they should always be ‘nice’, and so they enjoyed them. must accommodate what we might actually call weird or creepy behaviour. For me this plays into our first familiar real-life scenario: women settling in To me many ABPM storylines can begin romantic relationships, the narrative in to play into incel narratives, where which women stand by men who are women are told they should give sonot ready for relationships, men who called ‘nice guys’ romantic attention cheat and lie, or cannot communicate. despite having no incentive to do so. The idea that women should stay Here we tell women that despite their through the difficult times until such discomfort they should continue to give men are ‘fixed’ is common but far less these men chances. I think we should common is the idea that men should see Mila Kunis sending a ‘let’s just be do the same. Nor does this do anything friends’ text. (I appreciate that it would for male stereotypes; the idea that be a short movie.) Lastly, the continued men are incapable of expressing their pursuit of the women in these films emotions is certainly harmful. despite their potential (or evident) discomfort promotes the idea that men should just keep trying until the
woman finally says yes. Ironically, screenwriters often like to point out that the female character is too good for the ABPM. A good 30% of Big Bang Theory’s jokes are about Penny’s (Kaley Cuoco) relationship with classic ABPM Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and I find myself asking: well, why has she ended up with him? After the ABPM finally manages to handcuff himself to an unsuspecting nice woman come the issues I see once the actual relationship is formed, primarily the motivations of the characters. In order to persuade the audience that there is some reason why these people should get together the woman is often given a horrible (abusive, disloyal etc.) current boyfriend. We hate this man and he is everything the ABPM isn’t (this will be mentioned many times) and ABPM can’t understand why the love of his life is wasting her time on such a jerk. The ABPM then waits around to comfort the woman, and his not horrible treatment earns him a romantic relationship. This tells men that intellectually challenged, then a relationship with being nice to women should earn them sex, and someone far more intelligent than her – often reminds women that being shown basic human with specific interests she does not share – is decency means you should date a surely an unfulfilling relationship man with whom you have nothing for both parties? In cases where the Female characters in common. Furthermore, it implies main woman is not even put out of are made less that typically ‘masculine’ men (think her misery by being made stupid, I intelligent than the ‘he’s captain of the football team’) despair. Following the same logic, ABPM so that they always treat women badly. the main reason the woman is can be dazzled with desired by the ABPM is generally his knowledge Another common occurrence is due to her appearance and rarely when the female characters are due to any actual feelings regarding made less intelligent than the ABPM so that her personality. This kind of motivation is saved for they can be dazzled with his knowledge. Not interesting, likeable male (and female) characters, only does this insert the problematic ‘bimbo’ who I am very happy to see succeeding with the stereotype but realistically provides little man or woman of their dreams. justification for a relationship from either perspective. If she has been written to be You may well have read this article thinking that much of the romantic comedy genre would be destroyed if we thought about it as a real-life occurrence. Indeed, many of its interactions are unimaginable when considered offscreen, and such is the beauty of most tv and cinema. However, Hollywood would create far better romantic comedies if they didn’t revert to outdated tropes and predictable plotlines. It is time for screenwriters to stop persuading us to believe in the ABPM and their accompanying women because it’s insulting to both sexes. Instead, they should create stimulating characters with sparky relationships, which would far better represent the diverse romances between men and women today. When ‘she’s out of his league’ becomes a heated debate, rather than a statement of truth, I’ll be satisfied. ¢
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IT IS TIME FOR SCREENWRITERS TO STOP PERSUADING US TO BELIEVE IN THE ABPM AND THEIR ACCOMPANYING WOMEN BECAUSE IT’S INSULTING TO BOTH SEXES
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Damned
yanks
EDWIN SCOTT traces the growth of anti-USA feeling
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f you were to ask a British citizen the simple question, ‘What is your country like?’, they’d most likely point out flaws in the UK and the mess of Brexit. But if you were to ask the same question of a US citizen, chances are they’d focus solely on the positives. Most US citizens see their nation as the greatest country in the world. As Jerry Maguire says, ‘America still sets the tone.’ Sadly for the Unites States it isn’t quite seen this way on the outside, and anti-Americanism worldwide is on the rise. Expansionism and isolationism have both played their part.
behind anti-Americanism is the view, held by some, that the USA acts as the world’s police force, involving itself in numerous unnecessary conflicts. The USA is often criticized for its involvement in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Iraq, although some Americans would likely prefer it if the USA was to slowly remove itself from these foreign conflicts. This perhaps explains why President Obama was praised for pulling the troops out of Iraq in 2011.
Indeed, Obama’s decision was viewed very positively. The same cannot be said of When it comes to foreign politics across the Bush’s handling of the Iraq conflict, which world a US military threat is felt by many, resulted in an extremely negative view of including powerhouses such his administration. Issues as Russia and Turkey. But Behind anti-Americanism of trust emerged with his much of this fear of America is the view that the USA assertion that the invasion is provoked by inaccurate acts as the world’s police would uncover weapons of propaganda. For example, force, involving itself in mass destruction, something in North Korea the USA is numerous unnecessary that never came to fruition. portrayed as an evil, bloodPerhaps this has inevitably conflicts thirsty, imperialist force, led to some mistrust, but whose citizens live in tents, eat birds and buy Bush and Blair did remove Saddam Hussein guns to kill each other. Now it goes without and many would consider this a price worth saying that little of this is true and, while the paying. USA has its domestic problems, it is still one of the most prosperous nations on earth. One of the problems with pinpointing why anti-Americanism became so widespread is Anti-Americanism is a very recent the question, ‘Was it Bush, or just America in development because before 2003 and war general? Anti-Americanism may stem from with Iraq the USA was fairly popular on a Bush’s actions as President. However, there global scale. Since then, anti-Americanism is the strong possibility that all Bush did has become much more widespread. From was put the true nature of the United States’ 2000 to 2006 positive public opinion of ideology into perspective, since the United America dimished globally – from 83% to States has mostly always been expansionist. 56% in the UK, 62% to 39% in France, and It’s this expansionist approach that created 78% to 37% in Germany. The main idea the USA in the first place. Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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1803 and the Louisiana purchase started the infamous manifest destiny, by which the United States was to expand westward and gain the Pacific coast. After purchasing Florida from Spain, a couple of treaties with the British Empire, a war with Mexico and then the Gadsden purchase, the USA’s modern mainland borders were achieved. However, this wasn’t the end of the USA’s expansion. It took Hawaii, Puerto Rico and several pacific islands, and after a war with Spain gained the Philippines and Cuba. Then America purchased Alaska from Russia. Recently President Trump asked to buy Greenland from Denmark, so perhaps American expansionist zeal is not yet history. For many years the United States was isolationist. It stayed out of European conflicts, being completely uninvolved in the Napoleonic wars, did not enter WW1 until 1917 and WW2 until late 1941. But after its emergence as a superpower at the end of the Second World War, the USA entered the infamous cold war with the USSR. Russia and its communist ideology was now its greatest rival. The two superpower nations battled each other in proxy wars, for power and influence across the globe. It could be said that in trying to spread their sphere of influence they were expansionist, and this gave rise to much of America’s positive position in the West. Argentina, Chile and Bolivia have at least one thing in common. They’ve all had governments deposed by the USA
AFTER ITS EMERGENCE AS A SUPERPOWER AT THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, THE USA ENTERED THE INFAMOUS COLD WAR WITH THE USSR due to west’s mistrust of socialism. Back in the 20th Century this interference was rarely criticised because America was seen as preventing the spread of communism. Throughout the 20th Century the USA was Turkey’s closest ally but their mutual interests disappeared when the USA placed troops in Turkey’s neighbourhood. Following the US conflict in Iraq (Syria coming later) the chaos of war began to spill over into Turkey, with refugees and weapon smuggling. Turkey then saw the US as bad for the region. Nowadays,
all that really aligns these two nations is their co-existence in NATO. The US still contributes faithfully to NATO when many do not, spending far more than other countries on this deterrent from invasion. Almost a staggering 70% of NATO’s spend on defence is funded by the USA. In addition, the US spends in terms of GDP around 3.4% on defence while other countries on average are spending 1.55%. So, with figures like these is it not justifiable that America views its stake in world peace as great? So on balance anti-Americanism is not justified. The arguments are too complex and the issues not black and white. The Roman, Spanish and British Empires all suggest there will always be a sole superpower acting as a global police force. You may well ask, ‘What have the Americans ever done for us?’ Well, they gave us support in both world wars, bailed us out in the Marshall plan, and still protect Europe under the banner of NATO today. Not a bad rap sheet, that. ¢
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Out of
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CICI ZHAO explains the matricide paradox
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THE ACT OF MURDERING LOVELY GRANNY WILL JUST CAUSE THE UNIVERSE TO GROW ANOTHER BRANCH
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paradox is a self-contradictory statement that contains two opposite positions so that if one is true the other must be false, and they cannot both be correct at the same time. Paradoxes are threats to time travel because they make the idea of time travel not logical. Whatever ways we use to travel in time, there will be problems. The further back in time you travel, the more problems it may cause, depending on whether or not you take actions. Let’s say you have successfully travelled back in time millions of years. Your spaceship has landed on the ground safely, but one thing you do not realise is that there is the very first ancestor of humanity right at the spot where you have parked, and he has been crushed by your spaceship. Now the whole human race has no ancestor, which results in our distinction: history has been changed, causing you, who travelled back in time, to disappear from the world as well. However, if you are gone, who 92
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came back in the first place to kill our ancestor accidentally? Did the death ever happen?
We seem to experience free will and be in charge of our actions, but this basic ability is taken away from a time traveller This concept is the when he or she tries same as you travelling IF YOU HAVE to make a change in back in time to murder ACKNOWLEDGED THE history. However, if your own biological OCCURRENCE OF AN EVENT we think about it, free grandparents before HISTORY MUST UNFOLD will never allows us your parents were LEADING EXACTLY TO to achieve something born, making your own THE OUTCOME YOU HAVE against logic. For existence impossible to WITNESSED example, I might want explain. This is called the to become an aubergine grandmother paradox or the matricide and there is nothing else I want to be paradox. The central issue of this but an aubergine. Free will is not going paradox is free will, which is difficult to allow me to become an aubergine to handle in the world of physics. no matter how hard I try, because I Especially in this case, do I or do I cannot become an aubergine by using not really choose to murder my own my ‘mind power’ after all. grandparents? Do I actually obtain the power to decide my own destiny? Even Changing the history by time travelling if I have decided to travel back in time might just be the same – simply and carry out the murder, will there impossible. This concept is included be unknown forces to constrain the in the principle of self-consistency. occurrence of the murder itself because In the case of time travel, if you have I was trying to break the laws of physics acknowledged the occurrence of and about to create a paradox? an event (e.g. you being born and
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WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HAVE PARALLEL WORLDS WHERE THE PARTICLE CAN BE LOCATED IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS
knowing that your grandmother did not die before giving birth to your mother), history must unfold leading exactly to the outcome you have witnessed, meaning you will never be able to murder your grandmother as a little girl.
A particle in a strand of your hair now has a probability of being in your toe nails the next second
In the early 20th Century, quantum mechanics included the famous waveparticle duality by which particles can have the nature of waves and waves can have the nature of particles. Sheldon says, in The Big Bang Theory: ‘If a photon is directed through a plane with two slits in it and either slit is observed it will not go through both slits. If it’s unobserved it will, but if it’s observed after it’s left the plane, but before it hits its target, it will not have gone through both slits.’ What? It might be hard to get your head around this at first, but for now you just need to know that quantum mechanics can be important in the study of time travel. The uncertainty principle, which is part of quantum mechanics, shows us that the position and velocity of matter cannot be simultaneously measured exactly. So a particle in a strand of your hair now has a probability of being in your toe nails the next second. This means that we might be able to have
parallel worlds where the particle can be located in these various locations, despite the probability being very small. This is called the many-world theory, stating that we have many different histories running in parallel to our current one. Imagine it like a tree that started off as one event, then, once an observation decision is made by anything in the universe, the tree branches off, forming other possible histories where that decision was made differently. So there might be a world where Donald Trump did not become the President of the Mark Heath United States, or a world where people communicate by dabbing to each other. It sounds strange, but it is possible. In this case, our time traveller goes back in time and successfully murders his or her would-be-grandmother, but it does not affect our time traveller because they are from separate worlds. The traveller can return to the current time and get away with committing the crime (amplamatricide?), but the act of murdering lovely granny will just cause the universe to grow another branch. A branch with a dead grandmother. ¢ Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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Classical
Cool
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MEDOMFO OWUSU celebrates the interest of youth in classical music
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ince the middle of the 20th Century, youth has been celebrated for expressing passion in a positive and popular way. So it’s no surprise when the older generation now get excited that young people are expressing an interest in classical music. But what is so special about young people delving into the classical world, and what are young people bringing to this genre that spans centuries?
dynamic to your relationship with the genre and allows you to be creative, communicate with an audience and work with a group of people with different musical talents while learning more about classical music in the process. The result is a lasting relationship.
Young people being into the latest technology doesn’t mean traditional entertainment, television and radio, has been forgotten. In fact, it’s thanks to First, what is classical music? This isn’t solely smartphones and on-demand streaming about the rules and rudiments (instrumental that visual and audio entertainment can or vocal?) but emotions and history. Classical be accessible anywhere anytime. Whether music unified musicians of the West for they get inspired when they hear a piece centuries and itself broke the new ground that they’re working on being played on that paved the way for modern music such the radio, or watching their fellow teenagers as pop, rock, jazz, film and causing a buzz on BBC Young musicals. Not only did When classical music lives Musician of the Year whilst in corners of the internet people have a vast array of taking favourites as the show where young people are instrumental music sharing progresses, it’s safe to say that most likely to roam, it connections with people creates an invitation for engaging with young people over time, but classical music them to discover classical on these platforms helps the produced composers and vitality of classical music. music in settings they critics, not just performers. understand It created a foundation for Finally, how can we discuss the West to base its future music upon, and young people’s engagements without provides the basis for musical education mentioning the love of their lives, instrumentally and academically. Elton John social media? With teens sharing their anyone? performances via Instagram and YouTube, and young adults such as the duo TwoSet Most young people have their first encounter Violin creating comedic but very relatable with classical music in school. During the videos for all classical fans, it’s impossible for 1950s, music was made compulsory for classical music to be deemed dead. When education until the age of 14, which ensured classical music lives in corners of the internet that classical music was being passed onto where young people are most likely to roam, the generations to come. Many took no it creates an invitation for them to discover interest but the curiosity of others was and enjoy classical music in settings they nourished when they joined school and understand. regional orchestras and choirs, attending concerts with their families and friends. And Classical music is an art form that has lasted while most didn’t take classical music as a for many generations, with long pieces of career option, they continued listening and instrumental and vocal music not naturally supporting classical music for the rest of appealing to the quickfire young people in their lives. the 21st Century. So when young people take interest in such music, there is hope that Concerts keep classical music alive. Many the form will continue to be played, and that young people fall in love with various genres it will be seen in a positive light as a genre of of music because they attended a concert, music for all ages, rather than purely for the experiencing the live connection between older generation. It also implies that they can the performer and audience. This is the same be creative as they encourage their peers to for young people when they go to classical take note of classical music. Hence the use concerts, the difference being many attend of social media and varying performance as performers. Playing music brings a new opportunities in their school lives. ¢ Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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DANIEL KOO argues that South Korea is trying to achieve gender equality but failing
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outh Korea is impressive. It is home to a number of world-leading companies including Samsung, LG and Hyundai, and not long before the world-wide coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, the world turned its attention to the country’s contemporary film industry after Parasite won Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards, making it the first foreign language film to win the title. Also, the South Korean government, alongside other exemplary states in the region, received international praise and recognition for its relative success in dealing with the Coronavirus outbreak this year. So it’s surprising that a country so forward-looking and innovative has such a poor history of dealing with gender inequality.
of the work force that would otherwise contribute to creating higher competition in the labour market, thus providing a more efficient workforce of better quality. Underrepresentation of women in government and company boards naturally removes diversity and the pressure to solve the issue of gender inequality in politics. Most importantly, the workforce loses talent, knowledge and diversity of ideas.
The evidence of gender inequality makes it obvious that there needs to be a constructive social change in order for Korean society to progress towards creating a society where the work of both genders is equally appreciated and valued. This change undoubtedly requires a critical transformation of the social norm, which would ultimately change the South Korea has a gender pay gap of 34.1%, framework of how women are treated both which is the highest amongst OECD member in the wider society and at home. However, states. This figure is almost triple the OECD before the necessary social change can take average of 13.2% and places South Korea place, an appropriate government policy even above the global average, which has to be implemented to create a suitable stands at 31.4%. It is therefore environment where such not surprising that the country social change is able to take is placed 108th in the Global place. The general Gender Gap index, 127th expectation for in economic participation It is generally accepted that women to quit their and opportunity, and 101st jobs at a childbearing gender inequality remains age inevitably in education attainment an unsolved problem in according to the Global Gender eliminates around half the Korean political world. of the work force Gap Report 2020 published by In a statement made upon the World Economic Forum. entering the 2012 presidential There is an evident failure of race, Moon Jae-In made a gender representation, with only 57 out promise to enact an Equalities Act to ensure of 300 constituencies in the 21st National there is a fair treatment of women at work Assembly (elected in 2020) represented by a and in the wider society. In the 2019 New woman. These figures reflect the grim truth Year press conference as president, he behind what seems to be an innovative and was asked how he plans to pursue a more creative society: there is a glass ceiling for gender-equal society, to which he answered: women in South Korea. ‘The government is trying to do everything we can to remove the glass ceiling for A society prone to gender inequality is women,’ which suggests that the problem bound to face economic, political and social remains unsolved in Korean society. In 2020, problems. The general expectation for eight years after the promise to enact an women to quit their jobs at a childbearing equalities act, South Korea is nowhere near age inevitably eliminates around half being a gender-equal society and pressure 96
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groups are still demanding the national assembly enact an Equalities Act to protect women’s rights in the workplace and the wider community. This does not mean that there hasn’t been any work to rectify the current issue of gender inequality. In fact, various legislation has been passed in the National Assembly designed to protect women’s place in the workforce. The fact that gender inequality remains an unsolved issue could indicate that South Korean politicians take a fundamentally flawed approach to tackling the status quo. In the party manifesto published by the Korea Democratic Party ahead of the 2020 general election, only three of their policies aimed to tackle gender imparity. The three policies attempt to provide an equal playing field in the workplace by supporting women in the STEM research sector, create a system where full-day childcare is an option for working mothers, and build job centres for women. On the other side of the political spectrum, the United Future Party’s manifesto outlines six policies for women, three of which attempt to tackle gender inequality. The combined six policies proposed by the two biggest parties in the National Assembly have a common underlying theme – pumping more money into childcare, job centres
PRESSURE GROUPS ARE STILL DEMANDING THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO ENACT AN EQUALITIES ACT TO PROTECT WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE WORKPLACE AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY and mothers’ pockets in order to make it economically viable for mothers to stay at home and become the primary carer of children. Policy makers on both sides of the aisle seem to be addressing the problem from a distinctively incorrect direction. One of the main causes of gender inequality and the gender pay gap pointed out by the Pew Research Center is the difference in the number
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of hours men and women spend on childcare and housework. According to their research, an average American woman spends 30.9 hours and an average man spends 17.3 hours per week on housework and childcare. This gives men 40.5 hours to spend on paid work whilst women get just more than half of the time that men get, at only 22.8 hours per week. The differences for ordinary men and women in South Korea are likely to be more polarising, and the very fact that there is no research done by South Korean counterparts suggests there is a high level of political and social ignorance on this matter. One of the most obvious starting points when it comes to solving an issue is by examining the policies of countries that were much more successful in dealing with the problem. Denmark has one of the world’s smallest gender pay gaps, at just 5.3%, which is almost a sixth of South Korea’s gender pay gap. A group of Danish researchers discovered that the average wage of men and women tends to be in line with one another until the first child is born, after which the woman’s wage sees a significant drop whilst the man’s wage continues to rise for reasons including promotions and inflation. As mothers take long periods of leave off work
The evidence of gender inequality makes it obvious that there needs to be a constructive social change
to have a child, more women find themselves having to switch from working full-time to parttime, or even quit working completely. After spotting the problem, the Danish government radically transformed its law on parental leave, and as a result each parent is now able to take 14 weeks of paid parental leave immediately after the birth of their child, and an additional 30 weeks of paid parental leave that can be shared between the parents. This allows both parents to have a role in the child’s earliest, and arguably the most critical period, of his/her life, which is when parents need to provide the most parental care and involvement for both emotional and physical reasons.
The law surrounding parental leave creates an unavoidable path for women to naturally become the primary caregivers of children
In contrast, Korean parents are each given different lengths of parental leave after having a child. Whilst women are allowed up to 60 days of paid leave and an extension of 30 days of unpaid leave upon request, men are only allowed 10 days of paid leave once their child is born. Although a record-breaking number of men (22,297) in the private sector took parental leave in 2019, the law surrounding parental leave creates an unavoidable path for women to naturally become the primary caregivers of children. The current problem in Korea that is stopping the country from pursuing a more gender-equal society is the failure to recognise the importance of creating a society where men and women Mind’s Eye | July 2020
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are able to equally participate in the upbringing of a child. The current law in South Korea makes it economically difficult for both parents to take an equal part in a child’s life, and this naturally leads to a situation where one parent has to sacrifice their career to become the primary caregiver. Rather than pouring taxpayers’ money on welfare for women with children, money can be more effectively allocated to help provide equal parental leave by subsidising paid parental leaves for SMEs, for example.
Gender imparity is not a problem that will suddenly disappear
SOUTH KOREA CONTINUALLY STRIVES TO BE AN INNOVATIVE, CREATIVE AND GROWING COUNTRY
There is no doubt that South Korea continually strives to be an innovative, creative and growing country which has an ambition to become a worldleading nation in technology, the creative industries and public health. Gender inequality that remains unsolved, however, will only pull the country back from achieving such an ambitious goal. Gender imparity is not a problem that will suddenly disappear – in fact, the longer society remains ignorant, the harder the problem will be to solve. Hence, it is crucial to focus on hard facts in order to implement constructive public policies that can shape the Korean society to be able provide an equal playing field for men and women in the workplace. ¢
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THE LONGER SOCIETY REMAINS IGNORANT, THE HARDER THE PROBLEM WILL BE TO SOLVE
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