Poland protest for abortion rights

By Anastasia Burton

If you haven’t heard, Poland is currently experiencing a national outburst from the public in relation to the Polish government’s plan on banning abortion. Going as far as banning ultrasounds and tests to avoid the mothers finding out if their babies have certain disabilities or illnesses. This is of course is a huge deal and a violation to women’s rights and their right to choose. The ban would not only prohibit abortion as a way to save the mother’s life or give her the option of terminating her pregnancy before a certain date. The government had also planned to ban abortion in cases of rape and incest also.

This decision had led to a national women’s strike where not only Polish women, but Polish men protested on the streets and rebelled against their government. Many countries have expressed their support for Polish women. Ireland also joined in in a show of solidarity with Polish women by organizing a protest on Tuesday October 3rd in Dublin city outside the Polish Embassy. The decision to criminalize abortion in Poland follows from the religious influence on political decisions. The protest lasted 14 days and was organized by the grassroots women’s movement Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet (OSK, or All-Polish Women’s Strike).

When asked about what her feelings were about the ongoings in her home country of Poland in relation to the abortion ban, an NUI Galway student commented “It’s quite upsetting. In my hometown there was an incident where the priest flipped off a young woman because she told him that “if you don’t have a uterus you shouldn’t have a say about this”. In a way she is right, it should absolutely be a woman’s choice, although she said it aggressively the priest definitely overreacted especially considering the fact that he is a public figure and very well known in her town. Not to mention he was wearing his vestments which made him easily identifiable. It’s all anger filled, and the religious aspect isn’t as separated from the state as it is here in Ireland. I personally think abortion should be legal and most Polish citizens seem to agree that in some cases abortion should be legal, especially if it is affecting the health and wellbeing of the mother.

Ever since the 14-day protest the Polish government have placed the abortion ban on hold indefinitely. For now the situation seems to have eased0, but it is still unknown whether the Polish government will change their mind about the abortion ban or whether they are letting the situation cool down before they implement the changes anyway.

Out of danger and out of touch

By Diarmaid Hehir

As you’ve no doubt been told in a thousand different ways by a thousand different people, 2020 is far from a normal year. It’s probably not as apocalyptic as some on the internet would have us believe, but its still a pretty crazy year. There’s a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a wild American election brimming with anger and emotion and the ever-present pandemic that has disrupted the world like none in living memory. Everyone has been affected in their own way with some being hit harder than others. Yet in a world of darkness, there are still supposed rays of hope. Kim Kardashian-West is the source of one such ray. The 40-yearold queen of social media and reality TV hasn’t let 2020 get in the way of her birthday celebrations.

In a post on social media Kim K announced that she had surprised her friends and family with a trip to a private island where they would be able to “pretend things were normal”. This was met with widely mixed reactions. Many of the closest fans of her TV show were delighted to see she was having a nice time, while others criticised her insensitivity for flaunting her wealth so much at a time when many are struggling just to get by. I’ve found the whole debacle more thought provoking than infuriating and it has really reinforced the idea that most celebrities are completely out of touch with the populace that they entertain.

By Niamh Casey

Where to draw the line between what is deemed essential and nonessential is a big topic of debate these days. Especially since level five has been initiated again. I think we can all agree that a few shops have remained open that have left people raising their eyebrows at how “essential” they are. Though it’s no doubt that this is a desperate time for struggling businesses who were just finding their feet again after the first lockdown. The mindset of these owners can be understood; ‘find a loophole and if at all possible, stay open’. When you look at it from a certain perspective, it’s very fortunate to be able to qualify your business as essential enough to remain open. However this is not a possibility at all for the arts sector. Even since the first lockdown, anything to do with arts or entertainment has been deemed the least essential service. The arts sector was undoubtedly overlooked, especially in the first lockdown. Back in June and July when people were wondering how we were going to go about opening back up the country, emphasis was put on reopening the culinary and retail sectors. Meanwhile the arts sec-

Kim of all people is particularly relevant to the notion that celebrities are disconnected with reality. She has a stronger connection than most celebrities to the recent crises of our times. Her own family is of Armenian ancestry, and she has raised money and publicity for the Armenian side in the still-ongoing war. As for the election, her husband Kanye was a candidate on the ballot in many states. He has also previously voiced his support for President Trump. Kanye is very much politically active, although in his own cracked way. The surprising and bizarre thing to me is how little these things seem to affect Kim herself. Seeing her along with her glamorous family and friends enjoying their little island getaway has an almost absurd feeling to it. It feels like they are living in another world entirely. While the rest of us are inundated with news about lockdowns and elections, they’re off in their own secluded comfortable universe reminiscing over her earlier days in showbiz.

I flip between wondering if this is the problem with reality TV and celebrities more generally. I wonder if this is their intended purpose, if they even have one. Is it a problem that those who we are entertained by are so profoundly alien to us? How are we supposed to relate to these people that seemingly share none of our problems and worries? On the other hand, isn’t that the whole reason why people like Kim are so popular? Escapism is why people tune in and watch people live these lives they tor was still being told that they were not essential. Though it is easy to understand that the arts sector is not essential for life in the way that grocery shops and the health sector are, one must wonder how the arts differ from any other service. Over the summer the arts were placed at the bottom of the list of priorities by the Irish government, which is usually the peak season for the industry. People were understandably in uproar about the mistreatment of the entertainment sector. Many pointed out that it was products of the arts that kept people entertained and motivated during the national quarantine. Everybody that took up a new hobby, played an instrument or even just watched Netflix during the period of the lockdown can say that the arts is what made the isolation tolerable. So for it to be so openly deemed least essential by the government was a blatant show of ignorance.

However, the government might have actually listened to the public’s outcry, as they are reported to allocate quite the sum to the sector in the upcoming budget. In his budget speech, Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath pledged €50 million to help live enterhave nothing in common with. Is it for the best that the Kardashians are continuing their gossipy lives as if it were any other time?

I think that the fact that celebrities are so disconnected from us, and us from them, is helpful in some ways, and harmful in others. Sometimes you need a break from the constant doom and gloom, and reality TV does the job there just as well as anything else. But on the other hand, it begs the question, is our constant focus on these people we have nothing in common with a good idea?

This is just the most recent case of celebrities being completely out of touch this year. Some are quite obnoxious, like Vanessa Hudgens, who went on an expletive laden rant criticising lockdowns and stating that people dying was just inevitable. Others are darkly hilarious. A huge squad of actors including Gal Gadot and Will Ferrell teaming up to sing John Lennon’s undoubtedly preachy song “Imagine” is probably the best amazingly ironic example. Nobody took a minute to consider that “Imagine there’s no heaven” might not be what people want to hear right now.

Maybe we should be listening less to what TV stars and influencers have to say on important issues. Maybe we should just leave them to do their job, entertaining people, and leave the big problems to others. Maybe the best thing to do would be to stop giving them loads of attention for everything they do. Not writing articles about them could pos-

Is the government supporting the arts sector during this pandemic?

sibly be a start. tainment businesses, along with an extra €50 million for the Arts Council, which next year will get €130 million from the exchequer. This will be the highest level of state backing ever for the Irish arts sector. Minister McGrath said that “Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on arts, cultural and sporting activities. The spaces that brought us together, often in celebration of some of our most talented people, for now, lie empty and silent,”. If this is to come into fruition, it could mean a whole lot of new opportunities for the countless artists of all types that are currently out of work.

If past trends are anything to go by, then we have a lot to look forward to after the pandemic is over. Time and time again, culture, arts and creativity has flourished after global disasters. After World War I you had the roaring 20s, after World War II you had the golden age for Hollywood and films. Countless creative works have arisen post catastrophes. There is a lot to be said for shared harsh experiences as they so often tend to give rise to creative and cultural boosts. So if history is anything to go by, you can count on the arts and entertainment section really flourishing over the next decade.