Motley - Volume XV - Issue VI - Environments by UCCStudentMedia

A WAR ON INFORMATION

HOW EDUCATION IS FAILING US

A FOUR DAY WORK WEEK?

VOLUME 15, ISSUE 6 MARCH 2022

Meet the Motley Editorial Staff Stephen Moynihan

Hannah Emerson

Stephen is an award-winning journalist with a keen interest in current affairs. He is currently in his final year of a BA in philosophy and politics.

Hannah is a third year medical and health science student who feels that this section of motley is fitting for her due to an over abundance of opinions she feels afflicted with since birth.

Maxwell Callanan

James Kemmy

Max is a second year digital humanities student. He spends most of his spare time writing, drawing and making funky little board games.

James is in his third year of government and political science in UCC. He is interested in a wide variety of musical genres and the power of contemporary film and fiction to highlight pressing social issues

Conor Daly

Sarah Collins

Conor is a final year Arts student and was a member of the current affairs team last year as a staff writer. He is an almost award winning poet and journalist with hopes of removing the almost in the near future.

Sarah is a third year Government and Political Science student. Along with having her own graphic design business, Sarah also runs a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog and she is a huge lover of all things fashion related.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Features & Opinion Editor

Graphic Designer

Entertainment Editor

Fashion & Beauty Editor

Current Affairs Editor

Online Team Online Editor Social Media

Deputy Editors

Kevin Quane Erica Shelly

Current Affairs Features & Opinions Entertainment

Staff Writers

Natalia Gawlas John Hunter Shruti Rajagopal

Jessica O’Brien

Photographers

Contributors

Jack Murphy

Chloe Boland, Cian McDonnell, Cormac Donovan O’Neill, Cormac McCarthy, Matthew Quill, Phillip Brennan, Róisín Dunlea, Ronan Keohane

This publication is made from 100% recycled paper. Motley welcomes letters from from readers, emailed to editor@motley.ie. Motley is published by Motley magazine, The Hub UCC, Western Road, Cork. Printed by City Print Limited, Victoria Cross, Cork. Copyright 2021 Motley Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. All efforts have been made to ensure that details and pricing are correct at time of print. Motley magazine does not take responsibility for any errors incurred. This magazine can be recycled either in your green bin kerbside collection or at a local recycling point. Images provided by Unsplash.com, Pexels.com, Pixabay.com. Vectors provided by Vecteezy.com and Freepic.com.

From the Editor Emer Walsh Editor-in-Chief

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

editor@motley.ie

As the end of semester two steadily approaches, I am reminded of the big, bad world that awaits me, and as I’ve already exhausted the master's degree route, there’s now no escaping it. The difference between now and last year, however, is I finally feel ready to say goodbye. Recently, I was asked what I would tell my first year self. My answer was, “it gets better.” I remember the high expectations put on me by both myself and others to live my best possible life. I had survived the leaving cert, I was offered a place in a degree I really wanted, I was granted a level of freedom never felt before and was presented with more opportunities than I knew what to do with. Yet, somehow, it ended up being one of the worst years of my life. I spent the year feeling entirely lost, and oftentimes when forced to navigate campus, I quite literally was. People often omit the crucial adjustment period we’re forced to go through upon entering university. Nobody mentions the anxiety felt when forced to make new friends, or the fear of landing in trouble when late for a lecture that you cannot find, or the self consciousness endured when trying to assess which areas are most socially appropriate to be seen on your own. In time, you find your way. You soon remember which once hidden floor your 9am lecture is on.You begin to regularly converse with the equally lost, yet friendly face sitting next to you (my face's name was Sára, and we’ve been joined by the hip ever since). You decide to go to the society open night that you spent the last few weeks contemplating joining. You realise that nobody cares if you’re sitting on your own because they’re too preoccupied worrying about themselves.

Seven months, six issues and more mental breakdowns than I am willing to admit later, we have come to the end of the Volume XV journey. As I virtually unemploy myself through writing my final editorial, I look back in fondness at everything this role has given me. I found my place in UCC, and it’s in Motley Magazine.

In time, things fall into place, and the weighty journey of college life soon relaxes into a tranquil wander. Becoming Editor-in-Chief of Motley was my proudest achievement within my four years at UCC. Working in a dream position, writing, editing, and creating something so beautiful with the most talented student journalists has made my final year in UCC a wonderland. To Stephen, Max, Conor, Natalia, Hannah, John, James, Shruti, Sarah, Jessica, Kevin, Erica and Alana; thank you, for everything. In the last but certainly not least issue of Volume XV of Motley Magazine, you will find a hard-hitting piece on the power of misinformation and its impact on global political spheres by the incredibly talented writer and Current Affairs Editor, Conor Daly, an eye-opening account of the shortcomings in Irish Sex Education by contributor and feminist extraordinaire, Chloe Boland, the sequel to Issue #5’s infamous Circle K Saga by the witty and wonderful poet, Cormac McCarthy, and an insightful interview with the Irish, female-led company tackling menstrual health head-on, conducted by Fashion and Beauty Editor, Sarah Collins. As I sign off on my final editorial, I am indebted to every student that took the time to read, contribute and share Motley Magazine throughout the year, and I look forward in excitement as I hand the baton over to the next Editor-inChief. It’s been real, it’s been a dream. Thank you for everything. Editor, out. Siri, play Exit Music (For a Film) by Radiohead.

Inside Motley March 2022 The Four Day Work Week

Current Affairs

Features

Entertainment

Fashion & Beauty

Current Affairs Editor Conor Daly looks at how a four day work week could be extended to the world of business.

Jessica O’Brien looks back at her time in secondary school in order to argue that it failed not only her but all of us.

Matthew Quill discusses how The Batman’s Riddler reflects dangerous aspects of the alt-right.

Sarah Collins shares her favourite online shopping brands that you can support from the comfort of your own home.

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Motley.ie

The Four Day Work Week

And a Shift in Corporate Culture

Being mindful of people’s personal situations is perhaps one of the positive side effects of the pandemic. Current Affairs Editor Conor Daly looks at how this could now be extended to the world of business.

“ COVID-19 made it clear we can find a better balance between work and life. 85% of U.S. adults already approve of moving to a 4 day week”.

Living through a pandemic for the last two years

While this statistic references the workforce in the United States, one would imagine that such a survey in Ireland would have similar results.

has had irrevocable changes on our collective psyche. We have altered the way we communicate, how we interact with people in public settings and so much more. Some changes have been positive, others perhaps we will try and leave behind us as we emerge out the other side of this pandemic. However, the heightened sense of compassion we have gained for the people around us is undoubtedly a positive aspect of this turbulent time. As we sat in video calls discussing business matters or attempting to continue education from home, we all had an increased awareness that we simply had no idea what the other people on that call were going through. Some perhaps had relatives working in hospitals and were worried for their well being. Others may have lost relatives and been given the chance to say a proper goodbye. The list goes on and on. As restrictions are fully lifted and life seems to be resembling what we were all familiar with back in 2019, keeping hold of this consideration for others is something that is vitally important. It would appear that this is being recognised by employers and state bodies as the concept of a four day work week are being both widely discussed and implemented in various countries around the world. The corporate world placing a greater emphasis on employee welfare and recognising the need for a work/life balance is definitely being welcomed by workers. Trials of such programmes have been ongoing for a number of years, the majority of which have had positive results. The non-profit community ‘4 Day Week Global’ which advocates for this change in corporate culture have set out a clear definition on their website for what this change to the working week is. Quite simply, “The 4 day work week is a reduction in the work week from a standard 40 hours to 32 hours for the same pay and benefits”.

Just in the last week, the Department of Environment has announced that it is analysing the implications of moving its staff to a four day working week. If this was to be implemented, it would be the first government department to make the change, setting a strong precedent for both the public and private sector. In a statement related to this development the Department stated that “Proposals for reduced working hours, such as a four-day work week have been proposed by a range of civil society actors as a viable model which could deliver social, economic and environmental benefits”. The movement is beginning to pick up steam in Ireland which has been influenced by people’s experiences of working from home during the pandemic. The aforementioned ‘4 Day Week Global’ has seen an increase in the number of firms contacting it to get information on this work model. One example of a firm implementing this model is the American software company Buffer. Staff surveys following the change to the four day week reported that employees were 91% happier and also more productive. The fear with this model, particularly for business owners and board-level employees, is that a shorter week would reduce the amount of work being done and thus reduce business efficiency. However, as set out by ‘4 Day Week Global’, a key tenet of this system is that employees maintain their normal workload but merely do so over a shorter period of time. As with any new initiative, it may take a while for such a system to be widely implemented. However, after all the difficulties posed by the pandemic, it’s highly positive that one beneficial outcome would be the potential improvement of the work-life balance of employees.

The organisation goes on to reference how the pandemic has influenced public opinion of the new structure saying that

CURRENT AFFAIRS

GLOBAL

POLITICS AND THE

WAR ON

INFORMATION

As the world potentially faces yet another turbulent period, Current Affairs Editor Conor Daly looks at the role of social media and the war on information.

Ever since Brexit and the election of Donald Trump (both in 2016), there has been an ever-increasing spotlight on the potential influence of the media on politics and international relations. This has continued to be magnified in recent years, particularly since the beginning of the pandemic, where the amount of time spent online increased drastically. It has been widely reported that the political middle ground is receding, but perhaps this had not fully been exemplified since the election of Joe Biden in 2020. It was a presidential race that was littered with accusations, misinformation and heightened political divide. These three trends have continued since Biden began his term, with the negative perception of the president by republican voters becoming more and more widespread as public opinion of Biden dwindles. There are many causes of this, but one such contributing factor was the seemingly chaotic manner in which the US military withdrew from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. The proliferation of right-wing ideas in the United States is seen to be one of the problems facing their country at the moment. However, the perception that any one side of the political spectrum is completely at fault for systemic problems is arguably part of a bigger issue, particularly in relation to the media. It’s hard to ignore the fact that Fox News and CNN, two of the largest broadcasters in the US, are perceived to have

Distinct Political Allegiances Fox News is widely seen as being a republican and strongly conservative network that has attempted to discredit Joe Biden at every turn.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

Perhaps now they are being proven right, however, their stance is made somewhat less reliable due to the fact that there was a clear bias from the outset. Indeed the CEO of Fox Corp. Lachlan Murdoch even stated that Fox News would provide “loyal opposition” to Biden during his time in office. CNN is often seen as the more mainstream of the two and yet could also be seen as a less extreme antithesis of Fox News, with many viewing the network as being clearly pro-democrat. A person’s view of either network is of course influenced by their own political beliefs.

This can be seen with the example of Irish journalist Donie O’Sullivan, a correspondent for CNN who is often on the receiving end of less than favourable greetings when covering Trump rallies or other such republican events. As aforementioned, the real issue lies in the so-called “middle ground” receding in political discourse.

In reality, the truth is extremely difficult to discern. Many people held the opinion that if another major conflict were to even break out that the almost universal access to instant information would potentially prevent certain atrocities from taking place and also demand accountability from those trying to perpetuate them.

With the ever-expanding user base of social media, it seems as though this is a problem that is only heading in one direction. In many cases, a radical viewpoint is confronted not with the truth but with an equally radical view from the other end of the scale. This of course is in no way constructive as both viewpoints

The reality however is far less idealistic. Having more information has arguably made it more difficult to evaluate what is happening in Ukraine with so many different variations of the same story. Russia has its own narrative, as does Ukraine, the US and so on. While it is perhaps easy to rule out the Russian narrative for blatant propaganda, it’s a little more difficult when it comes to making a nuanced analysis of the western coverage of the conflict.

Fail to Recognise Facts and Merely Create Further Divide It’s interesting then to see a report from the Pew Research Center which claims that US citizens are generally in agreement about which media outlets are reliable and which are not. The gap between this research and what appears to be the divided nature of modern media could ironically be down to the media itself, where a heightened emphasis on such division becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The issue of the reliability of the media becomes increasingly more important when one looks at the situation in eastern Europe at the moment, with Russian forces invading Ukraine. This is the first major conflict in Europe since the end of the second world war and is one of the first global conflicts to have such widespread coverage both in the mainstream media and through social media. It is widely reported that Russia is using a wide range of

Disinformation and Propaganda tactics in order to control the narrative of what is happening in Ukraine. There has been legislation introduced in Russia that can see journalists or political commentators jailed for up to 15 years for deliberately spreading “false” information about the “military exercise”. Additionally, social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have been banned in Russia which prevents people from having access to potentially accurate information about what could actually be going on.

In the United States, there is a view that a minority of people on the right of the political spectrum have become Russian sympathisers of sorts, with questions being raised within America as a result of Russian disinformation stating that there were US bioweapons labs in Ukraine. Controversial Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson took a deep dive into the subject in an attempt to prove that there was an apparent attempt to cover up this story by a myriad of different interest groups. Subsequent reporting on the subject by The Washington Post discredits these claims and also questions how such ideas can be circulated within this discourse to begin with. Maybe Mr Carlson is correct and there is some “deep state” agenda at play here. However, there's an equal if not far higher probability that such a claim is totally and unequivocally false. In this case, the claim of Carlson is all the more destructive as it sends mixed messages and makes people question what they can actually believe. Herein lies the single biggest problem with post-truth media. The pursuit of truth is a noble endeavour and is one of the key pillars of journalism. However if your apparent pursuit of truth ends up blurring the actual reality, the net effect is that your desired enlightenment of the masses has actually just caused confusion and division. Looking at where we find ourselves in terms of the global media landscape, confusion and division are the last things we need, especially as we sit on the brink of a potential global conflict and also the start of the 2024 US presidential race.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Deterioration of Turkey’s Natural and Cultural Environment Following Government Mismanagement Ronan Keohane addresses the critical environmental situation in Turkey and discusses the impact this has had on the youth who lie in the centre of it.

The ruling AKP party and their policies and leadership have also terribly affected the environment of Turkey.

Turkey is a land of intense ideological division,

Naturally, Turkey has a very diverse range of landscapes with biogeographic regions with their own individual ecosystems. Culturally, Turkey is an incredibly rich nation with archaeological remnants of ancient civilizations, the remains of three highly important empires, historical monasteries and cathedrals on the silk road as well as diverse cultural contributions from Turkey’s minority ethnic groups.

straddling between Asia and Europe yet also heavily influenced by Balkan, European, Central Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. Turkey exists on the remnants of an expansive multicultural empire and is one of the most liminal societies in the world at the moment. The AKP party, often coined as being an Islamist party, has been in power almost continuously since 2003. Erdogan is the current president who has led the country in a much more authoritarian direction and is an incredibly divisive figure. He has attempted to reinvent Turkey through the mass implementation of Islamic schooling, cracking down on political dissonance through limitations of free speech, dictatorial economics influenced by religion which has fuelled the country's soaring inflation (to name just a few). The Turkish populace at large and specifically the youth have grown divided as a result of this.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

Turkey in recent years, and especially during the summer of 2021, has experienced a wide range of different natural disasters. These include but aren’t limited to a large number of forest fires, flash floods, drought and “sea snot” caused by water pollution. The incidence of many of these disasters have been blamed on the

Carelessness shown by the current leadership towards the environment. In 2021, the energy supply of Turkey was mostly provided by fossil fuels which made up a staggering 83%. Multiple protests have broken out over the years as a result of numerous government decisions and the impacts they’ve had on the environment.

Impact of tourism

Deforestation, fires, water pollution and drought Turkey is a country plagued with huge levels of deforestation as a result of government policies and decisions as well as naturally occurring forest fires arising from worsening climate change. 545kha of tree cover has been cleared within Turkey between 2001 to 2020. Much of this is a result of large mining projects as well as unnecessary infrastructural projects which have been carried out that end up replacing large swathes of forested areas. This has faced a lot of opposition from environmental activists and organisations. A high number of forest fires are also responsible for a large amount of deforestation. There were a total of 270 that broke out in 53 provinces resulting in a number of deaths and destruction of homes, with the fires being described as indicative of Turkey’s environmental failure. The government's response to these fires was particularly noteworthy: Media regulators advised against coverage of ongoing fires and warned TV stations to focus on extinguishing efforts instead. In addition to this,

The government was inadequately prepared

Tourism has been another attempt made by the government to pump more money into the Turkish economy in an attempt to counteract frivolous government expenditure on unnecessary infrastructural projects which horrendously affect the environment and waste millions of taxpayers’ earnings. The attempt to draw in more tourists is also an attempt to salvage the weakening currency which is also attributed to the government, more particularly to the president’s consistent cutting of interest rates due to his personal religious convictions which have caused inflation to soar. The efforts to attract foreign tourists has proven to be effective with the vast majority being from Gulf Arab countries. Uzungol, which used to be a hidden gem in the northeast province of Trabzon, has found itself overrun with numbers increasing every single year and hotels frequently working at full capacity. The local environment has also changed drastically and the city has a much more touristy atmosphere with hotels, souvenir shops and other tourist innovations consistently being set up in the city. With regards to the effects on the natural environment, increasing tourism has been cited as a reason for increased traffic, pollution and depletion of the region’s natural resources. Furthermore many buildings surrounding the lake have been demolished merely for aesthetic reasons.

Turkey - Environment & Culture

for the fires and was criticised for having a weak response to the fires.

The THK (Turkish Aeronautical Association) has cited that their planes were left purposelessly in Hangars by the government and were, thus, not in good shape as a result of underuse. Due to the weak response, a global call was kicked off by civilians and the hashtag #helpturkey became viral sparking a culture war as many government officials warned against using the hashtag. They felt this was a way for people to make the country look weak and make the government look bad, so a counter hashtag #strongturkey was launched to oppose the global call for help. In relation to Turkey’s drought issue, which has now spread throughout the country, they have had a remarkably negative impact on agricultural output. Lakes throughout the nation have been drying up as a result of poor governmental agricultural policies, with flamingos in the thousands dying in lake Tuz. Flamingos usually migrate to lake Tuz to breed and feed off of the algae, however, the water levels greatly receded due to harmful agricultural policies that ended up drying out the water supply underneath. Additionally, the government has made plans to construct the Istanbul canal which seeks to connect the Marmara sea to the black sea. The vast majority of experts claim that this will have disastrous effects, with concerns being raised about population migrations, obstruction of green spaces and agricultural lands as well as disturbing the maritime balance. Due to the government continuing to lose the money necessary to fund these large scale projects as a result of cutting interest rates, causing inflation to skyrocket, oil drilling has ensued in the black sea and the Mediterranean. This has inevitably led to oil tanker traffic which has had serious adverse effects on marine life as well as water pollution.

Another example of this is the Turkish city of Antalya which has become a hotbed for large numbers of foreign tourists, resulting in overpopulation and a noticeable loss of its original character; remarked upon by local residents. Higher prices, an increase in pollution, depletion of natural resources, and ‘tourist only’ marked places are some of a wide range of examples of negative effects this issue has caused. Disincentives against tourism, however, are not an option, due to the fact that it is such an important income source for the local region as well as the country. Many feel as though desperate attempts to draw in tourists have also

Humiliated the populace as well as negatively affected the environment. All this during a period of time when Turks were forced to undergo a lockdown there was an attempt to draw in tourists without restrictions. In conclusion, the Turkish government's repeated failure to address the devastating deforestation, forest fires, water pollution and drought has ultimately led to Turkey being in an extremely environmentally volatile position. Despite large pushback from activists, there is a constant neglect of voices of the concerned young citizens as well as environmental experts. The negative impact of tourism has added insult to injury, however, the youth is dependent on tourism due to its economic contribution to Turkey. The future course of the nation is uncertain, however, the prevalence of these worrying incidents force the nation into an increasingly dark period.

As a result of mismanagement of wastewater as well as the increase in sea temperatures happening globally over the years, extremely high levels of phytoplankton has become a major issue as it has accumulated into a thick slime known as ‘sea snot’ in the Marmara sea, killing animal and plant life in the sea by cutting off access to nutrients and sunlight. The government has been criticised for their failure to prioritise environmental matters which has greatly contributed to this.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

CLIMATE CHANGE DRIVEN BY YOUTH

IT’S OUR FUTURE NOW Deputy Current Affairs Editor Natalia Karolina Gawlas discusses the role of young people within a world affected by climate change and their actions taken to overcome this potential tragedy.

Climate Change is a rapidly evolving problem, often forgotten as the world and every jurisdiction have their own politically-centred issues to face. Turning a blind eye to the physical state of the Earth's condition will bring no benefit to any resident of the planet. Perhaps, politicians should realise that without the world to live in, there will be no other important matters to discuss or solve. No amount of debates and discussions can solve a crisis. As governments, corporations, and businesses endeavour to make the big buck, they forget who encounters the consequences, clearly disregarding the fact that one day their actions, or rather, their inactions could come back to haunt them too.

Using the various diverse voices of the youth to contribute to the adult-led conversation around environmental justice, ensuring a chance to a liveable future for the youth, and future generations. By differentiating between a flourishing environment and basic survival, a recognisable lack of youth contribution to solving the adult created environmental mess has/is allowing for a solution-based approach. In addition, the youth have the time to protest, as an article by Emma Marris states, their “dinner is still on the table at home”. A recent case brought to the European Court of Human Rights by six young individuals from Portugal is challenging 33 countries for failing to take appropriate measures to prevent climate change. This is coming after the disaster of a devastating fire in Portugal due to hot weather conditions.

- those who must inhabit this living space and raise future generations on this planet. It is the young people that find themselves at the centre of this mess created by those who no longer have to endure it.

It would be of no surprise if this ongoing case led to a significant leading judgement in the area of climate change, as the Strasbourg court fast-tracked the case on the basis of importance and urgency. It also denied the request of the 33 countries to mark this case as inadmissible after their efforts to overturn the case. Recently, as of February 2022, the youth taking the case have had a deadline to respond to Government’s defences which were put forward to the youth’s legal team.

The youth constituency at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change connects young individuals and creates a global network of young people in order to tackle climate change issues, which constitute an intercontinental concern.

It is a little difficult to see how 33 countries could possibly defend their inadequate measures to ensure their living space is safe for their citizens, but that is why the law exists.

Thankfully, someone does care

Through organising the annual Conference of Youth, young people are encouraged to participate and engage in the UN climate negotiations, all under the umbrella of the Youth Climate Movement. The inspiring young activist Greta Thunberg began protesting insufficient political reactions to the ongoing crisis through her Fridays for Future campaign in 2018. This sparked a fire within the political world of environmental concern, as well as inspiring young people worldwide to respond to the climate crisis. Half a world away in 2017, Jamie Margolin founded the Zero Hour protest group in order to also tackle issues of climate change.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

MARY ROBINSON AND HER CONTINUED EFFORTS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE Mary Robinson had the first of what would be three consecutive terms of female presidents in Ireland, Philip Brennan talks to Motley about her influence in the sphere of environmentalism since she left office. Mary Robinson was the first female President of Ireland, from 1990 to 1997. Furthermore, Robinson was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002. In a 2015 TED Talk,

Robinson emphasised why climate change is a threat to human rights. Robinson recalled a conversation she had with President Anote Tong of Kiribati. The former President of Kiribati had experienced the disastrous consequences of climate change with predictions that the country will cease to exist by the end of the century due to rising sea levels. Robinson also stated that during her Presidency, she never worried about the insinuations of state sovereignty because of the impact of climate change. Furthermore, Robinson concentrates on the vast inequalities in the world. She explains that in Malawi, the state emits 80 kg of CO2 a year. By contrast, the average U.S. citizen emits around 17.5 metric tonnes of CO2 a year. Providing somewhat of a contradiction to this, one-third of Malawi had been flooded and over three thousand people were killed as a direct impact of climate change while the USA has experienced little impact. In 2015, the population of the world was an estimated 7.2 billion people. However, 3.2 billion of those people were left behind so to speak, as an estimated 1.3 billion of these individuals had no access to electricity. They heated their homes using kerosene and candles as they had no access to electricity or renewable energies. Moreover, 2.6 billion people cooked using fossil fuels and consequently four million were killed by indoor smoke inhalation, the majority of those being women. The impacts of climate change are being spread disproportionately. The northern hemisphere is the biggest offender and yet the southern hemisphere is the most affected victim of this climate crisis. Robinson argues that our

Contemporary Leaders are Lacking the Qualities Needed to Address the Issue of Climate Change The leaders after the Second World War created the United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Declaration of Human Rights and it was these leaders who were driven to ensure that the world would never face a dilemma as large as a global conflict again. Should our contemporary leaders take a similar approach to climate change? Are the leaders scared to respond to climate change? Is there pressure to build significant innovation to address the crisis? It seems as though Robinson could be correct, who suggests that our contemporary leaders should address climate change with the same energy that our leaders addressed the postWorld War II period. However, the recent COP 26 summit illustrated that some states are not addressing the climate crisis adequately or effectively. During the final days of COP 26, Robinson accused world leaders of falling short on climate change, saying some are not in “crisis mode”. During an emotional interview, the chair of the Elders group of public figures took aim at Saudi Arabia, Australia, China, Russia, and Brazil. Robinson stated that Australia was still in “fossil fuel mode” and she accused Saudi Arabia of “playing dirty games.” Robinson also accused Saudi Arabia of having language around “youth, human rights, gender equality and sustainability” removed from the cover agreement that negotiators at the summit are working on, making it clear that the country is a stumbling block in the fight against climate change. The COP 26 summit showcased that our contemporary leaders are not willing to address climate change as they are unmotivated and careless. If we do not take effective action, the planet will be much harder to save and we will reach a point of no return.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

INFLATION, SANCTIONS AND THE INCREASING COST OF LIVING Several years of relative economic stability have been followed by a pandemic, high levels of inflation and now a major conflict. Current Affairs Editor Conor Daly looks at how this is impacting the average consumer.

THE ECONOMIC CRASH OF 2008 led to recessions across a multitude of countries around the world. What followed was mass unemployment, high levels of emigration and decreased consumer spending. In Ireland specifically, the period around 2010 and 2011 was arguably the most difficult, with these years seeing the country experiencing the highest levels of unemployment of that recession. High levels of emigration were also seen in these years with countless young people leaving for Canada, the US, Australia and the UK in search of better job opportunities. Fast forward to 2018/2019 and it seemed like Ireland was emerging out the other side of the recession with employment levels rising and other economic indicators such as GDP signalling an economic recovery. The relative economic stability of those years would, unfortunately, prove to be short-lived. The onset of the covid-19 pandemic in March of 2020 drastically affected every sector in the Irish economy. The closing of non-essential businesses to curtail the spread of the disease left thousands of people temporarily unemployed and thus greatly reduced consumer spending. To exacerbate this, there was a surge in demand for online retailers, many of which were not from Ireland, due to people being unable to leave their homes. Over the next 24 months many of these industries would face unprecedented challenges, particularly the hospitality sector which faced uncertainty around opening hours and restrictions throughout the pandemic. However, as Chrtistmas 2021 approached, things seemed to be going in the right direction. Retail and hospitality were back open, there were high levels of consumer spending for the festive season and many of the people left unemployed by the pandemic were able to regain employment.

This economic reprieve would however prove to be short lived. The new year (2022) has seen high levels of inflation both in Ireland and in other countries such as America. High levels of quantitative easing and government spending in the US, as well as the impact of the pandemic, have led to inflation reaching its highest levels since 1982. This was all before Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February, a move that would have drastic impacts on global markets. Sanctions imposed on many different Russian industries and individuals have led to further inflation around the world, particularly, relating to fuel. As a large global supplier of oil and gas, sanctions imposed on Russia have had a knock-on effect on the western countries who imposed them. Most nations are refusing to do business with Russia which is inviting other suppliers of fossil fuels to drive up the price as demand surges and supply becomes more limited. The cost of living for regular people is becoming a serious issue, exemplified by fuel prices in Dublin surpassing €2 a litre. These cost increases have also been seen in the energy sector with household utility bills having, in some cases, astronomical increases. Just in the last number of days, Bord Gais Networks has reported that

AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD GAS BILLS WILL INCREASE BY 39% NEXT MONTH, WHILE ELECTRICITY BILLS WILL RISE BY 27%. These unwelcome price hikes come at a time where the general cost of living is becoming nearly unmanageable and also considering there have been a number of price hikes by Bord Gais in the last two years or so. It is reported that these changes could result in a €350 a year increase in average household gas bills and a €340 per annum increase in electricity bills. With many people still feeling the economic impact of the pandemic, the everrising cost of living is proving to be a real worry for consumers. With the situation in Ukraine, it’s also worrying to think about how this will continue to affect global markets in terms of the potential of embedded inflation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Business Post has just recently questioned the possibility of a European recession as a result of the conflict. It seems the only certainty at the moment is that there is none, which, if you look at the global history of economics, could ironically prove to be a constant.

HOW SECOND LEVEL EDUCATION FAILS US ALL In this illuminating piece, Jessica O’Brien looks back at her time in secondary school in order to argue that it failed not only her but all of us. As every college student knows, every family member’s favourite question to ask you is ‘how’s college going?’ I reply that it’s going great, and I’m not lying. College is nothing like I expected it to be, Covid or not, but I genuinely love the independence and the freedom of it. I spent most of secondary school life looking forward to it. ‘It’s more acceptable to be gay in college.’ Fantastic. ‘It’s cool to be weird in college.’ Brilliant. ‘You will never have to sit any exam as horrifying as the Leaving Cert in college.’ In the words of John Mulaney - wow.

THE BAR IS SO MUCH LOWER THAN I EXPECTED I felt safer during my first week in a brand new college with thousands of new people during the height of Omicron than I had ever felt in secondary school. I chalked it up to being a mixture of puberty, exam stress, and the fact that I had always been anxious to begin with. It was a ‘me problem.’ Turns out, it is not just a ‘me problem.’ It’s everyone’s problem. You would not believe the amount of friends I have made from my secondary school since starting college - all because we were out of the toxic and stressful environment that is second level education. A plethora of people asking, wait, why did I passionately hate you for six years again? Dearest reader, I never took science, so I can only make an educated guess in saying it is the secondary school environment. Secondary school is rife with cliques. The school will send someone in biannually to give an outdated speech on bullying in the 1990s, and everyone will snigger and delight in the fact that they’re missing maths for this, and continue on their way. I can only speak from personal experience, and I went to an all girls convent school, but bullying was something far more insidious and subtle. It was not being added to group chats, being alone in classes, lunch, and P.E partnerships. (You may be entitled to emotional support if you were always the kid who had to be the third in a partnership because nobody would go with you.) It was whispering, giggling, and the constant feeling of being trapped in a sandstorm, in a glass. Everything felt calculated because it was. Everybody absorbed what was perceived ‘good’ about one another, and became an amalgamation of the people they envied. Somebody’s clothing, somebody’s makeup. Another person’s phrases, another girl’s hair. What percentage in a test showed you were smart but not a nerd?

What tone of voice was the right tone of voice to answer the roll in without getting stared at? How quiet can I be without someone deciding I’m a bitch? Jesus Christ, we were terrified of one another. Secondary school is every woman for herself, and if that means hulking in cliques to save yourself from social embarrassment then you did it. You’re under so much stress already, you’ve had to quit your job to study, you’ve had to give up your extracurricular. You don’t sleep. You don’t eat. There is no room for another weight on your shoulders. So you conform. And you pray to whatever God there might be that you remember what is required on the day of your exam and that is your ticket out of there. When speaking to people about this, everyone I asked had a similar negative experience. Nobody could put their finger on why they’d acted how they did. But now, in college, we all let it go because we just know it was something bigger than us. I know grown adults who have nightmares about their Leaving Cert. I remember girls who never spoke and just studied night and day for a ticket out. Secondary school is all in all a factory, trying to pump out an image of the new generation of studious, ruddy cheeked smiling girls and boys, and it failed because of their sky high expectations of what that end product had to be. After the last few years we have all seen the failings of the secondary school system and how it assesses students, yet it remains outdated and damaging towards its students. Nothing lasts the comforting truth that got me through those years, and ultimately it is the thing secondary school tries to convince us is incorrect. But cliques are meaningless. Uniforms are ironically not a one size fits all. And if any secondary school student is reading this, I promise you - it is nothing like how the real world is. The real world is open, free, and you have the power to choose and determine your life’s path. The moment you graduate is the moment the future is put in your hands. Persevere with the knowledge that it really does get better.

- FROM SOMEONE WHO NEEDED TO BE TOLD THIS SEVEN YEARS AGO. FEATURES & OPINIONS

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

Article by Hannah Emerson

his month, the Motley book club delved into the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel The Colour Purple by Alice Walker. Published in 1984, the book has been subject to major spotlight alongside sizeable controversy, making it onto the American Library Association of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books. This is largely down to the somewhat controversial topics it covers, from sexual abuse, male violence against women, and what was controversial at the time of publication – homosexuality.

The novel is described as an ‘epistolary novel’, meaning it follows the form of a series of documents, in this case, letters, written by the protagonist Celie. Celie addresses these letters to ‘God’, and later in the book to her sister, Nettie, who had escaped the horrors of their childhood having run away from home at a young age. These letters, littered with mistaken grammar and an obvious stroke of naivety, clearly show Celie’s lack of education and the deep vulnerability of her existence. This vulnerability is largely accounted for by her general place in society, a black person living in rural Georgia in the early 1900’s, but is also down to her exceptionally unlucky and traumatic circumstances. Sexually abused by her own father and later given hand in marriage to an older widower referred to in the book as ‘Mister – ‘, who needs a women to look after his children and “keep the house clean”, Celie’s life has been one of filled with abusive men and stunted autonomy. This string of men in Celie’s life, who view her as merely a vessel to be obtained and used, provides Celie with what can lightly be described as a warped view of what relationships are supposed to look like. Celie and Mister’s relationship is one of convenience (for him), lacking in any true love or care, and is sadly filled with emotional and sexual abuse.

FEATURES & OPINIONS

It becomes evident in the novel that Celie view of sex is one of obligation, that sex is a masculine need, fulfilled on demand by the female. As the novel progresses, we meet Shug. Shug is a mistress of Mister and falling ill she stays with Celie and Mister to be nursed back to health. While reading this, it did strike me as odd, that the Mistress of a man would so casually board with the man and his wife but I think this was highlighting further just how much Celie and mister’s relationship was one so devoid of any emotional ties. Shug is a character with vigour and spirit, outspoken and with a strong sense of self, she is a character of extreme contrast to Celie, the two women become close companions and go on to fulfil a sexual relationship. Compared to Shug’s sexual openness and experience, Celie is transversing completely new terrain, discovering what fulfils her sexual needs and what sexuality she may identify as. The second half of the book is focused more on the letters between Celie and her sister Nettie. Nettie works as a missionary in Africa and in her letters back to Celie, she describes her discovery of new cultures and her exotic adventures, all written in a prosaic and eloquent manner. The obvious gap in schooling between the two sisters, clear from the contents of their letters, highlights the randomness but profound effect of one’s initial life experiences on their outcome. This book is one of extreme emotional depth and captures the sometimes frustratingly unaware outlook of the characters so well. Walker intelligently explores what it means to exist at the bottom of the food chain, existing as a black woman in a world and era when racism and misogyny are not just rife, but an accepted part of the furniture of society. The Colour Purple does not shy away from difficult topics but through the use of first-person narrative in the form of letters, this book so perfectly portrays the complex outlook of one existing as the oppressed in a devastatingly unequal society. A must read for all, The Colour Purple has been added to my evergrowing list of favourite books.

Horoscopes - March 2022 By Cian McDonnell As the second semester nears its end, find out what fate has in store for you with this month's horoscopes.

Aries You will start an assignment within three hours of the deadline, resulting in a poor end product. I didn’t even need the stars to predict that. You’re just so bad at time management that it’ll definitely happen at some point this month. Good luck!

Taurus The Hyades cluster shines brightly in your constellation, allowing the red star Aldebaran to exert its chaotic power over you. So don’t be alarmed if you “see red” over the course of this month. You tend to be an angry person anyway, so maybe it’ll just be normal for you.

Gemini You will run into your evil twin, who has been roaming the campus of UCC for several months. As is customary for Geminis, you must fight them to the death for the right to your appearance and likeness. If this sounds ridiculous, remember that this is an astrology column, and stupider things have been said.

Cancer After your crab infestation last month, you will learn the benefits of protected sex. Given that you’re a college student, it’s sort of worrying that you got this far without knowing already, but better late than never. Unless it’s too late.

Leo The passing of a distant relative will cause a rift in your family, starting a long and drawn-out inheritance war. You should be kind to your siblings and try to ensure that everyone gets their share. Otherwise, you’ll just blow it all within a week.

Virgo After a wonderful first date where you discussed your views of the world, your Tinder match will go completely silent on you. It’s disappointing, sure, but there’s a whole list of possible reasons for this. Think about it - they were dating you. Can you really blame them for ghosting?

Libra JAs this month finally marks the end of winter, now is a perfect time for you to go outside and get some exercise in the open air. You’ve never been very big on “doing” anything physical though, so this might be difficult. Especially when the couch is so much more inviting.

Scorpio Living in a country with no scorpions, you often feel somewhat detached from your environment. This month will see you planning to move somewhere warmer, with less rain. More power to you! Everyone here wants you to leave as well.

Sagittarius With the return of college balls, you will look forward to having some fun again after the lockdowns. Still, pre-pandemic mischief means you’re banned from the majority of hotels in Cork, so the real miracle will be finding a place that’ll let you in.

Capricorn Three planets exert their power on you this month, vying to control your actions. You may notice some mood swings, and will generally be emotionally unpredictable. Then again, you’re like that anyway, so maybe it’ll just be a normal month for you.

Aquarius A strange dream will open your eyes to the truths of life. You will learn how to fix all of your problems, like your bad grades and uncertain relationship status. Of course, there’s still the fact that you believe in astrology and dream interpretation, but that’s unfixable at this stage.

Pisces The Sun moves into your sphere this month, just in time for the equinox. Its powerful influence will finally give you some balance in your lifestyle. So you’ll finally work up the discipline to stop eating four thousand calories a day.

FEATURES & OPINIONS

A Love Letter to the College Environment s the semester draws to a close and we brace ourselves for the onslaught of the first in-person exam season in almost three years, a familiar atmosphere has begun to envelope UCC once again.

It’s hard to imagine studying or working anywhere else, especially now that I’ve invested a few years’ worth of life savings in Coffee Dock with nothing other than a Starbucks dependency to show for it.

A decent seat in the Boole Library is becoming near impossible to find, and every area on campus is occupied by students ranging from those who look as if they’ve never enjoyed a full night’s sleep in their lives, to those who are giddy with the sort of pent-up energy that comes as a result of spending four straight hours hunched over a far-fromfinished assignment.

I’d like to think that the memories made during those conversations over coffee were priceless, but the coffee was actually really expensive, and the same memories probably could have been made in a more frugal way.

Records are probably unknowingly being broken before our eyes for the highest ever number of empty Monster cans per square metre of desk space. While it’s understandable that most of us will dread and resent the stress and overwhelming pressure that is sure to hit over the next few weeks, I’d like to tentatively suggest that we learn to see the beauty underneath it all. For those of us unfortunate enough to be in our final year of studies in these hallowed halls, the sense of nostalgia is truly starting to hit as we realise that our days as undergraduate students are numbered. The excitement for a long summer is overshadowed by the acknowledgment that we might have to grow up a bit; reallife responsibilities are on the horizon, such as avoiding the temptation to drink yourself into oblivion on a Thursday night if you have something important to do on Friday morning. A shocking and horrifying notion. What I think I’ll miss the most is the sense of community and collegiality that we’re lucky to have in UCC; it’s so common to run into a friend or classmate and spend an hour avoiding study together.

FEATURES & OPINIONS

Expenditure regrets aside, there are so many aspects of the college environment to mourn once the university/student love affair comes to an end. The excitement before a night out, and the recaps shared the next morning; the unbelievably comforting impact of hearing your friends say, “I haven’t started that either” the first time all year that you get to sit outside, admire the Quad and realise you don’t feel the need to complain about how ‘Baltic’ it is; the gossip exchanged quietly before and during classes which would have made for a very boring hour otherwise; the cosy casual pints enjoyed after a long day of pretending to be busy. While I say this very apprehensively for fear of sounding like a rom-com protagonist, I do wish I could go back and enjoy all of it again, but without worrying so much about what was to come. For now, I’ll try my best to make the most of my final few weeks; if you hear me complaining once exams come around about how much I hate it here and can’t wait to escape, please save me a deal of embarrassment and pretend you never read this.

By Róisín Dunlea

To Cork City in the Rain By Cormac Donovan O’Neill Cold coffee rippling in the wind and a gleaming on the pavement, and here on Carey’s Lane a radio hums throughout all the awnings of home. Wet wheels bloom water and buffet the shops, peppering boots and misting high terraces, the crackling rain like a record in spin and a blanket of silence shutters streets and sputters bus-lights across the Quay Road through puddles and sheets, like orange suns across the asphalt. Dear rhythms sound on silver cars at the back of the Parliament Bridge as tender downpours time the beat of every huddled talk. And it’s a gorgeous thing for clouds to part, to see the sun caress the stone But still, embrace familiar rain, and metronomic perfections of home.

FEATURES & OPINIONS

An Environment of Ignorance - The Horrors of Irish Sex Education By Chloe Boland

Trigger Warning: This article mentions instances of sexual assault. Please refrain from reading this article if you feel like you will be triggered. Support will be listed at the end of this article if you would like to reach out for help.

ub-par experiences of sex education seem to be far too common an experience of students in Irish secondary schools, especially for those of us in the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a topic I could talk about to no end and a solid 90% of the people I talk to are, rather unfortunately, in agreement that the sex education they received was insufficient. Ireland has a longstanding, and what I guess we could call toxic, relationship with the Catholic Church that somehow manages to seep into nearly every aspect of life in Ireland with seemingly no escape. Education, particularly sex education, has not escaped the clutch of the Catholic Church. The current sex education curriculum, which thankfully is under review, has been in place since the mid-1990s. Bearing in mind, this is an Ireland where homosexuality had just been decriminalised in 1993, and where abortion and divorce were still illegal. Irish society has progressed in many ways since this curriculum was introduced, it is high time that the curriculum was updated to be more in line with the society we live in.

FEATURES & OPINIONS

We have to give credit where credit is due, and the curriculum is under review at the moment meaning change is finally coming and not a moment too soon.

Speaking anecdotally, there are a lot of things I could say about my experience of sex education. Incompetent. Lacking. (Low-key traumatising, but we’ll save that for therapy).

However, as someone who is always ready to criticise the world we live in, I’m not happy to just take the current review as good enough, particularly when the Catholic Church is still spreading its wings over Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in this country.

The influence of the Church in my little rural school harboured an environment of complete ignorance regarding issues related to sex and sexuality, that let us all into the big bad world of reality without any proper knowledge of consent, or healthy relationships, or gender, or sexuality, or safe sex. Preaching abstinence as the only solution.

As recently as last year, a new RSE programme for primary schools was introduced. This new programme, Flourish, was prepared by Catholic Bishops and it teaches that sex and puberty are “gifts from God”. While the already inadequate, Catholicinfluenced curriculum is under review, a new programme is introduced that was created by Catholic bishops, is there really no escape? A not-so-fun fact about our RSE curriculum is that the delivery of RSE is at the total discretion of individual schools to be in line with their school’s ethos and local community’s values. This means it is well within the guidelines of the curriculum that a programme such as Flourish, that teaches sex is a gift from God and marriage should be between a man and a woman, can exist and be taught in our schools. Given that over 90% or primary schools and over 50% of secondary schools are under Catholic patronage, this is far too many students being given sex education that falls below what was ever standard, but especially below the standard of modern society.

Denying the existence of trans and non-binary people. Letting us know that gay people do exist but telling us you’re more than likely not gay, I mean God forbid you were, what shame that would bring to the local community. Never teaching about consent but allowing debates about various rape trials and allowing the narrative of “she was asking for it” a place in these debates - no mind given to the impact this could have on anyone. There were so many issues in all different areas of our RSE and while I would love to write about all of them I’m not sure anyone has the time to read everything that needs to be said. One area that we were particularly failed, not just in my experience, but in the experiences of far too many young people is regarding sex education for LGBTQ+ students. In my experience it was non-existent and I’m not alone in this.

For many others, it existed, but barely scratched the surface. From a curriculum that was created in a society where homosexuality was only just decriminalised and still highly stigmatised it’s hardly surprising that this was the experience of so many students. Lack of surprises aside, growing up and being educated in such an environment has lasting impacts on young LGBTQ+ people, from confusion about identity, to loneliness and isolation, to a lack of proper knowledge on sex, gender and non-heterosexual sex leading to anywhere from bad to unsafe experiences.

only adds to the hardship and confusion. There aren’t even words that can begin to describe the impact of hearing that your existence is a sin and that you’re going to hell, or never being taught that your gender or your sexuality even exists. (Cue 14 year old me crying myself to sleep thinking I’m going to hell). If our education system that is supposed to be providing RSE to all students is failing so many students by ignoring their existence or teaching them that their existence is wrong, then it is no surprise that so many students are going in search of information in other places.

From an environment of ignorance to one of toxicity, a huge problem connected to our incompetent sex education system is where students are left to go and find this knowledge. If not from the older generations who fear conversations of sex like it’s the devil or our lazy education system where do young people go in search of this information?

However, these “other places” that young people are seeking their information from only adds to the problem. Poor media representation and questionable websites are not healthy spaces for young people to be finding information or good resources to help them discover themselves.

The dark corners of the internet was it for far too many of us. Tumblr. PornHub. NSFW Twitter. Various other questionable websites. It goes without saying these are not safe, not accurate places to be getting information. Discovering one’s sexuality and/or gender is no easy task. It’s hard. It’s confusing. It can be incredibly lonely, even isolating as you try to figure yourself out feeling very different from those around you. Growing up in and being educated in an environment of such ignorance

Gay people being the butt of every joke, lesbians being oversexualised for male entertainment, trans women being protrayed as evil, I mean the list of poor media representation goes on. Imagine the impact of only ever seeing your gender or your sexualtiy being protrayed as a joke or as something bad. That impact stays with you for a long time and requires a lot of unlearning as you grow older. Relying on porn as the only representation of different queer sexual

relationships is not only innacurrate but it also creates an unrealistic and damaging impression of what sex should be or should look like, which, like many of the other issues already discussed, can have lasting negative impacts on people. It’s clear that the influence of the Catholic Church over our RSE has created serious issues within the curriculum, and that the content and its delivery are problematic at best. But I think it’s important that we not only look at these issues but the impact they have on the students. As Dr. Caroline West often says our sexual health is just as important as our physical or mental health, and this needs to be reflected in our sex edcuation. If they can teach us Pythagorus’ Theorem, or the formation of waterfalls, or how to conjugate the passé composé, and make sure we understand it, then surely it’s just as important to teach about issues pertaining to sexual health that have real impacts on our day to day lives.

Supports Cork Sexual Violence Centre - 1800 496 496 Rape Crisis Help - 1800 778 888 UCC Niteline - 1800 32 32 42

FEATURES & OPINIONS

Pachyderms in a man’s world

by Shruti Rajgopal

n the most recent short series on Netflix, Inventing Anna, there’s a scene between Nora and Dona, standing in a store (Bergdorf Goodman) where they talk about a stuffed peacock that was perched on display and how Dona volunteered to protect animals in the wildlife as requested by her grandson.

Neither the episode nor the series focuses on taxidermy, let alone protection of animals in the wild. However, there are distinct examples of creatures taken out of their zone of comfort from the sixteenth century. If a human being is displaced from their comfort zone, they begin to react instantaneously. The feeling of homesickness, coddled with various other elements contributes to their mood swings and emotional outbursts. However, do we ever question the circumstances we posit on a creature that can neither express its situation nor deny the decisions taken for them? Aristotle considered man above all social beings due to their distinct ability to be able to use language which distinguishes them from any other creature. Bipedalism was one of the features that portrayed them to be distinct in the course of evolution, but the skill of learning a language and using it to express their opinions and suggest alternatives for any or every situation is what sets them apart. Displacement of a being is a choice, be it man or animal. If the current world already has not proven that point, then ignorance is truly bliss. In the early 1500s, there was an immense interest taken in migrating wildlife for the pleasure of people who belonged to a higher position in the social strata. Special concerns were shown for animals that were nurtured in the wild in the East.

Animals such as elephants, rhinoceros and giraffes were favoured in order to be brought to Europe and the fate of these creatures were decided once they arrived along the ports of countries such as Portugal. Not only were the journeys long and toilsome, but they proved to be painful for such animals, as the modes of transport were not specifically designed for their transportation. This meant that animals were forced into inconvenient and uncomfortable positions for months together to travel such a distance. Out of the animals that were transported, two of them are renowned in historical records, Hanno, the elephant and Ganda, the rhino. Both creatures were accompanied by native caretakers, who were sponsored and brought to the West in order to care for the creatures. The elephant and the rhino were brought to Portugal and were later sent as a gift to Pope Leo X. While the elephant survived both the journeys, the rhino sadly drowned on his path to Rome (For further reading, see Silvio Bedini, The Pope’s Elephant). What seems rather interesting is how animals were made to travel to such distant lands, by making them move from their natural habitat and surroundings. It’s a wonder how such creatures survived not only the journey but lived for a few years in areas and temperatures that they may not have been accustomed to. As per Darwin’s theory of natural selection, its survival of the fittest, whether people of the sixteenth century realised this is a question well posed in historical research. While these narratives were encouraged on the basis of the fables and fantasies of the east, how man treats creatures in the twenty first century still marvels me. A half of the world adores all creatures – human and animal, large and small, and follows all notions of binary division, the other half portrays a rather grotesque nature in their survival. The recent circumstances that the world is subjected to is response enough to speak about the turbulent lives that animals lead.

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oncretisation has led many animals to sprawl along the urban areas that are otherwise known to be of use to humankind. Urban sprawl – a term quite popular in architectural lingo determines how land is encroached upon for financial and economic benefits.

In a few regions, monkeys are seen jumping from one balcony to another. In other regions, birds are seen flying for miles in search of vegetation and greenery where they could build a nest. If such harsh treatments in the name of urbanisation did not suffice man’s response to renewable resources and in turn their avariciousness to animal kind, there are other ways in which animals are treated that brings them down the scale of gradation. In the last few years, there have been various such articles that have been circulating through platforms on social media as to how animals separated from their herd have suffered from depression, anxiety and obesity. In the last year, an elephant (Kaavan) that lived with his partner (Saheli) in Pakistan was recorded to have suffered from these circumstances, until finally he was transferred to Cambodia.

Reading about Kaavan, I realised that this pachyderm was also presented as a gift from Sri Lanka to Pakistan in the late 1900s. What broke my heart was an article that went viral over two years ago about how one such pachyderm was tricked into eating a pineapple that was stuffed with firecrackers. It was found that the elephant was pregnant, and both the mother and the baby were completely annihilated because of the charm of the tropical fruit. The other half, irrespective of the denomination, needs to realise that nature, like man, can only endure so much of the latter’s travesty. Animals of every form and shape contribute not just to the food chain but are an integral part of our ecosystem. We need to stop harnessing and harassing them in such ways. There have been various wake-up calls reminding man that nature is not a bottomless well, that one keeps scraping to find more. Both the elephant and her infant were found dead after devouring the fruit. Seems like man likes to earmark the world as his territory, forgetting that every creature plays an integral role in this wide world. Here’s an ode to the poor creature who endured a future she did not deserve.

ELEPHANTICIDE Five days in a row She stayed indoors Hoping to be fed, Hoping to be found, Then came the sixth, And she fell for a bait. Wrapped in a fruit, she took a whiffIt smelt fresh, it looked ripe. She took a bite, The little one inside sniffed the bite, And at the sixth hour, both lives, inside and out, Withered away. Just like the fruit, they lay still. They looked pale and dead. Who would have thought humanity could fall to this end, To carry an elephant to nether land! But wait, why should she befall such a fate, She rests in peace in paradise, whereas man nestles in nether land.

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Come On In, The Water’s Fine’

A REVIEW OF

bo burnham’s

INSIDE By Jessica O’ Brien

On May 30th, 2021, former comedian and musician Bo Burnham appeared from the shadows of our level four lockdown with a gift - a brand new Netflix comedy special titled Inside. After five years of a surprise indefinite hiatus, Burnham emerged just when the world needed him with a one hour and thirty minute show, filmed, produced, directed, written by him. The only piece of information given about it was that it had been filmed entirely by Burnham himself during 2020, in lockdown inside his home, alone. I had watched a few old YouTube videos of Burnham from 2010 he was known for his musical comedy and unapologetically truthful and almost too close to the bone songs. I did not anticipate the genius and poignancy of his lyrics, how jam-packed with emotion it would be, or how brilliantly self aware he would be. Consisting of twenty original songs, all strategically placed throughout the special, Burnham takes us through the emotional impact of quarantining during the pandemic, when we relied on social media more than ever as the only available way to connect. Yet he keeps his signature wit and moves the special along effortlessly, making the audience wince, widen their eyes, cry, and laugh at the insanity that all of us have felt during lockdown. Burnham couples this with beautiful cinematography that affords us an intimate look into the meticulous crafting of every phrase, every lighting choice, every camera shot. As a fellow writer, the perfectionist tendencies and the anxiety induced by political correctness are depicted palpably here. Burnham captures the sensation of impending madness and the feeling of defeat expertly. He conveys this in song form with ‘Problematic,’ and quite literally puts his blood, sweat and tears into the visuals, whilst still maintaining humour and lightness.

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I have genuinely never seen anything like it, and I don’t think I ever will again. During 2020, Burnham turned thirty, and grappled with an existential crisis as he filmed and wrote the special, and we see this in the in-between moments where he talks directly to us as an audience. He treats it like a live show - we get songs, we get skits, we get the perfect balance of humour and seriousness as he tackles what social media has become since he first joined it at age eighteen. Inside is one of those pieces of art that you see once and have to take a few weeks to formulate words on what you just experienced. To this day I’m not sure if I’d class it as a comedy, but I laugh throughout it. It’s not a documentary though, it is a full-on show in all aspects. Its ambiguity matches the vague answers to the qualms he discusses throughout the special. It makes you want to stop and process what you just heard, but it is paced so magnificently that you don’t get the time. Reflecting the true experience of social media, Inside is merciless with its quick flash changes of emotion - taking the world’s darkest problems and presenting them in a child’s song. Suddenly switching to a sixty second disco piece about Jeff Bezos that you initially laugh at but then realise, oh god capitalism midway. Burnham manages to break away from the parasocial relationship online figures usually have with their fans, and somehow connects seamlessly with a generation that he admits he knows he doesn’t fit in anymore. I would recommend ‘Inside’ to everyone. Even if you don’t like to delve into deeper meanings, you still get something from it and the songs are brilliant. It’s your choice as to how deep you want to interpret the special and the visuals. Inside is out exclusively on Netflix, and the album of the songs is out on all streaming platforms and YouTube. It is a time capsule of this pandemic and this moment in time with social media that people will refer to for decades after. I cannot wait to see what comes out of it as it seems to be the gift that keeps on giving, and I also wait with anticipation for what Burnham will create next. Somehow I know it’s going to be just as revolutionary.

HOW THE RIDDLER MIRRORS THE ALT-RIGHT By Matthew Quill Riddle me this Batman: who’s green, enjoys puzzles and bears an uncomfortable resemblance to right-wing pundits on the internet? If you guessed Paul Dano’s portrayal of the Riddler in the latest Batman film, you’d be right!

If this all sounds a bit familiar, it’s because it is. It can be directly compared with the actions of groups associated with internet commentators, such as Nicholas Fuentes’ Groypers, before events like the January 2021 attack on the US Capitol building.

The Riddler has always been an interesting character to analyse in how he sees himself a step above even the great detective in terms of intelligence and lateral thinking. While he’s often portrayed as somewhat of a joke-like character that occasionally takes things too far, this façade is dropped entirely in his latest incarnation, who takes strong cues from the Zodiac Killer and similar murderers that incorporate sick games into their crime sprees.

The Groypers are so-named for their avatar of a large cartoon frog who originated as a meme on 4chan, and are the embodiment of all forms of online hate. While it’s true that then-incumbent president Donald Trump himself had a role in allowing those events to unfold, it was commentators such as Fuentes using their massive online followings that stirred the pot to a boiling point.

Yet it is not his tendency for toying with his victims and the Batman which I would like to look at, but his affinity for upsetting social order which closely mirrors the behaviors of high-profile figures in the alt-right. Throughout the film, we see the Riddler utilize his social media following to unroot the rot that he views in Gotham City, from its government, to its police department and eventually targeting Bruce Wayne himself as the pinnacle of corruption in society. He uses message boards which are eerily similar to sites like 4chan, where his followers share information on how to make explosives, which eventually culminates in a plan to flood Gotham City in a literal manifestation of a biblical flood, thereby purging the city of all who are corrupt.

This is often accomplished by indoctrinating people with fundamentalist conservative upbringings through seemingly reasonable talking points, such as the questioning of authority, before spiraling into radical conspiracy theories - the most prominent one being QAnon. QAnon adherents believes in an event known as “The Storm”, whereby on Trump’s orders, the corrupt members of a globe-spanning cabal of childabusing celebrities, politicians and public figures, will be ousted and publicly executed. Some had believed that the Capitol attack itself was “The Storm”, and were left disappointed but no less disillusioned when this did not come to pass. It is thus hard not to compare the Riddler's campaign against corruption in Gotham with the actions of individuals such as Fuentes, who willingly seed misinformation in the minds of vulnerable, troubled people and communities, who then take it upon themselves to take terrible actions against those who they believe have wronged society. It is somewhat ironic that up until their final confrontation, the Riddler had believed that Batman was on his side, and that they had equal roles in dishing out justice to those who deserved it, but when Batman rejects this characterisation, the Riddler is left a broken, shattered man. Much like the Riddler, individuals within these hateful movements truly believe they are benefitting society, while being blinded to the truth by those who they follow.

ENTERTAINMENT

THE ECCENTRIC GENIUS OF KATE BUSH’S

THE DREAMING A 1982 CULT CLASSIC By James Kemmy

The set of ideas presented within Kate Bush’s fourth and selfproclaimed “mad” album were her most radical and independent yet upon release in September 1982. Written, composed, and produced entirely by Bush at the age of just twenty-three, The Dreaming symbolises her transformation from an ethereal, romance-obsessed teenage balladeer (“It’s me, your Cathy’s” shrieks come to mind) to a highly singular and experimental musician, entirely in control of her artistic output. Hailing from Bexleyheath, Kent, Bush demonstrated her prodigious musical talent from a young age, writing the majority of material for her first album, The Kick Inside, by the time she was just fourteen years of age. After being discovered by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, and following a prolific threeyear period in the late 1970s which saw as many album releases, Bush retreated deeper into the production process and emerged with her most innovative body of work to date. This magnum opus of an album is a dense and cacophonous sonic landscape, with the prog-rock pioneer illustrating a multitude of political and personal themes here. The result is a truly unique and bewildering piece of work. Its theatrical eccentricities have since been inherited by striking contemporary artists such as Bjork, Tori Amos, Florence Welch,

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St. Vincent, Marina Diamandis and Bat For Lashes, all of whom cite Bush as a major influence on their work. Overall, The Dreaming is an outlier within the extensive catalogue of Kate Bush because its legacy finds it as both a fan favourite and commercial failure at the same time. The startling Sat In Your Lap is the optimal opener, depicting humanity’s endless search for knowledge and wisdom yet experiencing frustration at our laziness to devote the effort needed to achieve such success. “I want to be a lawyer/I want to be a scholar/But I really can’t be bothered/Oh just give it quick, gimme it!”. The chaotic percussion and bamboo-stick whipping combined with Bush’s shrill shrieking instantly commands the listener’s attention and provides a provocative sample of the intensity that is soon to follow. Regarding its lyrical department, The Dreaming is thoughtprovoking and intense. For example, the dark humour of the Cockney-accented There Goes A Tenner reveals Bush’s unique knack for storytelling and drops subtle nods to political unrest, while Suspended In Gaffa focuses on the elusive nature of spirituality with childlike whispers such as: “I caught a glimpse of a god”. Furthermore, the message within the album’s penultimate song, Houdini, an ode to the eccentric magician narrated from the perspective of his wife, is portrayed on the cover art with Bush’s open mouth subtly revealing an interesting object:

“with a kiss I’d pass the key”

The use of production equipment was taken to new heights on The Dreaming and Bush even provides advice on the vinyl sleeve on how best to enjoy the record’s futuristic intensity, writing “this album was made to be played loud”. For example, on Leave It Open, the album’s mid-point, the Fairlight sampler is utilised to create a ghostly hiss through which Bush vows to embrace her instinctive self-expression and banish feelings of self-consciousness and inhibition, the closing lines emphatically urging: “Say what we’re gonna let in! We let the weirdness in!” That she certainly does. The role of narrator is used very fluidly throughout this LP’s storytelling, with Bush channeling multiple characters from song to song. For instance, on Pull Out the Pin, a track inspired by a documentary Bush watched on the Vietnam War, she howls from the point of view of a young local soldier

CAPTIVATED BY THE INTENSITY OF CONFLICT Despite the adrenaline-inducing environment of the battlefield, the narrator possesses razor-sharp observational skills, highlighting the features of American soldiers that are so alien to him. Furthermore, she portrays the crafty nature of the Vietnamese fighters who used guile and shrewdness as opposed to the brutal force of the Americans: “Who needs radar?/ We use scent/ They stink of the West, stink of sweat”. Again, politically tinged language is utilised, as Bush uses the bizarre, panting title track to provide an illustration of colonialism’s destruction. This time however, the setting is an aboriginal community and the narrator performs from the perspective of the imperialist. “Erase the race that claim the place/ Then say we dig for ore” is the disturbing, monotone chant, set against a wall of animal noises and droning didgeridoos. There is a tribal and murky atmosphere conveyed here,

VIVID LIKE A DREAM. And while the Aussie-accented Bush discusses the plight and displacement of indigenous people, the sonic landscape soon builds into something hellish and surreal.

Despite all the strangeness that precedes it, nothing tops the unhinged closing track Get Out Of My House, inspired by both Stephen King’s novel The Shining and Ridley Scott’s film Alien. This final song is genuinely frightening, with bloodcurdling screams jumping out unexpectedly. The lyrics here lead the listener to think that there is an instinctively primal essence to the story; the narrator, a terrified woman hiding in her home from a sinister intruder. However, when one looks deeper into the track’s meaning, its ingenious nature is revealed. There is a metaphorical element at play here, with the house symbolising Bush’s mind. She desperately wants to banish some toxic force from her psyche and is terrified of allowing anyone in out of the

TRAUMA THAT STILL HAUNTS HER FROM THE PAST Despite her terror at the male presence however, the anguished woman stands resolute in her refusal to open up and let anyone in; “I will not let you in/ I turn into the wind/ I change into the mule”. The album ends on a truly hair-raising note with the final ninety seconds filled entirely by feral screams and unintelligible chanting; the ultimate exorcism. Overall, The Dreaming is an exceptionally original album which showcases Bush’s immeasurable intellect and wild creativity like none other. It is her boldest, richest, and most unique record which is both captivating and slightly scary. Perhaps the greatest trait of this album is how multifaceted it is; Bush is profound, theatrical, mysterious, witty, daring, and ethereal all at once. There is a feeling that each of the songs here could be made into a movie with their prosaic depth and cinematic qualities. This record has stood the test of time and sounds as fresh and unusual even forty years later. Undoubtedly, The Dreaming ranks among Bush’s finest releases and genuinely

DESERVES THE OFT-OVERUSED DESCRIPTION OF MASTERPIECE.

ENTERTAINMENT

HOW ACCURATELY DOES

SALLY ROONEY’S NORMAL PEOPLE DEPICT THE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT

ith the upcoming TV release of Conversations with Friends, it seems a fitting time to re-examine the honesty of the Castlebar-born writer’s literary triumph.

Sally Rooney’s sophomore novel ‘Normal People’ illustrates the tumultuous and eye-opening experiences of two precocious young people from the west of Ireland as they deal with the transition from living in a rural, insular town to university life in cosmopolitan Dublin. Although romance is the central pillar of the story, Rooney’s stark prose encompasses a vast multitude of thematic issues including social class, mental health and sexuality, all portrayed in a quintessentially Irish, yet universal manner. Despite having multiple settings which range from Sligo to Italy, the novel’s primary sense of place lies in Trinity College Dublin, where Rooney depicts a daringly honest characterisation of the contemporary university lifestyle. Firstly, one of the most significant elements of the story - moving to a new city full of strangers and leaving the familiar comfort of your old home behind - is portrayed very accurately by the author. Although we are presented with two contrasting experiences of such a transition, both brilliantly demonstrate the ways in which university life can either get off to a promising and exciting beginning or a more underwhelming and lonely one. In a reversal of their previous roles, Connell, who was respected for his sociability and sporting prowess back home in Sligo, struggles to make friends in college. Furthermore, he comes across as uninteresting and even somewhat of a philistine to his opinionated and cultured peers, all of whom come from affluent backgrounds. In contrast, Marianne thrives in an environment in which she can finally express her strong opinions and freely exercise her maturity. At its heart, the novel contains a boldly realistic representation of how

ONE’S FIRST EXPERIENCE OF TRUE INDEPENDENCE can bring with it complex and powerful discoveries of the self. Furthermore, the challenging and fleeting nature of relationships is excellently presented in ‘Normal People’. Through sharp characterisation, Rooney bluntly illustrates the awkwardness and difficulty experienced by many adolescents in attempting to find meaning through others.

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I personally found the storyline to be refreshingly nuanced in this sense, as the healthy and positive relationships forged by the two protagonists are countered by toxic and damaging ones in a very realistic fashion. In addition, the novel presents a precisely generational commentary on how young adults form relationships with one another in today’s world. While we are undoubtedly more casual than previous generations in the way that our sexual and social connections are carried out, ‘Normal People’ proves that this does not necessarily mean there is any less substance, tenderness or depth behind such relationships. A fresh perspective on the

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND SENSITIVITY OF MILLENNIALS is evoked here which is perhaps a key factor in the monumental relatability of this story. Similarly, the novel poignantly highlights just how rare true friendship is. While the initially popular Connell has endless cohorts of admirers in school, his time in college soon leads to a revelation of just how vapid and shallow these connections were. Likewise, Marianne, who easily establishes friendships in Trinity with her magnetic personality, gradually comes to see that the carelessness of her friends’ actions leads to destructive, self-abasing behaviour and acute insecurity. Ultimately, this novel can be defined as a profound illustration of how young people desperately search to find meaning through connection. While it may not be the most poetically descriptive addition to contemporary literature, its sparse and striking writing style serves as a valuable contribution to modern fiction. I wholeheartedly enjoyed ‘Normal People’ and believe it is a future classic with its unmistakably raw depiction of the inner torments of young people and razorsharp portrait of modern university life.

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Mark and Sharon were getting along fine They’d bonded over Bake Off and cheap Tesco wine. Mark didn’t mind Sharon’s short stubby toes And she grew to like the greasy wart on his nose.

in t he act

To appear more attractive, Mark shaved his head And to Sharon’s delight, it worked wonders in bed. Yes, despite their looks, the couple were happy, Their friends, however, found them uncomfortably sappy As, one day in the library, sudden impulse took hold Horny as a brass band, so brazen, so bold. Marky had a Johnny, there was no time to waste They rushed for the toilets in all manner of haste. A disabled loo, on the third floor worked best So they stripped off and well- you know the rest. But it was as the pair were well past third base That a peculiar look came over Mark’s face “Already?!” said Sharon. This had happened before. “No!” whispered Mark, pointing at the door. Sharon turned and was struck with shock Someone outside was fiddling the lock. Sharon felt like an ass, a complete loser. Denying toilet access to a wheelchair user? While she was inside getting more than a kiss Outside a person was dying for a piss! The mortification of emerging from the jacks And trying to conceal the bulge in Mark’s slacks The couple’s self respect was all but diminished. Mark cried “Sharon, come on I’m nearly finished” But Sharon knew this was not right at all Alas, Mark would have to live on with chronic blue balls. She’d never hear the end of it, but that wasn’t the issue They’d have to just clean themselves off with a tissue They straightened themselves up and prepared for the shame They’d never again play this dangerous game The door swung open and a strange sight was found The person waiting was not at all wheelchair bound There was no need for guilt or admittance of sin As outside another couple were waiting to jump in! In the end, Sharon no longer felt such a slag As she closed the door and finished her shag.

ENTERTAINMENT FASHION & BEAUTY

Sustainable Beauty Brands By Sarah Collins Let’s be real for a second, searching for sustainable beauty products is no simple task- the beauty world is rife with marketing jargon, false promises, and a startling amount of 'greenwashing.' A glass container, for instance, might be more easily recyclable than a plastic tub, however if it was manufactured and shipped from distance, the air miles may cancel out any environmental advantages. Furthermore, not everything we put in our recycling bins actually makes it through the recycling process: according to studies, only about 9% of virgin plastics generated worldwide are recycled.

However, environmentally aware consumption does not have to be this difficult. There are many ways to lessen the damaging consequences on our earth, from carbon-neutral production processes to vegan-friendly ingredients, reusable containers, and inventive alternative packaging. While none of them are a remedy for our collective consumption dilemma, they are all promising beginnings. Let's deconstruct the realm of eco-beauty, and showcase the most exciting brands and how you may maximise your contributions with the least amount of effort…

The Body Shop The Body Shop has been a leader in sustainable methods in the cosmetics sector since its inception in Brighton in 1976. Since 1987, they've run a community fair trade program that gathers ingredients responsibly and invests in local communities over a lengthy period of time. The Body Shop, which is now a certified B-Corp, is especially devoted to sustainable packaging, using recycled or plant-based packaging whenever possible and providing a recycling program in-store to encourage consumers to reduce their environmental effect. The Body Shop has committed to making all of its bath, body, and hair products completely recyclable by 2025.

Garnier The Cruelty-Free International has officially approved every Garnier item under the Leaping Bunny initiative, making it one of the largest and also most global companies to do so. The Leaping Bunny asks brands to forensically research their entire supply chain, despite the fact that the company has been committed to a world free of animal testing since 1989. To ensure that every inch of its worldwide hair, skin, and body range is cruelty-free, Garnier has spent the last 18 months securing declarations from more than 500 suppliers who supply more than 3,000 distinct ingredients. The historic step follows the brand's 2020 announcement of its Green Beauty project. Garnier has said that it is aiming to reduce its environmental effect in order to boost its sustainability efforts. Zero-waste make-up remover pads, shampoo bars, and entirely compostable sheet masks are among the company's latest products. It has also set a number of goals for itself to meet by 2025. This includes utilising no virgin plastic, operating carbon-neutral manufacturing facilities, and ensuring that all of its plastic packaging is recyclable, reused, or biodegradable.

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You Need To Check Out ! Weleda Weleda's plant materials are sourced from biodynamic or organic farms, as well as regulated wild collection. The Union for Ethical BioTrade has recognized its dedication to biodiversity and ethical treatment of employees; it is one of only two beauty businesses to bear the UEBT mark, and it was the first to obtain a Look For The Zero label, indicating that none of its products includes any kind of plastic.

L’Occitane This company takes pleasure in the fact that it has never given out plastic bags in-store and has been recycling since the 1990s. It claims to have saved 28 tonnes of plastic only by lowering the thickness of packaging; by 2025, it wants all of its bottles to be made entirely of recycled plastic, and every store to offer recycling. They have some fabulous skincare, makeup and fragrance products for every type of budget.

Aveda Aveda has long been a leader in the beauty industry when it comes to sustainability, however recently the company is taking it much farther. Every single hair, skin, and cosmetic product is now completely vegan, following a lengthy reformulation approach. More than 85% of the line is packaged in recycled plastic, and sugarcane-derived bioplastics are currently being tested. Another fascinating development is the new paper-wrapped solid shampoo bar. Furthermore, the company's headquarters is totally powered by wind. More fantastic things are on the way, thanks to the addition of climate activist Arizona Muse as the first Aveda sustainability ambassador.

FASHION & BEAUTY

Sustainable Fashion Brands You Should Follow Online

Sarah Collins shares her favourite online shopping brands that you can support from the comfort of your own home.

Aoife Mcnamara Aoife McNamara was created in 2019 with the goal of pushing the fashion industry's limits and redefining what sustainable design looked like. Aoife McNamara, an Irish designer from Limerick, designs sustainable items inspired by Ireland's untamed beauty and pushed by creative processes. Her goal is to create a community that is built on local collaboration and empowerment.

Instagram: @aoife_ireland Facebook: Aoife mcnamara

Pangaia When it comes to pioneering technology, the colourful loungewear brand is one of the most amazing around, producing materials like FLWRDWNTM and C-FIBERTM to eliminate unnecessary landfill trash and minimise environmental risk. "High-tech naturalism" is the brand's material ethos. This entails using technology, biotech, and nanotech procedures to supplement and enable a new function in areas where nature and agricultural waste are prevalent.

Instagram: @pangaia Tiktok: @thepangaia

ASKET With a unique, permanent selection of timeless garments made to last – picture the ultimate capsule wardrobe of perfect tees, jeans, and sweaters – Stockholm brand ASKET is all about the desire for less. The business has a zerowaste philosophy, employs natural fabrics, and is conscious of its role in the world of fashion, offering complete transparency on each garment's price, impact, sources, and supply chain.

Instagram: @asket Facebook: Asket

Dora Larsen Because most of us definitely don’t want to wear second-hand underwear, sustainable underwear may appear out of grasp. Dora Larsen, fortunately, employs mostly recyclable or natural and organic raw materials and donates 1% of their annual revenue to an environmental charity.

Instagram: @doralarsenlingerie Facebook: Dora Larsen

Stella McCartney Because Stella McCartney is both cruelty-free and extremely transparent, having been a forerunner in providing ecofriendly and vegan materials to the high fashion market. The powerhouse has made many green pledges throughout the years. McCartney now makes everything from undergarments and sportswear to work-ready handbags and evening gowns, so dressing sustainably has never been simpler.

Instagram: @stellamccartney Facebook: Stella McCartney

FASHION & BEAUTY

WHY IS SUSTAINABLE FASHION SO EXPENSIVE In a world where sustainable fashion is becoming increasingly popular for the youth of today, fashion editor Sarah Collins takes a look at why this type of fashion is so expensive. Sustainable fashion applies to garments or accessories that have been produced in the most environmentally friendly manner feasible. Prioritising the environment, factory workers, and urging buyers to purchase only what they need and care for their clothing are all part of this strategy.

After accounting for these variables, the cost of sustainable fashion items can be significantly more than that of fast fashion companies. Let’s take a deeper look at exactly why sustainable fashion is more expensive than running into H&M or Penneys to pick up your favourite pieces of clothing….

ETHICAL SOURCING The most distinguishing feature of sustainable fashion is its environmental friendliness and durability, switching synthetic textiles for gentler, longer-lasting alternatives, a smaller impact is left on the ecosystem in which it is generated. Nevertheless, ethical fashion takes a close look at the process of obtaining these resources in addition to the fabric selection. Synthetic fabrics manufactured from carbon-based materials and hazardous colours harm the air, underground water, and rivers. To meet demand, unrestricted pesticide usage and widespread deforestation exacerbate the problem. Cost begins with raw materials for those who want to take a somewhat more sustainable approach. Natural fibres, such as silk, are more expensive than polyester blends, which are virtually plastic. The kind of raw materials, where the raw materials come from, how and where the item is created, as well as who manufactures the product and in what circumstances, are all aspects that affect the price.

FAIR WAGES Another important issue that influences prices is guaranteeing that workers are paid a reasonable salary. Ethically made clothing offers a living wage, not just a minimum wage, ensuring that the women who manufacture our products may live a life of dignity and security. What does this mean for businesses wanting to create a fair and equal wage system for their employees? The pay is mostly impacted by the nation or area in which the workers live, as this has an effect on the level of lifestyle. Some other factors, such as access to healthcare, transportation, housing, and worker protections, such as layoff and unemployment benefits, are also taken into account in order to provide equal revenue to vulnerable women.

SMALL BATCH PRODUCTION For the fashion sector, the volume of production also acts as a fork in the road. Whilst high-street companies are pushed by immediacy and seasonal trends, slow fashion has arisen as the polar opposite, emphasising the pleasures of a slower pace of consumption while also factoring in manufacturing volume. Fast fashion retailers frequently put repeated orders in order to see what sells. This can include razor-thin profit margins, getting into debt to prepay for fabric, cutting savings by keeping staff on short-term contracts, and undervaluing salaries and demanding long hours of work. Slow fashion advocates for a smaller scale of manufacturing by reconsidering our connection with clothing. Slow fashion cannot benefit from economies of scale since small batch production is more costly than large batch production.

CRAFTSMANSHIP In addition to protecting the environment, ethical fashion places a strong emphasis on preserving and passing down traditional crafts and abilities to future generations. Designers can, for example, cooperate with a nation's historic textile maker, such as an equitably owned weavers association dedicated to preserving the textiles technique. Collaborating with an artisan helps to preserve a modest, family-run, generations-old craft, compared to mass-produced, machine-made garments that threaten a nation's sartorial heritage. The sensible retail transformation aims to erase years of hyper-production, but how can businesses encourage buyers to unlearn when they've been conditioned to demand seasonality and quickness? The work is challenging, but not insurmountable. While fast fashion is all about the latest trends, sustainable fashion is all about timeless style. Offering hyper-customization and marketing one-of-a-kind products is a great strategy for sustainable companies to counteract fast fashion's continuous churn model. Consumers appreciate things that are one-of-a-kind and thoughtfully designed.

FASHION FASHION && BEAUTY BEAUTY

An Irish Subscription Service Changing The Period Game

id you know that plastic is found in astonishing amounts in period products!? According to a study conducted by Natracare back in 2018, up to 90% of period pads are made of plastic. To put this into perspective for you, this probably equates to four plastic shopping bags per pad!! Tampons are mostly made of cotton, however they are frequently covered in a viscose film. The string and the applicator are usually composed of plastic. When you consider that the average woman uses over 11,000 pads or tampons in her entire life, you can see how much plastic waste is generated. This material cannot be recycled. As a result, the vast majority of pads and tampons wind up in landfills, incinerators, or in the sea if flushed down the toilet. Menstrual items were the fifth most prevalent item washed up on European beaches, according to a 2018 European Union report. Are you looking to reduce waste when it comes to that time of the month? Don’t worry, Riley have got you covered! Riley is a period subscription service that was born in West Cork, and the three founders Áine, Fiona and Laura are on a mission to completely end period plastic. Only environmentally friendly pads or tampons are included in the boxes, which are all created in Europe from 100 percent organic certified cotton with no added chemicals or pollutants. Since the tampon applicators are created from sustainable sugarcane and the bulk of their packaging is recyclable, they can be composted even after being used. The team is constantly working hard to make everything composable in the coming months.

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They want you to be aware of what you're putting into your body on a monthly basis. The Riley tampons are made entirely of organic cotton. The Global Organic Textile Standard has approved them. The tampons are made without glue, and the string is weaved and joined without the use of adhesives. This means they're clear of poisons, bleach, and other potentially harmful substances. I had the pleasure of asking the ladies some questions about their business and sustainability, and I was pleasantly surprised with their answers!

How did the whole idea of Riley come about? How the idea came about was actually really organic. Christmas time of 2020, we were up late one night discussing all things periods and the frustrations we all shared around them. Namely how this happens to us every month and how we are never prepared! We thought, wouldn't this be a great subscription service so we never run out? We started market research and very quickly were led down a rabbit hole of discovery - especially when we became aware of the amount of plastic, and perhaps even more shockingly, the amount of toxins and chemicals that were in the products that we had been using all our lives. This was the moment we knew. We had to create a better solution – both for the planet and for our bodies. And before we knew it Riley was born and we’ve never looked back.

Did you learn anything along the way that surprised you all about period products? We were astonished when we started to uncover the facts about our periods and plastic pollution.

Did you know that 1 in 5 plastics found in our oceans are from period products? Or that the average tampon user goes through 11,000 tampons in their lifetime? Pretty scary, right? What’s worse is plastic period products can take anywhere from 500 - 1000 years to decompose, so the time really is now to start tackling the issue and changing the narrative. Period Poverty was another aspect that shocked us. It’s a problem here and abroad and it can have social, educational, physical health and emotional implications for people. It’s not as simple as just not being able to afford period products but involves things like period stigma, access to menstrual education, health services, hand washing facilities, products and appropriate hygienic disposal. At present Riley works with ‘Development Pamoja’ an Irish registered charity in Kenya helping tackle the issue there. It is estimated that between 50 - 65% of Kenyan girls don’t have access to sanitary products and in rural Kenya the topic of menstruation is still very taboo. We are sponsoring a menstruation education programme for school girls to demystify the issue and help them manage their period. Development Pamoja’s resident doctor, Mary, visits local schools each term to host these programmes and answer any questions the girls may have, starting with 10 schools. We have also committed to supplying sanitary products to these 10 local schools, offering around 1,000 young girls access to basic sanitary products, as well as stocking Development Pamoja’s medical clinics with sanitary products.

In what way is Riley sustainable and environmentally friendly?

Period poverty is such a huge issue that for many people, even if they would love to consider the sustainability of their products, access and finances simply may not allow it, which is another reason why that is so crucial to tackle.

We’ve had quite a few of our customers reach out to say that before using Riley they have tried and failed for years (one said 20 years!) to find tampons or pads that didn’t cause them allergies, irritations, rashes etc.

Did you know that cotton is also known as the ‘World’s Dirtiest Crop’? This is due to the intensive chemical usage, the enormous amounts of water used in production, the high levels of water pollution it causes and the poor employment and pay standards of a vast majority of the world's cotton farmers who also suffer health impacts from the chemicals.

There are lots of options out there such as period cups and pants or reusable pads and tampon applicators but like anything, these aren’t for everyone. Just as all our cycles and bodies are different so is our preference of product and it’s so important that wanting to use pads or tampons doesn’t mean foregoing sustainability and wellbeing - enter Riley.

What was the most challenging thing about setting up the business?

The good news is that Riley products are ORGANIC cotton. This uses significantly less water, therefore causing significantly less pollution, and is grown without the use of fertilisers, herbicides & pesticides. Our organic cotton is naturally soft, pH-neutral, breathable and absorbent and importantly GOTS Certified ensuring ethical sourcing, no forced labour, no child labour and no unfair wages.

With climate change awareness, plastic pollution and eco-friendly living as hot topics of our time, there is a lot of greenwashing of all sorts of products (clever use of marketing to make products appear more ecofriendly than they are) and it is no different in the period product industry. This is why at Riley transparency of what is in our products is so important to us.

Being made from 100% certified organic cotton means our pads are compostable including the backing film and packaging. Not to mention - side note - they are made with a patented ‘leak-proof’ design (saving not only water but stress as well).

Alongside the environmental impact, are there any health implications?

Our tampons are made of 100% organic cotton and are glue-free, the string is cleverly woven and attached without any adhesives. This means they're free of toxins, bleach and other chemicals. So much better for your body.

There most absolutely are health implications to using generic period products, which is why Riley is proud to say that we are ‘Better For Your Body’. All of our products are chemical and toxin-free. Our vaginas are one of the most sensitive areas of our bodies, and absorbent too. The use of conventional period products means long term exposure to things like -

The packaging on our naked tampons is made from wood pulp and can also be composted and our tampon applicators are made from a unique bio based plastic derived from sugar cane which is a renewable source. This means they are fully recyclable, so just rinse them after use and pop them into the recycling bin along with the applicator tampon packaging.

Is there a growing awareness of the sustainability and environmentally friendly aspect of period products? We definitely believe things are shifting in the right direction but there’s a long way to go before this industry can be deemed sustainable, and we hope to play a big part in making that happen.

● Dioxin (A highly toxic, hormone disrupting and immune system dis-regulating carcinogen) ● Rayon (Linked to toxic shock syndrome) ● Fragrances (These are unregulated meaning the term ‘fragrance’ could actually be any number of 1000’s of toxins used to create it.) ● Chlorine (Used in the bleaching process and provides dioxin) ● Pesticides (One example is glyphosate, another known carcinogen which is sprayed on non-organic cotton) Exposure to these chemicals and toxins can disrupt your endocrine (hormonal) system, your immune system, cause allergies and irritations, and what’s worse is the lack of long term studies into this topic means they could be causing any other number or worrying problems or conditions. Basically, we’d rather just avoid exposure thanks.

I think the most challenging thing about setting up any business is actually starting; ripping off the band-aid and committing. You can’t actually test anything out and find out what is and isn’t working until you’ve started so you have to go for it. It can be an extremely daunting experience to take that leap of faith - however one of the best things about working on Riley is having a solid team. Being able to share the experience, both the highs and the lows with people you trust and admire makes the journey that much easier- and also much more fun!

As women in business, did you come across any difficulties? We recently closed our first fundraiser which was a really exciting milestone because we are now in a position to really scale the business and start to grow out our team. However, the process of raising money was a much longer process than we had anticipated, and one that can cause a lot of stress especially when cash-flow is so important in the early days. So to anyone looking to embark on the investment journey, I would advise to raise more than you think you’ll needand allow more time than you expect it to take to finalise the round.

What are the plans for the future of Riley? As a new business, we’re very keen to listen to our customers' feedback and figure out how else we can make women’s health and lives easier to manage. We have lots of big ideas and just need to figure out the right direction to take next.

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CAMPAIGN TRAIL

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SHOTS FROM THE

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UCC Student Union Elections Voter Turn-Out of 12% Reflects Growing Indifference in Student Union Representatives and Complacency in the Face of Competition. Following significantly low voter turnout nationwide in Student Union Elections, Motley Editor Emer Walsh investigates why this is the case and how to enable further engagement as we migrate into a post-covid era.

ollowing the results of the UCCSU elections that took place on Wednesday, the 23rd of March, reigning student president Asha Woodhouse secured herself a second term after receiving 2,000 out of a total of 2,266 votes after running uncontested in what ended up being an election with just 12 percent voter turnout. Joining Miss Woodhouse next year as Communication and Engagement Officer will be sitting Education Officer Sineád Roche, following her win in what was also an uncontested race. Final year English and History student Mary O’Connell will assume the role of Entertainment Officer, while Architecture student and activist Sam Galvin will take the position of Commercial and Fundraising Officer for the 2022/23 academic year, both of whom also ran uncontested for their respective positions. The role of Education Officer was the only one out of the six fulltime, sabbatical positions contested. In a close race that received 2,322 votes overall between current council chair of the UCCSU, Stephen O’Riordan, and Editor-in-Chief of UCC’s University Express, Imasha Costa, a difference of 265 votes separated the two candidates. Stephen O'Riordan came out victorious and will join his fellow officers as part of next year’s UCCSU, having received 1,270 votes overall. Three out of the four college representative positions also ran uncontested, with mature Law student Michelle Mulcahy representing the College of Business and Law, Nursing student Izabelle Dullin representing the college of Medicine and Health and Maths Science student Alex Angland representing the school of Science, Engineering and Food Science in the 2022/23 academic year. The College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Science Representative position was the only part-time position with more than one candidate. In another tight race, History and Irish student Bláithín Sheehy received 468 votes, securing her place as representative and beating her opponent, first-year Arts student, J Bean by 151 votes. Only one out of the three campaign positions available was contested, with Kacper Pilarek winning Equality & Diversity Representative, Iseult Ni Fhoighil winning Irish Language and C ul t ur a l R e pr e se nt a t i v e , a nd N a t a sha Sut t o n w i nni ng Environmental and Sustainability Representative, beating her opponent, Dan Pearse by 436 votes.

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With a significantly low turnout in comparison with other years, this combined with the vast majority of roles being uncontested reflects a growing apathy among students concerning their Union’s role and activities. “In general, we’re not seeing that sense of community on campus. People are not engaging with UCC, not just within an academic context but also in a physical one. We’re not seeing as many people hanging around campus like we usually would,” said the current Communications and Engagement Officer of the UCCSU, Maeve Richardson. Reduced student engagement spreads far beyond UCC, with universities nationwide reporting record-low voter turnouts for SU elections. Speaking on this reduced engagement, Ms Richardson attributes this outcome to fatigue felt by students who lost a large portion of their university life to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We had a turnout of approximately 12 percent overall, which was okay, but every union is currently experiencing this problem. A lot of unions have had very low engagement... Our neighbours in MTU only had an 8 per cent turnout. Maynooth, with a similar student population as us, also suffered greatly.” Ms Richardson continued. Speaking on the lack of roles being contested this year, Ms Richardson touched on this, believing the stress of competition could be one reason for reduced engagement, saying that “Some people are afraid of competition. Some people may not run as they don’t perceive themselves as having enough people around them to build a campaign.” “Normally, you would have people encouraging others to run for positions, but there’s a lot of things like that that are just not happening this year,” said Education Officer Elect, Stephen O’Riordan. Mr O’Riordan, who won the only contested sabbatical position, hopes that voter engagement and turnout can improve next year, saying, “we will have conversations next year, particularly me as Education Officer, about what it means to have an in-person lecture, and what level of engagement we want students to have. I think people need a motive to come onto campus, and if we give them that motive, we will see higher engagement in student activity as a result.”

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