UTRAVEL VOL. XV, NO. 3 | NOVEMBER 2023
MAN ON THE MOON! REALITY TV GETS WILD TRAVELLING PHONE-FREE BOLOGNESE BEATS HOW TO CONQUER DISNEYLAND STUDENT SAFARI CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE PUZZLES
Sailing into the Sunset
UTRAVEL NOVEMBER 2023
3 The Wilderness of Reality TV
Hosanna Boulter and Maisie Greener’s vindication of Bravo.
4 Conquering Disneyland Cleo Daley’s tips to making it out unscathed
6 Nokia Navigation
This Issue...
Ellen Duggan recounts her summer without a smartphone
8 One Giant Step For Prada
Hanna Valila on the collaboration taking luxury fashion to new heights
10 Banshees of
Individualism
Eliora Abramson on caring for others in an age of self-care
11 Viva La Musica
Lucia Orsi compares the music scenes of Dublin and Bologna
12 Campus Critters Eliora Abramson on what the film can teach us about caring for others
13 My Family and Other Animals
Hosanna Boulter explores Christmas with divorced parents
14 UTravel’s Gift Guide Ellen Duggan and Phoebe Pascoe’s perfect presents
Magazine is back, and for this edition we’re going global! Didn’t get away during reading week? Well, dry those tears, because we’re going to be taking you on the adventure of a lifetime. Join us as we travel around the world, including a quick stop at the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’, where we’ll indulge you in the dos and don’ts of Disney. We’ll be reaching for the stars (both in the sky and the ones on TV), and venturing to places few have been before. Get to know the wildlife inhabiting these mysterious lands, and most importantly learn how you can help preserve this wonderful world that we all share. One small step for man, one giant turn of the page for you… to dive into some UT magic!
Cleo
The Wilderness of Reality TV Beverly Hills, Botox and ‘Bravoholics’... By Hosanna Boulter and Maisie Greener
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n 1792, when Mary Wollenstonecraft sat down to write her seminal tract on why women deserve rights, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, it caused shockwaves around the world and is still debated and referenced over two hundred years later. We anticipate that this article defending the integrity of those who religiously watch reality television — whilst also playing some form of New York Times word game on their phone — will have the same impact. This article will be addressing television shows that fall into the category of “structured reality”. Whilst reality television denotes anything that captures a person’s “reality” —such as their reaction to an unexpected prank or a documentary of a sportsperson preparing for a big race — structured reality pertains to the specific and incredibly high-brow genre of shows that emerged in the blessed year of our lord 2004 where God granted us what was the gift of Laguna Beach, may it rest in peace. In a structured reality television show the cast members are brought together and placed in situations specifically for the purpose of the show, much like an English literature open module class which only arts block girlies signed up to being held in a smelly room of the Hamilton basement. The situation is fundamentally engineered and inorganic but the reactions to the situation are genuine. The genre of structured reality television has radically put women’s lives at the forefront. Everything from pregnancy to grief has been captured on camera. The good, the bad and the ugly of the female experience. In series one finale of The Real Housewives of New Jersey Teresa Guidice infamously shouted at Danielle Staub that she was a “prostitution whore” who was “engaged 19 times, you stupid b***h!” before flipping a table laden with the finest Italian cuisine that the great state of New Jersey had to offer. Teresa was then physically restrained by her husband who confessed later being turned on by this display of female rage, whereafter the couple snogged gregariously for the cameras. Admittedly, conversations in the series often fail the Bechdel Test and episodes are liable to strategic editing before reaching audiences. However, these legitimate criticisms should not negate the
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good done by the genre. Reality television has facilitated a seismic shift to involve women in the telling of their own stories. Rarely has the female psyche taken centre stage like this. Genuine reactions are embraced instead of dismissed. Tears, for example, are rightly seen as a show of sadness, rather than hysteria. As women’s emotions play out over the course of the forty-five-minute-long episode, their vulnerability cannot be questioned. A common prejudice defenders of the genre often face is the misconception that what is playing out on screen is not, in fact, “real”. However if we take a walk down the road of reality television past, it is clear that very real situations have been caught on camera. In 2015 that same Teresa Guidice and that same husband of hers Joe Guidice were sentenced to years in prison each for tax evasion. The Bravo reality television network rewarded the couple’s good work with a spin off show about how the parents coped in prison, they served their sentences one after the other as the care of their children was taken into consideration in their sentencing. How is this not real? What were the couple trying to hide here? Equally in the last season of Below Deck Australia a female stew, Margot Sisson (basically a housekeeper for a mega-yacht) was saved from being sexually assaulted by a deckhand (exactly what it sounds like, someone who lends a hand on the outside bits of the boat) Luke Johnson while unconscious as the producers of the show stepped in when Johnson tried to get into her bed naked. However painful and triggering that episode might have been to watch, there was also an empowering element to it. Seeing a woman be believed for something that is so routinely doubted by men and actually having consequences for the man in question as Johnson immediately lost his job and was escorted off the ship by the michelangelo-statue-like-hunk-of-a-captain Jason Chambers (absolutely yummy as my mother would purr) is a reality most women are glad at least exists somewhere. Although initially unorthodox, reality television has acted as a transgressive means through which women can match, and even surpass, the achievement of male counterparts. Nene Leakes, of Real Housewives of Atlanta fame, reportedly made 2.85 million dollars per season at her peak, other stars from the Real Housewives franchise have raked in similar cheques. Of course salary should not be the only measure of success, but it is gratifying to see women’s contributions to media be rewarded in the same way men have been for years. While shows like Selling Sunset have documented the lives of the fortunate few, a demographic we have all heard enough from, others like Big Brother and Geordie Shore have centred on the everyman and the everyday. Perhaps, HBO would do well to take a leaf from Bravo’s book. An extended and uncensored Vanderpump Rules reunion or another offensive Sam Levinson creation, we know what we would rather watch into the early hours of the morning.
Rarely has the female psyche taken centre stage like this.
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Taking the Mickey The ‘happiest place on earth’ can also be a mental and physical hellscape. A victim shares her tips for making it out with your sanity intact... By Cleo Daly
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ave you ever dreamed of spending your entire day standing in a queue surrounded by screaming children, horny young couples and balding dads ready to ogle the Princess Parade? Well you can do just that, for Disneyland Paris awaits you, and all for the modest price of €120. I have lived your dream. I have seen what you wished to see (and a lot of other things that would have most definitely scarred me as a child). So here I present you with the ways in which you can maximise your experience, how you can make that €120 price tag worth every cent (it will never be worth it, I will not be returning).
returning to gnaw on its father’s shoulder. But revenge was soon to follow… Whilst running (running is the only way to navigate the terrors of Disneyland), I spotted the creature and its offspring on their way to the teacups just before closing (certain rides finish up earlier depending on the age range of the target audience). And so I did what any sensible individual who is looking to get their money’s worth would do. I sprinted ahead to be in front of them in the line. This is an act that I absolutely insist on. If you see a group of any sorts, you must run ahead and slip in. In the place that is Disneyland, time is money. Upon queuing with a follower of the devil, I discovered that God exists, and God is good. In fact, I would go as far to say that God is great, Step 1: Kids Deserve Nothing because not only did my position in line guarantee me the pleasure of the final teacup in the next spin, but it was also the last spin. And so You paid money and they didn’t, simple as. Therefore, you are supeI sat in my pink teacup, enjoying the sight of the Satanist standing in rior. the now null line, its Stitch hat a blue blur as I spun round and round. I had quite a few run-ins with children during my fourteen hours at Disneyland (children are unfortunately incredibly common in these parts), and it led me to make quite the useful discovery. If you Step 2: Be A Hater see a child with any sort of Stitch merchandise on their person, they are most definitely on their way to becoming Satanists. Some of them, There are many groups of individuals at Disneyland who deserve deI would even dare say, have already reached their full Satanic poten- portation, but couples are particularly high up the list. tial. I was unlucky enough to make an enemy of one, and by God was There is no better way to feel old and single than by surrounding yourthe thing committed. On its head it wore the face of Stitch (to hide self with the young lovers plaguing Disneyland. Why pay for a motel its horns), and on its lips it shed a smile when you can pay five times the price and that said “I will gnaw on your leg when scar children in the process? I had the pleasthe opportunity presents itself”. And ure of interrupting one couple mid-makegnaw the little thing sure did (thankfully out session because they were holding up my leg was spared). I watched as it licked the line, and I was overly excited to see Buzz and nibbled and bit every bit of furniture Lightyear. They too seemed overly excited, that was present while queuing. Watched however less so due to the cast of Toy Story. I as it slobbered over the barrier I had prewatched (they were right in front of me and, viously been holding, before returning to as much as I tried, they could not be avoided) nipping its father’s fingers. I imagine this as they giggled, stealing kisses and brushing was the sort of treatment parents received off one another when they thought the surwhen fairies swapped their child with a changeling, and if the child rounding children weren’t looking (they were very much was in fact a trick of the fairies I would be far from surprised. The mon- looking, and they were very much traumatised). They clung ster eventually turned its attention to my weary self, and I found it to one another as if they were doing a remake of the Titanic sitting at my feet. Everytime I would try to move with the queue, the where Rose actually wanted Jack to live (she most certainthing would block the way, leaving me looking like a twat who didn’t ly did not). I witnessed boyfriends carrying their know how a line worked. I threw looks of desperation towards the par- partners as they shuffled along in the line beside ents, but the chance of being rid of the thing was too tempting, and the parents who had refused to carry their own chilthus it was left up to me. Communication was attempted (unsuccess- dren. The sounds of slurping started playing tricks fully), until I resorted to prodding the being with my foot. Grave error. on my starving stomach, and I eventually cracked The monster unleashed a howl that only the spawn of Satan would be and kicked into action. That is when you must get capable of bellowing. All eyes turned to myself, as I had now kicked a down on all fours and begin to bark. Snarls, growlchild. Irrelevant to the fact that it was far from a child, and far from a ing and howling are all very much encouraged kick, the damage had been done, and I swiftly removed myself from and incredibly effective. Get right up in their the line. The miniature devil smiled wickedly in my direction, before space with a sniff, and watch the romance die.
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All eyes turned to myself, as I had now kicked a child.
Plonk yourself in between them if you must, if you can squeeze a child in between all the better. Play your cards right and they might even leave, and up the queue you trot. Save the children, be a hater.
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There is no better way to feel old and single than by surrounding yourself with the young lovers plaguing Disneyland.
Step 3: Disregard Your Health and Wellbeing
in the direction of the Stitch kids and couples. Drinking will result in peeing, and with peeing comes more queuing. . Therefore, you must leave all bodily functions behind before you enter those gates. Bodily functions are for the weak.
Step 4: Abandon Your Friends and Family
Is it absolutely pissing rain on your chosen Disney day? No matter, They will only slow you down, and let’s face it, their company was only you must brace the cold winds. Pneumonia is a small price to pay compared to that of €120. The day I went to Disney, the skies wept like students on Results Day. Myself, with my broken umbrella and hoodless jacket, shivered around the theme park like a Victorian child being brought for a walk in the countryside before it was carried inside to die. The hallucinations and shaking made the rides that bit more thrilling. Concerned looks were sent my way by Donald and his ducks in the parade. I watched on with glee as the Mickey Mouse squad appeared to levitate all around my feverish mind – the same feverish mind that is currently writing this rollercoaster of an article (did you see what I did there?). Goofy’s blurred figure seemed to change colour every time I blinked. But I would far from consider this a misfortune, because why have one Mickey Mouse when you can have three? Often when you’re ‘Hot N’ Cold’ (hoping Katy Perry isn’t currently cancelled), your desire for food can be considerably lessened, and that’s exactly what you want. Don’t eat or drink in Disneyland (however I will not take responsibility if you pass out). Time spent eating is time that could be spent on rides. If you must eat, bring cash – munching on bills is much cheaper than purchasing food there. And make sure to get the big rides out of the way first. If not, be sure to at least puke
making the wait times feel even longer. The single rider queues are the way to go. A much shorter line of those ready to cut all blood ties for the chance of shaving off five minutes in their ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril’ wait time. A gathering of beasts, of theme park pros (and potentially some individuals so dreadful, no one wishes to associate with them). Running solo is a lot handier for zipping in and out, and much more discrete if you’re brave enough to do some queue skipping. And, if you’re really lucky, you might even lose them for the entire day, and perhaps forever. Have more children than car seats? Send them into Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, and your problem will (quite literally) disappear. Side note: giving children the wrong directions in the maze will brighten up your day and get you to the slide at the exit first.
Step 5: Don’t Go to Disneyland €120 saved instantly, you will have basically earned money (girl math reigns supreme, kiss kiss). You’re welcome. Observation: Goofy is a bit too goofy (narcotics).
Travelling without Technology Is the hassle of travelling without a smartphone really worth it?
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By Ellen Duggan
e left Leipzig separately. My train to Bratislava was directly from Dresden through Czechia, whereas Fiona, my best friend, was arriving from a three-hour stopover in Vienna. They were due to arrive in Bratislava several hours after me, which was the first of many incidents which made it obvious to me that I hadn’t planned for the trip far enough ahead. Upon arrival, I realised that my only guide was the awkwardly sketched map I had scribbled in a notebook, allegedly representing the route from the train station to our hostel. The drawing was, shockingly, ineffective. After some time wandering around the building the squiggle had led me to – hoping that, if I circled it once more, it would magically turn into my intended address – it occurred to me to ask in a pub. After a €3 pint and the directions from a very kind girl behind the bar, I eventually arrived and settled down with a book, awaiting Fiona’s arrival. I was travelling for eight days in total: three nights in Bratislava, three nights in Vienna, and then an overnight bus journey to Halle, where I had been living all summer. Fiona was leaving after their second night in Vienna to join friends in Budapest. That gave me two days total of navigating the world alone without access to a smartphone, having left mine behind in favour of a dodgy Nokia 8210. My attempt to navigate the eight minute walk from the train station to the hostel was only my first taste of the challenges I would be facing – there were many more of these to come. It was not until I travelled without a smartphone that I realised how difficult it is to access money without one, how stressful it can be navigating public transport in an unfamiliar city, and how much I would miss being able to quickly and effortlessly text my friends and family when I saw something that reminded me of them. But it also felt like a necessary decision, albeit one that bemused my mother. How was I going to send her pictures? How was I going to let her know if I’d been kidnapped? Could I not be normal (for once, she muttered) and, if I felt like I was spending too much time on my phone, turn off my notifications? She was right – the benefits of having a smartphone with me vastly outweigh the depressing amount of time I spend scrolling without noticing. But my decision wasn’t based on how frequently I found myself staring at a screen for one, two, three hours – it was more so the sense of unease I had developed about my reliance on the phone. Living in Germany all summer, it had become indispensable. I used it to plan trips to new cities, as a ticket on trains, to pay rent, to catch up with friends at home, to easily zone out of group conversations in German that I felt embarrassed about being unable to understand, to translate menus and to check verbs. It had become too close to a social crutch for my comfort, and I was beginning to wonder if it was possible to live without the con-
My phone had become too much of a social crutch for my comfort
stant reassurance it provided. That technology and travel go hand-in-hand nowadays will be of no surprise to anyone who has spent time in an airport. The impact social media has had on tourism and the travel industry is also vastly apparent to those of us who have felt sick with envy as we watch Instagram feeds fill with friends interrailing or on Erasmus. Yet travel without technology is hardly a groundbreaking concept: people have been moving around and settling in new places for as long as we have existed. In the early 2000s, travellers were still relying on guidebooks when they visited new cities, and technology usage often was limited to stopping in Internet cafes to email loved ones. Despite this, it’s difficult to even comprehend travelling abroad without a phone nowadays. How did anyone find somewhere to stay without Hostelworld and Airbnb? How did they frantically check in for a Ryanair flight with three hours to spare without an iPhone at hand? How in God’s name did people know what trains to get without the Deutsche Bahn app giving them a (usually inaccurate) time, and how did they get on the train in the first place without their digital ticket? The answer is, it’s easier than you think, provided you come prepared. You print the tickets. You check the bus timetable and commit tram stop names to memory, because you no longer have instant knowledge of the shortest potential journey to your destination. With that comes added stress for nights out – if you don’t know where you’re going when you head out for a night, you also have no idea how you’re going to get home. The phone you have brought has essentially no function beyond calling Irish numbers (shoutout to Vodafone) because even the simple act of texting is agonising with a button phone. You stop responding to messages unless they are urgent, and you call your friends on the walk home from the pub to rave about the Guinness you just had instead of sending them a picture. You learn to ask waiters about their recommendations for the night, and you follow their advice to small clubs and wine bars. You realise the things that make travel without a smartphone difficult are just as difficult at home if you don’t have access to technology, with actions as simple as checking your bank balance becoming impossible. Two factor authentication that relies on apps is out of the question, so you can say goodbye to PayPal. In fact, you’re better off bringing cash than anything else. And even despite developing a mild Tetris addiction to fill the void of those moments where you have nothing to do (“I thought you wanted to stop spending time on your phone,” Fiona said snarkily, when they came back from the bathroom and found me engrossed in a game), you feel the absence of the phone keenly. You feel a little bit more untethered, and a little more alien to the space you are in. Travelling without my smartphone, I realised how easy I had used it as a shield – a shield against the inherent otherness of being in another country. The smartphone is a digital passport like no other. Not only does it provide material access to a country, allowing you to easily arrange transport to and from your destination – alongside a bed in which to sleep – it removes every boundary to understanding your destination. Suddenly, everything is knowable. The signs on the street are a Google search away from comprehension and, when you look for a place to eat, you can find them neatly ranked and reviewed in a matter of seconds. You learn the right places to be through TikToks (“Let’s go to Kreuzberg,” a friend told me confidently this summer when we visited Berlin, “that’s where all the cool people are.”) and when you check Google Maps, you’re just one of a million people in a city checking their phones. If you pull out a map, you may as well have taken out a sign to let the people around you understand that you are not at home here. You are, in fact, a tourist. You are unsure on
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these streets, and it has left you feeling as flimsy as the paper map in your hand. With a smartphone, you are disguised by the knowledge you can obtain. When you walk confidently to the bar that someone recommended on r/vienna, you may as well be Viennese by birth. Why do we claim that we travel to escape, and why do we mutter about the effects of globalisation, if we are doing our best to break down that which makes a foreign country unknown? Why do we try to affect intimacy with another way of life through easily found information and an Instagram reel we saw once? I’m not attempting to romanticise a bygone age when travel was a lot more dangerous and a lot less accessible. There were a lot of downsides to my decision – plans couldn’t suddenly be rearranged, and if something had gone wrong regarding accommodation, a situation could easily have become disastrous. I don’t know how I would have gotten a taxi had I needed to, or even if I could have paid for one because my finances were so uncertain. I also found I missed out on a lot by travelling without a smartphone for the same reason I’ve indicated – I didn’t know anything. Because social media is used for everything, it can be difficult to find out what’s going on in an area without it. It’s unlikely that you’ll get lucky and wander into a flea market somewhere, or somehow find the best bar in town. I was essentially excluded from attending any event that required a digital ticket, meaning I couldn’t make the most out of my time there. I hadn’t brought a camera, so I have no photos of the beautiful buildings I found myself awed by, nor of the paintings in galleries I paid an extortionate amount to enter. I missed being able to listen to music as I fell asleep, and cursed myself for not bringing my iPod Shuffle. Ultimately, my time spent travelling without a smartphone was much like any other trip I’ve taken. I ate good food and I drank cheap beer. I danced around a fountain in a courtyard under an enormous yellow moon with my best friend. I lay out on the grass in the Museum Quarter and read a novel while they sketched me. Rationally, I know that the presence of a smartphone shouldn’t affect my capacity to enjoy moments like these. But somehow, these images seem starker in my mind in comparison to previous trips, loaded with the knowledge that they were only ever there to be there once, remaining unwitnessed by a camera, never to be revisited when I swiped through photos. I wasn’t alerted to my incrementally decreasing funds by Revolut every time I bought a coffee, leaving me less aware of my spending and more conscious of the enjoyment I got from it. The news did not bother me, because there was no way I would know the news if I did not seek it out. You are not tuned into everything the entire time – not to yourself, not to your friends, not to your finances, not to what is going on in the world around you. And, honestly? There is an enormous sense of relief that comes with that. Would I travel with the Nokia 8210 again? The answer is a resounding no. It is a terrible phone for all intents and purposes. I would, however, travel without a smartphone again, despite all the difficulties it entailed. Yes, it removed a certain amount of flexibility regarding travel, but it was worth it. My tourist status firmly asserted, and left much the wiser as to what well-travelled life before the digital age looked like, I’ve already begun planning my next trip… though this time, I’ll be bringing a map.
You feel a little bit more untethered, and a little bit more alien to the space you are in.
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I’m not attempting to romanticise a bygone age when travel was a lot more dangerous and a lot less accessible.
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One Giant Leap for Prada
A recent collaboration gives new meaning to the term ‘high fashion’.
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By Hanna Valila
hat do an Italian luxury fashion house and the next moon landing have in common? And why could this be the most genius crossover of the 2020s? Those who are up-to-date with fashion news will be aware of Prada’s collaboration with Axiom Space. This came as a shock to many, as no human has stepped foot on the moon since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, but Axiom feels confident that several astronauts can be sent to the moon in 2025, one of which, Artemis 3, will be dressed in suits designed by fashion giant Prada. While it may seem obscure, perhaps even silly, it starts to make a lot of sense when you delve deeper into the marketing and logic behind such a collaboration. The obvious reasoning behind this unlikely partnership is publicity. The improbability of it draws significant attention
to the project. Where there is attention, there will be money. Advertisers are more likely to invest when they can be sure there will be many eyes on the project. News articles about the collaboration ensure the relevance of Prada and Axiom in the mainstream. Furthermore, the private space company and the luxury designer have very different audiences. Their consumers may however have similar characteristics and spending habits and could thus bring a new audience for each of the companies. Both Prada customers and space travel investors have money to spare, and may be inspired by seeing a company they support collaborating with the other, creating a sense of loyalty. If an investor was thinking of buying a new designer bag, they may now opt for Prada over Gucci or Louis Vuitton, and likewise, if a luxury fashion admirer was looking for a new investment opportunity,
they would be more likely to at least research Axiom whose existence they may not even have known about before. Though the markets are entirely unrelated, their audiences may share similar characteristics creating an opportunity to overlap the two. So why, out of all luxury fashion houses, is Prada specifically the perfect option for this collaboration? The Italian designer brand is known for its black and silver aesthetic. This clean, dark look with the contrast of polished silver accents can easily be connected to space and the moon. Prada already has a futuristic look that can be transposed to space travel. As this collaboration is aesthetically in line with Prada’s designs, it makes much more sense than a more classic designer, such as say, Chanel, with their pearls and soft textures. Prada produces a ‘moon boot’, which is not unique to them, but again connects the fashion house to the theme. The moon boot, an extremely warm, thick and weather-resistant boot, was especially popular in the earlier 2000s but is still on the market. Perhaps this was the original gateway to bring together fashion and a moon landing. The moon boot itself has fallen slightly off the map in the 2020s and has been replaced by a more modern alternative: the chunky ankle boot. Thick soles, a platform or a heel, that make your feet look multiple sizes larger, have been one
of Prada’s most notable mainstream pieces in recent years. This is reminiscent of the original moon boot in its purpose to accentuate a bulky shoe as a key component of one’s look. The connections between Prada and the astronaut aesthetic seem to have always been there. Collaboration between companies is no rarity, and Prada is no stranger to this either, but they have never stepped outside their own market like this before. Previously the designer brand has collaborated with Adidas, Raf Simons, Cass and Christophe Chemin, all of which are in the fashion industry in one way or another. Ralph Lauren, a similarly operating designer giant, has collaborated with Fortnite. Further examples include Palace with McDonald’s and Supreme with Shrek. While these collaborations may at first seem as obscure as Prada x Axiom, they can all be explained by pop culture crazes. There have, however, been a few individual projects where fashion and technology crossed roads before. In 2019, Zendaya graced the Met Gala red carpet in a light-up Cinderella dress by Tommy Hilfiger. Her stylist, the iconic, now retired, Law Roche, waved a stick and Zendaya’s dress lit up from the inside. Coperni similarly stunned the whole world during their Spring/Summer 2023 runway show in Paris, when Bella Hadid had a dress sprayed onto her body. The technology behind what looked like spray tan guns that literally sprayed a dress onto Hadid’s naked body is an invention never before seen in the fashion world. As technology has started bleeding into fashion, a big scientific collaboration is a logical next step for the industry. Prada is the ideal contender through their ethos and brand identity. Being committed to sending the first woman and person of colour to the moon, Axiom is able to connect and widen its audience through this collaboration. Though initially eyebrows may have been raised, the match has been thoroughly considered and appears to be a genius development for the business. The lead-up to the reveal of the design is an opportunity for the companies to create excitement for the Artemis missions much before the countdown of the rockets.
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Banshees of Individualism What can the Oscar-nominated film teach us about connection? By Eliora Abramson
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e have all been told it a million times. You find your seat on the plane and like clockwork the flight attendant instructs you to secure your own oxygen mask before helping others. When taken literally, this makes sense. You can’t help others if you yourself are unable to breathe. But what happens when this instruction becomes a metaphor for how we treat others? What happens when we combine that with the growing sense of individualism that an unprecedented amount of access to social media and encouragement to prioritise ourselves has given us? What happens when this has allowed people to adopt a sense that they can do anything they want as long as it’s “the right thing for them”? Luckily, and maybe even unknowingly, Martin McDonagh’s 2022 film The Banshees of Inisherin captures this exact dilemma and the fallout. An allegory for the Irish Civil War, The Banshees of Inisherin tells the tale of Pádraic whose best friend decides one day he no longer wants to speak or see Pádraic. Superficially, it may seem difficult to relate to two middle aged men on a fictional remote Irish island who have pet donkeys and cut their own fingers off. However, when Colm suddenly ices Pádraic out for seemingly no reason, it’s hard not to relate. Most people have been cut off by someone at some point. A friend, a partner (or potential partner), even a family member. Oftentimes, the only reason given is that it was ‘the right thing to do for themselves’ or ‘something they needed to do’. Of course, taking care of one’s own state of mind is important, but this begs the question: where is the line? How much do we owe each other and how much do we owe ourselves? I believe that social media has allowed us to become too self-focused and it therefore justifies treating others unkindly and unfairly. Influencers who have no background or education in mental health preach ‘self-care’. Trends like the ‘main character’ emerge and teach us that anyone can and should be the centre of their personal universe. These ideas of individualism combined with ‘therapy speak’ have allowed us to become so focused on ourselves that we seem to have lost empathy for those around us. We are so able to compartmentalise our needs that we lose sight of the needs of our loved ones. We have been given the tools to become self-centred, and to not feel bad about it. We can link this to the social phenomena of ‘ghosting’ which Psychology Today defines as “abruptly ending communication with someone without explanation”. It seems to be a unanimous cultural consensus that ghosting is an asshole move. In Banshees, Colm ghosts Pádraic, or at least he mightily attempts to. Pádraic, in an unwavering allegorical nod to the Irish Civil War, wonders what they are even fighting about and is unwilling to accept being cut off by his best friend. He demands answers, which Colm initially refuses to answer. When he does finally explain, he says that he finds Pádraic dull and that he wants to focus on his music sans distractions and sans Pádraic. Pádraic takes this so hard that he, who had once prided himself on his “niceness”, becomes cold and hardened. He becomes someone who, like Colm, doesn’t seem to care about who he hurts as long he can justify it to himself. Banshees may not answer all the questions this phenomena begs but it does reflect the impact of social media when it comes to understanding how hyper-individualism supports it. The fictional is-
land of Inisherin has characteristics that mirror that of social media today. Idyllic at first but revealed to be more complicated than they seem, both have a sense of being a ‘bubble’; reality that borders on real life but never quite crosses over. Inisherin’s tiny population has the same magnifying effect on the lives of its dwellers as social media does on its influencers. There is an extreme intensity in interpersonal relationships. Personal details, relationships, and affairs are scrutinised and privacy is an illusion. This allows for the people of both Inisherin and those on social media to feel that they are the center of their own self-contained world —a small island community — creating an intense sense of individualism and self-importance. Social media can feel like the entire world, creating terms like ‘chronically online’. It’s hard to hate Colm however, as he genuinely appears to believe he is doing the right thing for himself. And is he wrong? Probably not. Where he is wrong though, is that he does this at the expense of Pádraic’s wellbeing. Colm hurts Pádraic because he lacks the empathy that a sense of perspective offers. How does The Banshees of Inisherin resolve this then? The answer is it doesn’t, not really. Pádraic burns Colm’s house down after Colm accidentally kills Pádraic’s donkey. In a conversation veiled with metaphors of the Irish Civil War, Pádraic says he thinks there are some things that cannot be moved on from. And in a way, he is right. We have created, in today’s world, psychological structures, and social pathologies which social media culture engenders, that in my opinion, cannot be moved on from. Unless we are collectively able to recognise and reject the individualistic mindset that social media not only allows but encourages, we will continue to hurt each other and be able to justify it. Taking care of oneself is important but equally important is taking care of the welfare of those around us. Self care doesn’t need to exist at the expense of other people. We can secure both our own oxygen masks and those of our loved ones.
My Family and Other Animals
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The pressure on spending time with family at Christmas can be tough to grapple with if your parents are divorced. By Hosanna Boulter
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t’s November and the dread is setting in. As I write this we are 47 days away from Christmas. Why do I always dread Christmas, you ask? Because I know that I will never be able to make everyone happy. The funny thing is that I love Christmas time. I love the songs and ugly jumpers and roast dinners and Christmas crackers and ice skating and stockings and quality time with family who live far away and coming up with creative gift ideas. As much as I love Christmas, I also find it quite stressful. My parents are divorced, and they have been for most of my life. When I was younger, Christmas was decided for me — one year with one parent, the next year with the other. New Year’s Eve would be spent with whichever parent I did not spend Christmas with. Now that I am an adult things are a bit more complicated. I decide where I will be for Christmas and I want to spend New Year’s Eve with my friends. This means that I have even less time to squeeze everyone in. My holidays are a scheduling nightmare. Do I drive five hours on Boxing Day to spend one night with that side of the family? Who do I go to for Christmas? How long do I stay with them? How am I going to fit everyone in over this eight-day period? Each of my parents want to do something on this day — who should I choose? What I do know is that whatever I choose, I will be making someone unhappy. Unless I could cut myself in half and be in two places at once, I will be disappointing someone. Sometimes I find the weight of my decisions really overwhelming. The amount of pressure we place on Christmas Day is immense — people slave over food and worry endlessly about if they have brought the right presents. Christmas is supposed to be the “best day of the year”. Christmas is supposed to bring everyone together, but what happens if it can’t? Like everyone else my parents want to have the people they love the most with them on these very special days, and the people they love the most are their children. It’s only natural, but since my family is not one of those divorced families who unites for the holidays, the period leading up to Christmas is, for me, one of awkward conversations and difficult decisions. Christmas Day itself takes on a different feeling. Wherever I am my mind is partly elsewhere, thinking about the parent who is without us and knowing how that makes them feel. Trying to schedule a video time on Christmas Day with the other parent is another headache. For example: shall we call at midday? No, we are going to church, how about 10 am? No, can’t, we are opening stockings then, does 1pm work? No, your grandmother can’t have a late Christmas dinner anymore so we are having ours early, could you do 3pm? No, that’s when we are sitting down to eat. It often ends up being a hurried call with the other parent awkwardly coming in after 15 minutes to tell me that we really need to get in the car to go to Aunt Daisy’s now.
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I sometimes feel that I never get to fully participate in either family’s Christmas celebrations. Whilst they spend the whole time together, I will probably have arrived late and have to leave early. Funny things will happen and inside jokes will be created that I am left out of or have to ask to be explained to me. It’s not personal at all, and I know that, but it can make me feel like a bit of an outsider in both families. This doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate that other families don’t find Christmas to be a scheduling nightmare too, especially if people live far away or certain people don’t get along very well. What sets my Christmas apart is that firstly, my reality of Christmas time is not going to change or get easier. If anything, as my grandparents age and my family gets bigger with the addition of partners and their families, it is becoming more difficult. I also find that my Christmas experience is quite solitary. Yes, I have a sibling who will be with me pretty much all the time throughout this period, but it is just the two of us who share these experiences. We travel together between our families by ourselves. Another potential issue arises if you and your sibling disagree over which family’s events to go to, or if there is an event they can’t make. This is awkward as you will spend part of the family get-together answering questions about your siblings whereabouts. Beginning with less time with either family can also make the time you do spend with each quite intense as they want to make the most of the time they have with you. This is, obviously, a lovely sentiment, but can mean that you have little time to decompress and fully unwind, and you may feel quite guilty taking this time. I am so lucky to have two parents who love me so much and two families who are super eager to spend time with me. My reasons for wanting to write this piece are purely to help start a conversation about the realities of not having a “conventional” family and to make people who sometimes dread the “best day of the year” feel a bit less alone.
Each of my parents want to do something on this day - who should I choose?
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Viva La Musica!
An Erasmus student contrasts her experience in Dublin with Bologna’s vibrant music scene. By Lucia Orsi
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s the epicentre of Irish music, Dublin has always had much to offer its audiences, from intimate trad sessions to high-energy DJ sets and featuring notable artists such as CMAT, Fontaines D.C., and Thin Lizzy. Nevertheless, this rich culture is under threat. With rising ticket prices discouraging audiences and musicians unable to book venues, the state of the live music scene in Dublin is at risk of completely isolating artists from their audiences. If Dublin wishes to find a solution to this problem, it may have to look outward and find inspiration in the examples of other cities. Bologna’s approach to music is revolutionary. With its vivacious left-wing politics and large student population, it is no surprise that the music scene in Bologna is distinguished by its passion and youth. As a UNESCO City of Music, Bologna is globally recognised as a hub of musical expression, possessing both a rich musical past as well as a dynamic present, and with venues strewn across the city, quality music is not difficult to find. The variety of musical genres represented is also notable. From jazz to techno, funk to opera, Bologna has it all, even including a fiddler playing trad on the streets. This city seemingly lives and breathes sound. From an audience perspective, I have found the music scene in Bologna not only to be much more engaging, but also more accessible than Dublin. Like the majority of students, I can’t afford to cash out €10 or more every night just to hear good music, as some venues in Dublin would demand. In comparison, free events are commonplace within Bologna, with plenty of events that could easily charge a fair few for the quality of the music that is exhibited. Ellie Shafir, a student at the University of Bologna, shared her experience at the open mic jam session in Bologna’s Cortile Café, saying “The intimate layout, the absence of any partition between the performers and audience, and the consistently surprising musical mastery makes for the most inviting, warm atmosphere I have ever experienced in a music venue”. For audiences, Bologna stands as a landmark of music accessibility. Music is at the heart of this city and this heart manifests itself in many forms. From after-dark raves in the university’s economics
building to high-energy jazz nights in Sghetto, the Bolognese audience has its fair share of genres to choose from. Described as “diverse” by fellow student, Maddie Curran, it is evident that Bologna appeals to its large student body which is always hungry for something new to sink its teeth into. What distinguishes Bologna from other cities is its persistent and passionate advocation for music in all its many forms, whether that be through its musical conservatories, independent anti-establishment collectives or raves in the hills. Audiences are encouraged to engage with the music as not only a form of entertainment but an important cultural facet of the city. This drive for expression is not lacking in the musical sphere of Dublin. However, as a city, it is undeniable that the outlets that can perpetuate this cultural phenomenon are limited. From the perspective of an audience member, it is clear that Dublin is not scarce of talent but, rather, scarce of spaces for this talent to thrive. Avid Dublin gig-goer, Mel Rosevear, describes the Dublin music scene as “mysterious and diverse” but notes that “intimate and authentic gigs are the hardest to spot”. This feeling that much of Dublin’s talent remains largely in the undercurrent is not uncommon and speaks to a widespread audience desire for more opportunities to interact with Dublin’s artists. In comparison, audience engagement with the musical sphere in Bologna is made possible through the wide promotion of events across the city’s social and technological communities. The
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From after-dark raves in the university’s economics building to high-energy jazz nights in Sghetto
large student population operates on word of mouth to a profound effect, with Instagram pages detailing events for the week populating people’s feeds, while the age-old method of posters can be seen littered across the city. As a lot of Dublin’s rawest talent remains isolated to the outskirts, perhaps the accessibility of Bologna’s music scene is something that Dublin could strive for. As Mel puts it, “Dublin has a scene that you know has everything. It’s just a matter of catching wind of something and finding it”. It goes without saying that the financial aspect of music is a significant factor for artists and audiences alike. Dubliners are all too familiar with tear-jerking ticket prices, never mind the cost of drinks within the venue, and while a balance between paying artists for their art and audience accessibility should be upheld, the current state of ticket costs don’t seem to fall in favour of either artists or their audiences. On this front alone, Bologna seems to strike a much better balance than its Irish counterpart, as Maisie Greener, assistant Radius editor, highlights, “Lots of gigs take place in quite guerrilla locations like art galleries, occupied buildings and the streets. That’s for sure more accessible monetarily”. She goes on to note that where Bologna is “in tune with its dense student population, Dublin often seems at odds with its academic inhabitants”. These low-cost gigs in Bologna not only induce highly attended gigs but simultaneously provide spaces for musicians to make a name for themselves without the pressure of reigning in enough tickets to pay off venue owners. Furthermore, audiences become much more willing to pay for gigs that do require paid entry as a result of this. Comparatively, in Dublin, where almost every event requires some sort of financial contribution, students in particular are much more reluctant to attend gigs. This dissatisfaction with the current state of music in Dublin is not limited to its audiences. Having spoken with musicians in Dublin, it became evident that the vibrancy and diversity of the city’s talent is simply not reflected to an adequate extent in the support that they are offered. Amelia Durac, an Irish student and musician, describes the juxtaposing attitudes towards music on a ground level in Ireland against the governmental system. “Despite the pride for music in Ireland, and Dublin having so much musical talent, the arts have always been and continue to be overlooked in government when it comes to policies that secure their prosperity”. With the inadequacy of institutional support offered to the music scene, some Dublin artists have taken the matter into their own hands. Folk rock musician Cam Begley spoke to me about his approach to getting his name out there in Ireland. “I’ve gone into my time in the Dublin scene with a DIY attitude, which I have found is effective, if not easy. Whether it was solo and with bands, no one would book me so I started booking venues myself”. This independent attitude seems to be the foundation for any form of success within the Irish music sphere, yet there remains the question as to why such a ‘DIY attitude’ is so necessary. If Dublin provided more support and resources to the musicians that colour its vibrant musical culture, both audiences and artists would benefit from more gigs, more talent and more opportunities to engage with Ireland’s rich musical tradition. The unfortunate reality is that the financial burdens placed on musicians are not limited to Dublin alone. Having spoken with a musician in Bologna, it became clear that, despite Bologna’s musical legacy, the situation for artists there is not all that different. From a lack of job opportunities to low wages, it appears to me that the musicians
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Dubliners are all too familiar with tear-jerking ticket prices, never mind the cost of drinks
The music scenes in both Bologna and Dublin remain defiant, subversive and vigorous
of Bologna face the same issues as their Dublin counterparts, issues that are too often rooted in an institutional neglect of the arts. Despite these problems, the music scenes in both Bologna and Dublin remain defiant, subversive and vigorous. The sound of Dublin will always exist but it has the potential to flourish if it uses cities like Bologna as an example, spearheading passion in its approach to music and insisting on making music accessible. Through this, Dublin will vastly improve the experiences of audiences and artists alike.
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Campus Critters
A student safari through the wildlife of Trinity College Dublin.
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By Cleo Daly
eading the following article in the voice of David Attenborough is very much recommended to make the experience slightly more tolerable. 431 years ago one of the earth’s most treasured wonders was founded. A place unlike any other, one that led to the emergence of some of our world’s most fascinating creatures. This place was Trinity College Dublin. My name is Cleo Daly, and I invite you to join me on a journey of investigating this groundbreaking terrain, and the wildlife that it continues to house all these years later. Together we will discover and explore what it is that makes this land so precious, and why these animals continue to remain year after year. During the daylight hours, Trinity College is a place of constant activity, with all walks of life venturing onto its open terrains. Aside from the animals that inhabit the grounds full time, the college is no stranger to visits from travelling species. One group in particular that frequently wanders the grounds is the vastly growing breed known as tourists. They move in large packs, and have a knack for preventing all other species from getting to where they need to be. They travel at an incredibly slow pace, constantly stopping to observe the other animals, and venture into the quarters of others. Their calls can be heard all across College, and they can become hostile if the Trinity grounds do not match their expectations. Some of these tourists can be friendly, however upon observation I would recommend avoiding them at all costs. The next group of animals I’ll introduce you to, are known as arts students. They spend most of their time hibernating underground in what is known as the Lecky Library, or locked away in windowless seminar rooms. They follow a strict cycle for when they resurface entirely based on nicotine withdrawals. They crawl out from underneath the library shelves in intimate groups to go for a smoke, a common practice amongst the art students. In between shortening their life spans, they attempt to engage in the topic of world affairs, but as they spend all their time underground grooming themselves, their knowledge often falls short and their growls are unintelligible even to one another. To attract a mate, arts students have several mating calls such as “do you need a lighter”, or “do you want to come to my gig”. Their diet consists entirely of rollies and caffeine, so it’s little surprise that their lifespan ranges from 25 to 30 years. They provide little in the way of helping the other species on Trinity’s grounds, other than striking visuals, and they are often referred to as the unemployed. There is however one subspecies of arts students that tend to be more active than the rest, these are the first years. They venture onto the holy grounds on their own, before quickly clumping into large packs. These packs however do not last long, and before no time past packmates refuse to acknowledge one another. These grouping of animals are quick to discover that being present on the same terrain at the same time does not result in a lifelong bond. These first years are active both day and night, and are quick to pick up the habits of their wider group. The process of constant smoking and grooming is almost instantaneous, and it is only a matter of time before they are stowed away, never to be seen again. Trinity is a home for all, both big and small, and many a creepy crawly resides on its grounds. Or should I say pub crawler. These insects spend their years dragging their fatigued bodies
from the many pubs that encircle this treasured space. They can be easily identified by their ghostly complexion, sunken eyes, and the way in which they slither from place to place. Their lives are occupied with drinking, off-key singing, and spending all of daddy’s money on €10 pints. Their journey begins as a social one, until eventually these pubs become the only spaces they know, and sloppily pulled pints have become their lifesource. Pitiful creatures, ostracised from the other species, and forced to find comfort in one another. As different as the animal species appear to be, there is one thing that unites them all. Within the landscape of Trinity there is a ruler, a king of the jungle. One who no one dares cross. They call him The Man of the Perch. During my years of observation, I was unfortunate enough to have several run-ins with this terrifying beast, and every single time I feared for my life. His roar is like no other, the sound of his footsteps sends the animal kingdom scurrying in all directions. It’s rumoured that if you step out of line (psychically and/ or metaphorically), you will be ground up and served in the Perch’s overpriced coffee. Getting in his way, will instantly result in public humiliation and a life-long ban from the premises. Such punishment is feared by all arts students, as the thought of having a cigarette in one hand but not a coffee in the other has them lying awake at night. I’ve resorted to maintaining a five metre distance from the Perch at all times, he is often known to strike outside of his grounds. Linger too close to his premises and prepare to feel his wrath. The animal kingdom is a fascinating place, and with it comes so many questions. Why do these animals reside on such grounds, and how long will they remain? Well lucky for you, after years of intense study I can shed some light on these enthralling queries. These animals first seek out Trinity’s holy lands due to a push from parents for bragging rights at Christmas. Those overseas are lured in with propaganda, and false promises, such as paying several grand for multiple years will allow you to spend the rest of your life working a job that you despise. Jokes on them, they won’t even get a job. But then again where else would these animals venture to? Getting a job with a degree is hard enough, and no one wants to go to UCD. Setting up shop in Trinity is a matter of survival, of desperation, of family pressure. But how long will these animals last? Not very long thanks to rent prices, and institutional greed. So where next for these animals? That’s something that even I can’t answer. Instead it’s up to you to find out, to observe and study these marvellous creatures. To immerse yourself in nature, to venture into the holy land. The world is a wonderful place, and there is so much left for you to discover.
A Guide to Zero-Waste Giving
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By Ellen Duggan
but no one will die if you put it … Or make it yourself in a bag (which will almost cerThe most meaningful gift is one tainly be reused). Or, better yet, with a lot of love, time and effort put into it, and nothing says this too many Secret Santas and it’s wrap it in some old newspaper or scraps of fabric. Everyone will like a gift you’ve made yourself. Do dawning on you that Christmas goes you knit? Bake fancy bread? Make hand-in-hand with waste. During think you’re super retro, honestly. jewellery? Put your skills to the Christmas 2022, Ireland was exAsk Them What They Want test, and try to create something, pected to generate 97,000 tonnes of rather than picking it up in a shop. packaging waste alone. Instead of fo- There’s no shame in it! The best way to ensure your gift will be cusing on what to put in the right bin, Help them make the change we should be ensuring that there’s as treasured is to know the giftee Not everyone is waste-conscious, little as possible to throw away in the wants it. If you’re more subtle than I am, gently probe rather than ask but we all have to change at some first place. So why not try a zero-waste point. Get your make-up obsessed Christmas? Here’s our handy guide... outright. Don’t just get the bookworm in your life a set of body friend a refillable lipstick from washes. They’ve likely mentioned Shop local or handmade… Lush to encourage eco-friendly Buy Less Does your mother’s cousin’s part- a volume that they’ve had their What better time of year is there to habits while keeping their preferner’s fish really need anything? eye on, and they will be touched give into mindless consumerism? ences in mind. Or, get them a reus93 per cent of Irish buyers receive by how attentive you are to some- Direct your urge to buy towards able coffee cup. With many Dublin gifts they don’t use for Christmas. thing they said idly. small-business owners rather than cafes giving a 10% coffee discount Cut the waste by not buying in the big brands this Christmas. Your if you bring one along, it’s the gift first place! If you fear offending Buy tickets, not things ma will nod approvingly and say that keeps on giving. From personal experience, I think someone, just mumble something she always encouraged her kids more kindly of the cheap tickets to about being a student and write to shop local, and your da will go And if all else fails.. a gig my friend bought us to than the most gracious Christmas card into a spiel about environmental- You can get a lovely set of packshe does of the stack of candles I ism and the economy and how it age-free soaps from Palm Free the world has ever seen. gifted her. She probably would’ve all comes down to the consum- Irish Soap for your posh aunt. Pair preferred a pint (which is proba- er’s individual choice… yeah, sure it with a jar of honeycomb dark Skip the Wrapping chocolate from the Source and Yes, it may be gorgeous, and yes, bly also a viable gift option at the Dad. current cost). you are good to go. it may be a Christmas tradition,
A Cinematic Christmas By Phoebe Pascoe
Home Alone The part of the first Home Alone Christmas movies aren’t known film that makes me cry isn’t the for being realistic. Not all of us can reunion at the end: it’s when trample through snow in heels like Kevin makes himself a perfect Cameron Diaz, or say our school na- microwavable mac’n’cheese, and tivity was interrupted by Hugh Grant then abandons it to go sabotage having a snog. But the magic of the the intruders. Christmas is a time holiday season (and capitalism) says when food takes on a little extra that you can make your favourite fes- meaning, so why not cook for tive film come true, if only you’ll use your flatmates as a gift? A warm them as inspiration for your gifting. meal to return home from the Here: what to put under the tree, as library to is always welcome, and advised by the Christmas Classics. when the days get dark it can be the perfect (economical) present. Love Actually Alan Rickman’s character likely went on the naughty list the year he got his wife Joni Mitchell’s Blue on CD (and his lover a gold necklace). But the album is objectively perfect. And, now that Mitchell is no longer available on Spotify, a physical copy of her masterpiece is a priceless gift. After all, what else are you going to soundtrack your annual Christmas cry to?
Take a cue from Kevin and light some candles to make it extra festive. Home Alone 2 Arguably the highlight of the franchise, and with some of the best gift ideas. If an elderly toyshop owner doesn’t present you with turtle doves to give to your friend, not to worry! A sentimental bauble is still a lovely present and there are plenty to be found in shops around Dublin.
new collaboration with SuperValu), I couldn’t get much more content.
It’s A Wonderful Life Bridget Jones’s Diary In keeping with the culinary Recreate the opening scene of theme - take inspiration from Bridget Jones’s Diary by picking everyone’s favourite Christmas up some Christmas PJs for your film. As a housewarming gift, the Martini family give Mary and nearest and dearest. The uglier the better, and extra points if you George Bailey bread, salt and wine. I don’t know about you, but get yourself a matching set! In the days between Christmas and New if someone were to give me my favourite baguette, some flaky salt Year pyjamas become both day (or just salted butter) and a bottle and night appropriate attire, so (preferably Sarah Jessica Parker’s having some festive ones to wear is always a good idea.
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PUZZLES FOR THE PLANE Across:
3. The world’s oldest tree 5. Country Uluru is located in 9. First dog in space 10. What Bridget Jones was based off 12. Voice of the Genie in Aladdin 14. Reindeer name, kebab 15. World’s best magazine editor
Down:
1. Highest grossing Christmas film 2. Most famous reality TV family 4. The first Disney princess 6. Location of the first Real Housewives franchise 7. All time number 1 Christmas song 8. Animal with the most teeth 11. Inventor of the mobile phone Martin ______ 13. Hottest country on Earth