INSIDE: Cycling | Kim Kardashian | Music | Societies | London Life
THE
ISSUE 24 FREE
QUINTIN HOGG Quintessential fortnightly comment from University of Westminster students.
Cycle? Here’s why you should This issue
By Pálína Guðnadóttir Cycling. There are so many reasons not to do it. It will be cold. It will be hot. You will get sweaty. There will be traffic. You might get too tired to complete the journey, or at least you will be too tired to cycle back home. You might make up these excuses and more to convince yourself to just take the Tube and cycle another day. But another day will not be any different. In the end, cycling for transport is just like any other sport. Here are the great reasons for cycling.
The Challenge Adapting to the London Lifestyle
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Books vs Kindle
Save money In this case, you must spend money to save money. Prices for used bikes range from £20 to £500, depending on their condition and on where you buy them. You can buy a cheap one on Gumtree or eBay, and if it is in poor condition, you can have it looked at for free at the Dr. Bike service. Do not forget to buy a helmet (£20 to £80) and bike locks (£25 to £100) as well, and a pair of bike lights for cycling in the dark (£2). Lets assume that you also buy some reflectors (£2) and a nice backpack (£35 to £50) for your University books, adding your bill up to somewhere from £104 to £734. That equals to just over one months’ worth of Oyster Travel-card at best, and less than 9 at most.
The first direct contact with London is what we all remember - and, undoubtedly, what sets the tone to the rest of your experience in this magnificent, dazzling, extraordinary metropolis. Can you remember when you first came here - all wide eyes and high hopes?
Freedom from public transport Now that you are a cyclist, you can go anywhere you want to go, at any time, without having to rely on trains or buses. You will never have to wait for anyone or anything. There are no weekend closures, and you do not have to squeeze in with everyone else during peak hours. You can choose your own route, whether you prefer it to be the quickest, the most scenic, or the lightest in traffic. Find out more about routes recommended by other cyclists by ordering free cycling maps on the TFL website.
An immense number of foreign students come to London to pursue their studies every year. This phenomenon just adds to what is the most striking quality of London: its constant stream of people belonging to different cultures; everybody always having things to do and places to go. As every Londoner or even tourist will tell you, London is a melting pot of many cultures - just by walking down the street you can see people of various nationalities, which are, indeed, clashing, but also gracefully coexisting.
Get in shape You will also save money on gym memberships, because now you can get in shape while on the go. The more you cycle the better shape you get into, and you will start to find it easier and sweat less. If you are worried about arriving to class all panting and sweaty, just give
In this immense city, many people come to make the most of the opportunities handed out to them and turn their highest aspirations into reality, and in this complicated system primarily run by people who have strength and determination to create a better life for themselves, the lone foreign student may feel in over their head. It takes time to adjust to the London lifestyle -
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Summer reflections
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By Teodora Miscov
but so many people find themselves in this exact situation that it is only a problem if you dwell too much on it. If you come from a relatively closed society, (truth be told, compared to London, all would seem hermetic) the city is all the more fascinating and confusing. The greatly developed culture, the constant stream of events, the sights and, let’s not forget, the highquality education (for which we came here in the first place) add up to make London the dream city of any student. The two main things that us students are here to do are studying and socialising. It may be stressful, but it is also a wonderful experience which helps shape our personalities. However, there are a few things specific to big cities which can intimidate us newcomers: the immense tide of people on the streets, the rapidity and grandeur of it all. Truth be told, all these things can make one feel out of place or inadequate. It is important for students to understand that this feeling, the homesickness, is only slightly increased by the things specific to London whichever city you would have moved to in order to continue your studies - this feeling would have still been there. It is something everyone has to deal with and realising that many people are in the same situation as you, and that all the Continued on Page 3
Student-savvy apps
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Look at: Pink Floyd
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THE
A LOOK BACK: SUMMER QH My Summer of Black
Contributors
Bridget Nkomo Caitlin Pedder Pálína Guðnadóttir Poonam Masih Teodora Miscov Natasha Sporn Interim Editor in chief
Activism By Bridget Nkomo I can’t pinpoint exactly when it was that I became an Activist. It wasn’t until after I was referred to as an activist by the people around me that I realised that what I was doing, standing up for human rights, rights that affect me personally, and those that affect those who are less fortunate than me, was called Activism. Not everybody is an activist, not all of us use our voices to fight against oppression, whether we see it or not. My Activism changed this summer. In May, I was slapped in the face by the realisation that something was missing, that the Activists and the spaces I had spent the past two years frequenting and feeling safe in were, for some reason, not paying attention to problems that were facing those who are not white. I’ve spent most of my life being a Black face in white spaces, first in the suburbs I grew up in, and now in the Activists spaces that I was mesmerised with when I was a fresh-faced and optimistic first year. It wasn’t until an Activist I admired stood in an Accountability Session at a Conference, weeping and saying to the rest of attendees that they had not done any campaigning for the Black Minority Ethnic (BME) students. They told us that they were aware of the fact that they had failed Black students. And they received a standing ovation. I took this moment to look around at the delegates who were in attendance and I that this year, the number of BME students at NUS LGBT Conference 2014 were noticeably lower than last year.
The QH - UWSU @THEQH_
I’ve always been aware of the fact that I’m Black, it’s not like I can hide it. So this incident wasn’t a sudden realisation of this very obvious fact, what I noticed was that my in two years in the LGBT movement, I had also not done enough to support and raise awareness of issues that affect Queer People of Colour (QPOC). Like the Officer, I had also failed Black people. I’ve identified as a Feminist for as long as I can remember, but I should have identified as a Black Feminist. I noticed that I had been silencing my voice as a Black woman. The race issue rarely came up in the politics that I had been following, this does not mean that Racism is not still alive and alive and kicking, and it still very dangerous, and all of us: Activists or not, White people or otherwise, must not let it be forgotten, and we must all support People of Colour. From Palestine to Ferguson, to our own homes and classrooms, we must support People of Colour, we must not blindly go through life not being aware of their struggles, and not speaking up in the face of the injustices that only occur to those who are not White.
This is not progression. I believe the Internet is the most important tool available to me as an Activist as it is where most things are organised, and an endless amount of resources and articles can be found and just by having a Facebook page, you have in your hands a platform upon which you can raise awareness or spread important messages; as well as boost your confidence by posting your cutest selfies. I was feeling alienated and I didn’t know how to share this sudden sense of displacement I felt. I considered leaving Activism and the fight for Social Justice as a whole and carrying on with my life in blissful ignorance. But I am a Black Queer Woman with Mental Health Disabilities, without Activists before me, I may not have been able to have an education, let alone be aware of the fact that the world I live in is not built for my existence. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, even if I’m just sharing articles on facebook, I might just be able to make a difference to someone, somewhere. I took to Facebook/Twitter/ Tumblr and I was lucky enough to quickly find the QTIPOC activists, Black Activists and Black Feminism. I was welcomed with open arms into
a community of People of Colour who are just trying to fight for their rights, because nobody else is already doing so. I’m about to enter the third and final year of my degree and I have three priorities: graduating, creating safe spaces and platforms for people of colour, and working to make the LGBTQ movement more inclusive of QPOC. I’m going to start with Black History Month at the University of Westminster, something that I haven’t seen getting the spotlight it deserves in a University where such are large number of Students are BME. Black History is important, it must be shared, the issue of Racism must be addressed and acknowledged and Black people must be Celebrated. This summer, I learned how important Community and Inclusivity was for me in the spaces that I inhabited at a time when I started to feel alienated. It should not have taken this long for me to realise that Black voices urgently need to be prioritised, and mostly importantly, heard and celebrated. But at least I have come this far, and it’s not too late for me to use my experiences to educate and use the resources available to me to raise awareness.
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LONDON LIFE The Challenge Adapting to the London Lifestyle By Teodora Miscov Continued from Page 1
students are eager to meet new people and make friends will help you get over this moment in your life all the more gracefully and rapidly. The one thing in London that is not all that annoying (depending on your mood) is the weather. Do not worry - you gradually get used to it and eventually come to actually like it. However, there are those days when you wake up and it’s raining, you’re away from home and amongst strangers - what to do then? The answer of this problem is what defines the youth: words. Regardless of whether they come in the form of music, literature or family, the warm embrace they elaborate in your mind relinquish yourself from what may trouble you during the day and ease your way back in to the present, by taking one short side-step to regain your balance. Read or listen to what makes you feel at ease, at home, or reminds you of some of your greatest moments. It is fine to return to your comfort zone once in a while - just make sure not to spend too much time there. “The English are waiting and I don’t know what to do” - Mr. November, by The National Music is the coping mechanism of our generation. Why not take full advantage? The large population of London, the sheer amount of people whom you see on the street or interact with everyday is something that takes a while to adjust to. The irony in societies that are so enormous is that the more people you interact with, the less meaningful the conversations are. In small cities, everybody knows everybody and one is
almost compelled to say hi to everyone they meet. In large cities, people are politely cold - they don’t invade the others’ space and they should try their best to not invade theirs. There’s a secret, unwritten code in London - many things are frowned upon, although it is not obvious at first. With time, however, you get used to it and slowly learn the dos and don’ts. There are many such idiosyncrasies present here in London and it may be
intimidating at first - but that is the beauty of it. One slowly transitions from being a newcomer to belonging here. Everyone slowly comprehends what they should and should not do, adhere to tacit understandings and find themselves feel at ease and comfortable in this promising, flourishing and beautiful city. So, how can the student, a newcomer who’s uninitiated in the ways of London truly and adapt and cope with what is
going on around them? It is as simple as this: experience it. All that you should focus on when you first come to London is to understand the thinking and modus operandi of the Londoner and try to assimilate it into your own behavior. If you do this, you would be surprised how well you fit in and enjoy yourself in this - at first - intimidating city.
Cycling: Here’s why you should Continued from Page 1
yourself more time to travel and go slower. However, if you start to feel that cycling is not challenging enough for you, you can always take longer routes or more demanding ones. Track your times and distances using mobile apps such as Endomondo and try to beat your best time or amount of miles from week to week. Start today If you are feeling unconfident about cycling, just remember that you only need to dismount to be a pedestrian. Take your time to get used to it. Watch out for the traffic and travel on off-peak hours until you start to feel confident
with your chosen route. Always assume that the drivers have not seen you, and do not take chances, for example, by running a yellow light. Ask an experienced cyclist to cycle with you and show you how best to do it, or apply for free or subsidised cycle training from TFL. They offer training for both beginners and experienced cyclists, where they teach you the correct way to behave in traffic. Remember that traffic is about politeness – the more polite you are, the safer. Good luck!
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LITERATURE Free Kindle books... Download or not to download? By Poonam Masih Everyone has a story and now, more than ever, it has become so easy for people to have their story heard. Thanks to the internet anyone with a story and access to a computer has the chance at a bestseller…even my next door neighbour has her own novel on Kindle. Most contemporary Kindle novels come at 99p and with prices so low you can’t help but download. But how do you know if that 99p novel is even worth that? As JK Rowling says, ‘No story lives unless someone wants to listen.’ and Denise Grover Swank’s 28 and a Half wishes was read by thousands and continues to dominate the bestselling charts on Kindle. What’s more is that the book is free! You can’t really turn a free book down. But the question is whether these stories are worth your time reading. Whilst modern (obviously not including the classics) free Kindle books are accessible, cheap and undemanding they usually lack quality, depth and timelessness. Nevertheless a story is a story, but is this one any good? Here it goes… It all started when I saw myself dead... is how the novel starts. Right from the start the reader is thrown into protagonist Rose Gardner’s vision of her own death. Rose has lived a sheltered life in a small collective southern town and kept feeling worthless by her mother.
However, knowing the exact date of her impending death ignites a new side of Rose that is determined to live out the rest of her days by experiencing as much of life as she can whilst also trying to figure out who wants her dead and why. With the mysterious new neighbour, the dark abusive mother and heart stopping psychic visions I thought this book was definitely going to be an exciting thriller. However, the story turned out to be your usual chick lit book with a couple of murders thrown in. But wait! That does not mean I didn’t enjoy it. In fact I spent all night reading it. 28 and a Half wishes is a light and fluffy story, surprisingly for a murder mystery, that focuses more on Rose’s sense of self-worth. After having to read some heavy prep for the new semester the story was a welcomed break from Literature that demands more than just ‘reading’ what’s on the page. The first person narrative is easy to follow and the tone conversational making it an easy read. While there isn’t much emotional depth or complex plot line, it was definitely entertaining and the characters developed just enough to make you read until the ‘mystery’ has been solved. It turns out the story is actually part of a series… For me, one was more than enough to sit through. But if you have read anymore of the series let me know what you think.
London in Books By Poonam Masih London is a constant rush but it only takes a minute to look up and realise how incredible it is. The city is one of the most culturally diverse in the world. There is always an exciting buzz in the air that promises a new and fun experience while at the same time the hidden alleyways and gothic architecture exude a fascinating history. London is an inspiring place and as Samuel Johnson once said,
‘… when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.’ The city has inspired countless numbers of authors and artists and we are lucky enough to be a stone’s throw away from many of those places.
Here is a list of a few novels that showcase the experience of London and its many faces. Go exploring and see what you find and maybe be inspired to write of your own story in the city…. Brick Lane by Monica Ali
The captivating story of Brick Lane centres on a young Nazneen who travels to Brick Lane from Bangladesh and has to adjust to life in the East End. Brick Lane is known for its rich ethnic diversity, unique street art, lively bars and swarming markets. It is also home to the best authentic Asian restaurants in London which are definitely worth a visit.
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APPS Use of Social Media in Business: Privacy By Natasha Sporn I’ll be the first to admit that I am in a steady relationship with my iPhone. The sometimes not-so-smart smartphone never leaves my side and is full of different applications that help me to organise my increasingly hectic life. As soon as I received my first year university timetable, I wondered how I could get my phone to remember it for me so that I didn’t have to – who has time to learn a timetable when there is fun to be had? Anyway, there’s an app for that. I was sure. Lo and behold, my friend pointed me in the direction of a few freebies offering to store my timetable and pop up with a garishly coloured box five minutes before my lecture (although I soon learned that when the box pops up and you’re still on the tube, it really isn’t that helpful) and buzz repeatedly until I assured it that I was in the relevant lecture (or somewhere in a Victoria Line tunnel). So, with my love of smartphone technology and handy applications in mind, here ten downloadable gizmos for students. 10. gFlashPro – Flashcards and Tests by gWhiz LLC. Price: £2.49. This genius of an application allows you to create a mini electronic flashcards using a Microsoft Excel crossed with Google documents format and keep them all together in one place. Once you finish making a set, you can easily swipe through them and read your notes. On the go, in bed, on the loo...where ever, it doesn’t matter. 9. Dropbox. Price: Free. Dropbox is particularly helpful to us Westminster students because our mobile blackboard app has Dropbox intergration allowing us to locate readings on our mini blackboard app and put them in Dropbox for access anywhere you can log in. For those of you unfamiliar with Dropbox it is an online storage space where you can easily save any files you really don’t want/can’t afford to lose and access them via your account from any place in the world. 8. iStudiez Pro. Price: £1.99. The one I mentioned before with the garish alerts? It’s this and it’s a must have. You enter your deadlines, your timetable, the rooms you need, the lecturers you have and exam dates and it creates a calendar for you right in the application. The tool alerts you fifteen minutes before your lecture/seminar/workshop and will alert you of your approaching deadlines if you request it to. It probably is the only reason I got to half of my lectures on time in the first couple of months of university.
7. Blackboard. Price: Free. It may sound stupid but – no matter how desperately annoying and infuriating it can be – Blackboard is very useful to have on your mobile phone. It saves lugging module handbooks about with you, for one, and allows you to check and double check deadlines or results on-the-go without seeking refuge in the computer rooms. Which, in my experience, actually isn’t all that easy. Not at Regents Street, anyhow. 6. Whatsapp. Price: Free (but I think there is some 69p subscription nowadays). Student life isn’t all about studying – the friendships you develop at university are a massive part of the experience, as well as keeping in touch with old friends far and wide. Whatsapp is a free messenger service across all of the smartphone platforms (iOS, Android and Blackberry) that needs only an internet connection to aid you in your communication. Especially handy for group conversations and a real godsend when it comes to keeping in contact with international students as the service is free worldwide with no roaming charges.
5. Moneylover. Price: Free. A handy financially clever application that is rare it being available across platforms and not just restricted to the iWorld. Moneylover allows you to jot down how much comes in and how much goes out each week or month. This reminds you that maybe you need to cut down on all the partying sometimes if you want to eat well. 4. Tipping Point. Price: £1.49. This may sound really ridiculously stupid but I am pretty much addicted to ITV gameshow game Tipping Point. Wait, there is a justification here. The game has over 2,000 questions to test your general knowledge and thereby teaches you trivia that will definitely impress your friends down the pub. You also get the counters to stick in the machine and win virtual money. And not a Ben Shephard in sight. 3. Scribd. Price: Free. An online library of books at the click of a button and in the palm of your hand. Enough said. 2. Wikipanion. Price: Free. Eesh, well Wikipedia isn’t a totally respectable source and you should never use it as a reference in your academic essays but,
well, if something is being talked about and it’s going right over your head you can look it up when you get out of the seminar. Wiki is also full of useless information about stupid things; like World Cup mascots or where in the world London boroughs are twinned with. 1. Google Maps. Price: Free. Good old Google. University is for exploring your surroundings as much as it is reading a subject. With the accuracy of Google apps (sorry Apple, sorry Bing but you can be a bit off ) the city of London is your oyster. Google’s pocket geography means that if you find yourself off the beaten track, the moving blue dot will walk you back to safety. Now put that phone down and do some work. PS. University of Westminster have an app too! iWestminster is SRS integrated, has handy information about the university and shows you the status (logged on/free) of every single computer across every campus.
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SOCIETIES Getting involved with student societies... By Natasha Sporn
Last year I was President of a faith society. This year I am President of a subject society. I expect this year’s experience to be very different to last year’s but I am excited nonetheless. In my first year, I only joined one society and it was largely inactive for the entire year so, naturally, I assumed that every single Westminster society was the same and nobody was meeting with anybody and doing anything. Turned out that was extremely far from the truth. At the end of my first year, I was asked to take over that society and reactivate us. I like to think I did just that with my – along with my vice president – events and visibility throughout the academic year. When my tenure came to an end, I decided to ask for permission to recreate the Sociology society; not because I couldn’t stand to not be in charge (as I’m aware it may seem…) but because I strongly believe all students across all disciplines should have at least one society they can interact with. Running a society is not about power.
UWSU Societies 2014/15
Being in a society is not about just putting your name down. Joining a society is about hanging out with people with whom you have a common interest – be it faith, sport, gaming or politics (to name but a few) – and having fun. Maybe your friends don’t share your enthusiasm for left wing Politics or Pokémon but you can bet your life that at least ten other people in this university do. So you can go along to their events, make friends and talk about what you love. Don’t be scared or shy. Please don’t be scared or shy. I beg of you. In my first year it seemed daunting joining a society and, so much so, that – as I said – I neglected to bother to join an active one and get involved. I wasted my first year, in that respect. We have so many societies here at the University of Westminster but they are nothing without members. Without you guys. Please get involved. Make the most of university, make some friends and make a difference (whether you are on the committee or not, your ideas can still create events and ideas or maybe produce a new society). I wouldn’t like to think that anybody reading this is feeling left out and alone.
Debating Society
Jewish
Pokemon
WestMUN Society
debating.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
jsoc@su.westminster.ac.uk
pokemon.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
westmun.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
accounting-management.soc@su.westminster.
Disabled Students
Kurdish
Psychology
ac.uk
disabledstudents.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
kurdish.soc@westminster.ac.uk
psychology.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Westminster Entrepreneurial Society
Ahlul Bayt Society
Entrepreneurs
Law Society
Restless Beings
ahlulbayt.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
entrepreneurs.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
law.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
restlessbeings.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Anime Society
Employable Students Society
LGBTI
Round table society
anime.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
ess.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
lgbti.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
roundtable.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Bar Society
Feminist
LINKS
Sikh
bar.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
feminist.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
links.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
sikh.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Business Society
Film
Marketing
Sociology
(Centre for the Performing Arts) Comedy
business.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
film.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
marketing.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
sociology.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
comedy.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Careers Society
Games & Creative Society
Marrow Society
Somali Society
careerssociety.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
gamesandcreative.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
marrow.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
somali.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
(Centre for the Performing Arts) Drama
Chess Society
Hindu
Middle Eastern
Student Minds
chess.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
hindu.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
middleeastern.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
studentminds.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Chinese Society
History
MTO Sufi
Synthetic Biology
(Centre for the Performing Arts) Active Music Group (Orchestra)
chinese.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
history.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
mtosufi.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
syntheticbiology.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
amg.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Conservative Future
IAESTE
Nutrition
Westminster Debating Society
conservativeFuture.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
iaeste.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
nutrition.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
debating.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
(Centre for the Performing Arts) Salsa
Construction
Islamic Society (Sisters)
Oriental
Westminster Marrow
construction.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
islamic.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
oriental.soc@westminster.ac.uk
marrow.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Christian Union
Islamic Society (Brothers)
Palestinian Solidarity Society
Westminster Nutrition Society
cu.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
islamic.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
palestiniansolidarity.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
nutrition.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Accounting & Management
entrepreneurs.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
Yoga yoga.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
(Centre for the Performing Arts) Choral choral.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
drama.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
salsasoc@su.westminster.ac.uk
(Centre for the Performing Arts) Musical Theatre musical.theatre@su.westminster.ac.uk
(Centre for the Performing Arts) Dance dance.soc@su.westminster.ac.uk
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OPINION Katie Hopkins By Caitlin Pedder It goes without saying that it is ridiculous for a person to be judged primarily on their weight or body shape. Unfortunately, no one seems to have passed the memo to former The Apprentice contestant Katie Hopkins. In one of her recent articles for The Sun, she announced her latest point-proving adventure; to make herself overweight in order to prove to “the fatties” that losing weight is not hard. Hopkins has appeared many times on ITV’s This Morning to make inflammatory remarks about overweight individuals. At one point she claimed that she would refuse to employ overweight individuals as they “give the wrong impression to clients… you look lazy.” So in response to the inevitable backlash regarding her self-publicised stance on body types, Katie has taken it upon herself to rapidly become fat and lazy, and then lose every pound of it by “eating less and moving more.” After three months of consuming 6,500 calories a day, she is 3.5 stones heavier, and claims to be miserable. In a short video clip viewable on the Mail Online article about this “experiment” which she has named To Fat And Back (which is being filmed for a show on TLC), Katie sobs that she “hates fat people” as she lists her daily gorge; which included cereal with chocolate milk, a pasta ready meal, a tube of Pringles and a chocolate cake. It is likely that Katie will quickly drop the pounds not just because she has the time and money to diet and exercise efficiently, but because this woman is utterly determined to prove
that there are, as she puts it, “no excuses to be fat.” Many media outlets and self-esteem charities have condemned Hopkins’ stunt as “overly simplistic fat-shaming.” I have to say that I agree. Being a lady in plus size clothing, I have experienced the unkind behaviour of many people who share Katie’s views. I have been informed of my weight from passing cars (thanks, I wasn’t aware) and on public transport (I can assure you madam, I only sit on one seat.) These comments do not upset me, but they do get me thinking about why people take it upon themselves to pass judgement on someone in such a manner; and Katie’s quest to prove that people like me are simply lazy has had the same end result. Fat-shaming was pretty much acceptable in society until the likes of Gok Wan’s How To Look Good Naked emphasised that women did not need to be slim to feel good, and the high profile Say NO To Size Zero campaign lobbied for the end to underweight models on worldwide catwalks, and for the acceptance of plus-size modelling. While this was a positive step forward and has helped people to feel more comfortable in their own skin, it has done little to stem the stream of fatrelated insults, and also seems to have had a negative side effect; the rise in acceptance of thin-shaming. Katie Hopkins cited her reason for beginning “To fat and back” in response to people abusing her for being thin. Magazines that once criticised celebrities for being overweight are now also passing judgement about how
thin so-and-so has become. Whilst researching for this piece, I found that Googling several different phrases related to slim-shaming yielded results that tended to conclude negatively about slim individuals, where the input of phrases related to fat-shaming surprisingly resulted more positively than one would expect. Therefore it seems that, fat or thin, you should be very unhappy with yourself because there is something wrong with you. I hope I am not the first to point out that this culture of body shaming is a flawed logic, and just utterly ridiculous. Body-shaming as a whole is a pointless exercise because, quite frankly, everyone has the right to live as they please. Being overweight or slim does not necessarily mean that an individual is lazy and lacking in willpower, or conceited, superficial and unwell; there are many genetic, medical and environmental factors that can affect ability to lose or gain weight. It is this which makes Katie Hopkins’ quest to prove that there are “no excuses to be fat” quite irrelevant; she has not gained weight under normal circumstance. She has deliberately force fed herself a diet consisting of almost 100% junk food in order to gain 3.5 stone rapidly, whereas the average overweight individual (myself included) finds that the 3.5 stone crept
sneakily onto our hips over several years, having fallen into poor eating habits without realising – and when you don’t realise where you slipped up, you don’t know how to fi x it. That’s if you even want to fi x it; plenty of people are totally comfortable being bigger, and that’s okay. Katie has also seemingly overlooked the medical factors that can cause weight gain; surely people don’t assume everyone who claims to have weight issues caused by a medical problem is lying? The British Thyroid Foundation has found that around one in twenty people in the UK have a Thyroid disorder; a common symptom being weight changes. Whilst it should be less acceptable base the worth of an individual based on their body, it needs to be said that we also shouldn’t enable the medically serious extremes; in a perfect world it shouldn’t matter whether you wear a size 8 or an 18, as long as you are happy and healthy. It’s nice to dream, isn’t it? This said, I doubt that Katie Hopkins or her followers will ever see things differently, especially seeing how badly she is coping with her weight gain challenge. Let’s hope someone learns something somewhere, even if it’s just that eating a chocolate cake a day isn’t as fun as it sounds.
9
The Quintin Hogg
STUDY Celebrity By Natasha Sporn
acts as a counterproductive feature by design.
I know what you’re thinking. First edition under an interim editor and the paper is spewing out celebrity…
The rate at which the game garnered popularity is incredibly interesting demonstrating an insight into celebrity culture within our society. For starters, millions flocked to download the game because they are followers of Kim Kardashian’s career and lifestyle – a love consolidated by the furore around the birth of her first child, her marriage and media sightings of her and her family (siblings and spousal). The fact that people downloaded a game because she told them to is enough for a case and point, really. So couple that with the idea of a game that makes you into a virtual celebrity – encouraging you to fight, insult, stand up friends and regularly change your clothes in order to jump up the fake celebrity list – and you have to wonder how we got here. I mean, I do. I sat at my desk over the summer reading stories about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s wedding and questioned whether anybody really cares. Sure, on the surface we appear to care…but do we really? We can no longer decipher between what we think we [should] feel and what we actually feel regarding celebrities. Celebrities know that we think we care what they do and so keep on doing so we do not realise we don’t actually care.
Having broken up from university in April, by July I was becoming a little bit bored. At least, boredom coupled with ferocious curiosity are the reasons I am citing for the fact that I allowed myself to download a free game that my Twitter timeline was on fire talking about. Every other tweet was somebody proclaiming they had run out of energy or that Simon was yet to call them. Naturally, I wondered what these people were talking about – a game, no less. This money-spinner entitled ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood’ allows the user to work in a shop, lock up the shop and – against all odds – bump straight into Kim Kardashian on a mad dash for a dress. Suddenly, my nameless character was catapulted onto the celebrity E-list and had acquired a manager, a publicist and a condominium in Hollywood within five minutes. The aim of the game is to work your way up to the number one spot on the A-list; i.e. become Kim Kardashian herself (at least, virtually anyway). To achieve this, your bumbling mini-Kimbot is consigned to a life of waiting for Simon (the manager who must have about 10 million clients by now) to call with the next photoshoot or public appearance for you to spend your energy doing. If, in the rare event, you find yourself with energy to spare and nothing to appear at you can arrange a date with somebody you have befriended in a bar. But be careful, always date a lower list than you…or so I’m told. The problem with dating on the game is that your date insults your outfit upon arrival and then forces you to pay for everything. Single life is much better here, spongers. Eventually, the game starts to force you to spend longer on activities (eight hours, 12 hours or even 24 hours) in the hope that you have, by now, become so addicted to the game that you must pay real money in order to gain virtual energy to complete your task quicker and move on. If you just leave it until it replenishes – which I suspect most do – you play less and less and the addictiveness wains and thus probably
Not that we shouldn’t care at all when things happen to celebrities – they’re human and both happy and sad things happen that are widely reported to which it would take a decidedly inhumane approach not to care (especially on the tragedy side). What I am saying is that maybe we should appear to care a little less. In a relevant example, the amount of people throwing ice over their heads because they have seen a celebrity do it is absurd. Yes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is for charity and if idolisation of a celebrity is what forces you to do it and donate than it is, of course, a good thing. Sadly, the amount of people doing it because ‘celebrities and everyone else are’ and not even mentioning the charity began to outweigh the charitable. Regardless of whether you donate or not, you should only do something if you want to do it. Never mind if that actress from Downton Abbey did it or that footballer from Real Madrid.
10
The Quintin Hogg
MUSIC Pink Floyd By Teodora Miscov In the ‘60s, the hippie movement was just beginning to take form and the legendary band, Pink Floyd, was developing into what would be, just a few years later, the iconic band of the psychedelic era. After almost two decades, The Wall was created, a music piece which would later become a movie and a legend.
Based here in London in 1963 (two of the longest running members met while studying at the Regent Street Polytechnic - now our University of Westminster), Pink Floyd holds a legacy which will surely live on for many years - even now, over five decades from their conception as a band, albums like The Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall are still regarded with awe. But what makes Pink Floyd what they are today? Why does the work of Waters, Gilmour, Mason, Wright and, for a too short period of time, Barrett seem so far ahead of the competition? The question is hard to answer, but considering the many political and social ramifications of the music and lyrics written by the members (mostly Roger Waters), a factor a to their enormous success must surely be complexity. The economy of the band has always been uncertain, many power struggles taking place between members, primarily Waters (main songwriter and lyricist) and Gilmour - however, at the start of the Roger Waters led era in ‘78, their iconic album, The Wall, was released. Even when it first appeared, it shocked the public as being symbol laden, containing a narrative which followed little Pink, a boy who struggled through maturity with several issues.
Review
The movie Pink Floyd - The Wall clarifies the idea behind the album; containing parts from the lives of both Roger Waters, who wrote the whole concept album, and Syd Barrett, former band member who had to leave because of his deteriorating mental health, the story of Pink shows him developing from being a frightened boy, scared by the death of his father in the war, to being a wrecked rock star, drug addicted and oppressed by his own thoughts. The story builds until Pink becomes a megalomaniac, having built the metaphorical Wall between him and the outside world - and in the end, after lyrics and scenes full of political innuendos (mostly addressed to fascism and capitalism), the Wall is tore down. Thus, at the end of the epic psychedelic journey, we find that Pink has finally gotten over his mental issues and decided to open himself to the outside world, allowing himself to feel, react, interact - be human.
The album singlehandedly became immensely popular when it was released, but combined with an elaborate live show created especially for it and a movie that emphasised its main points it gained a monumental importance. The materialisation and slow tearing down of the metaphorical wall on the stage, the projections, the inflatable figures (the pig floating above the audience for the whole show, the terrifying teacher), the crashing plane and the wonderful sound of the music itself have made an impact on the audiences and struck each individual as complex and meaningful.
The movie, released in 1982, also combined strong imagery with the great impact of the lyrics; the image of identity stripped children absentmindedly walking into a meat grinder while the words “All in all you’re just another brick in the wall” are sung in a choir surely left an impact on all viewers. The political messages are to be found in every part
of the movie - the moment during In The Flesh when Pink suddenly turns fascist and belittles the audience with rude remarks makes a strong statement regarding intolerance: “There’s one in the spotlight, he don’t look right to me, Get him up against the wall. (…) If I had my way, I’d have all of you shot!” All in all, The Wall is both a musical and a visual masterpiece, a complex intertwining of many platforms, ideas, styles, issues and stories. Attacking problems still relevant to today’s day and age, Pink Floyd’s concept album will surely have an impact on many generations to come.
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