Have a flick through this week’s top stories, curated by Caroline Young
Top Stories: 25th March
25th March 2021
The Great: it’s, well, great!
18th March 2021
I just finished watching all ten episodes of the Great on all4 and, I have to say, its sheer ‘greatness’ has warranted the inordinate number of Coors Light and Arnold Clack adverts I endured. The series gained three Golden Globe nominations and, while it did not win those, it has won my heart! Think The Crown but throw the shred of historical accuracy out the window, more swearing, 18th century Russia and a pinch of Skins (*cough cough*: Tony Stonem making a guest appearance). So basically, not like The Crown at all.
An analysis of Take Up Space by Vanessa Kisuule
18th March 2021
Vanesa Kisuule’s powerful poem Take Up Space is a celebration of women, particularly those of colour, and an ode to what it means to be female in the 21st century. Kisuule grapples with themes of oppression, the duplicitous role of women in society, and the corrosive impact of the patriarchy.
The ‘Super Straight’ Movement and its link to neo-Nazism
18th March 2021
Those who have the app TikTok may have, unfortunately, come across the ‘super straight’ movement, a recently established sexual identity which can be defined as ‘a person who will not date a trans person under any circumstances’. However, looking beyond the blatantly transphobic connotations behind this ‘sexual orientation’, research into the origins of ‘super straight’ indicates clear connections to neo-Nazism and how the people supporting this movement have fallen into the trap of promoting Nazi propaganda.
The female existence under the patriarchy
18th March 2021
The appalling story of Sarah Everard’s murder has touched us all, both men and women. Sarah was last seen alive leaving her friend’s house on the 3rd of March and is thought to have been abducted whilst walking across Clapham Common on her way home. Seven days later, her remains were found in a builder’s bag forty miles away in Kent. The irony is not lost on me that her alleged killer, Wayne Cozens, is a Metropolitan Police constable.
Content warning: discussion of the societal impact of sexual violence