FEBRUARY 2021
Vol 1 Issue 2
DISCUSSIONS WE'VE HAD
Over the last few months, we have enjoyed having a range of discussions. From topics like double standards to different perceptions of feminism, we have certainly had a lot to talk about! We thought it would be great to to share some of it with you.
Cancel Culture: Discussing cancel culture was really insightful, especially as the idea of ‘cancelling’ someone is becoming more predominant in our modern 21st century society. So, when discussing this topic, we all had one universal opinion: for the most part cancel culture is toxic. People can often think that by cancelling someone they are achieving social justice. However when it involves unlawful threats and invasion of peoples' privacy, that is when cancel culture can take a turn for the worst. Cancel culture can include people who benefit most in our society getting verbally attacked for controversial statements, to ordinary people facing major repercussions like losing their job. But for the most part, we witness cancel culture taking place among the more privileged of societymost of the time it doesn’t last long. With a quick apology addressing the statement, with no sense of remorse, only the incentive to regain their lost followers, all is forgiven. From this, many of us said that these ‘influencers’ should take accountability for their actions and show genuine remorse. Being in the spotlight, comes with a certain responsibility so when these influencers use their power in a way that is not befitting it should not be ignored. We agreed that many of these people who are called influencers are not even a good example for the next generation and sometimes do not use their platform for good.
Matters Until They Affect You: I’m sure we’ve all fallen guilty when it comes to this subject- that is why we felt that is was really important to talk about this. Many people said that they find that a lot of things that are reported in the media aren’t as insightful when it comes to educating people. There are many things that people wouldn’t be aware of unless they go and actively search for it. Take what happened with George Floyd for example. This was, of course, broadcasted across all forms of media. It was amazing to see many people coming to the realisation of systematic racism in the world. Sales of books about racism and white supremacy increased by up to 6,800% in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. However, it seemed as if people had been blissfully ignorant that institutional racism was so prevalent until it appeared right on their doorstep. This is just one of many examples that was discussed, but the point was that we all felt that a lot of people tend to be ignorant until a matter directly affects them or is publicised by the media. That’s why it is more important than ever to educate ourselves instead of waiting for the news to come to us. Fortunately, we are all in a position, to educate ourselves with the internet and books at our disposal. There are a number of resources located at the end of the end of the newsletter where you can do some further research. There are many other articles that you can read online and books that you could purchase. We can all make sure that we aren’t just simply being passive and waiting for the news to come to us but instead actually finding the means to educate ourselves.
