In love with this coco

Aarti Malhotra Executive Editor

If you’re reading this, we probably made it through the formatting weekend. Bless.

Honestly, the past week has been beyond transformative, in the worst way possible. From moments of crippling self-doubt, third-year reality checks, and political anxieties, the list is endless.

But waking up everyday with the responsibility of The Beaver weighing over my head has been surprisingly grounding: there’s work that needs to be done and stories that need to be told. Alas, all my personal plights get put on the backburner indefinitely. At least it’s a distraction I am proud of (?).

It’s not even reading week yet and 95 percent of my life already revolves around this paper. I guess it’s time I accept my fate. And as much as I whine and complain about it, there’s no Amy Winehouse track or first on an essay that hits quite the same way as being able to hold a new issue of The Beaver on a Tuesday afternoon. I’m in love with this coco.

And on that note, I present issue #922 to you. She’s something. Despite the short turn-around, our editors and contributors have covered a lot of ground. For one, check out Lily’s follow-up story on LSE signing the Can’t Buy My Silence Pledge (about time!). Also in news is some important coverage on fees compensation, the student mental health epidemic, and the ongoing protests in Iran.

Then, turn over to features for some very relatable content on FOMO and the cost of living crisis.

As for Flipside, I very much enjoyed Ambre’s interview with Katherine, a friend I already admire so much. Once again, Vaneeza’s Horrorscopes do not disappoint on the horror scale (they did, however, disappoint my fragile self-esteem. Go easy on pisces pls). Oh, and definitely don't miss the much-anticipated Don’t Worry Darling review by Rachel.

Happy reading. Hasta la vista, baby.

Vani Kant Managing Editor

Honestly? I’m in my Descartes era. I think, therefore I am, and who I am is a fundamentally conflicted person. I decided to keep myself busy over the summer by dabbling in moral philosophy and a whole lot of introspection, re: what am I really meant to do around here (earth)? Surely, it can’t be a Deloitte graduate program. Point is, I’ve been thinking a lot about human purpose and what we owe to each other just by virtue of being alive, and I’ve come to the conclusion that a lot of us need to have a good, hard think about our life choices. “There is no ethical existence under capitalism” just isn’t cutting it anymore. We can’t keep saying “capitalism bad,” only to participate in it endlessly and in avoidable ways. You’re better than being a banker, and so am I. But what do we do when a public sector job offers mere £24,000 annually in a city where you’ve got to pay to sneeze?

It’s scary how difficult it is to make a living in the we-careabout-human-life business.

It’s especially apparent at LSE, where so many of us learn to think critically about the world before we all apply to Goldman Sachs to work in “compliance”, whatever that means. Every job is a barter between safety, greed, and duty (if you believe in that sort of thing. I do) and the current state of affairs awards only the first two. That’s why it’s so much easier to pick some random highpaying job without thinking about what that job really means– for society, your daily sanity, and your purpose at large. What’s important is that you’ve secured a stable and sustainable income. For some, you’ve secured more than what some people will make in a decade. But the stakes are getting higher, and I believe we owe each other more than to prioritise our convenience over the safety of the weakest among us. It’s sick that we need to sacrifice “the good life” in order to help people, but you don’t need to work at Lockheed Martin to put food on the table. You don’t need to manage milliondollar portfolios to lead a fulfilling life. And I refuse to believe that hoards of people dreamt of being consultants as kids. I think we need a major restructuring in how we understand happiness, duty, community, and progress. All that systemic change stuff. I’m not going to talk about the corrupting legacy of Western individualism, but imagine that I have.

Trust me, I know the decision isn’t easy. And I definitely don’t have all the answers– hence why I’m a conflicted person. I’m looking for humanitarian jobs and they don’t want me, I’m looking at legal training contracts and I don’t want them. I might still apply. Who knows. The economy is shit and I need to put food on the table. I can’t restructure society on my own, and choosing to perish under it is a great burden indeed. That’s why this editorial isn’t some moral positing; I know it’s tricky (for those of us who really do see a problem with the world, at least. Many of you are passionate about investment banking and I will never understand you. Choose to be more.) But that doesn’t mean that questioning what we’ve been taught to value is futile. If anything, it’s more important than ever.

Media recommendation: T. M. Scanlon, What We Owe to Each Other.