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ISSUE 716 22 FEB 2021 exepose.com @Exepose
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987
Class privilege:
Estate agents condemned amidst empty accommodation crisis
Exeter’s private school proportion growing
EXCLUSIVE Bryony Gooch & Chloe Pumares Editor & News Editor
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ITH a third of the student intake for the past five years being privately educated, the University of Exeter’s proportion of private school students is increasing, while other Russell Group competitors are closing the gap between private and state school attendance.
Pete Syme Deputy Editor
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TUDENTS have spoken to Exeposé about their difficulties leaving housing contracts, while nearly £1 billion has been spent on empty accommodation according to a Save The Student survey. With most students advised not to return to universities before 8 March, the third lockdown has left many living at home and still paying rent in Exeter. St Andrews and LSE have already made the decision for teaching to be online for the rest of the year, with the possibility that other universities will follow suit. At an average of £1,621 paid on each room, the demand for repayments is growing with Former Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn calling for “fee and rent refunds”. Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, the NUS Vice President for Higher Education, said: “Students have been consistently exploited and ignored during this pandemic. We are seen as cash cows, with many stuck paying extortionate rents for properties they either cannot use or cannot afford.” Mental health, financial difficulty and life changes are among the many reasons people have tried to switch or leave contracts, but the process has been far from simple. One undergraduate faced difficulty after a housemate tested positive for COVID-19 while she went home for the
Using data accessed via the Freedom of Information Act and the Higher Education Statistics Agency, Exeposé compared Exeter’s state and private school intake with a sample of competitors. While Durham and Oxford had higher proportional intakes of private school students, both universities had a decreasing trend across the past five years. Birmingham’s private school intake averages 18.6 per cent, far lower than others in the Russell Group. However, it
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COMMENT What became of the third years? PAGe 7
LIFESTYLE Small businesses, big ambitions PAGe 18+19
SCREEN
Film critics under fire PAGE 38
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NEWS Redvers Buller stays put PAGE 4
FEATURES The farmers protests rocking India PAGE 13
ARTS + LIT Leicester's medieval mess PAGE 21 Image: Jeremy Beall
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abuse in the music industry (page 22). This week Arts + Lit looks at reading communities online in spaces such as BookTok or The Storygraph (pages 22 & 23). If you are looking to back any student businesses, Lifestyle have an entire spread dedicated to student businesses working towards wider charitable causes (pages 18 & 19). If you are a third year student feeling the pressure of graduation, Lifestyle also have an article reviewing some of the potential options in store to ease your anxious mind (page 17). Over in Features this week we look at how COVID-19's global vaccine effort may have neocolonial ramifications (page 14). Last but certainly not least, Sport reviews homophobia in the sporting world and the challenge for LGBTQ+ people to be accepted (page 38). We hope this issue can get you through to the halfway point of Term Two with some ease, we know how much of a drag it can be to reach this point of the year sometimes. As always, Exeposé welcomes new writers, proofers and general members. We are a student group that requires you to have absolutely no prior experience, just a passion for all things journalism or a love of creativity. We welcome everyone. All you need is curiosity and a drive for giving things a go. But for now, take it easy. Carry on reading. Kamila & Bryony
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Comment Editors Print: Isaac Bettridge & Cassia Grace Online: Gaia Neiman & Jennifer Medlicott comment@exepose.com
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IME is a funny thing. In many ways, everything feels as though it is on hold; our social lives and daily routines have been swapped out for sitting at home and... sitting at home. The constant cycle of lockdowns followed by quasi-normalcy has been jarring for all of us. Especially when we have constantly been expected to work throughout. We would not begrudge you for feeling exhausted. Hell, we are too. This isn't what we signed up for when we agreed to come to university. Nor did we think we would be running a student newspaper remotely, yet here we are, plodding on slowly. We aren't the only society experiencing this; we are sure many of you feel as though what you chose to do for fun has got a lot harder thanks to the pandemic. We hope you are able to find moments of peace for yourselves amidst the essays and the claustrophobia. But in the meantime, feel free to distract yourself with a copy of Exeposé. This week in News you can read about the recently-discovered eighteenth century maps of Exeter (Page 3). Meanwhile, Comment reviews the impact of the pandemic on the final year university experience (page 8). Head over to Screen where we take a deep dive into sexism in film criticism after the recent Variety review of A Promising Young Woman (page 29). Science have some infomration on the neurological impact of COVID-19 (page 35). Head over to Music where we look at the allegations against Marilyn Manson and the long history of sexual
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The Brady bunch of awards PAGE 39
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Worldwide university news Northern Ireland grants £500 disruption payment
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ARLIER this month, Northern Ireland’s Economy minister Diane Dodds promised £500 to students as compensation for disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is set to be given to almost 40,000 students, both in university and further education. However, parttime and non-EU students studying in Northern Ireland will miss out. Other students who are not eligible include Northern Irish students studying in other regions of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, an issue Deputy First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, has raised with the Department of Education. O’Neill’s fellow Sinn Féin MLA, John O'Dowd, has called for payments to also be made to all full-time students at further education colleges because only those enrolled on a higher education course currently have access.
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Indian’s new ministry rules restrict online
NDIA'S Ministry of Education has announced that academics and organisers must obtain clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs if they plan on holding international webinars and virtual seminars. This is aimed at webinars or seminars covering sensitive topics such as India’s security and internal issues. The new guidelines came into immediate effect on 15 January. The government will be in charge of approving participants in advance and will check every online event to make sure they do not speak on the country’s NorthEast States, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Ladakh region. Alka Acharya, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, believes the rules will put academics and research scholars under pressure to avoid raising subjects that could be seen as affecting national security.
Students in Moscow return Australian universities to in-person teaching forced to slash jobs
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OLLOWING the relaxing of COVUSTRALIA'S universities have been ID-19 measures in Moscow in late struggling financially due to COVJanuary, including the lifting of an 11pm ID-19 and recently were forced to slash curfew for hospitality venues, the Russian 17,000 jobs after losing around AU$1.8 Ministry of Education and Science made billion in revenue. This has been a hard hit an announcement meaning that university for vice-chancellors as it follows decades of students in the capital could return to ingrowth in enrolments and expansion of person teaching on 8 February. the higher education system. In Officials have cited the 2020, 100,000 full time staff need for universities to take and 30,500 part time staff preventative measures to were employed, with the reduce COVID-19 translatter facing the worst of it. mission. The announcement The cuts have led to most was welcome news to many of these employees being efMoscow-based students who fected in someway either directhave expressed their wish to return ly being fired or having to take on to in-person teaching since the shift to more workload to made up for the losses. remote learning in November last year. Students have also been affected as timetaHowever, this latest announcement is bles have changed and some courses cut, accompanied by words of caution from forcing them to switch to a new one. AusMoscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, who tralia’s higher education sector is expected urges that despite the relaxing of measto lose more money, about AU$ 2 billion, ures: “The fight is not over yet. We still about 5.5 per cent in this coming year. have to be careful.” Images (L to R): Glenn Carstens-Peters By Maddy Mckenna, Emily Im, (Unsplash), ShubhamSharan (UnSplash)
Tamara Moule & Chloe Pumares
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22 FEB 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
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“It’s a problem all over the UK, but particularly at Exeter” mouth who have a consistently low proportion of private school students. Over the past five year, they respecitvely have a mean average of 5.7 and 6.6 per cent.
.Differences with people simply because of the schools we went to Sophie, 93% Club
In 2019, the Sutton Trust and Social Mobility Commission reported that only 7 per cent of the British population attend private school, although they make up 39 per cent of those in top positions. Exeposé spoke to Exeter’s 93% Club to gain their insight. Their aim is to “improve the experience of state school students at university” and create “a space where anyone can feel welcome”. The Club was first founded in 2016 at the University of Bristol by Sophie Pender and has since expanded to 30 universities, with Exeter joining last August. Since 2015/16, Bristol’s intake of private school students has fallen by 9.4 per cent. Speaking to committee members about their experiences at Exeter and why
“Slight increase” in University COVID cases Kamila Bell Editor
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N the week commencing 7 February COVID-19 cases saw an increase on University campus. A Registrar email sent to students on 17 February said: “There has been a slight increase in COVID-19 case numbers on campus but overall these remain low.” The highest seven-day rolling average was recorded on 13 February at 2.3 positive cases. In comparison to the previous seven-day rolling average of 1.1 on 7 February. The University’s COVID-19 statistics website provided further information: “As of 13 February, there have been 436 cases and 18 deaths in the last week for Devon and 406 cases and 41 deaths in the last week for Cornwall.” The Registrar email reminded students about regular testing: “Please remember to book your free twice weekly
tests if you are back in your term-time accommodation or coming onto campus. As well as the major test site at the Streatham Sports Hall we now have a daily testing site at St Luke’s Sports Hall and a weekly pop-up site at Cornwall House so it should be easy to get a test wherever you are.”
Image: Fernando Zhiminaicela, Pixabay
they thought it was important, it became clear that there is a divide between state and private school students, with a need to increase the intake of state school students. Ani, the founder of Exeter’s 93% club and its current President explained: “it’s a problem all over the UK, but I think particularly at Exeter you can see it in the statistics that state school students are massively underrepresented.” Luca, the society’s treasurer, discussed his experience as a state school student. Despite knowing Exeter had a reputation for having a disproportionate number of private school students he felt “on the backfoot” when asked what school he went to - it was often used as “a means of starting a conversation with someone”. Vice President of Publicity and Communications, Sophie, also opened up about her experience, saying that she was unaware of the University’s reputation and just saw one she liked. When she started, she “didn’t realise there would be a separation in lots of circumstances, not only in learning and seminars but in accommodation. I would pick up on conversations and see that there were differences between the people I lived with simply because of the schools we went to.” Both Luca and Sophie acknowledged that it’s not a “malicious divide” but there is “this difference that we need to be more aware of ”. Cara, who is one of two Access and Outreach officers, spoke about the work they are doing to “bridge the gap”. She notes how the “feeder system is incred-
“We recognise that a variety of factors affect recruitment from state schools and colleges, such as entry requirements, our recruitment catchment area, and range of degree programmes. We recognise there is much more to do and we are taking advantage of national research and expertise within our own Centre for Social Mobility to inform next steps. The University has very recently set up an expert task and finish group on state sector recruitment which will consult with student groups and report to the University’s Governing Council in April.”
ibly linear, and there is linear progression of certain areas of the country into Exeter”. She is hoping that the 93% Club can work with the University to change that, describing a “really positive reception” from them. A University of Exeter spokesperson said: “We are already doing a great deal to widen access and increase the number of state school students at the University of Exeter including school partnerships, fair access programmes like Exeter Scholars, extensive outreach including Discover University our digital engagement platform, work through our Exeter Student Ambassador Scheme, and a wide range of student recruitment activities. While we have improved access for under-represented students, we haven’t yet seen a similar uplift in the proportion of state sector students.
Eleanor Down Contributor
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XETER historian Dr Todd Gray has recently discovered three maps of Exeter from 1770. These maps were drawn by William Chapple, a local eighteenth century map maker. They were discovered by Gray in one of Chapple’s sketchbooks, but he admits that he “hadn’t taken much notice of the maps before”. . Gray has come across an historical find as the detail and accuracy of the maps offer new insight into eighteenth century Exeter. The maps highlight how much the city has changed overtime. For example, when examining them you would notice a “swimming place” near Duryard which is no longer there. The discovery of these maps allow a new understanding of Exeter’s past. Gray hopes that in turn “when we are all feeling the strain of lockdown” we can “enjoy some exciting new discoveries about Exeter”.
.We recognise there is much more to do and we are taking advantage of national research University of Exeter
Ruby Jones, VP Welfare & Diversity, told us: ‘We’re committed to supporting students from a range of different backgrounds and helping them to make the most out of their time at Exeter; we would love to support and see more students from underrepresented backgrounds in the future. “Our Advice Service is available to support students with a range of issues including accommodation and finances, as well as provide additional support and schemes for students from a widening participation background. We’re also proud to support student initiatives such as the 93% Club, who do incredible work to improve the experiences of state-educated students.” Graphics: Pete Syme
Lemon Grove becomes testing centre
Ancient Maps of Exeter found
Image: Google Maps
CONTINUED FROM FRONT has seen a slight increase in the past two academic years. Meanwhile, Cambridge saw an 8 per cent decrease in private school intake over the past five years, suggesting a successful approach to widening participation. Exeposé also compared the University’s private school cohort with other universities in the South West across the past five years, finding that Exeter had the highest proportion of privately educated students. The University of Bristol, another Russell Group competitor in the South West, has seen a radical decrease in the proportion of private school students over the past five years. In the 2015/16 academic year, 37.9 per cent of Bristol’s student intake was privately educated. As of 2019/20, Bristol’s private school student intake has reduced to 28.5 per cent. The University of Bath saw an increase in private school intake in the past year, but over the past five years they have accepted a quarter on average. However, Bristol, Bath and Exeter are contrasted with Plymouth and Fal-
Emily Im News Editor
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HE University of Exeter is participating in a COVID-19 testing study for the Department of Health and Social Care. The study aims to compare lateral flow device (LFD) tests with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, with the results allowing DHSC to better under-
stand the performance of the LFD test. This will help improve the accuracy of tests in the future. From 15 February, students who book to have an asymptomatic test at the Sports Centre on Streatham Campus can choose to take part in the study anonymously. Students who agree to do this must offer consent at the testing site before receiving two tests: one for an LFD test and another for a PCR test. Separate swabs will be used for each. Anyone can opt out of the PCR test if they change their mind prior to the process. Tested students will only receive the results of the LFD test as this is the standard for the site. The sample for the PCR test will be sent to a lab for analysis by DHSC. Students on campus can now book free twice weekly tests. A drop-in LFD test centre for asymptomatic testing has also opened in Lemon Grove and can be attended on Wednesdays between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
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22 FEB 2021| EXEPOSÉ
NEWS
“I spend the majority of my time at home with no reduced rent”
Exeter Councillors unanimously vote not to relocate Buller Statue
the manager (I think) was behaving very poorly,” he adds. “I understood that they were trying to fuck me over and they might think that I was an international student so I would not know my rights,” he explained. While trying to get his deposit back, they claimed he was liable for rent if they did not find a new tenant, asking him to share advertising. “I even offered to find a sub-letter for the flat to avoid having to pay the fee, but they declined. And now they told me I still need to pay them rent after I paid a fee to end the contract?”
Emily Im News Editor
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They might think that I was an international student so I would not know my rights Student
Image: Jaggery
XETER Councillors have voted to withdraw proposals to move the statue of General Redvers Buller, which has been situated outside of Exeter College since 1905. In January, Exeter City Council’s Executive agreed that an application could be made to relocate the statue. However, during a meeting on 9 February, this decision was unanimously overturned. The council will no longer have discussions regarding the statue’s position. This follows recent comments made by Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who said applications of this nature were unlikely to be successful. The Government has announced plans for a new law on cultural and historic heritage, which argues historic monuments should be “retained and explained”. The nineteenth century officer contributed to the Zulu and Boer wars. His statue is considered controversial due to his connection to British imperialism. A petition created in 2020 titled Save Exeter’s Statue os Sir Redver’s Buller was signed by more than 9,000 people.
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weekend. Soon after, another lockdown was announced so she could not travel back. “I’ve not really spent much time in my uni house!” she told us, now living abroad at her grandparents’ house. She describes how “we’ve all been trapped in the lease despite finding people to live there”, because their landlord hasn’t been replying to emails or phone calls. Another student spoke to us about “spending an awful lot of time at home” after signing a contract with people she had only known for a month, influenced by the “large competition for houses in Exeter”. “Soon after, my flat got quite heavily involved with drugs and partying,” she says, “and don’t get me wrong, I love a night out, but normal drinking games, clubs and things - nothing that they were doing.” After falling out last summer, she decided to pull out of the contract. Things got worse with the pan-
demic, as she recounts how “they constantly had people over, house parties and things I didn’t want to be involved in or getting into trouble with. We had the police over and complaints made about us regularly, so I wanted to leave even more urgently due to fines and issues like that. “I spend the majority of my time at home with no reduced rent. With COVID-19 and very few people wanting to move in, this made leaving the contract exceptionally hard.”
The estate agents only treated it like every other year
Student
After reaching out to the University for help, she told us how not much happened other than extensions on coursework, and being moved around different services for three months. “So the University kept referring me to other people to speak to but no one actu-
ally gave me any useful help. The estate agents wouldn’t really help much, only treating it like every other year.” “I spoke to the Guild in mid-November who never really got back to me,” she explains, “and then the Law Clinic, needing quite urgent help at that point, but they could only speak to me at the end of January.” She ended up sorting it herself. A postgraduate student also told us about his ordeal leaving a contract, trying to move in with his wife while his previous landlord transferred responsibility to an estate agent. The rent was due to increase by 37 per cent, with a £480 fee for breaking the contract. He describes how he was “very cautious but at the same time very furious”, having to tread carefully while his new application was carried by RentShield, a tenant referencing agency. The estate agents did not fill out their referencing request, despite multiple phone calls and emails from both tenant and agency. “Even when I went to their office,
With the help of Citizen’s Advice and a friend studying for a PhD in Law, he sent further emails asking for his deposit back and believes the repayment will happen this week. “The behaviour of the estate agent was abhorrent and frankly, quite unprofessional,” he tells us, concluding that “Overall, I would say that I had a very bad experience by myself and this issue had an effect on my mental health.” A University of Exeter spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, contracts with private accommodation providers are outside of our control. We know that many students who are not in University-managed or nominated rooms are also being impacted by the national lockdown and may suffer an additional financial burden because of these measures. In partnership with the Students’ Guild and Students’ Union we have doubled the support available through the ‘Success for All’ Hardship Fund. The Students’ Union Advice Service and the Students’ Guild Advice Service are available to offer guidance to students in Cornwall and Exeter respectively on matters including accommodation and finance”.
Wellbeing Week attended by 11,900 Kamila Bell Editor
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N the week beginning 1 February, the Students’ Guild held a virtual Wellbeing Week, running a range of events and workshops focusing on student wellbeing. Events were streamed on Facebook with the number of views totalling 11,900. Ruby Jones, VP Welfare and Diversity, stated: “When picking the themes for Wellbeing Week, I wanted to make sure that I was addressing welfare issues that often do
not get the attention that they desperately need. The themes I settled on were isolation and loneliness, drugs and alcohol, sex, finances and general mental health.” Ruby continued: “All of these issues are ones that have been exacerbated due to COVID-19 so the need to address them was even greater. “The issues that we addressed affect a wide range of our students in a multitude of ways, and there are specific issues that affect different types of students.” Wellbeing resources were also posted
to the Guild website in the form of articles, podcasts and social media platforms. Ruby concluded her reflection of the week explaining “Due to the success of [Wellbeing week] and also student feedback, I will also be launching our first Wellbeing Town Hall very soon, so keep an eye out for more details!”
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If these issues affect you, you can get in touch with: www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing
Image: Harry Caton
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COMMENT EDITORS:
Cassia Grace Isaac Bettridge
Is this third year?
Pete Syme Deputy Editor
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HE morning walk to campus is now a roll out of bed to the desk two feet away, drunken cigarettes in nightclub smoking areas are replaced by clouds of Juul vapour and hugs with friends are an elbow bump at best. Social distancing has become the new normal, but there’s still a deeply unsettling feeling about our new way of life. Most of us get by day-to-day, but the fear of missing out is especially pertinent for those of us coming to the end of our formative university years.
But, far too often, the discourse around universities is patronising and dismissive; the notion that we’re getting the same quality of education persists despite evidence to the contrary. The occasional trip up to campus - usually to work on this paper from the sanctuary of the office - is the closest feeling to normality. But there’s still a certain eeriness being just around the corner from the now-deserted Queen’s Building, where last year I had four seminar hours a week. Now there’s just one, and my classmates never leave the borders of their Zoom box. While Students for Academic
on only in case anybody told them to. The discomfort was too much, and I haven’t been back since. I’ve bought one pair of jeans and three pairs of sweatpants. Working from home has some comforts, but the isolation and atemporality speaks to a massive mental health crisis. Student societies are doing our best to run events and keep people engaged, but there are only so many Zoom pub quizzes you can do. The regularity of sports training, rehearsals or socials are sorely missed. For me, it was the shared banter and new friends made around the Exeposé proofing booth w h i c h
Being in Exeter has been massively helpful for some sense of routine Speaking to friends about what they miss most, it’s the socialising and intimacy which stands out. Two of them say clubbing, looking forward to that first night back out (but worry they won’t make it past midnight). For Alex, it’s hugging friends instead of socially-distanced walks, while Issy misses being with her best friend or family. There’s the shutdown of cultural hubs too: a recent Art History graduate can’t wait to be back in a museum. We often hear about the economic impact of lockdowns, but too little is said about the social and mental consequences. The PM might have called us “heroic” for helping contain the spread in Exeter, but with higher education ignored press conference after press conference, it’s disillusioning.
Most of us get by day-to-day, but the fear of missing out is especially pertinent I understand the need for all this, of course; l o ck d ow n s help, and are the only way out of the current m e s s .
their feet as a fresher, it hurts all the more knowing that the one lockdownfree year I’ve had here was the worst. In spite of all this, there has still been a newfound sense of camaraderie as we look out for one another in these incredibly testing times. I met my housemates this year on Facebook, with cancelled opportunities forcing some to stay in Exeter instead of London or Hong Kong. We’ve become a tight-knit bunch over the past few months, with living room club nights still a massively entertaining substitute - with later hours than TP. We imagine a holiday to some place sunny, from Zante to Positano, but even that might have to wait with travel uncertainties thwarting too much hope. Nevertheless, while we live through demanding and strenuous times, friendships have been strengthened through shared struggle.
FOMO pales in comparison to those who’ve experienced that hardship of loss Mitig ation push for better support from the University, frequent talk from senior management about “protecting the integrity of your degree by maintaining our high academic standards” is not what most of us want to hear, especially while tuition fees look to stay the same. Simply being in Exeter has itself been massively helpful for some sense of routine compared to studying at home, with the University’s two-tests-a-week policy easing some anxieties. However, despite COVID marshals and a strict mask rule, bare faces on campus are all too common. I booked a space in the library back in November to find half the students in the room had their disposable masks placed neatly on their desk next to a water bottle - ready to put
changed my university experience, and it’s a vast disappointment to reflect on the idea I may never meet many of this year’s writers and editors face-to-face.
We are living through a once in a century tragedy This time last year, I was thinking that the year above had it the worst - confident that I’d still be able to experience the spectacle of graduation in its totality. Now, as York, Durham and Warwick have all cancelled their ceremonies, it’s looking like that may not be the case. What started as a few months at the end of second year is beginning to be almost half my time at Exeter. As someone who struggled to find
It’s difficult, seeing some break lockdown rules for house parties or Tinder dates while being stuck inside. But FOMO pales in comparison to those who’ve experienced the hardship of loss and tragedy, and it’s those thoughts of the greater good which can help us through. It’s hard to feel like we’re missing out on some of the best days of our lives, but as vaccinations keep going up, there’s more positive news to suggest the end is in sight. We’re living through a once-in-a-century tragedy - something that our grandkids might ask us about come 2070’s GCSE History exam - and I couldn’t imagine being one of the ones on some anti-mask or “China hoax” diatribe. Reflecting now is painful, but there’s the thought that maybe, in the end, we’ll be able to look back and smile. Images: Pete Syme
Guild Officer Column
Image: Students Guild
Liv Harvey VP Activities
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HIS year might not have started out exactly how we’d hoped, but it’s still been a busy couple of months and there have been some absolutely fantastic things happening for students! We started off the year with Get Connected X Refreshers, which gave students the opportunity to have a bit of fun during lockdown and try some new things. We ran a number of virtual events including cooking classes, yoga, meditation and even a Gavin & Stacey Quiz, and it was great to see students getting involved. Societies also ran loads of tasters and events – it’s been amazing to see how hard societies and student groups have worked throughout the pandemic, which has been incredibly difficult for them! Get Connected is continuing with more virtual events coming up, the pen pal scheme helping students connect, and there’s more in the works so keep an eye out! We also launched a Here To Talk scheme where we recruited a team of incredible student staff to call out to students to provide some peer to peer support. We smashed our target and called over 750 students before Christmas. Elsewhere I’ve been part of your Guild’s democratic review, which we’ve announced a number of changes for in order to improve how you’re represented. One of the changes is my role changing to VP Opportunities, which will broaden its focus to include more employability campaigns and projects. There’s some really exciting changes in this first phase based off student feedback and insights, and I’d really recommend going for a role in the Elections if you’re passionate about the student experience. There’s plenty more to look forward to this year – let’s keep getting through this together!
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COMMENT
Grieving in lockdown
Harry Scott-Munro Online Sports Editor
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NE of the most devastating effects of the continued lockdowns over the past ten months has been the way in which funerals have become sanitised and degraded. Sadly over 100,000 people have died from any cause within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19. However, many of those have died from other causes, such as loneliness, isolation, cancer that has not been treated, to name but a few, and they are being forgotten.
On both of these occasions, there were limits on numbers that could attend the funeral service. One thing that struck me about both services was how different they were, in terms of respect to the circumstances and the deceased. The funeral I attended in the summer, took place at a local church and was a rather confusing affair. Despite the limit at the time being a maximum of 15 people attending a service, we were told by the church that they would only allow ten, with my grandmother eventually convincing them to allow up to the legal maximum.
Upon arrival, the entire organisation of the funeral on the part of the church felt cruel and clinical. We were sat in individual “bubbles” despite being part of the same family, with the vicar even stopping the pallbearers carrying my great-aunt to make us then socially distance from the family members we were sitting with. We were constantly reminded that because of COVID-19 we were not allowed to sing or speak, with my grandmother berated by the vicar for daring to hug my great-uncle, with them both mourning the loss of a sister and a wife. It made the whole
Funerals have become sanitised and degraded Sadly, I have been to two funerals for family members in the last ten months. Back in the Summer, I attended the funeral of my great-aunt, who sadly lost her battle with dementia. Then, early this year, I was present at my grandfather’s funeral, who sadly died in his sleep from an abdominal aortic aneurism.
Image: Noah Siliman (Unsplash)
service incredibly sanitised and a difficult experience. This was in stark contrast to the funeral of my grandfather. Neither my father, his siblings or my nanna wanted to speak in the service. Since it was just a small group of us in attendance, the funeral celebrant encouraged everybody to sit together and support one another, making it a much more respectful goodbye to a family member. It didn’t feel normal, but it felt more natural and respectful. They were given the option of the funeral being streamed for friends who couldn’t attend to watch, however my nanna declined, having watched a virtual funeral herself and deeming it to be an incredibly clinical way of remembering the deceased. These two personal examples bring me back round to a much wider point. Throughout the entirety of the last ten months, human contact has been frowned upon as something of a cardinal sin. So what if my grandmother and great-uncle needed to give each other a hug to help themselves get through such a difficult moment? That’s natural, it’s human. For that to be removed and
22 FEB 2021| EXEPOSÉ
frowned upon is quite frankly abhorrent. They made a personal choice to sit with and comfort each other and they should have been allowed to do what was right for them.
We were sat in individual bubbles despite being part of the same family Sadly, death has been and shall always be a certainty. Support, comfort, and dignity should always be foregone conclusions when remembering the deceased. I can only hope that as we begin to leave the last ten months behind us, that care and compassion towards those who have lost a loved one and understanding of what they need as a form of support, is respected, and supported. Funerals are a chance to reflect, remember and celebrate a life. Let’s not allow that to be lost as a consequence of continued lockdowns.
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Are students just cash cows?
Isaac Bettridge Comment Editor
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VER since the coalition trebled tuition fees in 2010, fierce debates have raged about the cost of a university education. These debates have been amplified by the pandemic, which for many has reduced the muchvaunted “student experience” down to a few hours of Zoom calls a week and yet continues to cost the exact same amount of money. This is without even mentioning many students being forced to pay rent for accommodation they are legally barred from living in. Steps have been made to address this at Exeter
where accommodation fees have been waived for the duration of the lockdown. However, for many the cost remains exorbitant and entirely disproportionate to the amount of education and experience received. As a result, discontent has started to grow among students, who feel as if they have been forgotten by the Government, and the phrase “cashcow” has become ubiquitous in describing the state of students, but how accurate is this?
It seems that students exist to serve universities Among the students I discussed this with, the resounding response was “yes”, with a widespread anger demonstrated about how much money they are being expected to pay for a few hours of Zoom learning, shuttered campuses and no extracurricular experience. International students in particular (who pay double the amount domestic ones do) seemed outraged, and one expressed that her desire to drop out was counterbalanced only by her sense that the amount of money she had
already spent on her education was not worth losing. Another student expressed his belief that universities are lying to students about “blended” and “near-normal” teaching, refusing to acknowledge the adverse realities of learning in a pandemic, so as to protect themselves from litigation and to ensure fees were paid to financially sustain them. With these complaints comes an implicit understanding that nothing other than money is really being considered right now. Even the language of those campaigning for fee reductions frames students as “consumers” receiving an inferior product. There was also much scorn poured upon Gavin Williamson’s announcement of new laws to protect free speech on university campuses, with people seeing it as yet more evidence that the Government are massively out of touch with the wants and needs of higher education. The present situation has its roots in what many experts have called the marketisation of higher education, by which universities have been encouraged to act and think like businesses, to focus on maximising revenue rather than supporting students and providing quality
educational outcomes. Higher fees are just one part of this: universities have spent millions on marketing to school leavers and building fancy new buildings to put on flyers so as to increase student numbers, which therefore increases income from tuition and accommodation fees. They have taken to courting greater numbers of international students who they can charge even more. Among staff, this has resulted in the introduction of precarious short-term contracts, declining pay, benefits and increasing workloads, which have incentivised the repeated strike actions we have seen in recent years.
The pandemic has exacerbated many of these existing problems The pandemic has exacerbated many of these existing problems by drastically reducing what students are getting for their money. Meanwhile universities, many of whom are in tremendous debt and have large financial commitments, justify
not reducing fees by claiming that students are receiving an equivalent experience through “blended learning”. Rather than universities existing to serve students, it seems that students exist to serve universities, a sad upside-down state of affairs that is perhaps the inevitable result of a market model that has stripped higher education of its soul. One hopes that the experiences of this past year will make it clear that this model is deeply unsustainable, and that higher education is not, and should not be, a business like any other. Image: Gabby K (Pexels)
COMMENT
22 FEB 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
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Is social media a dangerous echo chamber? Amy Colwell 2nd year English
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INCE the 2000s, social media has become an increasingly omnipresent feature of modern society and has had an undeniable effect on political discourse. Individuals can now publicly post their opinions at the click of a button due to the rise of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram. The repost and share functions allow for information to be shared further and faster than ever before. The hidden algorithms used by these platforms tailor what appears on people’s feeds according to the content that they have positively interacted with, which reduces the potential for diverse information and leads to political “echo chambers”.
Lack of diverse information often fosters extremist ideals Many studies have suggested that, due to algorithms and personalised advertising, social media creates an environment in which people are only exposed
to views similar to the ones they already hold. Harvard academic Cass R. Sunstein published a book arguing that social media “creates group polarisation” as “people love reading things that fortify and confirm their own opinions”. This confirmation bias and lack of diverse information often fosters extremist ideals and reduces the potential for consensus.
The repose and share functions allow for information to be shared further and further Alongside the algorithms, social media companies are often paid by political campaigns to showcase their adverts to selected groups. The Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018 exposed how the firm obtained the personal data of over 87 million Facebook users to promote biased adverts aiding the 2016 presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, thus undeniably interfering in the democratic process. Similarly, a 2017 report uncovered how Russian bots interfered in the 2016 US election by boosting hashtags such as #trump2016 and #neverhillary.
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As of 2018, nearly 50 per cent of Americans relied primarily on Facebook as their source of information for news and current affairs, highlighting the powerful impact that social media and its misuse can have upon political campaigns and discourse. Over recent years it has become evident that social media is heavily linked to the rise of insular extremist groups. For example, the conspiracy theory QAnon gained traction on the online forum 4chan, with statistics suggesting that the movement now has millions of followers worldwide. Followers hold strong anti-Semitic and anti-vaccine views, and believe that Trump is fighting a war against a secret elite paedophile ring consisting of prominent figures in government, business and media. The movement has undeniable political effects. It has caused extreme polarisation between the Republicans
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and the Democrats. The riot at the US Capitol in January 2021 was facilitated by the trending feature of Twitter, which boosted hashtags such as #takebackAmerica and #stopthesteal. These situations
provide a prime example of the detrimental effect of organised groups using posts and algorithms to promote their radical views on a widespread scale. In order to counteract this, social media companies must take further measures to increase transparency and educate on how personal advertising algorithms are used. Sites like Twitter and Facebook have banned thousands of accounts which have been deemed politically dangerous and have introduced labels signifying potentially false information, but many say that further change must happen. Indeed, seeing as social media is a primary form of news for a large proportion of society, social media companies ought to be subject to the same levels of democratic accountability and factchecking regulations as traditional news outlets. The question is: will social media continue to play such an unregulated role in political campaigning and Image: Karsten Winegeart (Unsplash) discourse?
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Features
22 FEB 2021| EXEPOSÉ
FEATURES EDITORS: Bethany Collins Joe Newell
Undermining the UK’s climate commitments Callum Dinnett looks into plans for a new deep coal mine in Cumbria ahead of the UK-hosted COP26
COP 26: what to expect
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Images: Top: Pixabay; Bottom: Flickr
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ECENTLY, the Government approved Woodhouse Colliery, the first coal mine in over 30 years. Despite Cumbria County Council putting the plans back under review after a legal challenge by local activist group Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole, the initial approval of the mine has caused some debate over whether the Government is truly committed to its climate-related pledges, especially with the upcoming the 26th United Nations Climate Conference, or COP26, currently planned to take place in Glasgow at the start of November. Plans by West Cumbria Mining have said that the site would extract 2.7 million tonnes of coal annually, with the coal being intended to be solely for industrial use, as opposed to power generation. Approval for development of this mine came two months after the last coal mine in England stopped operating, and five years after the last deep coal mine, the particular variety of mine which has been proposed for Woodhouse Colliery. Such a site has an estimated cost of £165 million. County councillors approved the plans by 12-3, and this also came after a judicial review, brought by environmental campaign groups. However, unlike schemes elsewhere in the UK, there is significant local support for the mine across the region and political spectrum. Much of this local support is inspired by economic incentives provided by the
mines. Claims by West Cumbria Mining indicate that the mine would create 500 direct jobs, and that 80 per cent of those would be filled by local residents, as well as significantly more less direct roles. This would come as a welcome relief to the area, one of Cumbria’s poorest regions, following several closures and the recent scrapping of plans for a nuclear site. There is a history of mining in the region and, as pointed out by former GMB Union leader John Kane when speaking to The Guardian, “it’s natural people in Copeland would want to see it return”.
Several environmental groups and officials have spoken out against the construction On the other hand, several environmental action groups and officials have immediately spoken out against the construction of the mine, both on the grounds of climate change, and worries of subsidence near areas with concentrations of radioactive material. One official who has spoken against the mine is Former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron who, in comments shared by BBC News, described the approval of the mine as a “kick in the teeth in the fight to tackle climate change”. Similarly, MP Alok Sharma, the government’s full-time president
for COP26, was claimed to be “apoplectic” by a civil servant cited in The Times.
The government has made a commitment for the country to become carbon net-zero The news of this approval comes in the midst of the Government’s ongoing claims of commitment to climate change mitigation. In response to comments by individuals from Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and other environmental action groups, officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reaffirmed their non-interference in local councils’ decision-making process. In 2019, the Government made a commitment for the country to become carbon net-zero - balancing carbon dioxide emissions with removal strategies - and generally cutting emissions. In line with this, a climate change committee published a carbon budget, which in turn has formed some of the grounds of the suit posed by Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole and the Cumbria County Council’s review of the planning application, in line with national aims for greenhouse gas emissions. As of 10 February, no date has been set for a meeting to discuss the application once again, though this will remain an important case to follow.
ROM 1 to 12 November 2021, the COP26 global climate summit will be held in Glasgow, presenting the first major opportunity to transform the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement into concrete action. As the host nation, all eyes are on the UK to make this a success, reaffirming diplomatic ties and shared commitments to tackling climate change. COP26 is divided into two sections. The first week is mainly technical negotiations between government officials, whilst the second is when ministers and heads of state arrive to make final decisions. This whole process will be guided by Alok Sharma, the UK’s COP26 President. A month before the main event, cohost Italy will hold the Pre-COP Summit in Milan, where some countries will hold informal talks on certain issues. Whilst negotiations are likely to be wide-ranging, certain issues will be prominent. Carbon market mechanisms are particularly important. These would allow countries behind on their emissions targets to buy carbon credits from countries that have exceeded theirs, essentially balancing out their emissions to reach global goals. Provided for in the Paris Agreement, they are quite controversial and may require significant compromise. Funding for loss and damage is another key topic, which would compensate poorer countries for damages incurred by climate change. Unsurprisingly, wealthier nations are generally more resistant to this. Integrating Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to absorb carbon is likely to feature and there
will also be talks on how to deliver $100 billion promised to help developing countries reach their targets. Diplomatic alliances around specific climate issues are as important as official negotiations. For example, the Powering Past Coal Alliance was formed at COP23 in 2017, which aims to phase out coal power. This time, we could see new alliances on clean energy, nature-based solutions and climate finance. In all this, the UK assumes special responsibility for ensuring the summit goes smoothly, facilitating constructive discussion and alliances, as well as encouraging countries to set ambitious targets. The UK also needs to protect the interests of poorer countries, ensuring that they get the financial help they need for green development and mitigating the effects of climate change. To enable this, it is vital the UK demonstrates global leadership through an effective domestic climate policy, which is why plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria have invoked such heavy criticism. While the UK bears especially significant responsibility, other countries will take lead on certain issues and the diplomatic weight of the new Biden administration will undoubtedly invigorate global cooperation. A successful COP26 could establish the UK as a world leader in climate diplomacy, providing a promising route for post-Brexit foreign policy. If it fails to meet these expectations, the problems could be far-reaching.
John Walter
EXEPOSÉ | 22 FEB 2021
FEATURES
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The roots of unrest
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OR over three months, thousands of farmers have been camped outside New Delhi enmasse to protest new agricultural legislation. The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, and his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claim the new laws are necessary to modernise Indian agriculture. The protestors — who mostly hail from the farming-rich states of Punjab and Haryana — are claiming that the new laws would leave small farmers vulnerable to exploitation from large corporations. The protests, framed against the background of an agricultural industry in need of reform, contest the posited benefits of the new laws.
Modi has claimed victory in a sector that is a political hot topic For decades, Indian farmers have sold their goods at government-controlled markets, or “mandis”, at guaranteed floor prices. The mandis are run by committees of farmers and traders, or commission agents, who broker deals and organise the storage and transportation of produce. The new laws propose to cut out the middleman, allowing farmers to sell directly to buyers and to allow contract farming, whereby farmers can tailor their production to suit the demands of a specific buyer. It also allows private buyers to hoard produce for future sales, which, previously, only the government could do. The bills are aimed at empowering farmers and bringing in private entities to the agricultural industry. Modi himself announced it as a party political victory to Mann ki Baat Radio in November, saying that “all political parties had been making promises to the farmers but now these promises had been fulfilled.” Modi has claimed victory in a sector which has become a politically hot topic. The reforms come in
Austin Taylor reflects on the farmers’ protest ongoing across India the midst of desire for a “second green revolution” (in reference to the worldwide agricultural revolutions which occurred in the 1950s and 60s), whereby the yields of India’s majority small-holders — with two-thirds of landholdings in India being less than one hectare in 2014 — could be dramatically increased. The problems in Indian agriculture were summarised in a 2004 interview with the former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, pointing out the “rigidities because of the whole marketing regimes set up in the 1930s which prevent our farmers from selling their produce where they get the highest rate of return”. To the farmers themselves — who at over 40 per cent of the workforce, represent a huge political bloc — these reforms are not helpful. The farmers, who say they were not consulted prior to the reforms, claim that the reforms aim to help big corporations close to Modi, like Reliance Industries and the Adani Group, to enter the agricultural industry, rather than helping the farmers themselves. Indeed, a recent Hindustan Times article compares Kenyan reforms in the 1980s and ‘90s which aimed to transform a similarly small-holding based agricultural sector with legislation intended to encourage agri-business participation in crop markets to the situation in India. Although small farmers initially sold to the corporations, after a few years many became reliant on agri-business and these farmers saw their incomes fall by six per cent, whilst, on average, the profit margins of the agri-businesses rose by five per cent. Furthermore, the new laws will open smallholders up to legal
exploitation. Under these reforms, farmers will not be able to take their cases to a regular court, and instead will have to seek out district level authorities — who, the farmers say, are not independent like the judiciary and are likely to act in favour of larger corporations. As such, Indian farmers have valid cause for concern and — although the government has offered to postpone the implementation of the reforms for 18 months — they will not be happy with anything less than a full repeal. The government response can be largely characterised as an attempt to suppress the protestors. On 20 January, the Interior Minister shut off internet services at points on the outskirts of New Delhi to “maintain public safety” (Reuters). Protestors were then left without access to internet over the weekend — a policy which is unprecedented in New Delhi itself. Fake news has also been weaponised by the Indian government. The governing BJP has repeatedly attempted to inflame religious, racial and nationalist tensions to discredit the protestors. There has been a concerted smear campaign to frame the farmers as Khalistani separatists (Khalistan is a proposed Sikh state in the current Punjab), with the BJP general secretary, Dushyant Kumar Gautam, alleging that Khalistani separatist slogans had been used during the protests. The Editors Guild of India has asked media outlets to desist from supporting this angle, saying that labelling protestors as Khalistanis “goes against the tenets of responsible and ethical journal-
ism. Such actions compromise the credibility of the media.” Meanwhile, there have also been attempts to frame the protests as being infiltrated by Muslims — significant in the context of Modi’s popular brand of Hindu nationalism. BJP politicians, including union minister Giriraj Singh, have previously shared a video of police officials removing the turban of a Sikh protestor and falsely claiming that the protestor was Muslim. The video is, of course, fake, serving to further inflame already charged antiMuslim sentiment in the country.
the BJP attempted to inflame tensions to discredit protestors The most shocking part of the government response, however, has been the brutality employed by the police against protestors. Videos surfacing on social media showing how water cannons and tear gas have been used against the protestors, have rightfully provoked an international response. On Twitter, Rihanna shared a CNN article on the protests to her 100 million followers earlier this month — whilst both Greta Thunberg and Meena Harris (Kamala’s niece) have expressed their support for the protests. The Indian external affairs ministry criticised Rihanna, stating that “The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible”. The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, too, came to
blows with the Indian Government after expressing solidarity with the protestors, with New Delhi calling his remarks “unwarranted”. Generally, though, international governments seem unwilling to make outright condemnations of India’s actions. In December, despite the request of a cross-party committee of 37 MPs requesting that Dominic Raab broach the topic with India, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has stated that “The police handling of protests are a matter for the government of India”. In fact, when asked to comment on the matter during PMQs in December, Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not actually know what the protests were — confusing them with the IndiaPakistan conflict. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, too, has so far avoided commenting on the issue. Clearly, it is a tricky topic to discuss with such a crucial Asian ally. At the end of last month, the farmers began a day-long hunger strike — coinciding with the anniversary of Gandhi’s death to reaffirm the fundamentally peaceful nature of the protests. What has been dubbed the largest protest in human history (with over 250 million people having partaken in the general strike in November) looks set to continue, in spite of recent dialogue between the two sides. Further, despite India’s treatment of protestors, as well as the very dubious benefits to farmers supposed by Modi, international governments have been loath to intervene at all. It is difficult to see a conclusion to the Indian farmers’ strike any time soon.
Image: WikiCommons
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22 FEB 2021| EXEPOSÉ
Vaccine colonialism
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Joe Newell, Features Editor, questions whether neocolonialism persists in the global vaccine effort
S it turned out, COVID-19 is not the “great leveller”. Demographic data has decisively buried that theory in the graveyard of fatally misplaced optimism. In fact, the dynamics of the global vaccination effort indicate exactly the opposite: a pointedly uneven response to COVID-19 is rooted in, and has explicitly replicated, colonial hierarchies. Decades-old power relations have been reasserted at the hour of international crisis, exposing thread-bare commitments to equality of opportunity and sustainable development on the world’s stage.
Decades-old power relations have been reasserted at the hour of international crisis
African continent will be vaccinated by June, with full immunisation unlikely before 2025. Late last month, only 25 of those people had received the jab. Compare this to 39 million in the world’s highest-income countries, many of which have a chronic surplus of doses relative to their population. Canada, for one, allegedly possesses enough jabs to vaccinate its population no less than five times over, despite having dipped into Covax supplies earlier this month. Among other nations, Canada has been accused of shamelessly “hoarding” C OV I D - 1 9
the price paid by the European Union. More to the point, the swarm of (mostly) Western nations buying up doses has catapulted prices for those who did not jump the gun. As Rwandan president Paul Kagame observes, “price gouging” essential supplies during an environmental disaster is illegal, so why is a vaccine monopoly any dif-
US and EU member states blocked the proposal. Three months later, when European supply lines were precarious, the EU Council President implied the need for something similar to protect member. Only last week was the IP officially suspended.
Nkrumah’s promise of the power of solidarity might yet ring true History shows that driving ex-colonial nations into the arms of private mar-
Technical and diplomatic complications have, of course, played their part in impeding a smooth deployment of vaccines around the world. The two widely available mRNA vaccines are expensive to produce and store, while the more stable Oxford-AstraZeneca variant, the most logistically viable, has been stone-walled by bureaucracy at the World Health Organization (WHO). The adjoined “Covax” programme is mandated to ensure fair distribution, but as an operative arm of the WHO, it is bound to deliver only the centrally approved vaccines. Until a belated green light last week, this policy ruled out the AstraZeneca jab.
Canada allegedly has enough jabs to vaccinate their population five times over International co-operation is admittedly a tall order. Nationalist and populist politics are a persistent stumbling block, especially where life-saving drugs and convoluted patent law are joined at the hip. However, vaccine disparities are not so easily explained away.
A dependency relationship has coalesced around the global pandemic The global vaccination alliance GAVI predicts that only 140 million of the 1.3 billion people on the
colonial in character. Proudly compiling vaccination “league tables”, aside from being a little sanctimonious and more than a little distasteful, hints at the perseverance of Western exceptionalism, the backbone of colonial mythology. Indeed, the “exceptionalist” rhetoric is doubly dangerous in the context of COVID-19; governments around the world will find their popular support waning if they are unable to match the vaccination precedent set by nations like those in the West that channelled their wealth into accumulating an unfair share of doses. Pandemic response is front and centre of the electoral consciousness, after all. In this sense, the vaccination effort has witnessed a reincarnated form of colonial control, where the vague auspice of “modernity” is replaced by public health as the new hare in the race. Pole position is, naturally, predetermined. At any rate, a kind of relationship that resembles colonialism in function, if not exactly form, has coalesced around the global pandemic. An “ever widening gap between the richer and the poorer nations of the world” is its demonstrable effect, as Nkrumah warned is its ultimate outcome of neocolonialsm.
Driving ex-colonial nations into the arms of private markets is a routine affair
vaccines. Nonetheless, the communal vaccination programme has clearly fallen short. Covax promised a uniform 20 per cent immunisation including and especially in lower-income nations which has yet to be delivered. To combat the deficit, national leaders could follow the example of the UK and the USA and acquire vaccines directly through “bilateral deals” outside the Covax system, leap-frogging bureaucratic congestion. Of course, ordering vaccines directly from pharmaceutical companies is exorbitantly expensive, as South African president Cyril Ramaphosa found out when he reportedly bought 20 million doses from AstraZeneca at double
ferent? A “catastrophic moral failure”, in the words of the WHO’s Director General, might well have been averted if not for a strikingly hypocritical - and decidedly colonial - approach to vaccine patents. In October 2020, India and South Africa petitioned the World Trade Organization to temporarily waive the agreement on intellectual property rights for vaccines on behalf of 100 other nations. A host of highincome countries including the UK,
kets is a routine affair. The false-promise of independence in the midTwentieth Century was that emergent nations would join the rest as peers in a global free market. Simply put, fledgling economies were pigeonholed into unfavourable trade agreements and crippling loan conditions with the effect of ensuring their dependency. Postcolonial states, as Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of independent Ghana put it, have “all the trappings of international sovereignty” but in their economic subordination continue to have ‘political policy directed from the outside’. The vaccine triumphalism of nations like the UK is more definitively
However, for all the injustice of the COVID-19 response, Nkrumah’s message of hope could prove as prescient as his message of warning. He predicted that if “Africa was united, no major power bloc would attempt to subdue it”. Today, leaders like President Kagame have vehemently denounced the prohibitive vaccine market, but at the same time made clear that African nations have all the organisational initiatives for a successful, continental vaccine programme, provided that access is fair. For instance, the African Union, of which Kagame is an ex-chairman, manages the African Medical Supplies platform to secure continent-wide vaccinations; so far, $2 billion has been collectively raised as an advanced guarantee for manufacturers. Nkrumah’s promise of the power of solidarity might yet ring true. “Africa is not sitting back and waiting for charity”, writes Kagame. “We have learned our lessons from the past.”
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LIFESTYLE EDITORS Ceri Jackson Georgia Shepherd
ARTS + LIT EDITORS William Evans Amelia Gregory
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SCREEN EDITORS Olivia Garrett Francesca Sylph
STUDY BREAK Puzzles by Matthew and Richard 22 FEB 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
lifestyle The grad job panic
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Olivia Garrett, Screen Editor, discusses the choices facing final years
S the weeks slip away along with any chance of us ever returning to campus, third years are finding themselves coping with that undeniable fact: graduation is coming. I say graduation, not knowing yet what that will be. Maybe a sham ceremony full of plastered-on smiles and accidental unmutes, or a freezing winter service where we’ll have to replace the mortarboards with woolly hats. But nevertheless, it will be a goodbye. After that we will be thrown out, left upon the doorstep of LinkedIn and loan repayments. With this hideous deadline in mind, most final years have taken to high pitched squealing or vacant stares. “I’m hesitant to go on the wrong path”, “I’m doing a Masters to avoid it”, and “I’m excited but sad” are just some responses to the coming Summer. Many are looking with dread to the cutthroat competitiveness of grad schemes. Graduate schemes are usually painted by career zones as the pot of gold at the end of the stressful, £27k rainbow. An entry-level job where you can climb the ranks of a company of your choice, perfect yes? In reality, grad jobs can be gruelling, over-hyped, or make
you realise that you’re on the wrong path, and that’s just in a normal year. In a recent survey it was found that out of the 2020 graduates, 26 per cent lost their placement or internship, 29 per cent lost their prospective grad job, and 28 per cent had their job deferred due to COVID-19. So why are they so yearned for when there are so many other options out there? If the thought of a grad job turns your blood cold or sends your head spinning, then maybe consider some of these other options. Self employment If you feel you can’t rely on big corporations to get started in the world of work, then you could always try doing it yourself. Knowing and improving on your skills from the privacy of your own home with the patience of your own inner boss can be the best way of making yourself valuable and hireable in the
future. If you’re a classic introvert or just easily bored, then self-employment could be the least stressful way of getting started, although it means that you might have to delay your goal of living parentless by a few years. “It’s a good way to have flexible employment and I don’t have to go anywhere” (Louisa Williams, private tutor). Post grad A lot of you by now are probably familiar with the taunt of a "panic masters", a term that would have you believe that to do a postgrad, even a last minute one, is a weak or cowardly choice. But can anyone be blamed for wanting to extend their uni experience for one more year? Especially when the university experience has become nothing but hours of Among Us and doing Tab surveys. The funding might be tricky and the work demanding, but
I for one am not willing to let my last year as a student consist of square eyes and mental health diaries. “It’s a stepping stone that will hopefully give me the lab experience I missed this year” (Jake Large, prospective research masters student). Gap year I’m sure all the Exetah Holland Hall dwellers among us will be jumping on this one as soon as the borders open. But whether it’s an influencer-style Dubai getaway or a car-less wander through Europe, travel might be the best way to run from your problems. And yes while many bleat about "finding yourself" in the bottom of a champagne glass or the warrior three pose, being somewhere completely new could be truly eye-opening. “Travelling straight after university opened up my world. My whole mindset shifted. I met incredible people, I saw incredible things and along the way I gained valuable life knowledge that helped mould me into the person I am today” (Sophie Collins, travel photographer). Image: @mdesign85 (Unsplash)
Is it over for the influencers who went to Dubai?
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Henry Hood addresses the moral dilemmas of celebrities in Dubai
T is hard to miss the recent articles slamming social media influencers for moving to Dubai under the pretence of "work" during lockdown. One especially bizarre justification was fitness influencer Sheridan Mordew’s claim that her motivating work in providing uplifting, sunny content was "essential". I’m sure I don’t have to spell out what’s wrong with that statement. Yet, amidst another national lockdown, many of these influencers remain in Dubai flaunting their sunny vacation. One name that caught my eye amongst the list of those still abroad was a certain Anton Danyluk, ex-Love Island contestant and fitness influencer. On further inspection of his Instagram, he appears to be one of many e-celebrities that rightly got a lot of criticism, with his choice to turn off comments on recent posts highlighting the extent of the backlash. In a few of his comment sections that are open, he offers the legally-fair justification that he moved to Dubai during a travel window and intends to stay there permanently for "business endeavours". Legally, you can’t argue. Morally, it’s a different story. One of his recent posts that does have comments on is his promotion of the char-
ity Papyrus, an organisation that aims to help young people struggling with suicide. On the surface it’s a genuinely brilliant thing to do, but as with many social media promotions it isn’t what it seems. Anton offers a great message: exercising and focusing on what keeps you happy is a great way to improve mental and physical wellbeing. Anton also says he only wants to use his social media platform to promote this message and help others. But one look at his Instagram page and it seems it’s all a façade. Of his last nine posts (at the time of writing), five of them are topless pictures and the other four are promotions (for his podcast, a clothing brand, and Papyrus). Him promoting things isn’t bad, nor is him posing topless bad. What is bad
is the tone-deaf message his page gives out, this lack of understanding is something we see with the other British influencers who moved to Dubai. His promotion of a seemingly perfect six pack and constant posts about a keto diet is nowhere near the inspiring and motivating content he claims he uses his platform for. Would it inspire some fitness fanatics? Sure. But to the majority of his followers, it’s showing off his body in a way that inevitably sparks some feelings of inferiority, and worryingly points them towards quite extreme diets as a solution. Although he says in his interview with Papyrus that he doesn’t want people to think they should strive to be as fit as him, his relentless promotion of his body on his Instagram suggests otherwise.
As his own mother pointed out in his podcast, gyms in Britain are shut. His promotion of gym gains isn’t the brightest idea since most people can’t access the equipment he can, and surely is frustrating to see. His wealth and fame has merely enabled him to move to Dubai, enjoy jetskis and bars in the summer, gym workouts and sun in the winter. All this while the majority of us sat at home were in lockdown restrictions during our summer and asked to isolate in the winter.
ANTON CAN' T HAVE HIS CAKE AND EAT IT Anton can't have his cake and eat it the same can easily be said for all influencers who flaunt their sunny retreats in lockdown. They can’t pretend to have the "common touch", be relatable, or empathise with any of their followers if all they use their accounts for is to flaunt an unattainable lifestyle. And it seems like this is just another instance where social media and its influencers have left us with a rather bitter taste in our mouths. Image: @good_citizen (Unsplash)
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EDITORS: Ceri Jackson and Georgia Shepherd
22 FEB 2021 |
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Small student businesse
Kamila Bell, Editor, interviews students about running their own small busin
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UNNING a small business is no mean feat, it is something that takes time, care, and overall a lot of dedication. Whilst lockdowns due to COVID-19 have presented the opportunity of time for many creators, care for their products is inherent and dedication has been self fostered as other commitments to being a student re-arose as we returned to university life in September. The creators I talked to have not only set up their businesses as a way of being creative whilst earning money to support themselves, but have also committed to supporting bigger causes that are important to them through donating parts of their earnings to charity. I hope that through reading these interviews it inspires you to get creative, to start that business idea you have been putting off or at least enlightens you to the inspiring things many of our students are doing here at Exeter.
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SEBE Hannah and Emily @theseededbeads
Exeposé: What inspired you both to start your own business? Sébé: it was something we had been speaking about for ages. We are both quite creative and we knew we wanted to do something with jewellery. Then obviously the pandemic hit, both stuck at home, very bored and it just gave the best opportunity to start. We talked about it right at the start of lockdown and then didn’t think it was the right time to invest our money, so we sat on the idea for about a month. Then we just were like: okay let’s do it! We played around with ideas as we really wanted to keep things sustainable. A lot of our beads are up-cycled or things we have like bought from charity shops or anyone just donating to us as well. We didn’t start with everything that we have now though, we had ideas and then after we had set it up we looked into how we could make things more eco-friendly. É: How have you found running a business alongside being a student? S: To be fair it has been fine. We dabble in it though. It is very much a case of if we are too busy with other things we are like: no, Sébé has to go on the back burner a little bit. If we have orders we obviously do them and we also have periods of creativity where we do more posts that gain a lot of interest. But if we are generally really busy we don’t seek out more orders.
É: What has been the most exciting product you have worked on? S: We absolutely love the glasses chains that we do because they are just so fun. You can just have a lot of fun with them. We made some for our guy friends, who collect sunglasses, the worst sunglasses imaginable, they call them their rave shades. They are like to us: “oh, can we have glasses chains for these?” So we put some shells on the chains and it was just absolutely eclectic. They loved them and were so happy. É: I saw that you launched a charity collection, with 50 per cent of the profit going to NSPCC, what motivated you towards doing this? S: So basically, our housemate, she is volunteering with them at the moment. She came to us because she needed to figure out a way to raise money for them and we were like: oh absolutely, we would love to do this as well. So she has put out a collection but also 10 per cent of everything we are making and selling at the moment is going to charity as well. NSPCC is a great charity and especially during this time of lockdowns when people are needing them more. It is just really great that we are able to give back, and the response you get is just fantastic, people have been so generous and some have even donated extra as well. É: What plans do you have for the future of Sébé? S: We both love our little business, and are so proud of it. We have kind of spoken about the idea of doing silver and stuff as well, maybe silver jewellery. But we want to keep it along the track of sustainability. Another thing is that it will be a nice way to keep linked after uni. We will always be friends but it is a nice thing to keep working on together. É: Do you have any advice for other students out there looking to start their own business? S: Plan first, don’t rush into it. We literally spent about two months planning it all out, designing everything and getting it all sorted. It is a labour of love entirely, so you need to be so confident in your product so just give yourself time to do it. It is not impossible to keep it going during university though, it is such a nice thing to keep you grounded, busy and off your phone. It is just very wholesome. Definitely pick something you love, don’t just start because you are seeing everyone else doing their own business, it should be for something you enjoy.
Gecko Jewellery Amy
@gecko.jewellery É: What inspired you to create Gecko Jewellery? Gecko: Basically it was the first lockdown, back in July and started as just something to keep me busy. I bought a few things and I asked myself: well why don’t I just start my own business? I had a strong vision of what I liked buying so I went from there. When I started, the way I built up my followers was requesting other jewellery pages to follow me back. Slowly I started to get messages and I started getting added to groups chats of other creators. There is just such a great community out there of small creators who are wanting to raise money for charity whilst being creative. É: What is the best thing about running your own business? G: I think it is so flexible. I can use my spare time around uni work to make a few pairs of earrings. It has been quieter during term time of uni but in these periods it has been nice to make some new earrings, take some pictures and post them to my Instagram. This has also brought me closer to other creators that I never would have met if I had started Gecko. Even just taking photos of my friends and family has been really fun, just to do a bit of a photoshoot. The other best thing has been raising money for charity which has been totally within my control. I can choose which charity and it is really great to be able to do. I am big into Marine Conservation, so I knew that I wanted to direct my donations towards that. É: How did you choose the charity you are currently donating to? G: Originally I was going to change up who I was donating to every month. My interest in wanting to donate to marine based charities started from finding out about the plastic pollution masks had been causing. I think Marine Conservation Society (MCS) did a post about this and the increase of plastic in the oceans just because of the pandemic. I found it really interesting that there was a connection to marine life because of this pandemic, that is affecting everything. So MCS has kind of been my main focus of the last couple of months, because I really enjoy the work that they do. In the future I would like to look at smaller charities, maybe more locally based in Cornwall, just because you know, supporting the small underdogs.
É: What is your favourite product you have made so far? G: My favourite is the Shimoda earring. When I started Gecko I knew that what was missing in the small business market for jewellery was that not one was using wooden beads. I thought they provided a lot of texture and a summer feel to an earring, so I really wanted to incorporate that. Basically, every earring pair that I design I get the model to name them after their favourite beach. But the Shimoda earring I didn’t want anyone else to name because it was my favourite. So, I named it after my favourite beach in Japan because I grew up there and it just reminds me of my childhood, with all my favourite colours. So yeah, that has been my favourite one because I have got the personal connection to it. É: What advice would you have for another student wanting to start their own business?
Image: Amy Hitchens
G: Just have fun with it, make it what you want. Reach out to other small businesses, make those connections that have been largely beneficial in getting ideas for new products and also marketing tools for how to run your own instagram. You have just got to do what works for you, it is okay if you have a low point in sales or not much is happening, you can pick it up whenever you like, that is kind of the beauty of having your own Image: Katie Knight small business. É: What does the future hold for Gecko? G: For now I think Gecko will remain small and I am not going to push it too much until after university, seeing what the summer brings. I would like to continue that follower to me relationship though. The nice thing about Gecko is that it is just a supporter friendly platform, I always try to be welcoming on my page and that is just so important at the moment. Even if they just open their Instagram up and there is a sunset picture that says “Hey everybody, I hope you’re having a good week!” it is just a bit of positivity thrown out into the world.
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EDITORS: Ceri Jackson and Georgia Shepherd
22 FEB 2021 |
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es supporting big causes
nesses and the amazing support they are giving to their chosen charities
Procrascreator Lucy
@procrascreator É: What inspired you to start Procrascreator? Procrascreator: So I have always been a really creative person. I love making things. The whole way through school I was really into crochet, people would always tell me that I should set up an etsy shop, but at the time it seemed like too much effort. Then there was a lockdown, where I had nothing to do. So it gave me the Image: Emma Cartwright motivation to make things. If you’re not doing anything with the things you make they are just taking up space in your room and you can lose motivation as you just add things to a pile. So I was using etsy as a way to keep that pile down, so that I could keep making new things, and to give me a reason to make new things.
Image: Lucy Thompson
É: A big focus of Procrascreator is that your products are sustainably made, why was this an important thing for you to incorporate into your business?
P: I get incredibly stressed about the environment, in the sort of lying awake thinking oh god, the planet is dying and there is nothing I can do way. So I thought, there is something I can do, I can reduce my own impact. I like knowing that the things that I am buying are having as low an impact environmentally as they can. It is the same thing with the materials I am buying. It is so nice being able to trace everything. The silver that I buy is 100 per cent recycled sterling silver from Cooksongold, just knowing that can give you closure on it. Also, when I buy new wool from someone I email them to ask if they are transparent in their wool, so I can tell my customers what dyes they have used, where their farm is and do they know where everything has come from.
É: What is the best thing about running your own business? P: I think the answer I am supposed to give is the freedom, the fact that I answer to no one and I can do whatever I want. Those are all very bad points for me because I don’t focus on things, I am all over the place, so not having set deadlines for things or not having someone say: do this and do this makes it so amorphous and I am looking at it like: ah, I don’t know what to make. However, what I guess I like most about it is getting inspiration from things. You can find something, think I know what I can do with that and you can make something from it and no one can tell you no. É: I saw on your Instagram page you donate some of the earnings from your products to charity, why did you choose to do this? P: I started my business near the beginning of the first lockdown, and then not long after there were the Black Lives Matter Protests and I thought: I’m not doing anything. I am just making things for fun and chilling at home, I am not having an impact on anything but I am in a position where I could be helping people. I thought the money I am making could be used to help other people. At that point, I went to the spreadsheet of my orders and I worked out what 10 per cent was, and donated that as a bulk sum to the Black Lives Matter Movement. From that point on, everything has been 10 per cent to charity. I took a brilliant lecture series, it was on an incredible paper about the effectiveness of charities and about why people donate to who they do. I read the paper and thought I might not be donating as effectively as I could. You can make the amount you donate go so much further if you look deeper into the charities. So I have started doing that, I still donate to human rights and environmental organisations, because these are the two areas I am passionate about and then within these areas I research into the most effective charities to donate to, switching between different ones. Sometimes I also put up a poll on my instagram so that people can suggest a charity that they feel really passionate about. É: Do you have any advice for other students wanting to start their own business? P: If it is a creative business, make stock. If you make things to order, you will start to hate the things you’re making. You will hate the project and will want to quit. People will be ordering things you don’t want to be making at that moment. So make what you want to make when you want and then list it. Also, Excel. Being able to put in formulas and it just tells me how much to donate is great, I love it.
Knight's Bites Katie
@knights.bites É: What inspired you to start Knight's Bites? Knights Bites: I was a chef at Boston Tea Party and I absolutely love baking for other people. I always have done. It was just kind of a lockdown idea and it has just become something I could never have imagined really. É: What has been your favourite product you have made? K: I really liked the Valentine’s Day flavours, they were pretty cool. The cherry bakewell one is my pride and joy. I enjoyed my Christmas box as well. The monthly specials make me really excited because I spend all month thinking about them and I am already thinking about summer’s ones. They are definitely my favourite because they give me a chance to be creative. É: You regularly donate a portion of the money per brownie to charity. Why was this something you wanted to do and how do you choose the charities you donate to? K: I have always been involved in charities since I was literally 13 onwards, I have always tried to do my best to support other people and charities. It was something I definitely wanted to do with the business because I am in a position where I am able to do it. It isn’t thousands and thousands but we raised £544.45 in January, that in itself is crazy for one month. Yeah, I am overwhelmed. To be honest, I choose my charities based on what impacts me. In November I fundraised for Calm. I used their help line when I was 17, they are a really good mental health charity. Currently I am fundraising for Shelter because the homelesness crisis really bothers me. I am appalled, angry, and upset everytime I walk into town and if I can do anything to help I will. É: What has been your proudest moment so far from running Knight's Bites? K: Probably the community. I said before that I thought it would die off after Christmas because I was like: there is hype for Christmas for presents, but it did the complete opposite. The community, the people who keep coming back and the people who constantly engage are 100 per cent the thing I am most proud of. I think creating in such a positive space for open discussions but also a space where I can cook. That is the thing I am most proud of, the positive space and a positive environment even whilst it is still a business.
É: How have you found running the business alongside being a student? K: Honestly, it has been really difficult. I have had to be quite d i s c i p l i n e d in my time off. Over Christmas I didn’t really get any time off because I had to catch up on everything. It is kind of a case of just working around it, so I will do university work in the mornings really early or I will do it in the evenings really late, just working around when I am actually in the kitchen and cooking. I have always worked full-time through university, so I am pretty used to kind of managing having a job and studying. É: Do you have any advice for other students looking to start their own business? K: If you really want to do it, do it. I think what we have learnt during lockdowns and over the last year is that life is too bloody short to be sat at a desk doing something you don’t want to do, in my opinion. Happiness comes first always, that is paramount. If you really have a passion for something then the least thing you can do is give it a go. Secondly, if you do set up a business don’t be afraid to ask for help. I am so notorious for completely working my way into the ground because it is my baby. It can be really difficult to let someone in and help you. But do it because often greater things come out of it as you have other people’s inputs and mindsets. Just don’t be afraid and don’t be embarrassed to say: actually I need some help here! É: What are your future plans for Knight's Bites? K: I am definitely going to be in Exeter for the next year. I want to keep growing and keep building here. I want to look to be at more events in the future. Then wherever I end up, hopefully building a bakery, that is the dream. A really good account - I encourage everyone to go follow them - @wearefeelgoodclub. They are a little cafe, bakery business in Manchester. They have a bakery and it is built on positivity, that is my dream. I want a little actual place, where I can cook, people can come in and sit down but is also a completely positive environment.
Images (L-R): Emma Cartwright, Amy Hitchens, Lucy Thompson and Katie Knight
arts + lit
Decolonising Leicester
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Bryony Gooch, Editor, explores the University of Leicester’s proposed “decolonised” curriculum
HEN the University of Leicester announced they would axe Medieval Literature as part of decolonising the curriculum, there was no predicting the outrage it caused. Yet for many different reasons, there was a unified reception that this decision was ridiculous. The Daily Mail brashly decried: “Welcome to the University of WOKE! Leicester has ditched Chaucer, is ‘decolonising’ its syllabus and marks ‘International Womxn’s Week’... no wonder it’s turning into a first-class failure”. Immediately Leicester’s decision was weaponised; The Mail pointed an outraged finger at the so-called woke agenda trying to eradicate Englishness from an English degree. Meanwhile, an overwhelming 2,850 academics from around the world signed a letter to the Leicester Vice Chancellor protesting the decision, highlighting the value of Leicester’s Medieval research to the field, and shining a light on the cynical reality of what happens when a University does not care about decolonisation as much as it does money.
DECOLONISATION ASKS THAT WE INTERROGATE SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT CURRENTLY IN PLACE The topic of decolonising the curriculum has long been misunderstood, as highlight-
ed by The Daily Mail’s headline. A discussion alist appropriation in Medieval studies – the sparked when a statue of Cecil Rhodes “fell” image of the Knights Templar, the crusades, on a campus in Cape Town has since gained the focus on Medieval Europe and isolationtraction on a global scale – especially in reism – and furthermore how contemporary lation to Higher Education. Some academics medievalists have tried to combat it. As look down on it as “fashionable”; others see such, we read of how stories travelled across it as the future of education as we know it. the globe, de-centering Medieval Europe. One of the biggest misconcepWe learned how indebted English tions is that decolonisation bookmaking traditions were to is as simple as diversiNorth Africa and looked at fication, but it is not Chinese manuscripts tellas easy as replacing ing the story of AlexanAusten for Audre der the Great; we even Lorde. One aspect read the great English of decolonisation, hero Geoffrey Chaucer as a constant form through a decolonial of disruption, asks framework. that we interrogate The point is that schools of thought the module employed currently in place. decolonial methods to apThat we consider, for exproach the Middle Ages, and ample, why Admiral Croft it did so in an accessible way. It might be assigned to the East was clear that the convenor underImage: pexels.com Indies after the Battle of Trafalgar in stood decolonisation not as something Austen’s Persuasion. only applicable to literature from colonial Let’s be clear on one thing: Leicester’s deand post-colonial eras, but how colonial cision to get rid of Medieval Literature does thought processes can become retroactivenothing to decolonise the curriculum. Durly ingrained into our very understanding of ing my time as an English student at Exeter, I literature and history. The Middle Ages may have encountered my fair share of Medieval be considered pre-colonial, but the very fact Literature. This year, I took a module that that it has been appropriated by white naspecifically looks at the Medieval through a tionalists shows how it has been impeded decolonial lens. The first thing confronted in by colonial mindsets. The very suggestion this module was the legacy of white nationthat Medieval studies can not be decolo-
nised only reinforces everything that white nationalists pedestalise about the era.
COLONIAL THOUGHT PROCESSES CAN BECOME RETROACTIVELY INGRAINED Considering this, I cannot help but feel sceptical as to whether decolonisation was ever the University of Leicester’s real aim in getting rid of Medieval Literature. After all, surely medievalists in the department could easily explain strides made in decolonising the Middle Ages. Cambridge academic Priyamvada Gopal saw through the guise and astutely called it what it was: “Managerial cuts, as I understand it, are what’s going on, and they are using diversity as a cover.” This brought to the forefront another concerning prospect: the drastic underfunding of the Humanities is finally beginning to show. Departments across the country are beginning to cut staff, and it is just a question of who will go and how the University can justify it. And as our degrees further succumb to marketisation, universities across the country will look for ways to market themselves as innovative. As such, the University of Leicester’s decision provokes a startling question: will decolonisation of the curriculum be taken seriously, or will it be reduced to a cheap marketisation tactic for universities to wield?
Spring Releases
Millie Browning shares the upcoming book releases to look forward to this spring Four Hundred Souls - Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain Four Hundred Souls was released this month but seemed too interesting and relevant to not include in this list. A “monumental work of profound importance”, the novel maps out 400 years of African American history from the slave trade to Black Lives Matter. It is co-authored by Ibram X. Kendi, the author of How to be an Antiracist (another excellent read) and includes stories told by 90 leading Black voices.
Image: pexels.com
Of Women and Salt - Gabriela Garcia Gabriela García’s debut novel is the muchanticipated story of five generations of Cuban women. Set across centuries, the book explores how the connection between these women goes beyond blood, to secrets that
come down to an heirloom book that con tains the affirmation: “We are force. We are more than we think we are”. Described by Roxane Gay as a tale told with “precision and generosity and beauty”, Of Women and Salt is clearly only the start of an incredible career for García.
Home is a novel about foster parents who take on one more child, a six-year-old Indigenous girl who completely alters the family dynamics. Described by Goodreads as “heartfelt and enthralling”, the novel is a “moving testament to how love can survive in the face of devastating losses”.
The Soul of a Woman - Isabel Allende Written by one of my favourite authors of all time, The Soul of a Woman is the fifth nonfiction book by Isabel Allende. A highlight of 2021 for The Independent, The Guardian and Grazia the book is described as a “mediation on power, feminism and what it means to be a woman”.
Win - Harlan Coben You may be familiar with Harlan Coben’s work as executive producer of Netflix shows such as Safe and The Stranger, but were you aware he is also a bestselling author? Win is his latest in a long line of mystery books and tells the story of a man who becomes involved with an investigation into two cold cases where the suspect may have been involved in domestic terrorism.
All the Children Are Home - Patry Francis Set in 1950s America, All the Children Are
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EDITORS: Amelia Gregory and William Evans
22 FEB 2021 |
Framed in time
Writer’s corner
Meg Allan discusses art’s relationship to protest in the light of the Myanmar Coup
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ONFLICT and art have long been inseparable. In its earliest examples, it exists as a method of documentation for the victors, a way of eternalising glory. Over time it has served as propaganda, amplified the voice of persecuted groups of people, and carried campaign and revolutions alike. Movements such as Extinction Rebellion depend on artwork for their educating and high political profile. Transcending language and socio-political borders, we recognise humanity in our ability to pick up tools from stone chisels, ink pens, brushes, pens, to spray cans in the name of protest. In a world becoming increasingly digitalised, where the new currency is viral reach - art is gaining ever more political credibility, as lip service must be paid to the power that the unspoken word has in attracting global attention. At the beginning of the month, Myanmar once again fell to military rule, as the democracy of the last ten years ended with a coup. Protests of up to 150,000 people gather to be met by rubber bullets, live fire and tear gas. The graphics created by the pseudonymous Pen Holder, depicting the unrest at the political coup that took place in Myanmar on the first of this month, have gained recognition, reaching global status. His medium graphics, the images depict families taking to the streets to bang pots and pans. The
artist believes it is his duty to oppose the coup. “Our people have no weapons - we aren’t able to access this. Instead, as an artist, I fight with a pen” he told the BBC. Protests against the Uighur “re-education” camps in Xinjiang often feature light blue and white masks painted with a red hand bearing the Chinese flag covering the mouth - often with tears of blood painted from the eyes. The most extraordinary metaphor for the censorship in China - when words do not reach our ears in the West - the painted faces of those marching to liberate the persecuted transcends socio-political climate and language to resonate. This is where our art is at its most powerful, where it provides anonymity and protects the creator and their voice. Long used in dictatorships to speak freely without fear of detainment, perhaps the most famous use of censorship-dodging is the image of Winnie the Pooh used to represent the current Chinese president Xi Jingping. Similarities can be drawn between this and the image of a cartoon hamster which is being used in the Milk Tea Alliance currently gripping much of South East Asia. Fickle as we are with brief attention spans, a picture conveys a message immediately. A larger than life, filled with hot air blimp was a fitting metaphor for the president across the pond and
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filled the streets of London during protests over Donald Trump’s policies when he visited the UK in 2018. The iconic giant orange baby, dubbed Trump Baby, which stood just over 19.5 feet high, joined the Museum of London’s Protest Collection last month, now playing bed-fellow to artwork depicting the likes of the Suffragettes and this year’s Black Lives Matter protests, to be immortalised long after its namesake reluctantly left office.
BEHIND EACH IMAGE IN A PROTEST IS A STORY AND A STRUGGLE A picture may not speak a thousand words, but it is the accumulation of another’s perspective, and the most valuable thing we can collect. Behind each image in a protest is a story and a struggle, for every image we see there are countless unseen. Whether it serves as a stake to mark the passing of time, a plea for recognition of another perspective; as a bid to hold the attention of the world, or to hold others to account. The power of artwork, as a platform, and a voice for those unheard is undeniable. From injustice rises protest, and from that, art. Image: pexels.com
Danielle Darrah, Copy Editor
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IS eyes blinked open as he yawned wide. The familiar silence that settled in the motionless air was enough to make him question if he was indeed awake. He noticed his muscles becoming weaker each morning and his bones creaking underneath his frail weight. The day was Wednesday. No— Thursday. The hands of the clock meant nothing more now than the monotony of a metronome as the days, hours and seconds bled together in a cacophony of silence. Sighing out loud, he stood up and walked to the wall calendar, marking off another day. Four hundred and fifty six days. The only man roaming the earth for four hundred and fifty six days. If it had been someone else, they may have cried. They may have cried and asked why they’d been left behind. Surprisingly he hadn’t. On the contrary he’d enjoyed the solitude, relishing in the comforting silence that he’d yearned for, years before they had left. His days were limited, he knew that. Soon the supplies would run dry and his unsteady body would no longer carry him, but he finally had time to do the things he enjoyed. He had read every untouched book his small dingy bungalow had to offer; he had found paints, but no canvas, so he’d delicately stroked the colour across the walls instead, an explosion of greens, blues, reds, melting together in his mind until he couldn’t remember what the colour had been before. He had found discarded materials and dusty tools in his garage and set about mending the worn out furniture around his house, humming the tunes his dad used to sing to him as a boy. Eventually that familiar silence became his friend, whispering the memories of family and friendship and laughter into his ear and he smiled back with fondness, thankful that they would be okay without him.
#Booktok: inspire or distract?
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Ellie Lewis investigates #BookTok and considers if it is productively inspiring or a distracting procrastination
IKTOK’s addictive algorithm creates communities with specific interests: #BookTok has received 4.1 billion views. TikTok’s user numbers are growing rapidly and so is this side of the app. The BookTok community contains everything from colour coordinated bookshelves, and writing tips, to hauls, and acting.
THE ADDICTIVE NATURE OF TIKTOK IS KEEPING US ON OUR PHONES AND AWAY FROM OUR BOOKS Book social media is not a new thing, as someone who spent a lot of time aged 13 on “BookTube” and “Bookstagram”, this side of TikTok seems oddly nostalgic, a comfort in a very uncomfortable year. But, while I love a Pride and Prejudice quote as much as the next English student, it is worth ask-
ing if this is just an intellectualised version of social media competition. Surely the addictive nature of TikTok is keeping us on our phones and away from our books. Using fifteen second videos and hits of information, hours can be lost scrolling on TikTok; surely this is counterproductive to reading. There’s a certain irony about planning on reading before bed then, instead, spending hours scrolling through videos about reading. I can speak for my peers in saying my attention span is shorter because of a long period away from learning and spending lots of time online. So BookTok is almost a way of reading vicari-
ously; I save lists of books that I will read and mull over quotes from a book I will never reread. A key feature of book social media is showing what you’ve read in the past month or year. These are often huge piles and honestly, I often don’t believe them. This doesn’t feel too far from an insecurity inducing picture perfect video of someone’s weekly outfits or makeup looks. It feeds into what social media does best: create competition. I would describe myself as an avid reader, maybe even a bookworm but there is no way I could read the number of books these videos show. One creator had read 67 books in a year, another video was someone telling you the fastest way to read (apparently you skip the first and last word on each page, I’m not sure about that!
Image: cottonbro/pexels
BOOKTOK IS A SAFE SPACE IN THE OVERWHELMING SPHERE OF SOCIAL MEDIA However, BookTok is a relatively safe space in the overwhelming sphere of social media. Seeing other people read and write is bound to rub off. It showcases one of the internet’s biggest strengths: to create a community of likeminded people. Ultimately there is a lot of fun content on BookTok (a special mention goes to Edward Cullen TikToks). Alongside its counterparts on every social media, BookTok can only signal that a love of reading is present in our generation. We are still engaged in stories and maybe need escapism more than ever.
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EDITORS: Amelia Gregory and William Evans
22 FEB 2021 |
Harlem Renaissance: 100 years on
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A century after the movement, Niamh Walsh and William Evans, Arts + Lit Editor, consider its lasting impact
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OUGHLY 100 years ago, a mass migration of people from the American South caused rapid population growth in several northern cities, including Harlem, New York. What unfolded was a cultural Mecca of art, literature, dance, fashion, theatre, politics and music for the Black community in the United States that spanned the entire Roaring ‘20s. Considered the “re-birth” of the African American arts, the Harlem Renaissance has continued to be an important cultural force in the United States through the decades. African Americans used art to prove their humanity and demand equality in a racist society. The Harlem Renaissance was a gateway to providing more opportunities for Black people to become mainstream and household names. A significant contributor to the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes. Known most famously for his jazz poetry, Hughes was also a social activist, novelist, playwright and columnist. His poetry and fiction portrayed the lives of the working-class Black people in America, confronting racial stereotypes and protesting social conditions. Written when he was 17 years old, Hughes’ most memorable poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (1921) presents the voice and memory of the Africans who were forced into slavery, providing glimpses of the speaker’s heritage, with memories attached to the ancient rivers of Africa. Fifty-three years after his death, Hughes’ extraordinary lyricism still resonates with people as his stature as a canonical figure in American culture is cemented.
A predominant female figure of the Harfor other creatives and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance was Zora Neale Hurston. The lem Renaissance called “Saturday Salons” in her daughter of former slaves, her parents had gone home on South Street NW. The “Saturday Salons” on to become a school teacher and a preacher, continued for 40 years and Johnson’s home is with her father’s sermons sparking her interest in recognised as an important space for supportstorytelling. Known most famously for her 1937 ing creators throughout the movement. The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the book salon also served as a “Half Way House”, housing explores a Black woman’s search for friends who needed a place to stay her own voice, identity and libfor a while. eration from racial history, It is important to recdomestic violence and ognise that the Harsexual norms. The lem Renaissance’s book was met with influence was not criticism from sevlimited to Afrieral Harlem Recan American naissance authors culture, though since it wasn’t one of the cruprimarily about cial outcomes of a racist society the movement but was instead was the serious concerned with consideration of differences within Black art, literature the Black community, and music in Ameriparticularly the treatca. The Harlem Renaisment of Black women. sance has a lasting legacy Their Eyes Were Watching God for mainstream culture in Image: Wikicommons centres a Black heroine’s sensuality America and internationally. The in a way that was uncommon in American litwomen writers of the movement wrote erature at the time of its publication and is conabout Black women, but they also wrote about sidered today a classic of the movement. women who resisted cultural norms, a legacy Georgia Douglas Johnson was a significant that lasts in the literature of white writers too. poet and playwright of the Harlem Renaissance, Writers like Margaret Atwood and Angela Carter producing collections such as The Heart of a surely owe their rebellious women to the Black Woman. Johnson famously hosted gatherings writers who preceded them.
Visual artists are also associated with the Harlem Renaissance, including Augusta Savage, best known for her sculpture work. DailyArt Magazine lists Savage as the defining force of 20th century sculpture and her influence can be noticed still. She notably created portraits of African American individuals using clay and one of her most striking pieces is The Harp. It is a large sculpture of a row of African American heads, mouths open in song, melding into the body of a harp. The sculpture was tragically demolished at the end of its exhibition as the artist couldn’t afford to cast or store it. In the later years of her career, Savage opened a studio in Harlem which was open to anyone who wished to use it for painting, drawing or sculpting. Many young artists who practiced in her studio, including Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight, later rose to national fame More recently, her influences can be noted in Kara Walker’s work, especially her Fons Americanus installation in the Tate Modern. In a period of extreme racial tension there has been a huge spotlight on Black literature for obvious and essential reasons. Delving into the full spectrum of the Black experience is fundamental to societal growth and maturity. The celebration of Black art from all perspectives, not just racially, is integral for non-Black audiences to no longer distance themselves from stories about slavery, race and history simply because they happened in the past and are not explicitly connected to their current world. Art and literature is a gateway into exploring the layers of society and ourselves.
Goodreads is no good
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Amelia Gregory, Arts + Lit Editor, shares her experience using The StoryGraph, a Goodreads alternative
USED Goodreads religiously as a teen to keep track of my reading progress and to set myself endless unattainable reading goals each year. However, as I started to focus more on the quality of what I read rather than quantity, my use of the site quickly diminished as I rarely used it for the recommendations that it was primarily made for. Although the site works extremely well for tracking your reading, the website has received backlash since Amazon bought out the site which only really brought about one quite useful feature, it allows you to link your Amazon account in order to easily find the books you may want to purchase based off these reviews and recommendations. So, this partnership essentially made it easier for you to buy more things from Amazon. Although the webpages do provide links to other places to buy the book, it is clear that the page is steering you towards Amazon to make your purchase, as indicated by the fact that under the Get A Copy section it clearly states Amazon as the first point of call and then groups all other online stores under a collective dropdown box. What if you don’t want to support Amazon? There are many alternatives to Goodreads that
work equally as well if not better than the site. One that is particularly great is The StoryGraph which is a Black-owned website founded in 2019 by Nadia Odunayo and launched earlier this year. Not only is this site a Black owned website and not owned by a huge corporation, but the ease of purchase that I praised Goodreads for having is also available on this site. Not only is the same feature available on The StoryGraph but it is even better because this site does not push you towards Amazon for your book buying needs, but it provides links for Bookshop. org and Blackwells. You may have noticed that we are huge fans of Bookshop.org here at Arts + Lit, the website is a fantastic alternative to Amazon that supports independent booksellers and so if you’re interested in avoiding Amazon then Bookshop.org and The StoryGraph are the perfect power couple to help you do so. Immediately upon entering the site I found a few prominent features that made me prefer it to Goodreads. Firstly, when you set up your account on The StoryGraph you are given the option to export your Goodreads data over to the site so as not to lose any of the progress you have made. In short, there is no excuse not
to make the swap over. The process was clearly explained and appeared easy to do. You were then asked to complete a survey about your reading preferences in order to establish the recommendations you will receive from the site. I will say that although I was a teenager when I used Goodreads and so their recommendations may have simply reflected my poor taste in YA novels at that age, the recommendations that I received from The StoryGraph were incredible and much more interesting than what I was expecting. They seemed perfectly tailored to me and my reading interests. Following on from these recommendations, I then discovered my favourite feature of the website, when you click on a book on The StoryGraph it takes you to the page dedicated to that text and one of the first things you see on that page is a section of “Content Warnings” which is an extremely important aspect of book recommendations which Goodreads blatantly ignores. A really fantastic and considerate feature of this section is that these content warnings require a dropdown box to be clicked in order to view the section and not just having triggers openly out on the page which could be extremely upset-
ting for users of the site. This feature is not only mindful of the experience of the users in helping to warn readers of potential trigger warnings within the books that may be recommended, but also extremely considerate of the users of the site being exposed to triggers within this section. This seems like a low effort but huge reward feature that just shows the care that comes from this site for its users that Goodreads either didn’t even think of or simply didn’t care to implement. The StoryGraph is therefore a fantastic alternative to, or improvement upon, Goodreads’ website which provides you with all of the features of Goodreads without the connection to Amazon and provides you with links to purchase the books from a site that you can actually feel good about giving your money to. Images: Wikicommons
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music For the love of the game I
Oliver Leader De Saxe, Music Editor, discusses his favourite gaming soundtracks
REMEMBER someone once asked me what my favourite soundtrack was. It’s an interesting question to be sure, and probably deserving of a better answer than just “the Doom score was pretty nifty”. Unsurprisingly I was l greeted with the quintessential response of someone trying to feign interest: “I don’t think I’ve seen that one”. The thing is, you don’t SEE Doom, not unless you’re referencing the hilariously horrendous adaptation staring The Rock. No, Doom is a game; it’s meant to be played. And although my answer reeked of first year awkwardness, it did get me thinking in retrospect about why video game soundtracks, of all things, hold such a special place in my heart; to the point I’d think of one over the obvious cinematic options. You see, contrarian as it may be, I think game soundtracks are sorely underrated. In fact, I’d bet my left joycon on the fact that there are gaming soundtracks as emotionally powerful as any film motif, memorable as any television theme, and catchy as any radio belter. From the bombastic orchestral balladry of Skyrim that comes as close as you can humanly get to a Viking raid on your living room, to electro-intensity of Hotline Miami, the wealth of playlist-worthy classics is abundant. So why is it that they have been critically overlooked outside the gaming sphere? The reasons why film and television often get separated from their interactive cousins is twofold. Films are easier to score for a start, leading to more traditional music. Due to the linearity of the story, putting music to film is a lot more straightforward than a videogame, where players set their own pace. There’s no easy solutions to this problem either; trig-
gering fade-ins and fade-outs at certain points can provide those big cinematic compositional beats, but may leave stretches of gameplay feeling barren. Repeating a piece of music for an entire level may sound like a good idea, but this has to be finetuned to ensure it doesn’t detract from the gameplay or drive the player to an early game over screen. Secondly, despite being one of the most lucrative industries on the planet, games are often disregarded as simple toys to be disposed of and thrown away, that lack the artistic merit of other media. Yet game composition is a rich tapestry, and one worth examining in-depth. To truly understand video game composition, you need to understand limitations and innovations historically associated with interactive entertainment. In the 1980s the world of technology was in its infancy, and sound designers worked with brutal limitations. The NES only supported five track audio, and the maximum cartridge size for a whole game was one megabayte. Yet this forced musicians to get creative. Just look at the original Super Mario Bros. It may only have three minutes of music, yet Koji Kondo’s score altered chiptune audio forever, carrying the weight of an expansive world in catchy bit-sized segments.
IT MAY OLY HAVE THREE MINUTES OF MUSIC, YET KOJI KONDO'S SCORE ALTERED CHIP-TUNE AUDIO FOREVER The soundtrack was designed to time with Mario’s running and jumping, so that
the endlessly catchy “overworld” theme is simultaneously cemented as the first time we stomp a Goomba to the rhythm. It’s genius, and this is before music began responding to the player themselves.
THE INCREASED TEMPO MAKES BEATING YOUR FLATMATE ON THEIR FAVOURITE TRACK ALL THE MORE SWEET Adaptive music may be the industry standard now, but it wasn’t always. Despite dynamic music dating back to 1981 with the arcade classic Frogger where the soundtrack changed as you progressed, the true scope of adaptive sound design came much later with increased file sizes and game complexity. Now, wandering to different shops may give you a different musical texture better suited to the keeper’s particular craft, or entering combat will trigger an intense battle theme. This is known as horizontal resequencing, where pre-composed segments shifted and shuffled to react to the player, and it is the tentpole of making a world feel reactive. Even at its most basic, adaptive music drastically alters gameplay feel, and we haven’t even got the creative stuff. There’s vertical re-orchestration, where the mix is changed and altered, like in Mario Kart on the final lap where the increased tempo makes beating your flatmate on their favourite track all the more sweet. There’s procedural music, like Ape Out’s jazzy percussion developing with player action. There’s music that alters with the story, like in Hades where the songs and track can change depending on your relationship with certain characters. There’s the total madness of Jim Gordon’s Doom Eternal soundtrack which isn’t just great because it sound like like the industrial noise of Nine Inch Nails having passionate hate sex with Metallica, but because randomised segments combine in dif-
ferent ways to produce visceral thrills that enhance your demon-tearing bloodlust. No other medium has music that changes when the audience confronts it, and it feels wildly personal for that reason. And it’s this personal feeling that made me fall in love with game composition. When someone watches a film, everyone hears the same music at the same time; it may build community and spectacle, but it never feels truly yours. Yet someone who begins their Minecraft journey in wide empty pastures with melancholic keys drifting in the background may feel the music underscores a sense of loneliness - desolation even. Meanwhile, the same piece on an online server where friends are building a community together becomes peaceful. The emotional reaction people have to music is based not just on their real life experiences, but their in-game ones. That player in Minecraft could hear that melody again 20 hours later, in a distant forest far from those fields, and feel a sense of accomplishment. They have formed memories from that music, real tangible experiences which are unique to them. The music has grown, adapted, been recontextualised by a player’s own gameplay. Maybe these moments are more transient and temporary than film, but their scarcity is what makes them special. Because, for the briefest moment, someone made a product that made you feel something that only you could have felt. Perhaps that’s why I love the music of video games so damn much. It’s the only medium driven by your actions, sculpted by your decisions. To have the feeling that someone scored of a string quartet, a glimmering symphony, a crisp synth line, just for you, is a profoundly beautiful idea.
Images L-R: Daniel Costa,pixy.org
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EDITORS: Oliver Leader de Saxe and Bride Adams
22 FEB 2021 | 26
The issue doesn't end with Marilyn Manson Bryony Gooch, Editor, reflects on the recent allegations against Marilyn Manson and abuse in the industry at large CONTENT WARNING: Sexual assault, emotional abuse, paedophilia, grooming, kink culture
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VER two years ago, Evan Rachel Wood testified in front of a House Judiciary Subcommittee in an endeavour to pass the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights in all 50 states. Although she did not state a name at the time, she described in detail her experience of domestic violence and sexual assault: “Toxic mental, physical and sexual abuse which started slow but escalated over time, including threats against my life, severe gaslighting and brainwashing” from a man who had claimed to love her. At the beginning of this month, the American Gothic actress finally named her abuser: Brian Warner, or as we might know him, American musician Marilyn Manson.
VAGUENESS AROUND SEXUAL ASSAULT CONTRIBUTES TO HAZY ATTITUDES TOWARDS CONSENT. Warner and Wood’s relationship became public in 2007; they had met when she was 18 and he was 36 years old and engaged in a threeyear relationship and engagement. Yet Wood’s description of Warner – alleging he “started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years”, how she was “brainwashed and manipulated into submission” – struck a chilling chord with many. So much so that several other women have come forward with similar accusations against Warner. “I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives”, Wood announced in her Instagram post. Naturally, as is the case when women speak out about sexual assault, Evan Rachel Wood was faced with the usual harmful questions. Why only speak out about this now? If it was so bad, why did she not leave sooner? Surely, she knew what she was getting herself into when in a relationship with someone like Marilyn Manson? Of course, this refers to Warner’s controversial “aesthetic” as Manson. This is something Warner himself referred to in response to Wood: “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality.”There was something quite twisted about Warner’s reference to his “art” and “life” in response to such allegations, playing into the image he has cultivated for himself as this obscene shock rock provocateur. Just as his lyrics dealt with sex, violence and anti-religious sentiment, it seemed almost inconceivable that Warner might be anything different to his public persona. Furthermore, why should his public persona affect his ability to ask his sexual partners for consent?
In an interview with Spin in 2009, Warner spoke of his relationship with Wood stating: “I have fantasies every day about smashing her skull in with a sledgehammer.” Last year a representative of Manson brushed this off as a “theatrical rock star interview” with no factual value. There is this implicit suggestion in how Warner deflects to his Manson persona that he might even be absolved from the sexual violence he promoted. Yet, with more women coming forward telling of how Warner has practiced the same violence he has portrayed in his music, I question whether we as listeners can even stomach the persona of Marilyn Manson as art. It feels important to mention that a year after the Spin interview, Wood and Warner broke off their engagement. Manson once preached “sex, sex, sex and don’t forget the violence” and has often played up kink culture in his persona. Even in his response there is this unspoken implication of an unorthodox approach to intimacy – referring to his “art” and his “life”, the emphasis on “like-minded partners” and “entirely consensual” relations. There is this unsettling sense that Warner could just as easily deflect any misconduct not only onto his persona but his engagement in kink culture, which would be tremendously damaging to the importance of consent in such activities of the kink community. Evan Rachel Wood was only 18-years-old when she entered a relationship with Brian Warner. In her own account, I could not help but reflect on my own experience, although I feel mine was certainly not to the same degree. When I was 19-years-old, I was regularly subjected to sexual harassment from older men, and at one point was being groomed by a significantly older man. I was also assaulted by this man. I did not realise any of this until a year later. At the time, as an inexperienced teenager, I was just happy that someone was paying me attention. No one told me that there was anything wrong - after all,
I was legally an adult and surely I was aware of the man’s intentions. It was only retrospectively that I understood the uncomfortable power dynamics of the situation. Unfortunately, I know that I am not the only woman who could find parallels in the experience that Evan Rachel Wood recounted. The
However groping and non-consensual kissing are some other forms of assault that are often brushed off as harassment. Such vagueness around the definition of sexual assault only contributes to hazy attitudes towards consent. While it is early days as to whether Brian Warner will be charged for any of the allegations against him it once again seems the music industry is revisiting the #MeToo movement it never really had. Years after 2017’s revelations of the sexual misconduct rife in the film industry, mainstream media has speculated as to when the music industry might receive its own reckoning. R Kelly currently faces 22 federal accounts including child pornography, kidnapping and forced labour as of 29 January 2021, having been indicted of ten accounts of aggravated sexual abuse in 2019. Yet this is one rare example of potential justice being served to sexual assault survivors in the music industry.
I 'M NOT THE ONLY WOMAN WHO COULD FIND PARALLELS IN EVAN RACHEL WOOD'S EXPERIENCE. time it takes to come to terms with the trauma – with situations that are often hard to put into words – varies for everyone. Often enough, many women do not realise they have been sexually assaulted purely because the assumption is that the term can only refer to rape.
When Kesha spoke out against producer Dr Luke, engaging in a court battle to be released from her contract with Sony Music after discussing her experiences of abuse at the hands of the producer, the judge refused to release her from the contract. Chris Brown pled guilty to assaulting his girlfriend at the time, Rihanna. He still has a successful music career. Rick James was convicted of kidnapping, and assaulting numerous women, yet people still listen to ‘Super Freak’. It is in the music industry that listeners have often found it easy to separate the art from the artist, and that is why the BBC announced the recent death of Phil Spector as a “Talented but flawed producer” rather than the murderer he was. While Warner’s distributing record label Loma Vista, and his manager of 25 years dropped the artist, the jury is out as to whether Warner might receive any commercial or judicial consequence. However, with ten more women revealing their own stories alongside Evan Rachel Wood, and alleged trafficking now being brought into the discussion, this will not be the last we hear of Brian Warner’s alleged sexual misconduct.
É If these issues affect you, you can get in touch with: www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing www.exeter.ac.uk/speakout exeter.nightline.ac.uk Devon Rape Crisis: 01392 204 174
Images top to bottom: GGAADD, Rubenstein
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A Variety of mistakes
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Olivia Garrett, Screen Editor, reports on the imbalance of gender in the world of film critics
INCE 2018 the sanctity of temple Hollywood has slowly been crumbling away. The casting couch, award shows and even talk show hosts, once so entrenched in the culture of “Old-Hollywood” have proved no match for the black-dressed preachers of #MeToo and the angry mobs of social media. The next pillar to fall: film critics. In December last year we saw the release of Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, a startling black comedy starring Carey Mulligan and produced by Margot Robbie. The movie features Mulligan’s character, Cassie Thomas, revenging the death of her friend Nina who was raped by a classmate and dismissed by her college. Mulligan’s performance has garnered much support, provoked much discussion and even earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. And yet it has also, rather ironically, incited a new wave of fury about the toxicity of male film critics. In a review released by established magazine Variety, freelance film critic Dennis Harvey wrote a piece in which he likened Mulligan’s
appearance in the film to “bad drag”. He called her casting an “odd choice” and suggested that producer Margot Robbie could be “perhaps too easily” imagined for the role instead. The review was published in January last year, after a showing at the Sundance film festival, but has resurfaced after Mulligan gave an interview for The New York Times in which she stated that the review “drove [her] crazy”. She explained that the Variety review “was basically saying that I wasn’t hot enough” and expanded that she thinks it’s “important that we are looking at the right things when it comes to work, and we’re looking at the art and we’re looking at the performance.” Her criticism of the review also extended into the wider problems of Hollywood such as the airbrushing of actresses and the intense focus on their looks. She expressed a wish to see “real women portrayed on-screen in all of their complexity”. Where Mulligan’s reaction would usually go unaddressed, and the ivory tower of critics fully fortified, Variety published a rarely seen response. After her interview an editor’s note was attached to Harvey’s review reading: “Variety sincerely apologises to Carey Mulligan and regrets the insensitive language and insinuation in our review of Promising Young Woman that minimised her daring performance.” While Variety have stated that the apology is enough, more questions have been prompted by this short tack-on.
Many have asked for an explanation as to how the review was let through in the first place, and what the critic’s fate at the magazine will be. Harvey himself has argued that his comments were purely performance based and stated that his suggestion to cast Margot Robbie was due to her ability to portray overt sexuality, rather than her looks. He even went as far as suggesting that Mulligan’s anger was tactical in timing as it wasn’t “until the film was finally being released, promoted and Oscar-campaigned” that she chose to voice her opinion.
A TREND OF INVALIDATING AN ACTRESS’ PERFORMANCE BEFORE THE FILM STARTS While Harvey may be justified in saying that the implication of unattractiveness was due to poor word choices rather than intention. The idea that Mulligan staged the controversy speaks to the wider problem of gaslighting actresses and labelling them “problematic” as soon as they express an opinion. The fact that Mulligan was able to speak out and has not received a blacklisting, as has happened to the likes of Katherine Heigl (who berated the sexism of 2007 comedy Knocked Up), is commendable enough. What is even more encouraging is that she received a brief but apologetic response. However, the fact that such shallow criticism of an actress can still make it through to mainstream media is concerning, and shows the issues at play in the reviewing process. Back in 2018 it was found that over two thirds of film critics were men, despite women making up more than half of cinemagoers, and barely any women or people of colour were chief critics at national newspapers. This kind of imbalance is what gives way to the understanding that commenting on a performer’s looks is acceptable and constantly puts female-led films at a disadvantage. After the release of Ocean’s 8 in 2018, lead actresses Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett attributed the majority of criticism and low rating on the Tomatometer to the male dominance over film sites. Similarly, Meryl Streep accused Rotten Tomatoes of having
an “infuriating” proportion of 760 men to 168 women in 2019 and stated that this was why her film Suffragette (which Mulligan also starred in) received such little critical and box office traction. With these troubling statistics in mind, it is easy to see why the objectification of women runs so deeply through the veins of critics. Margot Robbie in particular, who Harvey identified as preferable for the Promising Young Woman role, has received more than her fair share of beautybased criticism. In 2013, Variety’s review of her breakout part in The Wolf of Wall Street lists her as the “bombshell second wife” and “appealing Australian newcomer”. That very same magazine then refers to her as “Wolf of Wall Street stunner” for her 2015 film Focus in which she “looks so damn beautiful […] It’s almost as if the movie is trying to focus your attention elsewhere” (The Guardian). Perhaps most famous of all is Robbie’s well-documented aversion to her Suicide Squad costume, which Empire Magazine described as “Robbie skipping daintily about in pants hotter than hell’s sauna”. A discomfort that prompted her to have a lot more input in her Birds of Prey costume which she wanted to avoid being too “male-gazey”. It certainly worked, what with the sparkling poncho and sledgehammer combo catching the eye throughout the film, and yet it was not enough to stop the flood of opinions that it wasn’t “sexy”. This focus on the tightness of costume or level of beauty creates a trend of invalidating an actress’ performance before the film even starts. It proves that there is an unequal amount of attention given to acting performances and shows us that there is certainly a long way to go in the world of critics. Harvey’s poor choice of wording may have been labelled offensive but what it also does is act as a signal. A signal to moviegoers and magazines alike that the reviewing process is deeply flawed and in need of a harsh shakeup. If films are to be truly judged on merit alone then we’re in dire need of new editors, and I think we should start with Variety. Images (l-R): Eve Rinaldi, wikimediacommons; Gage Skidmore, flickr
Remembering Christopher Plummer KNIVES OUT SPOTLIGHT
Rian Johnson’s 2019 murder mystery Knives Out is one of Christopher Plummer’s final acting roles. His performance of Harlan Thrombey paints the perfect picture of a weary soul with an undeniable sensitivity which, although we only see him through a series of flashbacks, undoubtedly drives the whole course of the film. Harlan Thrombey’s death sparks an investigation that quickly unveils the shallowness of his relatives. With the prospect of Harlan’s generous inheritance, the Thrombey family begin to turn on each other as Benoit Blanc enlists the help of Harlan’s sweet nurse Marta Cabrera. It is the glimmers of the touching relationship between Harlan and Marta that offer a welcome reprieve from the bickering family and invoke a sense of triumph when it is revealed that Marta is the sole inheritor of his fortune. The most poignant scene of the film is when we are shown the true circumstances of Harlan’s death. Believing Marta has given him an overdose of his medication due to someone switching the labels, Harlan doesn’t think twice before devising his own intricate plan to protect her from blame. Owing to his impulsive and somewhat dramatic nature, Harlan kills himself. As the truth comes out and Marta is cleared, Harlan’s portrait subtly changes so that he is smirking triumphantly. It is apparent that Harlan was ready for the estate full of relics, embodying old patriarchal, classist views, to be overhauled by the caring, selfless Marta. Christopher Plummer’s portrayal of the extravagant yet humble Harlan Thrombey is at the centre of this modern Sophie Wellington murder mystery that criticises beliefs about the family unit and acts as a vivid social commentary.
Image: Claire Folger, IMDB
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EDITORS: Olivia Garrett and Francesca Sylph
22 FEB 2021
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Archie Lockyer assesses the extraordinary choices made by the Golden Globes this year
HE Golden Globe nominations were released last week to a mix of surprise and disdain. With such a peculiar year for traditional releases, the awards season was always going to be a bit off. Let’s be honest, no one particularly cares about the Golden Globes as a body; they don’t hold the prestige of the Emmy’s for Television, or the Oscars for film. But what they do often give us is an insight into the mindsets of the people voting this season and what they see as worthy and unworthy of acclaim. Straight off the bat, I have to acknowledge the pure ludicrousness of some of the choices in my opinion. Prior to the nominees being released, I joked about James Corden being nominated to my flatmates. I didn’t actually expect it to happen. Having him being nominated for his role in The Prom seems like some form of parody, his performance being tepid in the kindest reviews of the film.
For me I thought it was an utter nightmare to watch his frankly offensive caricature of a gay man. However, this nomination has been met with scathing amounts of criticism, so I think it’s fair to say that this is a horrendous mistake limited solely to the Golden Globes, rather than a reoccurring train crash throughout awards season. Amongst the savaging of James Corden, is also the backlash against the lack of recognition for Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You, which is a very human look into the tough topics of sexual assault, race and gender within society. It honestly baffles me, the lack of recognition for this series, particularly due to it’s popularity within the US as well as the UK, with celebrities like Seth Rogan, among others, stating their love for the series throughout the year. In my opinion, I think this is because I May Destroy You covers a lot of hard topics, issues that we have to talk about more, but that make awards bodies uncomfortable Image: Declan
ant surprises with the inclusion and fear that this will “rock the of Nomadland and Promising boat” for audiences already Young Woman directed by tuning out of shows like Chloe Zhao and Emerald the Golden Globes. Fennell respectively, However, despite showing that the my negativity so far, Globes are taking a this year’s Golden more progressive step Globes do have some to inclusion. However, positives. we also saw traditional The Best Comedy “Oscarbaity” style films or Musical category is in The Trial of the Chicago particularly strong this Seven and The Father both of year, with the excellent Borat which are seen as frontrunners in Subsequent Moviefilm and Palm Image: Melinda Sue Gordon, IMDB the Oscars suggesting that voters Springs both receiving praise, haven’t entirely changed their tune. which otherwise might not be given as the This brings me back to my point earlier. Oscars famously do not reward the genre. I fear that after a year of never-ending COVHamilton also receiving a nomination is a ID-19 stress and Parasite storming through the pleasant surprise, alongside a nomination for Oscars last year, awards bodies will retreat into Lin Manuel Miranda for best actor. However, cinema that they find comfortable and enjoyI am unsure whether Hamilton can really be able; films with themes that are universally considered as a film, to me it feels slightly off positive, for instance Trial of the Chicago Seven since it is essentially a recording of the Broadwhich ends on an overly dramatic note about way performance. Perhaps the Golden Globes the need for compromise and respect. Instead wanted some recognisable brands instead of they could nominate and reward films that delving into the array of independent films choose to go less traditional directions such like Karen Maine’s Yes, God, Yes which certainly as Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah or deserved more praise. Lee Issac Chung’s Minari. In terms of Best Drama, we saw a few pleas-
That only happens in films Quinn, IMDB
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Harry Scott Munro, Online Sports Editor, discusses the relationship between politics and film
H, Matt Hancock, he of meme fame. When the Health Secretary isn’t busy recreating scenes that wouldn’t look out of place in a disaster movie, he is, it seems, basing government policy off of them. Earlier this year, he admitted that the movie Contagion impacted upon his decision to stockpile vaccine doses for the United Kingdom. Hancock stated that the scenes in the movie where individuals squabble over the order of priority when it comes to vaccinations, largely influenced the decision making of himself and other ministers in ordering large batches of vaccines for the United Kingdom. His admission got me thinking though, which other politicians or policies are seemingly based upon beloved movies, whether the politicians care to admit it or not? Back in January, in one of his final acts in office, then-President Donald Trump unveiled his new “Space Force” as the sixth branch of the American military. Its logo though, seemed to take more than a little inspiration from the logo for Star Trek, with original Mr Sulu George Takei musing on Twitter as to when he and his fellow cast members would be receiving royalties
for use of the design. Wearing a Republican red tie seemingly wasn’t enough for the now former President, who instead wanted to wear captain’s red on the bridge of the Enterprise. Whether Trump truly had aspirations of wearing the famous red shirt remains to be seen, however should he run for office again, it may not be long before we see him doing a Vulcan salute to the crowds.
THE BIG SCREEN WILL ALWAYS SHAPE NARRATIVES In slightly less comedic circumstances, 2004’s The Day After Tomorrow has shaped a large part of the climate debate that continues to run today. The disaster movie sees the world facing a second ice age, with a tidal wave submerging New York and tornadoes tearing through Los Angeles. The film has had long lasting effects on how individuals and politicians view the risk of climate change, thrusting it to the forefront of public concern. Some politicians on the Republican side were alarmed
by the public’s reaction to the risks the movie suggested. They envisaged a scenario where the American public forced Congress to pass climate change legislation, with Republican President George W. Bush vetoing the bill and Democratic candidate John Kerry exploiting public hysteria over the issue to win the U.S. Presidential election. Of course, none of this happened and Bush went on to secure a second term with a greater share of the electoral college than when he was first elected in 2000. However, surveys carried
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out of those who watched and didn’t watch the movie, suggested that those who had watched would be more likely to vote for Kerry than Bush. The big screen will always shape narratives and with more and more actors moving from the big screen to the political sphere, we could be looking at even more movies influencing policy in the years to come. Let’s just pray none of them base their policy decisions off of Mad Max. Images left to right: Number 10, flickr; Joe Klamar, IMDB
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OU may know Jacqueline Durran for her BAFTA-winning costume design for 2005’s Pride and Prejudice. Or her work for Mary Magdalene, Anna Karenina, Beauty and the Beast, or Peterloo. Either way, Jacqueline Durran’s costume designing talents have graced many brilliant and beautiful films. She has designed the costumes of four Best Picture Oscar nominees: Atonement, Darkest Hour, 1917 and Little Women. What particularly springs to mind for me is her Oscar-winning work on Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. Each character is given a signature colour, which carries through in their luscious period costumes, creating a beautiful visual reminder of their personalities. After completing a degree in Philosophy and a Masters in History of Costume Design at the Royal College of Art, she learnt on the job at a costume rental house and had her own market stall selling vintage clothes in Camden and Portobello Road. However, she never thought it was going to be a career until she had her first costume designing job on Mike Leigh’s All or Nothing. Years later, with Caitlin Barr 11 awards under her belt, it’s clear that her work is incredibly special.
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A multiverse of madness and opportunity A
Ryan Sprules predicts the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe post-Endgame
FTER the release of Avengers: Endgame in 2019, Marvel’s longest running storyline came to its climactic conclusion, leading to it becoming the highest grossing film of all time. The question remained as to where the financial juggernaut would make its next move in the shadow of its own creation. Their first move was to lay out their plans for a variety of television shows exclusively on their Disney+ service; in hindsight, one of their more fruitful decisions, especially during the current pandemic. WandaVision has been the talk of many and all the while Black Widow, which was previously set to be released in May 2020, has been in a constant state of delay until further notice. So with Marvel’s pursuit in television, which is set to continue with shows like Falcon and the Winter Soldier as well as Loki, what does this leave for the feature films that led to their success in the first place?
WILL IT HAMPER THE STORY OF THOSE PAST FILMS IN FAVOUR OF FANSERVICE? Rumour has been spurred about the plan to crack their cinematic canon open to a wider multiverse. The third Spider-Man film with Tom Holland will apparently feature various actors who have previously portrayed fan favourites across the years including Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx’s Electro. This begs the question as to why these villains are appearing in a cinematic universe that they were not originally connected to with their portrayal, and whether the Spider-Men they faced in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will also return to
reprise their roles. Tom Holland has since denied at least the latter part of these rumours, but it still begs to be seen. If this were to occur, there would be no question as to the popularity of such an on-screen event, however many may question whether such a decision would be necessary. Do the narrative arcs of defeated supervillains and past superheroes in their own films deserve continuation, or will it hamper the story of those past films in favour of fan-service? The surprise reveal at the end of WandaVision’s fifth episode has certainly opened the floodgates to the dabbling of other intellectual Marvel properties by the studio, though questions have been raised about the specificities. Is this Marvel Studio’s game plan after Endgame? Though further expanding an already expansive cinematic universe with the Marvel film storylines of other property holders
such as FOX and Sony, can leave a casual fan quite lost. Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch has already been confirmed to star in the selfexplanatory Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as the connective tissue to this style going forward. It’s clear that Marvel Studios has all the toys at their disposal in order to satisfy the most ardent comic fans in ways intrinsic to their genre. DC are already planning to bring Michael Keaton’s Batman back in their upcoming Flash film and their own continuing multiuniverse exploits on television. It may signal the future of superhero media going forward, as the past is brought forward into the present with palimpsestic extravaganzas. Image (L-R): Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios, IMDb; Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel Studios, IMDb
WandaVision: easter eggs and anti-binging
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Jim Norman, Online Screen Editor, discusses Marvel’s decision to tackle the serial
T would be wrong of me to suggest that I welcomed the idea of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in series format. I couldn’t understand how Earth’s mightiest heroes could possibly work in sub-45-minute chunks, nor how this could be maintained over the course of a nine-episode run. Yet here we are, six weeks into WandaVision – the MCU’s first series project – and I couldn’t have been more wrong. I suppose that we superhero fans are so used to hearing of disastrous experiments that we cannot fathom the possibility that one may actually work. But in this instance, we seem to have less of a Bruce Banner malfunction than a Steve Rogers success. Rather than simply taking a five-hour narrative and stretching it over nine weekly slots, WandaVision creator, Jac Schaeffer, has considered what it means to tell a story in such a serialised form. No two episodes have been the same and I have found myself giv-
ing weekly monologues about the origins of Captain Marvel, the Disney/Fox merger and the multiverse theory to name but a few topics that have reached the unfortunate ears of anyone close enough to hear. We have become so reliant on the ability to binge watch a series that we have forgotten the excitement that comes with weekly episodes. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have found WandaVision nearly half as creative were it not for the seven-day gap between each episode and the anticipation that sitting down on a Friday to watch the latest instalment brings. Giving the watcher time to speculate and think-through cliff-hangers is a luxury that is so rarely afforded in these gobinge-or-go-home days of streaming – the decade-jumping format isn’t the only nostal-
gia trip that a series structure like this affords. It goes without saying that the series has been full to the brim with Marvel easter eggs and throwbacks. These have ranged from elements as small as murals hanging on a wall and seemingly abstract costume choices: was that outfit not similar to the card-wielding mutant Gambit? All the way up to major casting decisions and plot twists – shapeshifting is nothing compared to some of the head-changing shockers that we have seen so far. Be it these subtle winks or full-blown slaps to the face, the show’s writers have been careful to dripfeed viewers just enough to keep them coming back for more. The real joy of watching something as creative as WandaVision is the knowledge that it is a concept that would have been im-
possible in any other format. Put these episodes together into one behemoth of a film and you would have a narrative that is bent on changing the channel every half an hour and never settling on a dominant tone. But put it in a structure where we get one chapter a week and you are onto a winning format.
DRIP-FEED VIEWERS JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP THEM COMING BACK FOR MORE Despite my reservations, it seems the MCU can work in different mediums. Have I learnt my lesson for such a predisposition? Absolutely not – the coming series premier or the studio’s next series, The Falcon and the Winter Solider, looks far closer to my smashybashy expectations that WandaVision has so brilliantly surpassed. At least now I am open to having my expectations turned upside down. Image: WandaVision, Marvel Studios, Disney+, IMDb
Screen EDITORS’ PICKS: COMIC BOOK ADAPTATIONS Francesca Sylph Screen Editor
Ghost World (2001)
Based on the graphic novel of the same name, this endlessly quotable black comedy follows Enid and Rebecca, two quirky and cynical teenagers, as they attempt to navigate their lives post-high school. When Enid becomes interested in an older, eccentric record collector (Steve Buscemi) and Rebecca pursues their mutual romantic fixation, the girls’ friendship is challenged. Image: Ghost World, Archive Photos, Getty Images, IMDb
Olivia Garrett Screen Editor
Daredevil (2015-2018)
No, not the movie! Charlie Cox’s quietly raging Daredevil is perhaps the most complex superhero of all time as he balances religion, disability and the moral quandaries of injury vs. murder. This combined with the perfectly choreographed one-take fight scenes and a captivating villain in Vincent D’Onofrio makes this show a visceral dive into the gritty world of comic books that Batman has never managed. Image: Daredevil, Patrick Harbron/Netflix, IMDb
jim norman Online Screen Editor
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
I suppose that this is not based on a comic book per-say; but Into the Spider-Verse took what it means to be a “comic book” movie to a whole new level. From the dotted animation style to the popping colours, this is a film that truly brings the comic page to life.
Image: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony Pictures Animation, IMDb
olivia gomez Online Screen Editor
Black Panther (2018)
For me, Black Panther is the comic book film to watch. Not only is it incredibly entertaining, but it also provides a very interesting contrasting analysis on the delicacies of nuclear resources - their importance in technological advancement vs. their dangerous potential. Image: Black Panther, Marvel Studios, IMDb
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STUDY BREAK CROSSWORD
SUDOKU
Down
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1 Huge (4) 1 A person whose diet does not include 2 Recreational player - Marge? (anagram) animal products (5) (5) 4 Stability of mind or body (7) 3 (Political) candidate (7) 8 Total (3) 4 Sand trap on a golf course (6) 9 Small copy (9) 5 Wild camel-like animal (5) 10 Citrus fruit (6) 6 Feed (7) 11 Friendship (5) 7 All (8) 13 Kidney-shaped nut (6) 12 Liquid produced by the melting of ice 15 Parentless child (6) (3,5) 18 Jetty - pier (5) 14 Marine algae, say (or main plants?) (7) 20 (Sweet or bitter) fruit (6) 16 Walked - wandered (7) 23 Exercise machine that can be walked or run 17 State (6) on (9) 19 Ruin - sweet (5) 24 Pear-shaped false fruit (3) 21 Neat (slang) (5) 25 Adzuki, for example - and beer (anagram) 22 Loathsome (4) (3,4) 26 In a dull manner (5)
ANSWERS
trivia corner 1. Which species is the closest evolutionary ancestor to human beings? 2. The colossus that was one of the wonders of the ancient world was in which city? 3. Which came first, coca cola or Tolstoy’s war and peace? 4. Which are older - sharks or trees? 5. When did the original love island tv show first air?
Trivia: 1 Bonobo 2. Rhodes 3. War and Peace 4. Sharks 5. 2005 Fudge, 21 Nifty, 22 Ugly. 7 Everyone, 12 Ice water, 14 Seaweed, 16 Rambled, 17 Nation, 19 Down: 1 Vast, 2 Gamer, 3 Nominee, 4 Bunker, 5 Llama, 6 Nourish, 24 Fig, 25 Red bean, 26 Dryly. Amity, 13 Cashew, 15 Orphan, 18 Wharf, 20 Almond, 23 Treadmill, Across: 1 Vegan, 4 Balance, 8 Sum, 9 Miniature, 10 Orange, 11
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Science
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22 FEB 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
SCIENCE EDITORS:
Lauryn Mitchell Lauren Haughey
Exercising your mind
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Jacob Sturgess examines the effects of exercise on our mental wellbeing
HERE are numerous motives for exercising; from getting “swole” at the gym, to building endurance in the pool, to joining your homies at spin class. It is no secret that exercise can be done to maintain a healthy body, but what is less discussed is the impact on our mental health. Over the past year, we have been detained within our own homes and, for many in the UK, our
Image: Pixabay
favourite sources of recreation and physical interaction have since been lost as a result of social distancing. Without these coping mechanisms, a toll has been taken on the wellbeing of the population, with many arguing this is being ignored by authorities. However, recently Dr Alex George, Exeter University Alumni and Love Island contestant, was appointed Ambassador for Mental Health. After losing his brother, he now uses his following to draw attention to this important topic and recommends at least a 15-minute walk every day to care for your mental wellbeing. The brain is one of the
most complex machines known to man. However, brief bursts of neuronal activity caused by something as simple as moving your body, protect it against damage in the long-term. Two parts of the brain have been shown to exhibit significant growth due to exercise: the prefrontal cortex, which is important in decision making and the hippocampus of the temporal lobe, critical for long term memory. The production of new cells increases brain size and strength, building it like a muscle, especially effective in these areas prone to neurodegenerative effects like normal cognitive decline with aging.
Exercise decreases cortisol concentrations and reduces mental stress Exercise is a physical stress, meaning that it activates the body’s stress response, resulting in synthe-
sis of cortisol, a hormone, which contributes to immediate physical changes like heart rate elevation. Importantly exercise also causes a negative feedback loop which eventually decreases cortisol concentrations and reduces mental stress. A 2015 study in the Journal of Neural Endocrinology assessed levels of cortisol using a stress task that was designed to be as nervewracking as a possible denial from TP Wednesday. The researchers found that those who had run on a treadmill for 30 minutes prior, had reduced cortisol during the task and found it less stressful. But exercise doesn’t just help you deal with worries. The synthesis of endocannabinoids, associated with a “runner’s high”, occurs at a high rate during physical activity. These neurotransmitters chill you out by binding to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, the same receptors to which the psychoactive agent of marijuana binds. Serotonin, a hormone involved in
mood regulation, is also made during exercise, with increasing concentrations produced under more strenuous activity. Interestingly, low levels of serotonin are associated with disorders such as depression and anxiety, and related pharmaceutical medications function by directly rescuing depletions.
Serotonin, a hormone involved in mood regulation, is also made during exercise Many scientists would recommend starting the day with exercise, and the lasting effects with make you feel more positive and even creative afterwards. As Mark Twain said: “eat a frog every morning and the worst of the day is behind you.” Challenge yourself early, and everything after will feel easier and less stressful as a result.
Cognitive effects of COVID-19
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Jessica White uncovers the impact that COVID-19 could be having on the brain
N today’s society many things are certain, yet we are faced with a virus that we do not fully understand. So, what have we been told so far? COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, typically affecting the respiratory system. The most notable symptoms are a dry cough, fever, and loss of smell/taste. To prevent the spread of the virus, we must maintain social distancing and isolate if we show symptoms. However, this is not the entire picture. Scarily, respiratory related symptoms are not the only kind experienced by COVID-19 patients. There is increasing evidence that COVID-19 may have cognitive effects such as brain fog and fatigue.
62 per cent of cases had damage to the brain’s blood supply From the early days of the pandemic, up to now, cases of neurological complications related to
COVID-19 have been reported. A clinical analysis was completed on 125 people residing in the UK who had these complications. It found 62 per cent of cases had damage to the brain’s blood supply, presented as strokes and haemorrhages. Whilst 31 per cent experienced symptoms such as confusion or prolonged unconsciousness. How widespread these symptoms are is not known as of yet. Data has been collected on patients who have more severe illness and require intensive care, suggesting those with minor symptoms may be more commonly missed. Scientists have studied the spike protein on the virus and found
it can pass into the brain in mice. Typically, if the spike protein can en-
ter, so can the virus. The spike protein alone can cause damage to the brain as it causes the body’s immune system to release cytokines that target the foreign protein. Cytokines are a signalling protein that can prompt an inflammatory response. Suggestions have been made that the inflammation incited from the body’s own immune system could be causing the brain fog and neurological impairments. Distinguishing whether neurological symptoms are due to a viral brain infection or from the host’s immune response is important. This is because understanding the viral path of infection allows clinicians to give the best treatment for patients. For example, whether the patient re-
quires anti-inflammatory medication or anti-viral medication. More clinical research needs to be completed to identify the biomarkers that identify viral infection of the brain.
COVID-19 may have cognitive effects such as brain fog and fatigue The impact COVID-19 has on the brain, or body in general, is not completely known. A virus that has become increasingly abundant in our population needs to be understood in its entirety. Side effects such as brain fog and fatigue may be commonly missed in less severe cases, or put down to other pre-existing conditions. The long-term effects of COVID-19 could as easily be ignored or misdiagnosed. COVID-19 in the brain could be a far greater concern than is currently realised. Image: Pixabay
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Overlooked inequality Eirwen Abberley Watton shines a light on the global inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19 vaccine distribution
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ORE than 16 million people in the UK have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. At the rapid rate it is being administered, AstraZeneca boss predicts that the UK could have an impressive 30 million people vaccinated by March. While the rapid roll-out is a source of hope for everyone struggling in our national lockdown, those living in countries that are less financially prosperous may not have access to the same lifeline.
Many Sub-Saharan countries will be waiting until 2024 to receive the vaccine The UK currently has access to two vaccine suppliers: the PziferBioNTech jab, as well as the vaccine made by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. There are also at least three other vaccines that the UK is in line to receive. Not just in line, but very much at the front of the line. While this is a huge relief for the strained NHS and vulnerable members of the population, it is not good news for less wealthy nations. Predictions suggest that many Sub-Saharan
countries will be waiting until 2024 to receive the vaccine. This delay is caused by the limited availability and unequal distribution of vaccines, especially for countries who do not have the resources to fund their own research. The work of Covax (an organisation coordinated by the World Health Organisation to provide equal access to COVID-19 vaccines) has been undermined by wealthy countries choosing not to wait for other supplies and hence allow poorer countries access to the vaccine. Consequently, the 49 highest-income countries have each received almost 40 million doses of the vaccine, compared to just 25 doses in the lowest income countries. Those who are already suffering
from poor health care and inadequate COVID-19 protection will remain at the greatest risk. What is more troubling is that lower-income countries are being charged higher prices for the vaccine. Each dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine purchased by Uganda cost more
than three times what the EU paid. The delayed distribution and inflated prices threaten what scientists have warned could be a “vaccine apartheid". It will also cause greater loss of life. According to a model by the Northeastern University, if the first two billion doses of the vaccine had been distributed fairly to all countries, worldwide deaths would have decreased by 61 per cent. Instead, this figure will be closer to 33 per cent. To prevent the EU buying more vaccines, AstraZeneca has used this argument to emphasise that no one is safe until everywhere is vaccinated. Regardless of this, higherincome nations have continued their unsustainable purchasing habits. Canada has bought
Feline fine
enough doses to inoculate all of its people five times. The “vaccine apartheid” taking place today has been compared to the horrifying neglect of AIDS victims in Africa. Pharmaceutical monopolies, in which drug patents allow companies to charge whatever they want for a drug, made it almost impossible for lower-income countries to obtain the medicine necessary to treat AIDS. This nationalist stockpiling has resulted in millions of deaths in Africa; in 2011, 70 per cent of all AIDS deaths were from those living in Sub-Saharan Africa. The wealthiest nations have failed to protect those most at risk in favour of their own interests.
Lower-income countries are being charged higher prices for the vaccine We see this mirrored today, the wealthiest nations are being prioritised with COVID-19 purely due to having the influence and finances to control supply. This should stand as a warning. Nationalistic desires should not allow history to repeat itself. Image: Anna Shvets, Pexels
George Clark, Deputy Editor, draws attention to new research striving to solve cat allergies
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OR so called “cat-lovers”, allergies can be a constant and irritating barrier towards interaction with feline friends. Symptoms can include everything from sneezing, to shortness of breath and skin rashes, to the development of more serious conditions like asthma and rhinitis. Fortunately, the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) has been conducting research regarding how the impacts of this allergy could be mitigated.
........Allergen-specific immunotherapy would be most effective in the long-term
Image: Kirsten Bühne, Pexels
The primary allergen associated with cats is the appropriately named protein “Fel d 1”, which is typically found within the saliva, glands, skin and fur of cats, meaning that interacting with them is very likely to ex-
pose us to it. Though pharmacotherapy can alleviate milder symptoms, the LIH theorised that allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) would be more effective in the long-term, particularly for more severe cases.
Symptoms can include everything from sneezing to shortness of breath and skin rashes An AIT treatment typically involves gradually injecting higher and higher doses of the allergen in question until a dose is reached which is able to induce long-term tolerance. However, the researchers have been investigating an alternative form of AIT. They have attempted to optimise the response of the immune system’s T- and B-cells to induce the production of antibodies which fight off Fel d 1. The CpG immune adjuvant (a substance which modulates
immune response) was used to optimise the response of these T- and B-cells. To test the effectiveness of this method, researchers tested Fel d 1-allergic mice’s response to the allergen with and without the use of this AIT method. They found that AIT-treated mice displayed significantly lower levels of IgE, which are generally associated with an allergic response. So too did these treated mice show a significant improvement in lung resistance, as well as higher levels of immune type cells in their tissues after the AIT-injection. Prof. Markus Ollert—Director of the LIH Department of Infection and Immunity—concluded: “we believe that CpG deserves reconsideration as an effective AIT adjuvant in humans and that our work sets the bases for the development of novel successful immunotherapeutic treatments for allergies”. In summary, dogs are still better.
Image: Pexels
22 FEB 2021| EXEPOSÉ
A history of problems
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For LGBTQ+ History Month, Nick Powell, Sport Editor, analyses the awkward relationship between gay people and sport
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HE Australian Open wrapped up yesterday, concluding a wonderful tournament that finally saw a major international sporting event have the presence of fans. One of the stadia the fans piled back into was the “Margaret Court Arena”, named after Australia’s most successful female tennis player. Indeed, the aptly named Court is the World’s most successful female tennis player ever, despite Serena Williams’ best efforts to de-throne her. Why I say best efforts, and one of the reasons I admittedly would love to see the latter become the official GOAT, is that Court has a long and detailed history of unpleasant and offensive comments, many of which have involved intense homophobia. For someone who’s greatest rival was herself a lesbian – Billie Jean King – it would have been staggering to many to hear Court’s first uttering of her views. In 1990, she suggested lesbians were ruining tennis and of Martina Navratilova “a great player but I’d like someone at the top who the younger players can look up to. It’s very sad for children to be exposed to homosexuality. Martina is a nice person. Her life has just gone astray.”
It would have been staggering to many to hear Court's first uttering of her views It was thought that Court, who continued to condemn gay people up to Australia’s gay marriage debate and beyond, would fade into obscurity, and for a while it looked that way. Indeed removing her name from her Australian Open Arena was considered, but with her becoming increasingly irrelevant it seemed unnecessary, only having the possible effect of giving her martyrdom among Christian fundamentalists. Then she was bafflingly awarded Australia’s highest honour on Australia Day in January of this year. Victorian Political Leaders were united in opposition in the state in which the competition is played. Premier Dan Andrews stated “I don't want to give this person's disgraceful, bigoted views any oxygen” and that “Grand Slam wins don't give you some right to spew hatred and create division”, while opposition leader Anthony Albanese went further, implying that the fact she had already received a major honour in 2007 and had been elevated to the highest status in 2021 had “nothing to
do with tennis”, and indeed it appeared a ringing endorsement of her views. To Australia’s credit, they have not always endorsed their talented Christian fundamentalist homophobes. Rugby Australia, Rugby Union’s governing body down under, sacked Israel Folau after he stated that “hell awaits” gay people (among others). Sacking him was a brave decision. He was by far their best player at the time and would quite possibly have helped them progress further in the World Cup later that year than they did had he been playing. He is hoping to get back into Australian sport, having joined French Rugby League club Catalan Dragons, with a view to now playing in that sport’s most prestigious League – the NRL – with club St George Illawarra applying to the League to allow them to appoint him to their squad. The outcome of that decision will in itself be a huge indicator as to whether Australian sport’s recent lax attitude to homophobia is a trend.
Not a single player from the 4,000 members of the PFA is openly gay Back in the UK not a single Football League player from the 4,000 members of the PFA is openly gay. Whilst I miss the real noise of the terraces as much as anyone, those who have gone to football on a Saturday know that homophobia remains rampant and unchallenged in the stands of teams all over the country, and this is likely the greatest barrier to the UK having their first gay footballer.
Fans will return with a fascinating title race for them
It was openly gay ex-Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas who illustrated this so shockingly when he travelled to Leeds with Brighton supporters in documentary “Hate in the Beautiful game”. Based on the age-old stereotype of the residents of Brighton all being gay, Thomas was present to see Brighton fans receive a barrage of homophobic abuse, which the fans had to prepare to put up with every week. It displayed all too clearly that though most clubs’ and governing bodies are taking measure to promote gay rights, this has not translated universally to their fans. That no player has taken the decision to come out during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the chance to settle down as an openly gay player before fans are welcomed back, is disheartening. This could be the perfect opportunity to establish the normalisation of a gay player without that in-
dividual facing the short-term abuse that would make it so challenging. The fact that any closeted gay players (of which there are thought to be several) won’t come out now makes you wonder when that time will come.
Thomas was present to see Brighton fans receive a barrage of homophobic abuse So where does all this leave gay people and sport? Despite the sporting achievements of Margaret Court and Israel Folau not being fully discredited by rampant homophobia, as well as a seemingly impossible situation to come out for gay elite footballers, I remain optimistic. While New South Wales’ support of gay sports people is questionable, the UK nation which it is named af-
ter is more of a safe bet. Aforementioned 100 cap Welsh hero Thomas became the first pro Athlete in a UK team sport to come out, two years after compatriot Nigel Owens, who refereed the same number of games in the same sport, did likewise. Rugby, both union and league, in the UK has been remarkable in embracing these individuals and many others, with the latter sport having Keegan Hirst as their first openly gay player in this country, but what has come with these individuals is not just the courage to be themselves, but a responsibility to fly the rainbow flag for their sport. That added element of responsibility will be embraced by some, but may put others off, nevertheless once it starts, it is likely to accelerate the acceptance process more and more. Returning to Billie Jean King, whilst she herself was outed, she can reflect that though it was unfair to not be able to come out on her own terms, she helped pave the way for a more tolerant approach within women’s sport. Not only have there been several big names who have come out, and leading lights of women's sport - such as American footballer Megan Rapinoe - but even couples emerging from the England women’s cricket and hockey teams. The fact that lesbians now have a growing acceptance in sport, from a similarly difficult start, should give hope that the same will happen with gay men, and though it is far too late, we can be hopeful that things are on the right path, and those first footballing pioneers will accelerate the process of acceptance. Images: Top: ukhomeoffice, Wikimedia commons; Bottom: SkySports News Online
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22 FEB 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
India fightback but England have hope
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Nick Powell, Sport Editor, previews the third and fourth tests
HE debate over the wicket that India prepared for their dismantling of England has rumbled on. One so alien to travelling visitors, particularly from the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia), seemed to destroy any hopes of a balanced contest, particularly if India won the toss. They duly did and after making 300/6 on the opening day, many concluded the test was already over. Indeed, England would not manage to accumulate that number of runs for the 20 wickets they were in possession of over their two innings, let alone for six. Their 317-run defeat was by no means a shambolic performance, and England did battle, but the margin of defeat makes this hard to see. The criticism has been widespread among English former batsmen and seam bowlers all over the World, whilst Indian former batsmen and spinners from both countries have been resolute in their defence of it. Much will come down to how the ICC assess the wicket, and whether they choose to assess the pitch as poor, until then how-
ever, for fairness to India, it is worth noting that England have prepared their fair share of questionable pitches. In the space of two weeks in 2014 after preparing a poor wicket that was too flat against India in Nottingham and led to a dire draw, they preceded to prepare one of the greenest wickets ever seen. India defied the conditions to win on that seam-friendly wicket at Lord’s however, which helped England escape without another poor rating, and the way that Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin skilfully bagged centuries in Chennai hugely undermined English assertions that the pitch was unplayable. The latter in particular, sandwiched in between two sub-par English batting displays demonstrated that it is entirely possible, albeit difficult, to score runs on such a wicket. India’s superior spinners and players of spin were the key that guided them to victory, as well as the toss – though England benefitted from this in their victory in the first test. It is that first test victory that can
give England plenty of reasons to be cheerful. While their hopes of winning the series by 3-1 and earning qualification for the World Test Championship Final now appear a pipe-dream – but don’t remain impossible – an almost certainly more favourable pitch and pink ball in Ahmedabad should make for a much more even contest. If England can win the toss they will feel even more positive about their chances, and can reflect on the first test as the plan needed to overcome the hosts once again.
Hopes of winning the series 3-1 are a pipe dream but not impossible Joe Root’s dazzling form that was there before the second test has not necessarily all gone, the Yorkshireman will feel optimistic that he can go big again on a slightly flatter surface after sensational 100s in Galle during the Sri Lanka tour and in the first test, also in Chennai. Should he be ably assisted by some of England’s better batsmen they are capable
of producing a far higher score, add to this the increased swing and seam movement of the aforementioned pink ball – favourable to English bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson – and England will be targeting this test, potentially as a must-win game. From the Indian side there has been a stark improvement. A better energy in the field, temperament with the bat and game management have all improved regardless of the assistance that may have helped their spinners in the second test and they certainly have the momentum as the series moves a thousand miles northwest. Virat Kohli will be hoping his stars can repeat the come-from-behind series win that they managed in Australia. Win the series by either remaining possible margin (2-1 or 3-1), and they will replace that nation as the side facing New Zealand in the Test Championship final. I suspect that will be the case, but if England win the third test, expect them to come out firing on all cylinders in the final test as they eye a remarkable tour to snatch that final place in the final themselves.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Tom Brady: the GOAT?
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Oscar Young looks at the case for Brady's legendary status
OOR build, skinny, lacks a really strong arm, lacks mobility. So said Tom Brady’s scouting report as he entered the 2000 NFL draft. 21 years later, Brady is celebrating his record seventh Super Bowl title and an unprecedented fifth Super Bowl MVP award. His team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 two weeks ago. Brady’s story is one of repeatedly proving sceptics wrong. He was only a backup quarterback at the University of Michigan. When he came into the NFL in 2000, he was a late-round pick at no.199 in the draft selection. Six other quarterbacks were ahead of him, yet all of these had retired by 2011 without significant impact in the league. Even in the run up to the 2016 season, by which time he was considered one of the all-time greats, ESPN analyst Max Kellerman infamously said Brady’s performance was about to "fall off a cliff". He has since gone on to win three more Super Bowls.
Six quarterbacks were drafted ahead of Brady After spending the first 19 years of
his career at the New England Patriots, some detractors viewed Brady’s success as a consequence of his environment. This was particularly due to the continuous presence of long-time coach Bill Belichick. Appearing motivated to put this theory to bed, Brady, at 43, and way beyond typical retirement age, moved south to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the start of last season. There, he promised to lead this historically weak franchise to a Super Bowl victory. Many thought this task to be impossible.
Many thought a Super Bowl victory for Tampa Bay was impossible. During the run up to Super Bowl LV against the Chiefs, Brady was the underdog. He faced Patrick Mahomes, the 25-year-old quarterback touted to be one of the league’s best for years to come. Mahomes is considered by many to have the best shot at equalling the stratospheric levels of success achieved by Brady. However, in a year featuring multiple disruptions due to the pandemic and with the league seemingly moving on from him, Brady once again proved to be the embodiment of consistency. He threw for 201 yards and
three touchdowns and led his team to victory – a result we have come to expect from him. This most recent achievement might be the pinnacle of his illustrious career. Having played in ten and won seven Super Bowls, Brady boasts more victories in "The Big Game" than any single team in league history. This is even more impressive given that the first Super Bowl took place ten years Image: Wikimedia Commons
before he was born. He now also holds numerous personal accolades, including the record for most touchdowns thrown in a career. He is also a near certainty to become the all-time passing yards leader next season. As a result, despite his history of being undervalued, the NFL world now recognises Tom Brady as the greatest player to ever touch an American football.
The first Super Bowl took place only ten years before Brady's birth The debate will continue over whether anyone has a chance of matching Brady’s outstanding legacy, though it seems he has no plans of stopping here. Moments after the victory, in response to a question about retirement, he stated confidently ‘I’m coming back, you better believe it.’ Brady’s status as the greatest player of all time, the GOAT, is no longer in question. Now, the debate shifts to where he ranks alongside the likes of Ali, Jordan and Bolt on the list of the greatest sportspeople ever. Not bad for a skinny guy who lacks a strong arm.
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Six Nations round up Harry Scott-Munro Online Sport Editor
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WO rounds into this year’s Six Nations and France seem to be the overwhelming favourites to claim their first title since 2010. They toughed it out against a depleted Ireland side that showed great heart in Dublin, thanks to tries from Charles Ollivon and Damien Penaud. This France team always looks a threat in attack but, with the ability now to tough out tight games, they look a serious threat on the international stage. (15-13.) England got back to winning ways with a six-try victory over the Italians at Twickenham (41-18) despite making hard work of the task in hand. The most significant moment of the match though was the serious knee injury suffered by Jack Willis on his first appearance in the competition, with his audible screams echoing around Twickenham. A victory over Italy is never going to answer too many questions. However, doubts still remain over England’s attacking strategy, with gifted players such as Henry Slade and Anthony Watson being starved of opportunities. Scotland and Wales served up an alltime classic at Murrayfield, as a Zander Fagerson red card turned the tide in a 25-24 victory for the Welsh that was, in large parts, thanks to the wonderful finishing ability of Louis Rees-Zammit. Stuart Hogg was monumental for the Scots but this defeat will leave them hurting.
Scotland and Wales served up a classic at Murrayfield The tournament now takes a week’s break. Ireland will expect to get their first win on the board away in Rome, although Italy do finally look like they’re starting to find some attacking fluidity. Defence, however, remains their greatest weakness at this level. England travel to the Principality Stadium to take on a Welsh side that may be two from two but have flattered to deceive. Both teams are looking to find some much-needed consistency and you feel a defeat for England could potentially be terminal for Eddie Jones’ current game plan. France take on Scotland in Paris in what is set to be a match-up between the two most entertaining sides in the competition. Defeat to Scotland last year cost France a Grand Slam and the title, so expect them to be pumped up for this one. The battle between Matthieu Jalibert and Finn Russell is a mouth-watering prospect.
Sport
22 FEB 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
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SPORT EDITORS:
Women in black
Joel Edwards Nick Powell Image: Exeter Chiefs
Exeter Chiefs Women go on extraordinary run
Elise Hamersley Online Sport Editor
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FTER a mixed start to their debut season, Exeter Chiefs Women are on a five game winning streak following their latest victory over Worcester Warriors in round 12 of the Allianz Premier 15s. Starting their stunning set of results with a 38-0 win over Sale Sharks in December, the Chiefs were well set to return in the new year with their triumph over Bristol Bears (31-27). They put on a passionate performance against the club a number of their players departed from last season. This battle saw a red card for Spanish scrum half Patricia García Rodriguez for a tip tackle. She later received
a five week ban following the incident, giving 19-year-old Flo Robinson several opportunities to start in the number nine shirt. Despite the two week break that followed due to increasing rates of COVID-19 transmission in the UK, Chiefs managed to keep momentum and confidence, seeing out a historic win against Saracens in their first game back (22-14). Wet and windy conditions at Sandy Park didn’t stop Chiefs from controlling this match against the most successful side in Premier 15s history, ultimately ending Sarries’ 33 game winning run. Saracens had not lost a game since October 2018 and were clearly rattled by the Chiefs’ dominance in the first half. The women in black delivered a whole
team performance with an incredible defensive effort and quick line speed that allowed American open side flanker and player of the match, Kate Zackary to pounce on a ricocheted ball over the try line, blocking Holly Aitchison’s exit kick with her hand. While Sarries came back in the final minutes of the game to secure an additional try and conversion, it was all too late.
Chiefs have kept their momentum This victory only seemed to power the Chiefs further in their showdown the following weekend against one of the other most dominant English sides in women’s rugby: Harlequins. A tight,
scrappy game in tough conditions gave much to work on for Susie Appleby’s side but a resilient performance led them to a 6-7 win and served as a warning shot to the league as they established themselves as serious contenders. Round 12 saw them come up against Worcester Warriors for the second time. The last time these teams met Chiefs came away with their first ever win and this round proved no different with a convincing 10-17 victory for the Devonbased newcomers. After these five convincing wins, Chiefs have their sights firmly set on a place in the top four and a chance to play in the end of season play-offs. They are currently positioned fifth in the table and still face other challenges like Wasps
Women in three weeks’ time, who have also offered worthy competition to the big players in Premier 15s. Exeter Chiefs Women have really started to develop their own style through these victories, such as strong double tackles and the signature Chiefs pick-and-go, making them a significant threat. Despite such a short amount of time together, they have managed to form a cohesive structure and discipline, resulting in a 57.5 per cent possession average so far this season. This rapid and continuous improvement can only suggest more exciting competition in the future of the league. Time will tell if Chiefs can continue to build these individual performances into consistent, long term results.
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