Disruptor: Autumn 21

Editor’s Letter As I sit in the library writing this, I feel very proud to be part of the pilot issue of ‘The Disruptor’, Millfield’s new student-run magazine. We came together to start this magazine to give students the ability to write about what they are passionate about and to start conversations around important topics, both past and current. I doubt anyone will be interested in reading every single article in the magazine but that’s not the point. Even if only one article catches your eye, I would consider that a success as I hope that the wide variety of articles in this magazine means that there is ‘something for everybody’ in our community. The idea is that this magazine attempts to replicate the diversity of our student body, in the range of perspectives, interests and backgrounds seen across the school and I hope that this will continue to increase and improve in further issues.

It has been a pleasure to be able to learn about what interests other students in the school, many of whom I might not have known very well, or even at all, before starting the magazine. I have learnt a lot from my experience as editor so far and am very grateful to Mrs Coelho, Mrs Bicknell, and everyone else who has played a part in getting the magazine off the ground. I hope that this issue is only the beginning of something that will become a staple in the lives of those in the Millfield community. It’s not long now until I leave Millfield and begin the next chapter of my story but I hope that ‘The Disruptor’ will remain and that it will continue to grow and develop and become something very special to students across the school - giving them a vehicle for their voices and opinions.

Please enjoy the inaugural issue and, if, after reading the magazine you find yourself wanting to get involved in the next issue, please get in touch with me at heffam@millfieldschool.com.

Happy browsing, Anabelle Heffron.

Editor - Anabelle Heffron Design Editor - Ella McEwan Contributors: Anabelle Heffron Juan Cuxac Jemima Heffron Maddie Calvesbert-Sharp Tomi Edwards Sk Kaye Skye Veeran Sohal

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When Christina Lamb walked into the Panzi hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the first room she entered was a children’s’ room, cheerfully decorated with large cartoon transfers of Mickey Mouse, Pink Panther and Pluto. On an examination couch, sat a small girl in a torn orange and yellow dress with short horizontal pigtails and eyes saucer-wide. Her name was Violette, she was four years old, and she had been raped.

She had travelled alongside her anxious mother Atosha all the way from Kindu in Maniema province, more than 350 miles to the west to come to be treated at the Panzi Hospital. The clinic is run by Nobel peace winning gynaecologist Dr.Mukwege, internationally recognised as ‘the man who fixes women’ for his commitment to victims of genital mutilation.

Speaking in a low voice Atosha, recounted what had happened. “I went to the field in the forest to sow rice and left Violette at home playing,” she began. ‘When I came home, she wasn’t in the compound then I saw her crying and bleeding with her clothes in her hands. I was scared and asked what happened, “Did you fall?”

“She said, “No, there was a man who came and took me into the latrine behind school then he put his hand over my mouth and hurt me.”

By Anabelle Heffron

“I didn’t know what to do, but in our village, there is an old mother called Kapinga, a health-worker, who heard what had happened and told me to bring Violette.

When she saw her, she told me to take her to Panzi immediately, we didn’t even have time to go home and change clothes. We flew to Goma. It was the first time we had been on a plan. Then we took a boat.”

“Since we got here last week the doctors have put her sitting in salted water to try and heal the wound and she has seen a psychologist.”

Atosha herself was clearly in shock. “My heart is broken,” she said. “I feel so bad. She is only four and I feel guilty because I left her, but I had no choice but to go to the forest and earn money to buy food.” Little Violette just put her head and arms on her mum’s lap, as if trying to shut out the world.

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The most shocking thing about this story is that it’s not even a rare occurrence. In the DRC alone 1,152 women are assaulted every day – a rate equal to 48 women per hour. No wonder it was called the ‘The Rape Capital of the World’ by the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in 2010.

But the question is why does it happen, and why on such a large scale?

Women are often seen as subordinate to men in the DRC. Therefore, rape reflects the power dynamics between men and women in Congolese society, and women’s bodies represent another space where men can exercise their power. Whether they be combatants or a member of the same village, men can assert their dominance. It is not just a weapon of war but an epidemic running throughout societies, not just in the DRC, but across the world. Women’s bodies are being instrumentalised in a conflict of power. We need to work towards improving the education around the topic of gender based violence, not only in places like the DRC, but in our own communities as well. This is a highly important political matter that needs to be addressed because as long as it continues to lead to the social exclusion of women and the lifelong scarring of their bodies and minds.

Researchers have come up with multiple different explanations.

In the context of war, it is used for a variety of different reasons: economic gain, to show that woman are spoils of war, to maintain control of territories, to break down communities and even used as a way of committing ethnic cleansing. Or simply, it is used as a way for certain people to deal with their frustrations or for their own personal pleasure. But, whether abuse against women is used as a weapon of war or conducted by ‘ordinary citizens’, at the end of the day it seems to have an awful lot to do with power.

“But, whether abuse against women is used as a weapon of war or conducted by ‘ordinary citizens’, at the end of the day it seems to have an awful lot to do with power.”

“When listening to the victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it becomes clear that, for them, rape is not only a weapon of war but the war itself.”

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WATCH OUT RAYN T

Despite her recent outburst at the Labour Party conference, and her demotion within the Labour Party, Angela Raynor has been described as ‘a Labour leader in waiting’. But who would have thought that a ‘mouthy’ union rep with no formal After leaving school following a teenage qualifications could receive such high acclaim, pregnancy, she began working as a care and could she really be the next leader of the worker for a local council, and her colleages opposition? soon put her forward for promotion to Starting from humble roots, Raynor was brought union rep. Known as a strong leader who would, “take no messing from management”, up on a council estate in Stockport. Caring for her no nonsense attitude saw her quickly her mother who suffered with bipolar disorder, rise through the ranks to become the she often recounts her childhood as being “full northwest’s most senior of fear”. Telling The Times, she said “My mum wouldn’t be able to get up. She just didn’t have elected official in the public service union, the motivation. I got bullied because my hair Unison. was always a mess,” adding: “That’s why my hair is always immaculate now.”

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SOLEMN STARMER, NER IS COMING THROUGH Even though Long-Bailey lost out to Starmer, Angela Rayner won with a landslide majority, and the Starmer-Rayner partnership began.

Her political success began in 2015 when Rayner became Ashton-under-Lyne’s first female MP. Winning at her first attempt, she accredits the success to her unconventional route into politics.

Challenging from the beginning, the unification of the two factions of the Labour party was always going to be complex.Starmer, elected as a safe pair of hands, has yet to really show the new ‘Labour brand’ and create his own personal image.

Starmer’s lacklustre personality and grey charisma is the bane of the Labour party PR team. Bland PMQs and an unmemorable speech at the party conference has made him seem dull to voters who simple can’t relate to him.

Although, at times, her political bump she journey has been bumpy, was popular under Jeremy Corbyn and was a member of the shadow cabinet in the education department.

Following his resignation. and the subsequent leadership contest, Rayner paired with her then flatmate Rebecca LongBailey to form a leader-deputy leader alliance.

Starme But the much greater problem for Starmer’s supporters is not his missing charm, but Angela Rayner’s decisiveness, relatability, and brazen attitude which threaten his leadership, as she becomes more appealing to voters. Labour needs to decide where they are going, and Starmer’s leadership is beginning to come under fire. it not the Tory voters who should Perhaps it’s watch out, but the leader of the Labour party instead.

“Though not everyone agrees with Rayner and her somewhat extreme views of the Corbynite era, at least we know how she feels. Her outburst at the Labour Party conference demonstrates her determinaaon and provides Labour voters with a real sense of hope.”

By Maddie Calvesbert-Sharp

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2021 has clearly highlighted the that we are all at extreme risk from s of climate change. In the past global annual surface temperatures by approximately 2 degrees has led to an increased awareness cern amongst young people about may hold. Many of us have been changes for a few years. However, eaking number of heatwaves, and the impacts of the current annot seem to escape the fact that hanging at an extreme rate and that it ct impact on our mental health.

As a result of this, we are left worried and unsure about our future’s in an ever-changing world. We want our leaders to implement these solutions before it is too late. Why is our generation being left to clean up the mess made by those before us?

Expe Experts such as Francis Vergunst and Helen L. Berry have shown that climate change is already affecting the healthy psychological development of children worldwide. A study at the Harvard School of Public Health stated that after Hurricane Katrina hit the Southern states of America in 2005, many young people suffered a decline in their mental health. Out of the 400 young people who constituted part of the study, 25 per cent suffered from PTSD after the hurricane hit. Furthermore, a BBC global survey has illustrated fu further the depth of anxiety many young people are feeling about climate change. Nearly 60% of young people that were approached, said they felt very worried or extremely worried, and more than 45% stated that feelings about the climate affected their daily lives. I think this is a cause for concern.

The unpredictability of our current world is frightening. We are told that global warming is having an impact on all aspects of our lives and will continue to affect us. We are given solutions, however, the implementation of these is too slow and nobody is willing to listen to our idea ideas, as has recently been seen by the lack of real solutions from Cop 26. Climate protestors from the “Fridays for Future” movement that was established by Greta Thunberg, placed doubts on the ability of our world leaders to make a conscious difference to make a positive impact for the climate and for our mental health. Laura Aguilar, an activist from Colombia said “It’s uglier than I imagined.” Aguilar claimed that rather than focusing on making positive aim aims, the conference addressed only the concerns of the global north with an “aggressive approach” if anything else was suggested.

United Nations children’s fund half the worlds 2.2 billion children mely high risk’ from suffering anxiety nmental issues. This is a concerning herefore, many journalists and climate As David Attenborough said, “Please make no mistake – climate change is calling leaders and politicians to take the biggest threat to security that modern humans have ever faced.” And it n to address this ‘catastrophic harm to is time we all did something about it, as it is not just the environment that is is Johnson has responded to concerns suffering. g waited ‘10 – point plan.’ This plan vancing offshore wind, driving the “The unpredictability of our current world is frightening. We are w carbon hydrogen, delivering new ed nuclear power, and accelerating told that global warming is having an impact on all aspects of ero emission vehicles. Even though this our lives and will continue to affect us. We are given solutions, nd many leaders are making improvements combat climate change in the future, we however, the implementation of this is too slow and nobody is willing to listen to our ideas ” but ask ourselves: is this enough? We still e clear solutions and we don’t know r this is enough.

By Jemima Heffron

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MF DOOM,THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK On the 31st of October 2020, rapper and artist MF doom, also known as, Daniel Dumile died. No cause of death was given, butjust the fact that he had transitioned on that day.

community. MF doom was first introduced to the world on a track called “The Gas Face”.

Doom co-founded K.M.D with his younger brother, DJ sub-roc in 1988.

Doom’s death lined up with a very A year on from his death, and for many years to come, MF doom’s music important time of year: Black is, and will continue to be, as influential History Month. With such an influential artist passing at the end of such an as ever on music culture. important month it was an important time for pride and music MF Doom named artists like Biggie, alike.

Tupac and Nas, as some of the artists that he confided with during an Daniel was born in Hounslow, London important time for artists of colour, This showed what they could do during a but was raised in Long beach, New York.

Daniel was the son of a Trinidadian revolutionary time for the black mother and a Zimbabwean father.

When Doom’s brother DJ sub-roc died in 1993, he withdrew a bit from the music scene, but then found himself in MF Doom in 2000, releasing music and becoming more successful than ever.

Daniel wore a mask every time that he went on stage and it became t symbol of MF doom and his music. He believed that the mask symbolised him and it was something that grew to become the cornerstone of the Doom brand.

Although Daniel was very much a family man and kept personal matters including his death on a very private note, there was no hiding Doom’s talent and his passion for creating music.

And his legacy will undoubtedly live on.

What some people don’t realise is the amount of samples that he was involved with producing. The rapper and producer had a prolifi prolif list of credits, pseudonyms and collaborations, which are heard in everything from classic cartoons to other hip hop greats.

By Tomi Edward

“HE BELIEVED THAT THE MASK SYMBOLISED HIM AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT GREW TO BECOME THE CORNERSTONE OF THE DOOM BRAND”

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Nintendo is one of the most famous and successful video game companies in the world, home to numerous characters including the likes of Mario, Luigi, Link, Bowser and many more. To represent these characters in a physical form Nintendo sells something called Amiibos. Released in August 2014, these are figurines of staple Nintendo characters that, along with expert details, can interact with specific games which attracts a wide range of consumers.

Unfortunately, they have become synonymous with the product’s shortages.

Other notable Nintendo shortages include the Nintendo Sixty-Four, released in America in September 1996, similar to Amiibos, released in August 2014. The SixtyFour had shortages recorded in December, also similar to Amiibos which also went out of stock in December 2014. Another more interesting shortage is that of the Wii. The Wii, released in November 2006 , started having shortage problems almost immediately and didn’t catch up to the demands until 2009.

There is a popular theory for this ‘phenomenon’ which is that Nintendo is pulling these stunts, so they get free publicity which in fact is quite incorrect. If this was true their advertising budget would’ve gone down a long time ago. Some others have speculated the cause Currently on the official UK Nintendo website 44% of of this as well, “retailers are having to carry too much stock, the Amiibo related products are out of stock. In the replacing amiibo with new lines (or waves), and the US, on the GameStop website about 85% of the Amiibo perspective from consumers that the newest amiibo will are out of stock. I have used these two websites as they be gone. What this has done is lured in resellers trying to can easily give an accurate representation of these make a quick buck by buying up the already limited stock numbers, as they are their countries biggest online and reselling them on Ebay for an exorbitant mark-up”, retailers for Amiibos among other specific gaming Although these are good theories they are not correct related products. When comparing with Amazon, it was (Taken From A Source Gaming article). To truly understand not the best utility for this, as Amazon’s products and what’s going on all, what you must initially know is the laws of their prices are equal in every country and their supply and demand and that the point where they meet, is respective currencies. equilibrium. These shortages of Nintendo products are just a result of the company not managing to maintain These shortages are not something new, nor are they equilibrium. Nintendo under prices Amiibo products at their due to the recent pandemic. In fact, this has been initial release which can result in mar market supply and demand going on since December 2014, a few months after disequilibrium which can create shortages. If they sell the the release of the Amiibo. In fact, this is not even the Amiibo at a price which can create equilibrium, which, first time shortages of Nintendo products have according to Amazon, is around about £50.00. Equilibrium like this occurred. The first recordings of something li will be maintained within the first few weeks or months initially was in 1987-88 with the release of two games, but after a while the consumer demand will fall. This is The Legend Of Zelda II. because there is an inverse relationship between price and quantity demanded. Economists call this the Law of Demand.

Link’s Adventure and Super Mario Bros. 2. It was “I want to thank our fans. The fans have responded to Amiibo recorded that people drove from store to store in a fantastic way. And clearly they enjoy collecting them, enjoy looking for The Legend Of Zelda II. playing with them and it’s been great to see,” a Nintendo spokesman, John Moffat said. “We are well aware that a lot of game fans have had trouble finding all the Amiibo they want to find and that we sold through too quickly, some of the quantities we brought in, and for that we apologise. We are doing everything we can to try and help and improve the situation.”

BY VEERAN SOHAL

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