The Beaver - #941

Legal Campaign Launched on LSE’s Alleged Mishandling of Sexual Misconduct Case

On 5 February, the Good Law Project announced its intention of using legal means to combat sexual misconduct and suppression of dissent at LSE. e organisation accuses LSE of “silencing women” who spoke out and intends to provide counsel to one of the women involved.

Read on page 5

By Isabel Sherri s, Contributing Writer

‘Rewakening: reads of Resilience’ Week-long series of events, discussions, and fundraisers

e dilemma of having children

Meet the Team

Executive Editor

Janset An executive.beaver@lsesu.org

Managing Editor

Oona de Carvalho managing.beaver@lsesu.org

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Emma Do editor. ipside@lsesu.org

Frontside Editor

Suchita epkanjana editor.beaver@lsesu.org

Multimedia Editor

Sylvain Chan multimedia.beaver@lsesu.org

News Editors

Melissa Limani

Saira Afzal

Features Editors

Liza Chernobay

Mahliqa Ali

Opinion Editors

Lucas Ngai

Aaina Saini

Review Editors

Arushi Aditi

William Goltz

Part B Editor

Jessica-May Cox

Social Editors

Sophia-Ines Klein

Jennifer Lau

Sport Editors

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Jo Weiss

Illustration Heads

Francesca Corno

Paavas Bansal

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Ryan Lee

Podcast Editor

Laila Gauhar

Website Editor

Rebecca Stanton

Social Secretary

Sahana Rudra

Welcoming Spring

Sylvain Chan Multimedia Editor

My energy was wholly drained throughout December and January as I ploughed through back-to-back summatives and exams, both plural. It was undeniably a contender for the worst period of my life, compounded by anxieties regarding internships, extracurricular responsibilities, and homesickness. Staying at the Marshall building from day to evening hunched over my laptop, I watched the sun disappear behind the horizon at 3pm, casting the skies in an oppressively mundane gray as though it was deliberately trying to get me depressed. Dragging myself home with puddles made from yesterday’s rain and today’s tears beneath my feet, I really wondered if life could get better.

Despite it all, it has. Coinciding with the submission of my last essay, in the past month, my route to school has been decorated by the honeyed light of the morning, pigeons resting beneath the trees’ shadows with heads tucked under their wing. Opening my emails and seeing satisfactory feedback on my assignments, I listen in on the laughter from the groups of friends sat on mahogany benches outside cafés along Lambs Conduit Street, the sounds accompanied by the rich aroma of roasted co ee beans from inside.

It’s easy to forget just how beautiful London is. As an international student, I think I’m allowed to romanticise this city for just a bit longer before the corporate world completely destroys my sense

of belonging. For example, sunbathing in Lincoln’s Inn Fields last ursday was an experience I’d like to relive. Sure, the dirt was still a bit wet, and the seat of my jeans have seen better days, but the sheer vibrancy of the atmosphere was one to remember. Basking under the once-rare sunlight peeking through the trees, I watched other students kick their feet in the grass, gossiping as dogs ran wild across the open eld. With a Gregg’s Steak Bake in my friend’s hand, and a matcha latte (inside a reusable cup) in my own, we had an incredibly meaningful heart-to-heart: discussing whether we agreed with what the speakers at an event we both attended said, catching each other up on our personal lives, joking back and forth.

Of course, these picturesque scenes are by no means an attempt to persuade you into falling in love with springtime London. I’m well aware many LSE students are in the midst of their own summative seasons, with the recent release of exam timetables proving harrowing for others. Maybe you’re simply not a fan of the sun glaring down at you the moment you step outdoors. Nonetheless, good weather has the (scienti cally proven) ability to upli your mood. If you’re currently going through a slump, just remember to be gentle with yourself. Go for a nice walk, visit that new café around the block, or check out that new museum exhibit you’ve been meaning to go to. Let’s welcome spring with open arms.

SPA Journalism Shortlists!

e Beaver has been shortlisted for 10 SPA Journalism National Awards, including but not limited to: Best Publication, Best Newspaper Design, and Best Overall Digital Media. We are once again, extremely excited about this news, and are grateful for the SPA for recognising our hard work. e Beaver will be very excitedly heading to Exeter in April to see what we will achieve!

Any opinions expressed herein are those of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the LSE Students’ Union or Beaver Editorial Sta e Beaver is issued under a Creative Commons license. Attribution necessary. Printed at Ili e Print, Cambridge.

2.02

NEWS

LSESU Hosts Anti-Apartheid Week

Rebecca Stanton

Website Editor

Photographed

by

Rebecca Stanton

Monday, February 10 to Friday, February 14 was Anti-Apartheid week at LSE. LSESU hosted a week-long series of events, discussions, and fundraisers to bring the LSE community together to ‘re ect, learn, and discuss’ systems of oppression such as apartheid. e importance of this week is felt by many in the community, with ongoing student action demanding that LSE divest from companies tied to unethical practices.

On Monday, LSESU societies including Grimshaw Society, Palestine Society, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Society hosted an inter-society bake sale outside the Saw Swee Hock building that raised over £1,000 in donations for Muslim Aid for Sudan and Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Later that day was the Right to Protest Workshop, led by a representative from the National Union of Students, about protesting safely as a student. With the signi cant police presence

at on-campus protests last year and the suspension of the LSE 7, it was a relevant and informative session that highlighted the challenges faced by student activists.

Completing this rst day was a screening of Tantura, a documentary lm about the 1948 forced displacement and massacre of Palestinians living in Tantura by the Israeli military. Incorporating testimonies, documents and archival footage, the conversation a er the screening was one focused on the importance of historical memory and forefronting silenced narratives.

On the second day of events, two KCL alumni, Robert Wintemute, a professor of Human Rights Law, and Sari Arraf, a PhD student specialising in histories of apartheid, led a discussion titled ‘Power of Divestment: Breaking Ties with Oppression’.

Wintemute’s discussion centred around a comparison of apartheid in South Africa and Palestinian oppression, emphasising the use of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as an e ective tool of resistance against apartheid in situations

where Western governments have not acted to put economic or political pressure on the in icting power.

Arraf led on from this, focusing on the history of activism against South African apartheid at LSE, a running theme of the week’s discussions. LSE students were among the rst in the UK to protest by occupying the Old Building in 1987, demanding that LSE divest from companies in apartheid South Africa. He highlighted the enduring importance of student activism in striving for a system where students are involved in decision making processes that can disentangle universities from violent structures.

On Wednesday, LSE associates Mahvish Ahmad, Muna Dajani, and Akile Ahmet hosted a session on ‘Education Under Occupation’ about the e ects that occupation and scholasticide have had on education in Palestine, as well as the role played by UK universities in apartheid systems. e speakers emphasised the reasons why students at LSE should remain involved and vigilant in holding institutions to account.

‘Living Apartheid Live’ took place that evening, hosted by Andrey X, a journalist and activist in the West Bank, and Tony Dykes, a representative of anti-apartheid legacy, and a representative from the Birzeit University in Palestine. Incorporating a discussion of historical activism with rsthand experience of life under occupation in Palestine, the discussions o ered a deeply personal lens on the e ects of apartheid on everyday life.

ursday’s events focused on LSE’s history of anti-apartheid activism amongst di erent generations of students. Looking at LSE Divest campaign archives from the 1970s to the 2024 Encampment was a powerful testament to the university’s long standing tradition of student activism.

One of the event’s speakers was a student from 1984-88 who spoke about his time as a leader of the LSE Divest Now campaign against South African apartheid. He recounted the importance of making di cult decisions and having clear strategies and objectives in the eventual success of the movement.

e week’s events culminated on Friday in a rally for divestment outside the Centre Building plaza demanding that LSE respect the outcome of the 2024 student referendum on divestment.

Asking the week’s organiser Wajiha, LSESU’s Education O cer, about its importance, she re ected:

“Anti-Apartheid Week 2025 was always something I wanted to plan in my capacity as Education O cer at the LSESU. With the mounting evidence of apartheid and now genocide in Gaza, educating and informing students about apartheid, systems of oppression, and the History of LSE activism, especially following the student activism from the encampment for Palestine last year, was very important.”

“I learnt a lot throughout the week, like the real life impacts

of scholasticide in Gaza and how the erasure of education and standing against this is actually a shared responsibility of higher education systems and students everywhere, including at LSE. ere were interesting discussions on decolonial and post colonial theory and even the now seemingly mainstream idea to ‘decolonise the curriculum’ but with no stance on colonialism in Palestine.”

“ e discussion on the LSE Liberated Zone being a space of belonging was also fascinating, especially for students who had otherwise felt excluded on campus or felt they were in opposition to the school.”

“ e other highlight of the week for me was hearing from student activists from the 1980s and 2010s, and looking through archives of those who opposed apartheid in South Africa and called for divestment. e discussion on community organising and resilience in student movements was inspiring and insightful, rea rming that discussions about Palestine and systems of oppression must continue, and that change can happen when students and people unite against apartheid.”

New Research Reveals Signi cant International In uence of UK Universities

Amy O’Donoghue Staff Writer

New research by agency Jisc has found that UK universities educate more national leaders than any other country, prompting discussion on the international character of the UK’s higher education institutions. Whilst this proli c achievement can be seen as a source of national pride, there are also concerns about universities’ reliance on international students for funding contributing to nancial instability.

Of all UK universities, LSE educated the second most heads

of states/governments since 1990 with 24, following University of Oxford that came in rst place with 36. With the highest proportion of international students in the UK (65% of students were international in the 2022/23 cohort), LSE clearly has a signi cant global presence. Alumni include Ursula von de Leyen (President of the European Commission), Juan Manuel Santos (former President of Colombia) and Alexander Stubb (current President of Finland).

Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive of organisation Universities UK, described the number of world leaders being produced as a testament to what a “national asset” UK univer-

sities are, bringing numerous “so -power bene ts” to the UK on the global stage.

However, some have taken a more negative view on the increasingly international nature of the UK’s university system. Financial issues have been rife in recent years. With a £3.4 billion drop forecast and 72% of higher education providers expected to be in de cit in 2025-26, there has been much discussion of what universities could do to reduce their nancial instability.

Over-reliance on international fees is o en highlighted during these debates. A 2024 government inquiry into reliance on international students for

funding was concerned about whether this funding model was sustainable. Dependence on these students means universities are vulnerable to uctuations outside of their control; for example, a 16% fall in the number of study visas issued from 2023-24 had a notable e ect on funding.

Nick Hillman, Director of Higher Education Policy Institute, stated that “we will struggle to claim the UK still has a world-class higher education system if over 100 institutions come to have less than 30 days liquidity.” Attempts have been made to rectify this situation, such as the recent government decision to introduce a 3% rise in tuition fees for home students.

LSESU’s International Student O cer said:

“International students bring immense cultural and intellectual value to UK universities, but the extortionate fees they are charged are increasingly unjusti able when you consider the lack of job prospects and post-study support from the UK government compared to countries such as Canada. If even top graduates from institutions like LSE or UCL are struggling to secure employment, it raises the question of why students should pay such high fees only to face limited opportunities and be forced to leave.”

‘A Pulse of Creativity’: Pulse Travels to Paris and Joins Soundsystem Sciences

Po, Reims

Angelika Santaniello Staff Writer

Photographed by Pulse

Radio

From Friday 21 February to Monday 24, Pulse (LSE’s creative and music network) travelled to France, partly in collaboration with their Sciences Po (Reims campus) counterpart, Soundsystem. e agreement between the societies entails Pulse attending one of their events and the Soundsystem network would co-host an event in London with Pulse on April 4.

e trip was formed by 20

Pulse members, including members from the main committee, sub-committee, and members who are tied closely to Pulse’s network. e partnership event, which took place on Friday 21 February, involved a team of 20 members from Soundsystem.

e Beaver spoke to Stella, Pulse President, about the logistics and her experience. Stella characterised the collaboration as one of “[learning] from each other”. is involved creating projects with a team composed of both Pulse and Soundsystem members.

Beginning as “a collaboration

and not precisely a trip”, the plan developed into “forming something concrete with us going there”. Driving the project were connections formed by members of the Pulse committee and Soundsystem members.

e agship event was a house party in Reims at one of the student ‘party ats’ – apartment buildings that usually accommodate students and are renowned for a tradition in which each inhabitant hosts a house party. e event involved both Soundsystem and Pulse DJs, as well as being an opportunity for members of each network to socialise.

Stella drew parallels between Pulse’s and Soundsystem’s events. Being based in London, Pulse organises large-scale events, being able to “create that sense of community and family”. Stella explained that Soundsystem “taught [Pulse] how to organise great house parties” and “the energy and the vibe you want to create”.

Regarding Pulse’s excursion to Paris, Stella observed the “community sense” fostered by the group’s meeting at sun-

set on the steps of Montmartre, rendering another trip highlight.

Summarising the trip, Stella described the atmosphere as “quaint” attributed to the “very intimate and almost nostalgic feel, not about ashy events, but meaningful experiences.”

A “pulse of creativity […] fuelled” the trip. “It wasn’t just about the music and the trip but about the way the whole experience brought us together,” she remarked.

Read the full article online.

News Editors’ Digest

Melissa and Saira’s picks:

• LSE Dance Showcase ‘Escape’, 17 March, Peacock eatre

• LSESU Summer Ball 2025, 18 June, Natural History Museum. Tickets available on lsesu.com

• LSESU Teaching Awards, nominations open until 23 March

• LSESU Drama Society’s ‘Brief Encounter’, 10 March-14 March

Good Law Project Launches Legal Campaign on LSE’s Alleged Mishandling of Sexual Misconduct Case

Isabel Sherriffs

Contributing Writer Illustrated by Sylvain Chan

*Trigger warning: this article deals with the topic of sexual misconduct.

On 5 February 2025, the not-for-pro t organisation Good Law Project (GLP) called for funds for a new campaign to use legal means to combat sexual misconduct and suppression of dissent at LSE, according to a post on its website. e organisation criticised LSE’s alleged mishandling of a series of sexual misconduct complaints against an LSE professor.

GLP announced its intentions to provide one of the women involved in the case with coun sel, as well as opening its own investigation. e organisation also accused LSE of “silencing women” who spoke on the sit uation, and invited anyone af fected by the situation to con tact the GLP.

e allegations described by the GLP were rst published by e Beaver in March 2024. In 2021, ve women brought forward formal complaints against an LSE professor, prompting an internal investi gation, which the GLP claims was “botched”. tion resulted in the dismissal of the allegations, whilst the complainants allege the inves tigation was a heavily process.

GLP is now asking the public for donations to support one of the complainants in draw ing up an internal complaint about the university’s alleged mishandling of the investiga tion to the LSE’s vice president. If this new complaint was to be dismissed, the organisation declared it would bring the case before the O Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education.

Since the sexual misconduct

allegations were published in March 2024, many members of the LSE community have voiced their dissatisfaction on campus and on social media. GLP claims some of those who spoke out publicly, particularly on social media, have been met with disciplinary procedures. For example, one student was required to attend a disciplinary meeting because of a social media comment referencing a speci c professor and criticising the LSE’s mishandling of sexual misconduct complaints. With its campaign, GLP hopes to defend students from action taken by LSE.

In addition to support with internal procedures, GLP plans to launch its own investigation,

“While we do not normally comment on the details of individual disciplinary investigations, we want to assure both students and sta that the allegations in this particular case were investigated very extensively and in light of specialist advice. We are con dent that the investigation was robust and that the outcome, in which the allegations were not upheld, was the correct one in light of the evidence presented.”

“We can also assure the community that no sta or students have been disciplined for speaking out about sexual harassment.”

“LSE is committed to a work-

where people can achieve their full potential free of all types of harassment and violence. We take reports of sexual harassment extremely seriously and encourage any member of the LSE community who has experienced or witnessed this to get in touch via one of our many channels, which allow students and sta to make anonymous reports and access specialist support.”

e spokesperson said LSE has developed a number of measures to ensure that any allegation of misconduct receives a robust response.

“ ese measures include the new Report + Support system, which enables us to address issues more quickly and consistently across the School and vastly improves our approach to case management and communication with all involved.”

“We have commissioned Rape Crisis South London and Survivors UK to run an Independent Sexual Violence Advisory service for the School. is provides practical and emotional support for any student (or sta member) who needs it, and supports them through a reporting process and/or

the criminal justice process if they wish. is service is available online without a waiting list.”

e spokesperson highlighted LSE’s all-sta online training course on addressing sexual misconduct and harassment a ecting students, which is “being rolled out across the School.”

LSE policies “include the prohibition of personal relationships between students and sta whose role includes supervising or otherwise interacting with students as part of their job; training for specialist sta and senior leadership focused on trauma-informed investigations, adjudication, and sanctioning; and commissioning a range of dedicated external specialists to provide wellbeing support and outreach victim-survivor support services on campus.”

“Alongside this, in close working with the Students’ Union, we have redesigned our Consent Ed programme to set out clearly to students what is, and is not, acceptable and made this training required for all new entrants to LSE.”

A spokesperson from the student-led anti-sexual harassment campaign group HandsO said:

“HandsO stands in complete solidarity with the Good Law Project’s support of one of the survivors of sexual misconduct that LSE attempted to silence. We support them in their pursuit of justice and action from LSE. e support of such an important organisation such as the Good Law Project speaks to the injustice of LSE’s protection of predators and suppression of survivors’ voices. HandsO will continue to campaign against such injustice and to make LSE an environment that upli s survivors’ voices, rather than silence them and suppress them, as LSE has done with the women who spoke out against the professor.”

FEATURES

e LSESU RAG

Charity Fashion Show 2025: ‘Reawakening’ an

Accessible and Inclusive

Angelika Santaniello Staff Writer

Photographed by Oliver Chan

When contemplating London’s fashion scene, an individual’s mind may consider seasonal fashion weeks, the rise of trends, and fashion’s representation of the city’s vibrant, multicultural population. Embedded within this aesthetic consumption of fashion is a vital discussion on the industry’s accessibility and inclusivity. How, on a smaller-scale university level, does one address the nuances of fashion and its problematic aspects?

e annual LSESU RAG (Raising and Giving) Charity Fashion Show took place on Wednesday 19 February, as one of RAG’s agship events incorporating both the LSE student community and London’s creative community. It aimed to address the aws of the fashion industry, presented on the Instagram page as being “not just about fashion [instead, about] making a di erence”.

Interpreting the show’s theme – ‘Reawakening: reads of Resilience’ – Sachin, the RAG Vice President, asserted in his pre-show speech that “this theme is incredibly relevant today as it represents how people can rebuild their lives on the backdrop of such horri c circumstances,” tying the show to the society’s charitable cause.

Outlook on Fashion

e show raised money for RAG’s three charity partners. e Sharan Project provides advice and support to South Asian women, facing domestic abuse, honour-based abuse, and dowry violence. Women for Refugee Women supports women forcibly displaced by war and persecution. Moreover, Care4Calais delivers aid to refugees at the Franco-British border.

Commenting on RAG’s support for the charities, voted for by the student body, Sachin o ered his own perspective: “ ese organisations are not passive. ey have real and tangible impact, and this is why we do what we do.”

Introducing the show, Elma, General Director of the fashion show, explained the genesis of the theme: “It started with a very brief idea of dreams and nightmares.” Elaborating on this, Anoushka, Creative Director, told the audience, “We [looked into the charities’] stories and start building from [that] it is that common thread of resilience that you have to have to face the ups and downs of life.”

Concluding their speech, they stressed: “We hope you can see a piece of yourself in the story. ere is a saying that art is stagnant, but fashion is moving art.” Certainly, viewing fashion as a “moving art” broadens an outlook on art, creating a space for individual perspectives. is nurtures a view of fashion at LSE that builds opportunities for ordinary students at LSE.

Student immersion in the fashion show spearheaded the show, notably in the space created for student-led passion projects. e Venue event opened with a performance by the LSESU Pole Fitness Society. Whispers of awe resounded through the Venue amongst the audience members, with some lming their friends who were part of the pole performance.

Amara, the fashion show’s PR Director and President of the Pole Fitness Society spoke to e Beaver about the atmosphere backstage. “We had done showcases and competitions before [but] it was a bit of an unknown,” she summarised.

Addressing the scope for integrating more sports societies into projects like the fashion show, Amara highlighted that the Pole Fitness Society “[trains and learns] these moves to perform. [Opportunities are] great because other students also get to see it. We have had people want to join us before because they have seen our performances before.” is reveals the inspirational quality of a fashion show that incorporates student-led societies that display di erent students’ passions.

Contrasting with the powerful pole performance that utilised a deep red lighting, the fashion show opened with the theme of ‘dreams’ a whimsical, tranquil opening. e enmeshing of various patterns that characterised the garments with an atmosphere of pale lighting and harp music submerged the audience in a dreamscape experience.

e ephemeral energy sharply diverted with the subsequent ‘nightmare’ section, which was characterised by more commanding walks and darker fabrics. However, these antithetical sections were complemented by more neutral tones and cooler lighting in the nal sections that used music with heavy bass beats and whimsical bells reminiscent of the rst section. e

audience was presented with the image of models with individualised walks, emanating an energy of excitement towards wearing unique, designer pieces that they felt con dent and empowered in.

However, this leads to a wider discussion on the show’s accessibility and inclusivity. To explore this, I went behind the scenes to unpick the bres of a university fashion show.

Inside the Weston Studio, where participants got ready for the show, the atmosphere was professional and supportive. Inevitably, there were pockets of stress, reminiscent of the backstage sentiment at professional fashion shows. A healthy environment was at the crux of building a fashion show representative of LSE.

Eva, a third-year IR student, modelled for this year’s show: “ ere was a casting call where we got to meet the team. I think this was a nice addition because it was less about picking who was going to walk, more [about getting a feel] for what it was going to be like. e team was really supportive, always there to listen to our concerns.”

Sophie, a model representing the Running and Athletics Society, noted that “getting involved with something like the LSE fashion show is a great way because it’s super welcoming.” Similarly, Eva noted that “sometimes [she feels] LSE

lacks the creative culture and energy”, rendering the fashion show “a [fun] way to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone but still in an environment that you know you’ll feel comfortable in.”

Speaking to Aman, a thirdyear Social Anthropology student and one of the show’s photographers, reinforced the role of events like the charity fashion show in encouraging creative passions among students. Aman wanted “to voice the entire event as accurately as possible. Being able to reassure models that their hard work paid o backstage a er the show was wonderful. is is a testament to the power of collaboration and has fostered my desire to pursue professional photography,” she explained.

Overall, providing an inclusive space for creative students centralises the importance of accessibility in student-led projects. Visually, a blend of abstraction and individual expression formed the lattice of the RAG charity fashion show, incorporating sonorous elements and London’s creative community to reinterpret a fashion show framework. However, RAG’s emphasis on active engagement with fashion to curate a professional environment undercut by a unique LSE spirit and sense of familiarity shaped this year’s fashion show as a vessel for embracing fashion’s inclusive and accessible potential.

Is LSE Economics Education Fit for the 21st Century?

Alexander Bray Contributing Writer Illustrated by Paavas Bansal

Is LSE Economics Education Fit for the 21st Century?

According to the Complete University Guide, the London School of Economics and Political Science is ranked second in the United Kingdom in economics, which makes sense for a university with ‘economics’ in its name.

Does this re ect the ability of Economics at LSE to tackle some of humanity’s greatest modern challenges, such as climate change, universal access to basic goods and services, and societal inequality? is was the subject of a national report by Rethinking Economics UK, examining if ‘economics education [is] t for the 21st century’ among twenty universities, including LSE.

What does a 21st century ‘economics education’ look like?

e National Report makes four recommendations to all universities on how to make economics education t for the 21st century.

Firstly, they recommend changing the way that students are introduced to the discipline of economics. e dominant economic school of thought is ‘neoclassical economics’, which is taught at introductory microeconomics courses as if it were the foundation of all economics. is narrows down a student’s experience of economics as simply models of rational agents following the invisible hand of the market, where if something is not priced, it may as well not exist.

is contrasts with economic history, where gi economies, not markets, used to dominate smaller societies, built on the basis of good will towards one’s neighbour. Pricing anything and everything also reduces

the complexity of analysing social, cultural and environmental impacts of policies, making them seem ‘cheap’ compared to people’s experiences or even scienti c reality. As the neoclassical school aggregates micro into macro, these biases continue throughout economics degrees, creating and perpetuating the assumption that economics only has one method of thinking.

In contrast, the report recommends that “economics departments restructure undergraduate economics education by introducing new models that replace the overarching binary of microeconomics-macroeconomics in the rst year of study”. e Uni-

cation’ is moving away from hegemony (the dominance of one school of thought in a discipline) and moving towards pluralism (the consideration of multiple schools of thought), so that students can learn, discuss and critically assess ecological, feminist, decolonial, Marxist, institutional, and post-Keynesian schools of thought, alongside the neoclassical school.

irdly, the report recommends changing economics assessment to be far less dependent on mathematics exams and the regurgitation of information, but rather to “prioritise critical thinking, collaborative work and individual research projects”. Re-

‘Critical thinking will be the priority, rather than solving model equations ad nauseam.’

versity of Sydney, for instance, runs courses in Political Economy, where the introductory module ‘Economics as a Social Science’ examines multiple schools of economic thought, their assumptions, and their broader contributions to economics, without separating micro from macro so rigidly. More broadly, they recommend that economics education engage students in debate and discussion on inequality, the environment, and power relations. Critical thinking will be the priority here, rather than solving model equations ad nauseam.

Secondly, the report calls for the decarbonisation, decolonisation, and diversi cation of economics learning. ‘Decarbonisation’ is teaching that economic systems are fundamentally embedded in ecological realities, making the environment matter beyond negative externalities in a market. ‘Decolonising’ is recognising that there are historical and contemporary inequalities perpetuated by colonialism, where the Global North has economically bene tted from imperial relationships with the Global South. Finally, ‘Diversi-

community supporting it. ese economists, who “[did not] appear not to read anything that’s not published by an economist”, refused to accept any criticism from medical professionals, claiming that the latter had “little understanding of rigorous research methods”. Democratisation of economics also includes better consultation with students on how to change economics curriculums for progress.

How does LSE stack up?

modules, where one includes ecological economics.

ferring to academics outside the economics discipline to teach di ering perspectives and considerations is also encouraged, and the report particularly praises the approach of the LSE100 module to foster interdisciplinary thinking and discourse.

Finally, the report recommends democratising economics by better consultation with students on how to change economics curriculums for progress on the above goals. It also advocates for economics students having more options outside their primary subject, as it will “[help] dispel the myth currently conveyed to students that economics is apolitical”. Interdisciplinary teaching would also reduce the ‘arrogance’ associated with economics being a ‘superior social science’.

For instance, economists Jennifer Doleac, Anita Mukherjee, and Molly Schnell conducted a study that argued against harm reduction (substituting opioid consumption for safe heroin injections to reduce the risk of addicts contracting HIV) despite the World Health Organisation and the wider health

e report places LSE as a university that “need[s] a wake up call”. In particular, it highlights that mainstream economic theories dominate the BSc Economics course, which “comes at the expense of learning real-world economics”. One notable exception is the LSE100 programme, which engages in interdisciplinary approaches to project research, including ecological economics for the climate futures option.

e BSc Economics course heavily prioritises quantitative methods and their thorough examination, particularly in third year modules. Wealth and inequality are covered by six out of nineteen modules, but critical questions of historical slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism are only discussed in one module. e environment is covered in three

Overall, LSE seems to do well compared to most universities, but its major focus on the neoclassical school, particularly in compulsory modules, risks causing students to think that economics is an objective, straightforward ‘science’ that operates by solving models to the world’s end. is contrasts with the truly rich variety of perspectives that exist in economics, particularly in heterodox schools. e disengagement and boredom of students in economics classes is noticeable, as economics teaching expects them to solve maths puzzles without much critical thinking or creativity. ‘Mentioning and forgetting’ assumptions causes students to accept them, despite their lack of basis in the real economy based on regular people’s lived experiences.

As many LSE economics graduates go on to control vast sums of assets andnancial resources, it would perhaps bene t them and the world to understand and critically assess multiple perspectives on how those resources are allocated, rather than be intellectually deprived with our current, singular thought curriculum.

LSESU RAG’s ‘Take Me Out,’ or, Why Are LSE Students So Single?

Saira Afzal News Editor Photographed by Saira Afzal

LSESU RAG’s ‘Take Me Out’, or, why are LSE students so single?

How do LSE students nd love? Can a hopeless romantic survive dating culture at university? LSESU’s Raising and Giving (RAG), the charity branch of the Student Union, collaborated with Imperial College’s RAG for a ‘Take Me Out’ contest, based on the axed British dating game show. LSE and Imperial contestants were brought on stage to impress a line-up of students and earn a date with one of them, making for a lively night with an electric audience. But what does an event like this tell us about dating culture at LSE, or at university in general? And what do couples on campus say about their experience nding love?

‘Take Me Out’ was particularly fun to attend as an audience member, screaming when couples would say ‘yes’ to each other, or collectively gasping when

the panellists on stage popped their red balloons before the contestant had a chance to defend themselves. Many of the questions were light-hearted and funny (think hot takes, red ags, green ags), and some eccentric characters brought out big laughs from the crowd.

One LSE student opened his time with a drawn-out card trick, not seeming to impress many female panellists. Most of the girls popped their balloons early on, seemingly over trivial things (“I prefer tea over co ee”), throwing plenty of single sh back into the sea. In the end, there were a few successful couples who got a roar of applause from the crowd a er pairing together, like one couple who bonded over their mutual love of McDonalds.

Later, a contestant from Imperial strided onto the stage, blasting ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ by Bring Me e Horizon; yet, he was quickly humbled by the panellists who all popped their balloons. He didn’t leave the stage without dropping to the oor and doing some push-ups, making

‘I don’t think there’s anything inherently bad with dating apps. e problem comes from them trying to monetise.’

for an eventful end to the Take Me Out. Overall, the event was “way better than expected” according to LSESU RAG coordinator Marion. She said the “audience and hosts were amazing”, and hoped to do the event again next year.

While most of the questions aimed at contestants were silly and playful, some common trends at the event reveal important things about dating culture at LSE. For example, some students are concerned about their potential partner’s future. One contestant asked all the panellists about their plans for the next ve years. Another contestant said he liked women with “ambition” and future goals a er university. Secondly, age gaps can be icky for some. One Imperial panellist popped her balloon a er hearing the LSE contestant was in their rst year, herself being in third year. While 18 and 21 could be a small age gap for some, others nd it to be a dealbreaker in a potential relationship.

An event like ‘Take Me Out’ only tells us so much about student dating culture. What is it really like to date while at university? Jake* and Lilly*, both LSE students who met at freshers week, eventually became a couple through meeting in-person and staying in the same student accommodation. Considering dating life has gradually moved

‘ ere are more “happily and unhappily single people’” at LSE who want to focus on their career and future, or “happily in-love people who did not meet their partner at university”.’

into the digital space over the last decade, Lilly highlighted some important di erences between meeting a partner in-person versus via an app.

“Meeting someone in person is a friends-to-lovers situation, gradually getting to know them more based on a conversation. Whereas, on a dating app, you kind of arbitrarily bond with someone based o of their interests—which might be performative, since they want to [show] the traits that will get them attention,” she said.

Jake disagreed: “I don’t think there’s anything inherently bad with dating apps. e problem comes from them trying to monetise. Dating apps are a great way for people to meet in this day and age. So long as both people take it genuinely, I don’t see why [dating apps] could be bad. e app is just a replacement for meeting them [in-person].”

Natalie*, who met her boyfriend through Hinge, described her dating app experience as similar to TikTok, due to its algorithmic nature: “Hinge gets your physical type down very quickly. It’s a good way to meet people but it is messed up.”

Another interviewee, Julie*, met her boyfriend during boarding school. She also agreed that nding relationships through an app is “less organic” than meeting someone in-person. Julie described dating culture at LSE as “non-existent” and “long-distance”. She believes that generally, there is a lack of romantic expression and dating at LSE. Movies and books present an idyllic image of the ‘university dating life’, nding your ‘university sweetheart’ and transforming them into your life-partner. For Julie, there are more “happily and unhappily single people” at LSE who want to focus on their career and future, or “happily in-love people who did not meet their partner at university”.

Does this mean dating culture at LSE is uniquely lacking? According to Julie, “corporate culture and career-focused environment at LSE makes it less conducive to a ‘college sweetheart’ life”, but many university relationships are long-distance.

“I think maybe, people at LSE see each other as colleagues rather than life-partner potential; it’s just like, we’re students focussed on our studies and careers terests—it’s slightly more formal”.

*Names

have been changed to preserve anonymity

To Breed or Not to Breed?

Jessica-May Cox

Part B Editor

Illustrated by Sylvain Chan

There comes a time in every woman’s life where she must grapple with the ultimate conundrum: do I want to have kids? ‘Every’ woman is de nitely an exaggeration, but most conversations about children that I have with my girl friends o en end similarly—we genuinely do not know if we want to have kids.

As a university student in Britain, I’m lucky enough to even be able to consider having kids as a dilemma—a choice many do not have. Yet that is what makes this topic all the more relevant: as women’s rights (hopefully) continue to expand, and we become more mired in the freedom of choice, I hope more of us are able to fully engage with this thought experiment.

So why would I want to have children? I think the main motivation, at least when I was a teenager, was that it was a faraway, normal milestone that everyone should aspire to. Even though this was de nitely not my Chinese mother’s experience, she still drilled a roadmap into me from a young age: go to a good university, meet a (preferably rich) guy, marry, and have kids. Great, easy! Well, my nal year is coming to a close soon, and I’m in a longterm relationship with a very reasonable guy…and I care for this arbitrary milestone less than ever.

Admittedly, my main reason for this is that I am the one who has to deal with being pregnant and giving birth. is is what puts o most women in my generation; if we have the option of just not su ering one of the most painful things in human experience, why on earth would we go through with it? You have to spend one year (if you only have one child) of your eeting life in constant

discomfort and then, even with modern medicine, there may be irreversible consequences. On top of all this, how am I supposed to maintain the ideal female body that society wants me to keep? It’s quite unfair, I say.

I’ve heard a few parents comment that re-experiencing life’s wonders through their child’s eyes is irreplaceable. I can understand that sentiment, but it still doesn’t sit well with me. In an ideal world, surely you would have children for reasons less sel sh than vicariously living your life through them? Perhaps those people who think wanting kids is the result of a natural drive are correct; it’s not necessarily a bad thing, and we are all just fumbling around for a more morally upstanding, profound cover-up. Except, we know that isn’t true.

e idea of a biologically intrinsic ‘maternal instinct’ is empirically dubious, as it historically arose from a need to control women and push us into a traditional family structure. It doesn’t take extensive scienti c literature to see this: for example, a er deciding that women were inferior rst, Aristotle attributed this to the fact that we, apparently, have fewer teeth than men. Despite being veri ably untrue, it represents how men have always started with a political standpoint, and then invented a fact about women’s bodies to justify it. If we believe that we should have children because of a ‘maternal instinct’, then we are slipping further back into patriarchy’s tiger-like grip.

is is why I approach any desire to have children cautiously, because I’m fully aware that I could just be cornering myself into a kitchen-shaped prison a er slaving away at my day job. Even though women have achieved some degree of economic independence in the capitalist system, patriarchy’s exploitation persists at home. A er all, besides breadwin-

ning, we remain obligated to do most of the child-rearing and domestic labour on average, all for the sweet price of nothing. So to have children is to fall into the unfortunate trap of a foul, exploitative system. You can’t blame me for being absolutely terri ed of this notion.

I appreciate that not having children so as to not uphold the patriarchal and capitalist system is a big jump, but we cannot just ignore the enduring link between the personal and political because it is uncomfortable or inconvenient. Yet it is also ridiculous to expect me to sacri ce a potential for increased happiness because of some esoteric desire to topple the capitalist system. Let’s be real: unless you become a world leader, we will only ever be able to a ect our immediate surroundings. So let’s just take it one step at a time: I think we should focus less on gesturing at vague righteous notions, and

etc.) then your life will be an unending, sisyphean nightmare of work. Having seen both my parents work two jobs just to a ord my weekly dance lessons makes me think that, especially with the increasing cost of living that our generation faces, raising a child with limited nancial resources is an unfair deal for both parties. is thought process seems rational on the surface: if you cannot a ord to have kids, don’t have kids. But that sentiment is inevitably a classist one, even if we don’t intend for it to be. Considering that class is predominantly a structural issue, expecting lower class people to ‘be responsible’ and abstain from having children is, quite frankly, a little eugenic.

However, another valiant concern my sister raised was: our planet is literally burning, and even our generation will su er the disastrous consequences

many generations we pass, we just cannot seem to get it right. Not to the inherent fault of any parent, but it’s impossible to raise a human who is not messed up in one way or another. If a child doesn’t consent to being born, why would I force them into such a miserable existence?

I now disagree with this extremely pessimistic view. If anything, it makes me consider if having children might actually be a good idea. It’s true, I didn’t ask to be born, I’m worried about the climate, and I’m far from a perfect person. But despite our chronic tendency to fall short, there is so much to be gained from the striving of perfection; it is core to the human race. To be alive is incredibly rare, worthy of treasure and awe: according to some funky calculation on the internet, the chances of you just being born as you are (and not involving all the socialisation piled on top that rounds you out as a person), is 400 trillion to one.

As somebody who has struggles but absolutely loves being alive and experiencing things new and old, perhaps bringing another person into the world to forge their own path, to see what they can achieve, and to share in that happiness is reason enough.

British International Schools in Malaysia – A (Neo)Colonial Legacy

Ann Yi Ngai Contributing Writer

Looking out the window of my mother’s car, a striking campus came into view—it boasted grandiose, modern structures elegantly dressed in the o cial school colours, with the school’s coat of arms haughtily stamped across the tallest building. Several football elds spanned plenty of acres, with diligent sprinklers nursing the grass to maintain its lushness; straight fences erected around campus, broken only by imposing guard houses. Sometimes you could spot luxury cars gliding in and out of campus dropping o their young inheritors at the boarding houses scattered across the depths of the campus.

ough I had been attending this school for over six years, the sight never failed to evoke a sense of guilt and indulgence. Its imposing, polished disposition clashed violently with its surroundings consisting of half-furnished, unkempt shop lots, uneven streets, open drains, broken down cars, stray animals, and barren construction sites.

Stepping foot into school meant trapping yourself into a bubble, a vacuum—a world that revels so much in its own su ocating air.

As hyperbolic as it sounds, it is an attempt to recreate my own experience at a British international school in Malaysia. e international school industry has been a well-es-

tablished one in my home country for decades now, with the oldest British international school being founded in 1946. e appeal of British education in Malaysia in particular comes from a number of places. Parents who choose British international schools over local education may cite greater chance at university acceptance, better employment opportunities, or wanting a more well-rounded education for their children than what local schools can provide. A er all, learning English was the way to climb the social ladder. It is why the British international school to UK university pipeline is so entrenched, and why I am at LSE.

While I recognise my privilege in being able to come to LSE as a Malaysian, I still feel a sense of lingering resentment and frustration—an inkling that I have betrayed parts of my cultural heritage and national identity. rough my years rehearsing to pursue opportunities overseas, I started to realise that I have been participating in a chaotic arena of neocolonial politics: learning the rules of the game, the slick manoeuvres, the scheming from the moment I stepped foot into that glorious campus.

Tuition fees for British international schools in Malaysia can go up to RM100,000 (around £17,640) per year, almost the life savings for an average Malaysian. It is decidedly not a choice that everybody has, and exacerbates Malaysia’s deeply embedded economic and racial division. Malay-Malay-

sians and indigenous peoples, or Bumiputera, make less than three-quarters of the income of Chinese-Malaysians. ese ethnic divisions can be traced back to colonial times and attributed to British colonial divide-and-rule strategies, which le some races more de nitively a uent than others. In response to this colonial legacy, a rmative action policies, collectively known as the NEP, were implemented by the government in 1971 to combat these persistent racial inequalities. is involved introducing enrollment quotas in national universities that prioritise the Bumiputera over the Chinese and Indians; with the odds stacked against them the latter feel pushed to seek out international schools in order to get into UK universities instead. And amongst the interracial and economic grievances, the UK continues to embrace and bene t from its legacy through service exports and exorbitant international tuition fees.

What exactly makes British education so appealing aside from escaping racial quotas and gaining economic advantage? For those who can spend more than a buck on their children’s education, British international schools stand as status symbols in front of family or friends. Beyond that, there is something to be said about the contradictory ideas of ‘Western-ness’ in Malaysia which perpetuate a ‘curated’ form of colonialism. On one hand, there is great resistance towards the erosion of ‘Malaysian culture’ through the imposition of Western values, which is o en accompanied

with impassioned debates about LGBTQ+ rights and white saviourism, among other colonial evils. On the other hand, there is a quieter, more subtle ‘Anglophilic’ aspect— the continued championing of English over other languages and the glori cation of private British education. Proximity to and characteristics associated with British education act as various forms of cultural capital that a large portion of the elite still prize. Completion of school at a private British institution acts as embodied, objecti ed, and institutionalised cultural capital – from pro ciency in English, to certi cates needed to apply to UK universities, to having been to a school that has accreditation from COBIS – all of which facilitate upward social mobility.

Even within the microcosm of the British international school I went to, these white-coloured glasses are put on. From the mistreatment of local teachers juxtaposed against the greater visibility of white teachers to adverts heavily featuring a white kid regardless of the ad’s content (with the non-white students in the background scoring DEI brownie points), British international education panders towards the Anglophilic gaze. It does seem ironic though, as there is a sense of tired contradiction in feeling like you are constantly being alienated and exploited for your identity by a foreign institution in your country looking for pro t, to whom you feel helpless to give huge sums of money anyway… Did I mention the frequent racist comments made by white teachers

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who got away scot-free?

e most troubling implication for me, however, is the role of former colonies in upholding this neocolonial legacy. How much is the Malaysian state accountable for it? How much actual agency do we have? e tightrope between neocolonial structure and postcolonial agency is in constant tension in Malaysia: if we comply with the Structure and sing its praises, we attract more direct investment from the UK, climb the ranks of economic development, and get a little closer to our decades-long desire of becoming a high income country. How sustainable is this compliance, however, when the British international school to UK university to overseas employment pipeline, but more speci cally the interracial inequalities that prop it up, is one of few factors contributing to high levels of brain drain in Malaysia?

I don’t pretend to know what postcolonial Malaysia means, but I do believe we are not quite there yet. Inequalities in race, class, and mobility continue to be persistent features of the Structure le behind by an Empire with a fetish for division. At the same time, I can’t blame the Malaysian government for projecting an illusion of progress; for no matter how much I lament over my postcolonial heritage, I feel helpless, unable to forfeit the rules of the (neo)colonial game.

Read full article online.

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Why India Needs a Census. Now.

Aaina Saini Opinion Editor

In 1947, India was le to pick up the pieces of the Partition—the tip of the iceberg of a colonial legacy which had determined the course of the subcontinent for over 200 years. India was amputated into divided nations, and migration and mass killing ensued. Yet the government of newly independent India still conducted an extensive census exercise to document the situation of each of its citizens just four years later.

In 1971, when India was kneedeep into the Bangladesh Liberation War and mobilised its army to defend a neighbour, a team of remarkable statisticians still oversaw the census. And then the Indians found themselves in the grave economic crises of 1991 which threatened bankruptcy for almost 800 million people. Yet the census was still conducted.

In 2021, for the rst time in

‘If

elections in populous states in India during COVID-19 such as Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh which saw congregations of thousands of people—where our beloved Prime Minister, Narendra Modi himself campaigned must be quite safe.

And of course, to question the hosting of the Kumbh Mela, – a large Hindu religious pilgrimage festival during the second wave of COVID-19 in 2021 which attracted a record amount of 3.5 million people – must mean I am a bad Hindu!

So, what is Narendra Modi so afraid of? Everything. It’s as they say, out of sight, out of mind! If the census were to be conducted, the idyllic image of a perfect ‘Hindu Nation’ with no poverty and increased bene ts from GDP growth to each citizen he has sold to the Indian population for the past 10 years will come crumbling down.

is Hindutva-frenzied gov-

the census were to be conducted, the idyllic image of a perfect “Hindu

Nation” with no poverty or increased bene ts from GDP growth to each citizen he has sold to the Indian population for the past 10 years will come crumbling down.’

the history of independent, or even colonial India, the decennial census has been postponed. Now, more than once. Fine, they said they couldn’t send enumerators home during the COVID-19 pandemic for the safety of the citizens; we understood. However, now standing four years a er the scheduled date of the census, little e ort has been made to conduct this long-overdue exercise.

is naturally makes one wonder if this is a deliberate move by the populist Hindu-nationalist BJP-led government. If safety was as paramount as one is forced to interpret by constant data collection delays, then I guess conducting

double standard is palpable when you consider that the Hindu population rose from 303 million to 966 million in the same period—a ve times greater increase.

e aversion to a census by the BJP runs much deeper than dismantling their distorted views on Indian religion statistics. It’s not just the census data that is lacking—the Modi government has actively led an age of misinformation and lack of credible datasets. Whether it be the lack of information on how many migrant workers perished in commuting back home during 2020 or the shortly a er seen deaths due to lack of oxygen in hospitals in the second wave of Covid—the point is the government either has no idea or refuses to share the data in an attempt of face saving and it is hard to argue which alternative is worse.

new census to add new beneciaries—one which I believe is never to come.

Furthermore, the demands for a caste census that would shed light on social mobility in India for historically marginalised communities are increasing by opposition parties in Parliament and the BJP staunchly refuses to conduct such an exercise claiming that it shall lead to divisive politics, which I call bullshit. is peace-loving BJP has already done enough for the ‘unity’ of the nation and it must stop now.

National Statistical Survey Ofce (NSSO) used to collect for industries, severely impacting the policies designed since most of them rely upon estimates and projections—all of which remain unveri able. National Crime Records and road accident statistics are just a few examples of the union government data that continues to remain unavailable and, as an economist, I continue to ask year a er year: where is the data? In such an ethnically divided country, what kind of e ective policy in 2025 can come from population statistics collected in 2011?

ernment has signi cantly bene ted from the racial divides set up by the colonial government to earn the favour of India’s largely Hindu majority. ey put the second-largest religious community in India under the bus, accusing them of stealing jobs. In one of his election campaigns last year, Modi referred to Muslims as “in ltrators” and “those who have more children”, implying that there is a signi cant increase in the number of Muslims in India that threatens the jobs of ‘Hindu natives’.

However, critics of government statistics prove that between 1951 and 2011, the Muslim population rose from 35.4 million to 172 million. A noteworthy increase for sure, but the

A WHO report suggests that 4.7 million people died as a result of the pandemic in India—10 times more than ocial statistics suggest. So much for the safety of the people I guess!

To add further shame, the Indian government outrightly denied such gures. When met with resistance and asked to provide their own, they met academics with the same response: we do not know.

e question ultimately boils down to ‘what DO we know?’

We do know that the people of India are hungry and are denied access to food due to the government’s constant failures. Bene ciaries under the 2014 Food Security Act are based on the 2011 census, where it is estimated that 100 million people have been excluded since the government conveniently claims that it shall wait for the

Prolonged conversations about whether to include a caste census or not to the list of census questions is yet another tactic to delay the information we demand. While a caste census shall disclose valuable information; it is pointless if such deliberations only lead to a further data lag and could possibly be something that could be picked on in future censuses. What we need right now, is even an iota of real, credible data that the nation can use to bring its people, whose views on politics are clouded by false data and propaganda, out of the dark.

Last summer, I worked as a research intern at government think tank NITI Aayog (literally Policy Commision in Hindi), where I discovered that we no longer collect consumption data. We do not collect several other forms of data that the

Bad data, or lack thereof, leads to bad policy. And I, as an Indian, have had enough bad policy. I think the ultimate point is—it’s a shit show. It isn’t happening. e constant postponement is not circumstantial but deliberate, and deliberations over the caste census (possibly well intentioned by the opposition) do nothing but kick the can down the road, keeping Indians away from the truth for as long as it possibly can.

What is at stake is credible data for an entire decade, one which has been marked by a signicant governance shi and with no data to document the true e ect! is shi has disastrous e ects on India’s population, but really, seems to suit Mr. Modi just ne.

Many agree that simply nishing the task is the “most e ective way of dealing with the source of stress.”

Spending time with friends had the most positive e ects overall. Whether it’s playing tabletop games or going to the pub, being with others in social contexts can help “separate (your) brain from university”. ree students also mention the importance of having such a support system, as it’s “nice to know you’re not alone”.

Crying can be “good to relieve your emotions”, but other times it can make it worse as it “exacerbates (the) pain” and gets you “stuck in (your) own head and sadness”.

Alcohol is a “natural relaxant”, and “sometimes you need a feral night out” to take your mind o things. It “can be sustainable as long as it’s not something you do o en, or over-rely on.”

Second year can be tough: graduating from the safe ‘trial phase’ that is rst year, as academia and one’s future prospects become of utmost concern. But how well do LSE students cope with these challenges? is multimedia spread aims to investigate causes of stress within 25 second-years, and the extent to which they e ectively cope with these issues.

Read the article and the data online:

Going to the gym, reading, and daydreaming are all methods one can use to relax. Giving yourself time to recharge is not bad in moderation, but has the potential to be destructive if you are simply “cooped up in (your) room”.

“One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” was the mentality one student had when describing her struggles with dealing with stress. For many, stress is a cycle. Even if you nally complete that looming assignment, or nally send o that internship cover letter, any moment of relief is then “immediately replaced by more stress”.

Caught between academics, the need to consider future prospects, maintaining interpersonal relationships, and managing their daily chores, the second-year life can appear as an endless obstacle course with no end in sight. e interviews reveal these issues can be compounded by factors out of one’s control, which make dealing with these problems more di cult. For example, “bad teachers”, “impersonal teaching environments”, and tightly packed deadlines, can demotivate students and heighten academic pressure. Moreover, when socialising becomes a conscious e ort one must make, as to not worry your family or become isolated from your friends, it can get overwhelming. ere are simply not enough hours in the day to be on top of all these responsibilities.

erefore, one must imagine Sisyphus happy. ese struggles are part of life — part of adulthood — as dismal as that may sound for some.

To prevent these issues in our lives from getting the best of us, we must adapt and face these obstacles head-on. For example, “getting your foot through the door”, and doing even the most minor of tasks, can help you work towards completion. A erall, “it is the initial hurdle” that discourages people from striving forward, causing many to fall into an unhealthy loop of procrastination, stress, and unproductivity.

SPORT

EDITED BY SKYE SLATCHER AND JO WEISS

Never Mind the Bollocks – Here’s the LSE 1st XI Football Double Winners

by JOHN LEWIS & DAVID KNIGHT

A Note from the Editors: We are thrilled to be able to feature an article from the 1979/80 1st XI. We are especially grateful to John, David, and Martyn for their work on the piece.

Nearly 45 years ago in May 1980, e Beaver covered the exploits of the all-conquering LSE 1st XI Football Team of the 1979-80 season. For the rst time in our esteemed history, the LSE ‘Firsts’ had won something. In fact, the team, of which I was a member, did ‘ e Double’, winning both the London University Football League and the Challenge Cup.

at is a feat that (as far as I’m aware) remains unmatched. Some of the same players from the Double-winning team did win the league again in the 1981/82 season. Far more recently, the league was nally won again by the Firsts in the 2022/23 season. However, another Double has remained frustratingly elusive.

And that’s absolutely ne. It would be great if LSE had a tradition of success down the years, but, quite frankly, no one applies to attend the best university in the world for the football. But I suspect that another thing that was true back then still holds true today: so many of us achieve so much more whilst we are at LSE because of the football.

Late last year, it struck me that with the 45th anniversary of our team’s success approaching, it was an opportunity to celebrate our unique achievement and to reconnect with my old teammates. It meant tracking down my fellow players with the help of the one teammate I was still in touch with, Nigel Hopkins. And from the LSE itself, in the form of the Alumni O ce. I am delighted to say that we made it happen.

On 22 February, most of the original 1st XI, with a couple of welcome additions, met up and, in time-honoured tradition, took the train from Waterloo to New Malden – the home of our past glories and still the home of LSE Football – to watch the current LSE 1sts play their nal league xture of

this season – and ‘thrash’ Imperial 3-2 – whilst sharing our own unreliable memories.

It was a wonderful occasion, which was only made possible by the support that Nigel and I received from LSE’s Alumni O ce and the LSESU Athletics Union (AU)—especially from AU Secretary Matt Carl and Will Warren, the 1st XI captain. I am delighted to report that we found the AU and the LSESU Football Club (now an unbelievable seven teams strong) to be in very good hands.

Mind you, that is coming from a couple of profane and degenerate punks of yesteryear. When we weren’t playing football, beating everyone in sight, some of us were at gigs, watching Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and a new band called e Cure. And during our time at LSE, the most headline-grabbing punk band e Sex Pistols released their only album, Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s e Sex Pistols, which Nigel and I referenced in the title of our shoutout message to old teammates. Or would have done, if it hadn’t been amended by the Alumni O ce, due to our use of the ‘B’ word. I did explain that back in the day, the cover was neither illegal nor censored and, in fact, regarded as a cultural landmark. But they would not be swayed.

Nevertheless, we still tracked down some of those old punks, post-punks, and the rest of the team, and it was marvellous to discover that our teammates have gone on to enjoy long and rewarding careers, happy lives, and rewarding relationships. While neither success at LSE nor on the football pitch can absolutely guarantee you the good life, it appears that putting the two together certainly helps.

However, it’s important to add that bringing the ‘old boys’ back together also involved some real sadness, with the discovery that one of our number was no longer with us. Just a week before the reunion, we heard the devastating news that John Glennon, our team captain, passed away last year. John was so important to the team—as a player and person. He was at the heart of most of our extraordinary memories—some unreliable, but most of them true.

We raised a glass to John on February 22—a poignant moment during a very happy day. And we will be staying in touch with each other, hopefully meeting again in future. We have rediscovered old friends and that punk spirit is certainly still there among us.

We wish everyone who joins the AU and plays football, at whatever level, during their time at LSE a great future and rmly believe it is the best decision you will ever make.

With special thanks to Skye & Joey, LSE Library Services, and the LSE Digital Library.

Timnas Garuda: Breaking the Concrete Ceiling

by MARK WORANG

Dubbed as a ‘sleeping giant’ Indonesia’s National Football team presents a newly optimistic vision for fans sharing the love of the game. A window of opportunity has emerged for the nation’s golden generation to showcase their ability, capitalising its chances within international tournaments.

Following the appointment of Erick ohir as Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI)’s incumbent chairman, breakthroughs spanning across –gender with women’s football and age groups from junior to senior level – are visible with prestigious achievements including its debut milestone winning the 2024 AFF Women’s cup. His primary goal (pun intended) is long-term progress and attainment of reaching the FIFA World Cup. Deconstructing it further, he aims to achieve this objective through rigorous structural and systemic development – of the team’s programmes, players, and sta , whether managerial or coaching – to ensure a multidimensional approach which his predecessors have failed to recognise.

Prior to leading the country’s football organisation, Erick has demonstrated gi ing within the realm of the private sector and public administration. With an eye for talent, he began owning international and domestic sports giants namely – Inter Milan, DC United, Oxford United, Persis Solo for football, along with Philadelphia 76ers, and Satria Muda for basketball –consolidating his presence in the national and global stage. Equipped with a shiny track record and global network, he earned his place in power a er proving himself through hosting the 2018 Asian Games and campaigning for seventh Indonesian president Joko Widodo, securing himself a spot as a government minister of State-Owned Enterprises before being ordained with authority to lead Timnas Garuda.

e Beginning of the Start

is narration will highlight key themes representing Indonesia’s success and future, whilst agging the barriers preventing Indonesia’s move forward. It will begin by discussing pivotal moments during the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup and end with the prospects Indonesia possess moving forward.

Crediting the sorely missed Korean manager Shin Tae-yong, the upbeat of the national team began in Qatar, where it revealed the striking potential of Indonesian youth. Challenging a tournament favourite Australia, Ernando Ari started the game with an early critical penalty save against Mohamed Toure a er a handball from Komang Teguh. Redeeming himself a er the foul, Teguh then capitalised a beautiful slice volley from the naturalised Nathan Tjoe-A-On securing the rst three points during the group stage. Snowballing ahead with momentum, Indonesian wonderkid Marselino Ferdinan set the tone with the Jordanians through a successful penalty execution. Known as the Batman and Robin duo Marselino and Witan Sulaeman scored two more times with con dence including a goal of the tournament candidate.

Among the three Indonesian Rory Delap style set-piece takers, Pratama Arhan also displayed his signature powerful throw-in, assisting a header

for Teguh sealing the deal in a 4-1 victory leading to the knockout stages. Faced against incumbent giants South Korea FIFA ranking at least 100 places above Indonesia, Rafael Struick showed up as the consistently capped number nine, with two goals ultimately reaching a draw nishing extra-time. With a nail-biting shootout and synchronised cheering from passionate supporters of the national chant “Yo Ayo, Ayo Indonesia”, once again Ernando saved Lee Kanghee’s shot and Arhan won with a ticket to the Semi-Final against Uzbekistan. Although this meant that Indonesia had secured another place for the same biennial competition, a victory in the next game was necessary to obtain a place in the 2024 Olympic Games. A er a series of controversial referee decisions, including a disallowed goal from a questionable VAR o side angle position, Indonesia’s peak performance was cut short. It continued to a streak of losses against Iraq for third place and then Guinea for a seat in the Olympics stage with more unfair value judgement from FIFA in the Stade Pierre Pibarot. Despite Erick’s best e orts to – create appeals, as well as sitting beside Gianni Infantino, motivate management and his team – the critical juncture had closed, but this allowed creation of precedents for the new lineup.

READ THE REST OF MARK’S ARTICLE HERE:

Pedro Youth Club

James Cook MBE recently spoke at the LSESU Sports Business Conference about the social impact of sports. He shared re ections and stories from his career as a boxer, during which he reached the titles of European and British super middleweight boxing champion. Now, he focuses instead on the Pedro Youth Club in Hackney. James and Paul shared insights into the work that the Pedro Club has been doing since 1929—it has a deep history within the community as a space for kids and a hub for everyone. Focused on boxing as a way to develop a far wider skillset than just physical strength, the Pedro Club is now looking to secure its legacy for a further 100 years, in an improved building. e work they have been doing is incredible and we now have the opportunity to support them. You can read more about them on their website.

If you are able to donate, the relevant information is here: National Westminster Bank Sort Code: 60-09-23 Account: 75067749

e Pedro Club would like to say a huge ank You in advance to anyone who is able to donate.

SOCIAL

EDITED BY SOPHIA-INES KLEIN

AND JENNIFER LAU

e LSE RAG Fashion Show Debrief by JENNIFER LAU AND SOPHIA-INES

KLEIN & Photographed by ALTAIRE NEUMUNZ AND BRYON LIM

In the height of fashion week season LSESU’s Raising And Giving Society (RAG) has put its name on the schedule with its third annual fundrais ing fashion show ‘Reawakening: reads of Resilience’. Curated as a re ection of the journey of reawakening that nds its way into each person’s life, the lineup brought this to the runway through four themes: e Dream, e Fall, e Struggle, and e Rebirth, each de ned by a distinct and unique energy and artistry.

e fashion show stands out as one of the bold expressions of the student body’s creativity. In a university where the arts are o en overlooked, RAG contributes actively to the champion ing of artistic expression on campus. is e ort does not go unsupported, with an audience of 425 people from LSE and beyond lling the seats of the fashion show’s twopart runway on the ground oor of the Marshall building and the Student Union building’s Venue.

e interplay of textiles was also a highlight of the line up. Speci cally, the white tux and skirt designed by Ziyao Zang stood out for its intricate oral stitching. e simple white suit paired with a matching white skirt, designed by Ziyao Zang, takes on a captivating essence through its contrasting matte ower embroi dery on the shiny fabric of the blazer. e vibrant oranges and reds draw attention down to the matching lace sock on his right foot, while the mismatched socks and white ‘wine’ high heels add an unexpected twist to the otherwise simple tux set.

e Fall

e Fall begins boldly, introducing the rst el ments of struggle. It completely shi ed the tone ‘shattered’ the dream through a palette of red black accompanied by sharp angles. It subverts what was initially o ered to us from e Dream and brought a new wave of energy and intrigue drowned in darkness. e lineup triggered emotions of despondency and bitter retort, which was tactically enhanced through the punctuated beat of the music and the sudden increase in the models’ pace.

As Social Editors the show was an event we were looking forward to and it certainly was a treat. Here’s our debrief; what we think, and which looks stood out most.

e Dream

Following the show’s theme of the wonder of life and the struggles that come with it, e Dream acts as the former. e experience was exactly as the director intended—dream-like and drenched in a hazy reverie through the green-lit room and slow catwalk. Although the theme initially suggested so and angelic silhouettes, the designers subverted this with an interplay of strong structured pieces and elements from current trends like Bohemian 1970s and ‘Y2K’. What stood out were draping fabrics, spacious and at times bold silhouettes, and an abundance of shimmery silks and satins. Zosia Lau’s piece ‘ e Mushroom’ from her Natural Forms collection stood out as a combination of these elements. She e ectively contrasts fabrics in what appears to be a charmeuse silk shirt, a calico corset, and a wide hoop dress creating a fantastical look you might nd in an Alice in Wonderland-adjacent fever dream. As the nal look to close e Dream segment, it perfectly captured the director’s vision.

Apart from the colour palette, this line felt much more diverse in material, structure, and form. Ranging from red gingham fabric with ruched stitching to create the appearance of spikes, to draped leather across the covered body over a bare back, this line did not disappoint in presenting diverse silhouettes.

Bryon, a rst-year LSE student, styled his look to “achieve a vulnerability through the use of torn fabrics”, which was beautifully done through a ‘barely-there’ shirt with an open back that appears as though it’s hanging on by a thread as the model clutched a tasseled leather black bag. Bryon aptly named the look “burnt cowboy”, perfectly representing the strength present despite ‘falling’ from grace.

Another look that stood out was a red ruched dress designed by Scarlett Cowell, layered with a leather harness. e look reminded us of the current rise of boho chic, adjacent to an edgier Isabel Marant. e contrast between the linen red shirt dress and the black leather straps and pu y layered sleeves creates a so ened boldness, creatinging air between modern boldness and sleek femininity.

e Struggle

e Struggle emerges as a resistance to the deep tones and harsh contrast of e Fall that preceded it. From the audience, bold structured shapes stood out, reminiscent of medieval armour and giving a sense of strength in spite of the ght. Described as “resilience in motion”, the stylists and designers captured just that. With many stand out looks, it made picking just one favourite particularly di cult. Claire Yue Li, one of the LSE student models, donned in a dark navy set designed by SOLObygili quickly captured our atten tion with her strong catwalk and a look to match. e look was complete with a top that reminded us of a knight’s chest plate, and oversized trousers that resembled distressed denim with hardware matching the top.

A dress designed by Qinwen Yan showed a more elegant futuristic take on the theme, reminiscent of clothes worn by the Divergent Trilogy’s Erudite leaders. e dress stunned with futuristic elegance achieved through the structure of the dress that was created with shoulder pads, a high neckline, and a large slit that opens to reveal blue owing fabric beneath. Marianne Gra , who styled the look, complemented the futuristic elements of the dress well with silver statement earrings, a thick gold bangle, and hair slicked into a bubble ponytail.

e Rebirth

e show brought its audience to the end of their journey with e Rebirth and it did not disappoint. e structured looks of e Struggle were contrasted with the rawness of e Rebirth, providing a snapshot of the unre ned creative process with texture, draping, and sandy dull tones. ere was a heavy interplay of opaque and mesh fabric that revealed an intentional creation of dimension in each piece, achieving an air of light ethereal elegance. Yet, the lineup showed that stylists and designers did not revert to the stereotypical heavenly aura we think of when we hear ‘rebirth’, instead we saw both a so and bold approach to the theme. Poppy White’s full white set stood out as one of our favourite looks as it reveals a cra smanship of draping and ruching to create a transformative ruched skirt with under trousers, and a drawstring gathered top with a hood. e combination of ballooney bottoms with the hood reminiscent of a balaclava, a long-trending autumn-winter piece, created a striking silhouette that moved gracefully down the runway.

One of our favourite looks was styled by Bryon that spotlights a cropped jacket studded with metallic disks from Singaporean brand Lasik Industries. He styled the jacket with a tiered skirt layered atop a oral skirt turned inside out to achieve the juxtaposition of bold and so that we describe. In conversation with Bryon, he revealed that he intentionally designed this look to subvert audience’s expectations of the theme. “I wanted the look to seem like the graceful fabrics were being sti ed by the very exaggerated, brutalist jacket, which has really thick shoulder pads,” he told us.

e LSESU RAG fashion show remains a stage to spotlight talent amongst LSE students and London’s young designers. is year’s show was lled with surprises and diverse stylistic expression perfectly complementing a theme that paid tribute to the shared human experience of chasing our ambitions. Showcasing the success of collaboration amongst students, we look forward to seeing how the show continues to grow in the coming years.

London’s Second-Hand Clothing Ination

by SEBASTIAN DANIELS & Photographed by MATT LEE

A few years ago, no environmentally conscious person would have seen much issue with more people buying second-hand. Charity shops and other resellers divert clothes from ending up in land lls, which is sorely needed when over 350,000 tonnes of textiles are dumped yearly in the UK. Historically stigmatised for their association with poor-relief and Jewish commu-

nities, charity shops have in the past perhaps been le out of sustainability e orts for many years due to this elitism.

Clothing choices today tell a very di erent story, breaking this historic stigma against second-hand. Step into a university campus of a global elite disproportionately responsible for global emissions, and one place where carbon might seem absent is in their fashion choices. Ask that person on a night out where they got their sheer top or checkered scarf from, and odds are it might have been from Brick Lane, a charity shop, or car boot sale. If in-person overwhelms you, Vinted (an online second-hand mecca) is currently number one on the App Store for shopping.

“It makes me a lot less guilty about spending money,” says one LSE student. “I know that I can buy a lot, relatively cheaply, but I’m not contributing to the fast fashion industry that exploits people.” Sustainable buying, then, becomes the obvious choice when it is both a trend and a ordable. To say that ‘I got it second-hand’ is no longer a taboo, instead ‘I got it from vinted’ becomes an achievement. is isn’t restricted to fringe scenes of those passionate about sustainability. Recently, British Vogue wrote an article about the Peckham Car Boot, set up just ve years ago and until recently was held at the back of a primary school.

To an extent, getting everyone to buy second-hand is needed to make it more accessible, even those who could a ord to buy new. Without stigma, second-hand makes creativity more inclusive. “It’s less about how much money you have now and more about where to look and how you can put together an out t,” says a University of the Arts London (UAL) student. Vinted, charity shops, and car boots have allowed her to make impressions in a creative space where what she wears counts to be taken seriously in the fashion industry. “Many students here spend more on clothing than others will on food or rent,” she adds. Without access to second-hand shopping, success would be much more di cult for her.

ri ing has come to de ne Gen Z style, but it’s not a craze without harm. In an attempt to feed the demand for second-hand shopping, sellers in Camden and Brick Lane o en sell new items despite their reputation as vintage hotspots. Many items are remarkably similar to what you might nd on fast fashion websites like Shein or Aliexpress. On the other hand, the second-hand items still present are o en curated, expensive, and inaccessible. It doesn’t seem to matter as much to sellers and buyers where the clothes came from, so long as they achieve the ‘thri ing’ and ‘vintage aesthetic’. Lack of guilt, then, seems to drive people to even more aestheticised consumption under the guise of sustainability.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE!

An important caveat is that it o en pushes out some of its main beneciaries. Market and Vinted sellers o en buy from charity shops or other cheaper wholesalers that otherwise might have gone to charity. “I can’t get the clothes I used to be able to,” says another student who has shopped mainly from charity shops for a number of years. “You can tell there are other people in there who aren’t even scanning for their personal style or size, but pieces that look sellable for their Vinted.” Clothes sold in charity shops then simply turn into a commodity to be resold. Resellers can make huge returns. I personally winced when overhearing a reseller quote a price of £600 for a mesh top in Peckham Carboot.

PART B

EDITED BY JESSICA-MAY COX

Loveground

by ANONYMOUS & Illustrated by SYLVAIN CHAN

Life was empty, like an abandoned playground

On the swing I was, shocked when you appear Vivid owers started to grow, how can one feel fear? Every chance I get, I’d live it again, I know it sounds weird

Exceeding my love to her, she changed swings

Nothing felt the same, the kids le , there were strong winds Don’t! But I can’t run to catch thee back, I am too late

Now I look at the sky, waiting for the right sun

Even though I’m cold, I must stay strong, can’t always have fun

e kids are back, but the wind is not gone. I don’t want to play I have to grow up, can’t listen to what you have to say

Maybe we will play in another playground, but here I can’t stay

eatrical Spectacle vs eatrical Minimalism:

a Contemplation

on Stylistic Trends

by REBECCA STANTON & Illustrated by FRANCESCA CORNO

Filling the main theatres of the West End are huge, commercial shows with expensive sets and celebrity casts. Musicals based on nostalgic classics like Back to the Future or e Devil Wears Prada are popping up alongside decades-long running theatrical staples like Les Miserables, e Mousetrap, and Wicked. With their ying cars, breathtaking costumes, and full-out musical numbers, the success of these shows, in part, comes down to their use of theatrical spectacle.

When referring to theatre, ‘spectacle’ denotes the wonder and awe created by the combined use of set, space, music, movement, and special e ects that engage audiences and enhance storytelling. Its importance as a theatrical device stretches back to Ancient Greece with Aristotle in his Poetics, describing spectacle as one of the six elements of tragedy alongside plot, character, thought, diction, and music. Of these elements, however, he suggests that spectacle is the least important.

As technology has advanced; audience expectations have shi ed and capitalist commercialisation has made theatre an increasingly competitive industry. e theatrical use of spectacle is ever heightening. But in this Olympics of spectacle, is the essence of theatrical storytelling being lost to mere sensation? In its burgeoning competitiveness, has theatre stagnated? Or is

this critique an exaggeration altogether?

e purpose of theatre is a vast, divisive, and o en inconclusive question. Depending on the ideas of di erent practitioners, many di erent stances can be adopted. If you asked Brecht what the purpose was, it might be a didactic message of political activism; if you asked Stanislavski, it could be a re ection of human emotional and psychological truths. To make a moral judgement on spectacle is somewhat counterproductive. What truly matters is, perhaps, how spectacle serves the story being told.

In the past, the prioritisation of theatrical spectacle has led to stagnation and stereotyping in theatre that reinforced social inequalities. For example, in the 19th century, elaborate spectacles became central to the theatrical experience. e impact was felt signi cantly within women’s roles; written into passive, sexualised parts that reinforced the infamous Victorian Whore/Madonna binary, the spectacularised depiction of women in popular Victorian theatre accentuated and reinforced limiting middle-class assumptions of gender roles.

e antithesis of theatrical spectacle is minimalistic theatre. Like the interior design movement, minimalist theatre sees a stripping back of the set, leaving relatively few set pieces or props. Considered one of the leading theatrical practitioners of minimalism, Peter Brooks described it in a 2013 interview as a recognition that “the human being is greater than the greatest stage e ects”. In minimalist theatre, theatrical ‘magic’ is created through the actor’s own skill set, transforming ordinary objects into extraordinary ones. It focuses on the audience’s perception of the actor as a fellow human being, fostering a sense of intimacy between performer and spectator that forces audiences to engage intellectually with the theatrical action.

On a more practical level, however, minimalist theatre is a much more accessible style. e sets, special e ects, and costumes used to create spectacular performances are expensive and the tickets, especially on the West End, level increasingly around the £100 mark. Minimalist theatre, however, at its ‘most minimal’ merely relies on actors, audiences, and space. is brings down production and (sometimes) ticket prices much lower. It is therefore a more democratic, more pure form of theatre that focuses on the artistry of the actor-audience relationship, no matter how much money is in either’s pocket.

Equally, the minimal could be argued to be as much of a spectacle as the maximal in theatre. Maybe the real spectacle is inherent to the nature of theatre itself: something to allow audiences to indulge in. Perhaps this tension between the spectacle and the minimal is a false dichotomy, and there is no judgement to be made. Both theatrical have an important role to play in our evolv ing theatrical landscape. If used to aid the director’s artistic vision and enhance the power of storytelling, both are powerful tools for cra styling a production.

However, relying on spec tacle as a crutch for attract ing audiences, prioritising it over storytelling, turns theatre into mere visual entertainment and opens the gates for stagnation and stereotypes in theatre that support social ineq uities. To continue to pro gress the theatrical art form and to attract new audiences and tell relevant, important sto ries, theatre must remain open to new, diverse ideas and voices that look beyond the desire for spectacle.

Beyond the Swoosh: How Nike Addresses

Racial Prejudice

by JENNIFER LAU & Illustrated by SYLVAIN CHAN

Advertisements are designed to draw your attention, to encourage you to purchase their product and drive sales—not necessarily to address systemic social issues. But Nike takes a di erent route. e ‘Just Do It’ brand has long intertwined marketing with activism, leveraging some of the biggest names in sports and its popularity as a sports brand to simultaneously highlight racial inequality and increase its own brand recognition. rough campaigns like ‘Nike Equality’, ‘Lebron Beginnings’, and ‘For Once, Don’t Do It’, Nike positions itself as more than just a sportswear company; instead, it acts as a campaigner for change, urging individuals to take action against systemic racism. Nike spotlights the importance of every individual in overcoming racial prejudices with the purpose to encourage individuals to act against systemic racism.

Using Sports as a Microcosm for Equality

Nike highlights how the principle of fairness in sports can be a starting point for broader societal change. In ‘Equality,’ the narration states “here, you are de tions”, accompanied with aerial shots of basketball courts and football elds. Within sports, athletes are judged by their abilities, such as the NBA’s diversity and its positive im pact of seeing athletes for their abilities and not their race. us, Nike encourages wid er society to do the same. the ad is intensi ed through the black and white tones of the ad, applying heavy graphic weight to direct attention to the message. By extending the white lines of a sports court across judiciary courts and school buildings in later shots, Nike also extends the boundaries of the rules from within sports, showing that individuals in wider society should also follow the culture of valu ing abilities instead of race. powerful line delivered by cultural icons Michael B. Jordan and Lebron James, “If we can be equals here, we can be equal everywhere,” reinforcing the idea that change is possible beyond the game. Nike uses this overcoming of racism in sports as a microcosm of the idea that broader racial preju dice can also be overcome in wider society.

Challenging Inaction and Urging Accountability

between ordinary people and celebrities with large social presences to encourage the idea that every voice is important.

LeBron James and the Power of Representation

Nike shows that by overcoming prejudice, we can inspire others to do the same. In ‘Lebron Beginnings’, Nike highlights James’ undistinguished background through the opening shot of a pair of shoes on a telephone wire, a sign of gang turf and crime, emphasising that James came from an impoverished background. is is consolidated through the rst three frames with low-angle shots conveying the vulnerability and smallness of James compared to the environment around him. However, this directly contrasts with James’ success later, highlighted through the high-angle shot portraying Nike’s poster of James’ career; the contrasting angles of the shots emphasises his successes a er combatting prejudices. is success is evident in inspiring black children coming from similar backgrounds, especially seen through the over-the-shoulder shot of James hunched down on television with black children watching him, hunched down in a similar fashion sitting on crates and bare chairs, creating a parallel between their body postures and highlighting their desires to be like him. is parallel between his successful career on television and the children in the poor neighbourhood emphasises the impact James’ successes have in encouraging other children from a similar background, to also aspire to overcome prejudices. Serena Williams’ story is also e ad emphasises that by overcoming prejudices, we can inspire and encourage others to do so as

In ‘For Once, Don’t Do It’, the ‘Just Do It’ company takes a bold stance by ipping its slogan to challenge the passive acceptance of racial injustice. Nike repeats the word ‘Don’t’, accusing the viewer of “turn[ing] your back” along with many other accusations. ese sentences, along with the interplay between the simple white text against a black background, intensify the emotions of anger and guilt with accepting the o ences against equality and motivates viewers to make greater contributions in overcoming racial prejudice. e audio design of the ad is intense; a uni ed repetition of notes propels the viewer to feel unity with the message to take action. ‘Equality’ also encourages accountability from the viewer. roughout the advert, the camera maintains eye-level shots and eye contact with people of di erent genders, races, and religions, making them the focal point by placing their faces in the centre of the frame. is gives a sense of equality and unity to every individual regardless of race or gender, all condoning the message to overcome racial prejudice. Primarily, as these eye-level shots are between nameless individuals and celebrities – like Serena Williams, who has endured racism throughout her career – Nike creates unity

Questioning the American Dream

As an American brand, Nike leverages the cultural concept of the ‘American dream’ and the American constitution to highlight the importance of combatting racial prejudice. e constitution is built on the idea of meritocracy: every man is created equal with liberty and protection for all. ‘Lebron Beginnings’ romanticises the American dream, portraying James as an example of the “determination that captures the American dream”. However, ‘For Once, Don’t Do It’ sharply contrasts this idea with “Don’t pretend there’s not a problem in America”, highlighting the prevalence of racial prejudice despite the Constitution. It urges viewers to acknowledge their accountability and responsibility in ignoring racial prejudice within America, forcing them to accept the reality despite the notion of the ‘American dream’. Similarly, the rst phrase of ‘Equality,’ “is this the land that history promised?” directly questions the American constitution, creating a jarring accusation to urge the viewers to recognise the systemic issues persisting within the US. By starting both adverts questioning the American constitution, Nike stresses the issues with the constitution and the American dream, and the need to enforce change due to the falseness of pride placed within the American idea of equality in opportunity. Further, the diegetic music of ‘Equality’, ‘A Change is Gonna Come’, directly reminds people of their dedication to change. As this song captures the aspirations and determinations of African Americans during the civil rights movement, it inspires individuals to ght against racial prejudice. us, Nike uses the ‘American Dream’ and the Constitution to encourage the importance of overcoming racial prejudices.

Nike’s ads do more than just sell sneakers—they push conversations about racial inequality into the mainstream and challenge what ads can usually achieve. Nike invites its audience to re ect and act through its antithesis of the American Dream and the realities of racism. rough celebrity endorsement and collaborations, the brand reinforces the importance of collective ghts for racial justice. Nike continues to cement its legacy as not just a sportswear brand, but a champion for change.

REVIEW

EDITED BY WILLIAM GOLTZ AND ARUSHI ADITI

Severance and Anti-Capitalism

by POPPY PINKSTER & Illustrated by

PAAVAS ANSAL

Severance is a treatise to the pervasion of modern day corporatism in all aspects of our lives—it does not take an avid interest in political theory for viewers to note the similarity between ‘Mark S‘ and ‘Marx’. Our unassuming protagonist navigates both endless corridors and the quite literal alienation of his labour in the sterile, soulless environment of Lumon. Both of his severed forms are in pursuit of knowledge: whilst Mark S’ work is enshrined as “mysterious and important”, his desire to peel back wool from his eyes grows stronger.

Severance’s core themes do not shy away from corporate tensions. e centrality of unionising to the climax of season one is case in point; as the employees of Macro Data Re nement rally fraternisation across the labyrinth of isolated departments, they become a tangible threat to the oppressive administration and attempt to take labour into their own hands. is poses a question to the meta – pun intended – aspect of the show which grapples with the ethicality of large corporations. Only available to watch on Apple TV, one can stew over the implications of this in the show’s message indenitely. Currently, it is Apple’s most-viewed show ever, undoubtedly drawing in new viewership and subscription. e irony of this is not lost on Season One’s nale episode, where the rebellious ‘innie’ Helly R in ltrates the Lumon company gala. Awash with parallels to Apple’s corporate identity – from the clean fonts and sleek minimalist graphics to the attendance of increasingly technocratic public gures – Severance begins to poke the bear.

We Live in Time by

ARUSHI ADITI

Where not a single line of dialogue feels out of place, where you nd yourself laughing, shedding a few tears by the end, and ultimately walking away with the feeling of having experienced something truly beautiful? at’s what this movie was for me. For a few hours, I was completely and utterly immersed in the story of Tobias and Almut, drawn in by the stunning cinematography and the mesmerising performances of Andrew Gar eld and Florence Pugh.

At its core, it’s a simple love story: two Londoners who irt, have fun, fall in love, have a child, and dream of a long, happy life together. But unfortunately, late-stage cancer complicates everything. What makes the lm so special though, is its focus—not just on the disease and its impact, but on the journey Tobias and Almut share, the love they build, and the lessons they learn along the way. e nonlinear storytelling, shi ing between past and present, emphasises their relationship as a whole rather than just its tragic turn. e signature charm of English humor allows us to focus on the good times in their story. is is further elevated by the undeniable chemistry between Gar eld and Pugh. From their playful courtship to their passionate romance, from laughter and intimacy to heartbreak and resilience, every moment feels raw and real.

One of the most striking themes of the lm is the beauty of companionship—the simple yet profound comfort of having someone to truly love, laugh with, and support you. It’s a reminder that while we may not control how much time we have, we do control how much love we give in the time we do have. Yet, the lm also raises an important question: is love enough? rough Almut’s character, we see the struggle between personal ambition and relationships, particularly as a woman. Her career as a chef becomes a source of inner con ict—does she want to spend her remaining years solely as a partner and mother, or does she want to leave behind something more? is contrast between love and legacy adds depth to the narrative, making it more than just a love story.

Structurally, the lm’s back-and-forth timeline is e ective for the most part, though I felt the emotional weight of the nal act could have been even stronger had the scenes been less scattered. Additionally, while Tobias is portrayed with authenticity in the early stages of their relationship by emphasizing some of his aws, his character feels somewhat sidelined post-diagnosis. e lm shi s its focus almost entirely to Almut, leaving Tobias’s personal journey underexplored. We see him as the devoted, loving husband, but we miss out on the emotional complexities of how he processes the weight of her illness.

What stayed with me most was the lm’s simplicity—how a seemingly straightforward story could be elevated to something extraordinary through meticulous execution. e performances, the writing, the cinematography came together seamlessly.

Emilia Pérez

by MELISA CABELLO CUAHUTLE

With two Academy Awards from 13 nominations, Emilia Pérez might seem to be an exemplary movie. In reality, it is just a careless story that centres itself around stereotypes and taxing storylines. Following the story of a trans Mexican drug lord Juan “Manitas” Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón), who fakes his death to escape their crimes and to transition genders, Emilia Emilia Pérez centers around lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldaña), who helps Manitas fake her own death and transition into Emilia and later to reunite her with her family under her new identity. e lm also features Selena Gomez as Manita’s wife, Jessi Del Monte, and Adriana Paz as Epifania Flores. Paz is the only Mexican and the only non-American or European actor from the main cast, despite the fact that the movie is set in Mexico and represents Mexican character. “For me the heart of this movie was not Mexico, we weren’t making a lm about a country, we were making a lm about four women, and these women could’ve been Russian, could’ve been Dominican, could’ve been Black, from Detroit, could’ve been from Israel, from Gaza,” said Saldaña during press, a er winning her Oscar. “ ese women are still very universal women.”

But this is not a universal story; these women could not have been in another country. While obviously a work of ction, the issues that Emilia Pérez deals with are very real. With 114,000 people o cially missing, an average of 10 femicides per day (that is, when women or girls are killed because of their gender) and rising cartel-related violence that has killed almost half a million people in less than 20 years, many Mexicans have raised concerns about using a musical to tell a story with such heavy real-world implications.

While music can be used to explore serious and deep stories, the real problem with Emilia Pérez is that it simply makes no e ort to understand the country that it is set in. e lm’s director, Jacques Audiard, bluntly admitted to the BBC that he decided not to shoot the movie in Mexico because what he imagined the movie to be “didn’t match the reality of the streets of Mexico”. e lm might as well have been shot in a sepia lter, with its actors wearing sombreros and eating burritos. Even in its production, the lm has a white saviour complex, made by a French man and Western women who had to tell the world what was happening in Mexico.

matical mistakes. But this is not the case for Jessi, who speaks in a sort of advanced Spanish, giving the impression that her role was meant for someone who spoke Spanish uently, but that ultimately a few character descriptions were changed to make it so her obvious American background made sense. As for the titular role, with all her controversies aside, Gascón’s acting is better than that of her co-stars, but her singing leaves much to be desired. For the leading character in a musical who, it has been revealed, was forced to rely on AI to expand her vocal range, Gascón’s musical shortcomings are astounding. Casting Director Carla Hool has insisted that the lm’s producers looked for actors in Latin America but were ultimately unsatis ed and decided to look elsewhere. Can this really have been the best choice if the talent they decided on for Mexican roles was a woman who speaks no Spanish and a European woman who had to use AI for her singing scenes?

Still, actors can hardly do their jobs properly when the script is poor. e dialogue, entirely intended to be in Mexican Spanish, o en uses words and phrases that are used in other regions or are not used in everyday talking at all. is is hardly surprising, considering the script was written by Audiard, who does not speak Spanish. One almost comical example of this occurs when Gomez’s Jessi proclaims how much she has missed her former lover. “Hasta me duele la pinche vulva nada más de acordarme de ti,” she says, ‘my fucking vulva even hurts just thinking about you.’ While the line gained attention when the lm originally premiered in Cannes for being bold and racy, it only exempli es a basic lack of Spanish comprehension: ‘vulva’ means the same in Spanish as in English: it is an organ, a word more likely to be used by doctors in a technical setting, rather than spoken in a casual phone conversation. e poor script goes beyond simple word choices, o en resulting from an obvious lack of understanding of the culture and place it portrays. At one point in the lm, when Jessi is moving neighborhoods with her children, Emilia asks her if “there are good schools in Polanco”, which is the equivalent of asking if there are good schools in Kensington and Chelsea or in the Upper East Side in Manhattan.

Outside of its problematic representations of Mexico and its culture, however, the movie is simply awed in its execution. e storytelling and the dialogue are awkward, the editing is choppy, and even the acting leaves much to be desired. Saldaña, who won the Oscar for her supporting role as an actress, slips into her own accent multiple times over the movie, despite the obvious Mexican identity of her character. Gomez, it seems, is even more awkward in her Spanish. e character she portrays, Jessi, is described as an American woman who lives in Mexico and speaks in Spanish daily, yet Gomez’s Spanish is ludicrous and o en unintelligible, even for native speakers. e problem is not that her accent is that of someone who speaks Spanish as a second language, or even of one who is learning it, but it is of one who does not know the language and is merely reading words they do not know the meaning of.

Even with the clear lack of grasp over the language, the lines that she reads are not something a native or uent speaker would say. When learning a language, simple words and sentences are expected, with frequent gram-

Overall, the story itself feels supercial, a simpli ed Disney tale in which bad people are reformed into tragic heroines. Emilia is rst presented to the audience as Manitas, a ruthless drug lord who kidnaps people, coerces others and whose crimes are such that she needs to go into hiding. A er her transition she becomes a so , loving woman who ghts for justice and helps the families of those who disappear nd the mass graves of their loved ones. e implication that a transwoman might transition in order to leave a life of crime behind, is a ridiculous and harmful one, and has understandably caused much frustration with transgender rights advocates. Even in its cinematography, one of the lm’s few strongsuits, Emilia Pérez occasionally falls back into deeply regressive caricature. When playing Manitas (before transitioning) Gascón’s character has black hair, her face lighted in a dark atmosphere, with a shadow over the eyes making it seem like her skin and eyes are darker than they are in reality. Later, presented as a woman, Gascón’s blue eyes and blonde hair are fully visible. Using light to make people seem darker and, therefore, more sinister is of course nothing new in Western cinema, but the racist implications are deeply disappointing.

In spite of all this, and the promises of the Academy to promote inclusivity, Emilia Pérez’s 13 nominations and two wins show how the Academy has not yet meaningfully changed. In spite of all its success, Emilia Pérez has shed no useful light on the themes it has so harshly exploited.

‘I never thought I could be adventurous.’ ‘I never thought I could be adventurous.’

interview by LIZA CHERNOBAY photography by AMAN KAUR interview by LIZA CHERNOBAY photography by AMAN KAUR

Liv and I rst met as I pitched an article to e Beaver’s Social section in 2022, where Liv was an editor. Later that academic year, she graduated from LSE majoring in Politics and History. Convinced that there was more to life than your classic corporate grind, Liv decided to cra a unique path, following her fondness of wine—which turned into a swashbuckling adventure around the globe. From interning at e Monocle, to picking grapes at an Argentinian vineyard, she discovered her inner ‘party animal’ while working at a natural wine bar in Barcelona. Finally, she landed a trainee sommelier job at one of London’s most prestigious ne wine restaurants—Noble Rot. In between, Liv organised a community-focused jazz and wine evening at a Hoxton-based non-pro t jazz club, e Vortex. A writer, farmer, wine expert and host – evidently, Liv is not an ordinary LSE graduate – and she rmly believes that building up courage to dream big and challenge yourself is the way forward.

We met outside the Pear Tree Café at Lincoln’s Inn Fields on the eve of Halloween. Despite the late-Autumn chill, driving me to dissolve into my warmest chunky sweater, Liv appeared as elegant as I remembered her from two years prior. Wearing a black coat and shawl, draped over a vintage cherry-red shirt, Liv embellished her out t with lacquered pointed kitten heels, a round felt hat, and a touch of lipstick matching her top. Her chic, colour-coordinated look was reminiscent of full-bodied Burgundy (Liv’s favourite), hinting at her Parisian upbringing. We ordered mint tea, served in oversized mugs, and brie y discussed books before our conversation turned to her post-university journey into the ne wine industry.

For Liv, “Wine is a means to an end. I love wine, and drinking wine. But what’s more intriguing is that it’s a luxury product, made in a very artisanal way. Which also pertains towards my other interests—food and gastronomy.” Channelling her inner Politics and History a cionado, Liv emphasised that fundamentally, wine is a “commodity that has been traded across the world for a long time. It touches upon the deep inequalities between those who make it, and those who sell it.”

“Like art,” she added, “wine is highly collectable. I work in the ne wine industry, which makes about ve percent of production. You can have bottles that will sell for £100,000-160,000. And it’s interesting, because the people making them generally don’t see a lot of that money, as it goes to auction houses, imports, et cetera.”

Liv rst worked on a vineyard at 17, in France, right before commencing her LSE degree. Looking back, this experience proved life-altering, as she kept returning in late August to early September for the next few years to pick grapes, before ying o to London to live her “little LSE life”.

“It was a very cool thing to do as I connected with all of these ideas and started forming a world of my own.” e people she met while working at di erent wineries are now her “closest friends, and being around them feels like home. I think I found a lot of ‘homes’ in the wine industry.”

A er LSE, Liv gave herself three years to gure out what she wants to do next. “I have always been interested in Latin America and speaking Spanish, and I knew these wineries in Argentina, so…o we go,” she smiled gently.“I knew I could only do this between February and April [harvest time], so I had to ll the time before then.” ree months before her Patagonian stint, Liv interned at e Monocle magazine. “My philosophy has been not to wait to do things.”

I wondered what challenges Liv encountered while grape-picking in Argentina. On a farm, “You’re not just hanging around, admiring barrels and having fun, it’s very physical, strenuous work. I was working 80-hour work weeks for about four weeks, which is 14-15 hours a day, in very physical conditions, with industrial presses and pumps. ese are really huge machines, and you don’t wanna mess up, because then it’s like thousands of pounds, just ‘whoop’ - on the oor,” she smirked.“You are in contact with the elements that you don’t get exposed to when you grow up in cities. What does it feel like to feel your hands, bones, the aching of your body physically working? It’s really powerful.”

“A er Argentina, I returned to Barcelona, where I worked in a natural wine bar. I’d always had a more classical education, and this was my rst natural wine experience, and rst time working at a restaurant.” Liv reminisced animatedly over her Spanish adventures. “We were always fully booked, doing possibly 150-200 covers every night, so it was a very fast-paced experience. But it was really fun, trying to understand people’s brains, memorising the wine list,” guring out what people might like based on what they described. “At Noble Rot, where I work now, the wine list changes every day.”

While Liv initially hesitated to apply for the Noble Rot role, her friend encouraged her to try regardless. Looking back, she spoke with con dence: “I think I have a pretty great wine CV, and it’s a big advantage to have worked at so many di erent wineries. It’s two di erent aspects of the same industry, and in some ways these worlds stay very separate. So the input value of having lived experience in wineries is very respected. Also, they [Noble Rot] see a lot of potential [in people like me] to grow as individuals, and also grow their brand and network.”

Yet, nothing comes without challenges. “Starting this job has been very hard, and I’ve felt a lot of pressure. e people I’m working with all have ve-plus years in the wine industry, who have worked really hard to get where they are— it is an extremely competitive position to get.” Eventually, Liv found a “kind of zen”, which helped her relax a little. “You know they’ve recruited you, and if they re you – they re you, but just take everything in while you are here.”

What has Liv learnt throughout her journey to date? “Working these menial jobs has been a very self-re ective process. When you are stripped away of everything that makes you yourself, your clothes, friends, family, and nd yourself in the middle of Patagonia, you really re ect on what makes you you, what motivates you in the morning to do things.”

Re ecting upon her time in Barcelona, Liv continued: “If you’ve always been this massive intellectual who gets good grades, you can still have that party girl inside you. It is very freeing to discover that. I never thought I could be adventurous. I still do, but I used to be more anxious. It was crippling.” But once she overcame one fear, she realised: “it was actually doable. I’ve done this once, so this means I can do it again.”

roughout our conversation, Liv consciously acknowledged that her thought process, and ease of embracing unorthodox graduate opportunities originated in part from her privileged upbringing.“I’m very aware that I live a super privileged existence. I’m fortunate to have parents who have supported me as I’ve gone on my crazy adventures. For starters, they paid for my education, so I am debt-free, and can travel around the world because I have multiple nationalities.”

“I think it should be the duty [of people like me] to be very aware that they lead a privileged life, and to make use of that. Either to help others and create things, to bring people up, to be generous with their time and contacts.” Crucially, she hopes that her current projects, albeit small-scale, will help her achieve her bigger ambitions “later in life in a meaningful way”.

So what are Liv’s future plans? For now, she hopes to stay at Noble Rot and absorb as much knowledge as possible, while building her savings. en, perhaps she’ll go and harvest grapes in South Africa and “learn more about di erent places while travelling. My other interests aside from wine are politics and journalism, and creation in general. I’m not really sure now how these things will come together, but I think they will. I’m not too stressed,” Liv concluded.

Leaving the café, we circled around Lincoln’s Inn Fields in the dark and talked about the meaning of life, before parting at Holborn station. Liv asked me about my dreams for the future, and to my embarrassment, I struggled with coming up with an answer. “Being able to a ord life in London?” I o ered sheepishly. “Is that really your craziest dream, though? I’m sure you can come up with something bigger,” she encouraged. On my way home, I mentally journaled down all the extraordinary things I could pursue in the future.

Liv’s zeal for cultivating self-con dence and seeking adventure regardless of fears is profoundly contagious. Being brave, dreaming and nding ways to achieve those dreams, no matter how unconventional, is a rewarding experience. And ultimately, an LSE degree does not chain you to a corporate ladder post graduation. In Liv’s own words, “ ere is more than one way to live.”