Issuu

DECEMBER 2020

VOICE. TRINITY

CONTRIBUTERS: ANJALI PATEL-RAMCHARRAN; JESS WESTLAND; MICHAEL FROST; DAVID OSAHON; AMELIA ANDREWS; NATHAN CONCAGH; ANNA SKEELS; SAM BATEMAN; LUKAS COBB; JAMES SKINNER; SHIVALI AGRAWAL

EDITORIAL 2

BUSINESS

WOMEN IN BUSINESS.

his term has been muddled and chaotic to say the least, from year group bubbles to teachers trapped inside taped boxes, Trinity is definitely different this Autumn and so is the world around us. Whilst most of our time is now occupied with schoolwork, neverending bus lines and anxiously watching the news for lockdown updates, it is pertinent we stay educated on current affairs and this Trinity Voice explores the issues that our students are most passionate about and want to share with our community. I think it’s fair to say that it is difficult to not be disheartened by everything going on in the world surrounding us, so it is important that during these testing times we exercise kindness with one another as much as possible, to remain hopeful and focused on the future.

S just trying to educate ourselves on topics regarding our society. I’d like to thank my incredible coeditor Jess, who is responsible for the paper’s beautiful layout and design, and for her consistently brilliant ideas, as well as everyone who contributed to this term’s paper. For those interested in next term’s paper - please feel free to get into contact with either of us, we are keen to expand our voices.

With Christmas and the New Year impending, it creates an even more pronounced reason for making change in our own lives, whether that is taking up a new hobby, practising mindfulness or

Anjali Patel-Ramcharran

ince starting business in L6th I have studied countless theorists such as Porter and Bowman who have, among others, developed theories still used by businesses today. However, they both have one thing in common - they’re all predominantly white men. This prompted me to look into women within business and some of their achievements.

had become the largest organisation of its kind in the world, it even called Queen Victoria as one of its loyal customers. Not only was she the first female CEO but she was also one of the first business owners to provide employees with pensions and other benefits, pioneering the way workers are treated, and the way businesses operate today. Similarly, to Madam CJ Walker, Bissell was also a generous philanthropist. She was the first female trustee of the Methodist There were two woman that stood out for me. Episcopal Church and was actively involved in One was Madam C.J. Walker, and she was Bissell House, a recreation and training program the creator of “Madam Walkers Wonderful for Grand Rapids youth and immigrant women. Hair Grower”. Walker suffered from a scalp condition that caused her to lose most of her I found it very inspiring to read about some hair, so she developed a hair care business that of the inspirational women within business, was earning $500,000 a year by the time of as going into a field where women can be her death in 1919. At the height of production, overlooked and very often outnumbered can it employed over three thousand people, mainly be intimidating. However, to know about so black women who sold her products door many amazing women that have achieved so to door. On top of this, at a time when jobs much in a time where women were very rarely for black women were limited, she promoted welcomed into the boardroom is extremely female talent and donated generously to encouraging and makes me excited for a future educational causes and black charities, funding where female CEOs are not outnumbered by scholarships for women and donating to dozens CEOs called John. of other organisations. She is often considered to be the first black female millionaire and one of the 20th Century’s most successful female entrepreneurs making her a true inspiration for women looking to pursue a career in an oftenmale dominated field. The second woman I was particularly inspired by was Anna Sutherland Bissell, the first female CEO in the United States. Following the death of her husband Bissell became CEO of the Bissell Sweeper Company, where she established new guidelines on trademarks and patents and moved Bissell carpet sweepers into the international market. By 1899, the company

Amelia Andrews

BUSINESS

THE GIG ECONOMY: FLEXIBLE PARTICIPATION FOR WOMEN? Shivali Agrawal

hen someone is employed or actively looking for employment, they are said to be participating in the labour market. According to the World’s Employment and Social Outlook: Trends for Women 2018 – Global snapshot, the global women’s labour force participation rate – at 48.5 per cent in 2018 – is still 26.5 percentage points below the rate of their male counterparts. In order to determine whether the gig economy will allow female participation in the labour market to increase, considering why women’s participation is low i.e. why they do not wish to become employed is important and then evaluating whether the gig economy is able to combat these reasons is of utmost important to determining the gig economy’s effectiveness in increasing women’s participation in the labour market . One of the main reasons women may not wish to look for employment is to do with cultural norms which mean on average, women spend twice as much time on household work as men and four times as much time on childcare. However, the magnitude to which women are expected to look after the children varies depending on where women are based. For example, for developing countries, average patterns of women’s labour force participation are more mixed, ranging from a low of 21 percent in the Middle East & North Africa region in year 2010, to a high of 71 percent in the East Asia & Pacific region whereas in more developed countries, over two-thirds of the female adult population participate in the labour market.

Uganda spending 18% more time and women in India working 10 more times than men on these activities. As women spend more time on childcare than men, they require hours that can accommodate childcare responsibilities. The gig economy seems to provide flexibility to workers as they can control how to spend their time. For example, if a woman wants to look after her child on a Friday from nine to five, unlike with a permanent office job, she does not have to work at that time. If an unforeseen circumstance arises, with a part time job, a woman would still have an obligation to her job however the gig economy allows for women to work whenever they want and as they desire. A task could be given to a woman with an end date and how and when they complete the task is up to the choice of the women which allows for childcare arrangements to be accommodated alongside a job. This means the opportunity cost to women for participating in the labour market is less than it would have been otherwise as there is less of a risk of a woman being unable to arrange childcare which increases the participation of women in the labour market. 70 % of female gig workers are the primary caregiver in their homes and 96% of workers rated flexible hours as one of the top three benefits of working in the gig economy.

However, the flexibility the gig economy provides is not the golden bullet to increasing women’s participation in the labour market. Although in practise, it appears that the flexibility afforded to women gig workers is astronomical, the flexibility is more constrained than it appears. While in theory workers enjoy the flexibility For women, unpaid care work at home is an to select the time of work, the very nature of important activity in which women tend to the gig economy means that the availability of spend a significant amount of time. The extent work is constrained by consumer demand. So, to which women devote more time to unpaid although it may appear that women workers care work differs regionally with women in are easily able to accommodate their childcare 4

arrangements around their gigs, this will depend on the likelihood of gigs occurring when women have alternative childcare arrangements present. An example of this can be seen in the case of a cleaner i.e. customer demand for a cleaner may be increased during weekends as people prefer to be in the house which may not suit women due to a lack of childcare during this time which means flexibility is limited and therefore the gig economy doesn’t necessarily provide the flexibility to appeal to women and introduce them into the labour market. Furthermore, the flexibility that the gig economy provides is undermined by the organisational structure of some gig employer platforms. Deliveroo riders have stories of having to book their hours a week in advance otherwise they cannot arrange a slot for which to gain work. This means that the flexibility afforded to women is reduced as they have to choose and book their working slots ahead of time and therefore may have to plan their childcare around this which means the gig economy is not as flexible as implied. This is enhanced by the way that too many assignments can lead to Deliveroo ending your contract which may be likely for women having to look after children meaning they may be amongst the riders with the lowest percentage of deliveries accepted while available in the app in the area they are in. However, it does still allow women more flexibility than they would have had in a permanent job and therefore would still imply an increase in female participation in the labour market although perhaps not to the extent emphasised by proponent advocates of the gig economy. Arguably it could be said that the gig economy provides an opportunity for increased female participation in the labour market as it allows greater financial freedom for women which incentivises them to become employed. An example of this can be seen in the case of Hey Deedee in India which is one of the countries with the greatest childcare burden on women. Hey Deedee employs over 1,000 women in 15 cities and It increases female participation in the labour market by training women to drive a car and instruct them to gain licences and train in self – defence in order to deliver parcels. However the fact that women are becoming employed due to Hey Deedee is less to do with the flexibility afforded to women in the nature

of the gig economy and more to do with the idea of financial freedom afforded to women from being able to earn their own money and the confidence which grows with acquiring new skills. The media attention Hey Deedee has received has been very prominent due to the media attention the company has received and this could imply that in order to increase women’s participation in the labour market, the gig economy has to be publicised more widely otherwise the opportunities of increased flexibility are squandered. Therefore, in order to enhance the ability of the gig economy to increase female participation in the labour market, it must be supplemented with sufficient media attention. This is recognised by the gig economy platforms in part. For example, Uber launched a women preferred view feature for women drivers in Saudi Arabia which increased demand for female drivers and so implies that female workers were more incentivised to enter the labour market to take advantage of the increased demand for females. Although this increase in participation is not necessarily due to the flexibility the gig economy provides, it does demonstrate a certain awareness of gig employers allowing them to increase women’s participation in the labour market. In essence, the flexibility that the gig economy supposedly provides, is significantly overstated and a similar sort of flexibility could be obtained by women in a part time job as it would at least allow a more rigid structure to plan their childcare responsibilities around rather than having to deal with the temporary nature of the gig economy in which if you are unavailable for a certain amount of time , it has an impact on your rating as an employee and reduces the jobs available to you which provides less of an incentive for women to enter the labour market. Although it is important to consider that this only applies to lower paid gig workers rather than highly paid expert non pay-roll workers. Nevertheless, in order to tackle the issue of women’s participation in the labour market, rather than the jobs in the gig economy, a more effective method could be to change social norms so that the burden of childcare is shared more equally between men and women however in the short term, the gig economy is a plaster to cover deep issues rooted in society and we await in anticipation for the patriarchy to be dismantled. 5

THE ISSUE OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND FINANCE.

BUSINESS

Shivali Agrawal

oung people and finances. Two seemingly incongruous, unrelated words. First thought of a seventeenyear-old isn’t likely to be the thought of their financial burdens … we’re not millennials. However, it is important to realise that while the majority of us probably will end up living out of our parents pockets well into our twenties, there are certain steps we can take to avoid the horrible nightmare of living in our parents basement and the shame that comes with it becoming a reality.

and that worked for them. Starting sixth form was the death of my bank account and the only thing more drained than me were my savings. It is just a constant cycle of expenditure. Money was chucked down the drain but new year new me. I’m going to save money and you can toowe just have to become social pariahs who don’t talk to anyone and thus we can avoid ever having to leave our house again i.e: live off our parent’s food, heating and hot water. Perfect solution. A reasonable person might argue that you could simply limit the number of social outings you go on or go to less expensive First steps first, look at the data for yourself. places like someone’s house or you could just Fake news is leading to a lack of awareness exercise some financial disciplines. If you don’t and knowledge in fields which are relevant raise the level of your financial discipline, a towards your financial situation. So, ensure raise in your level of income will be insignificant that any places you go to get your information to your financial goals. are verified. Although, to be honest most of us can’t be bothered to do that so I think I should You can’t worry about pensions, it you provide some more helpful pointers. People say don’t know about them. Can’t worry about you need to do this … you need to do that – all mortgages, if you don’t know about them. Can’t I really want is for someone to tell me the exact worry about student loans, if you don’t know plan to follow rather than have to figure and about them. This opens up one of the biggest research things for myself because I am lazy financial issues facing young people today. We and so are you. Why work hard when you can just are not taught about any of these. In my work smart (i.e. Follow someone else’s financial curriculum are thousands of pointless things plan because in all likelihood it will probably which will never have any relevance in my day work for you), right? to day life - it's not as if I’ll have to recite the first 20 elements of the periodic table to pay for food to put on my family’s table but heaven forbid I learn how to fill out tax forms. It is as though young people are just expected to let this financial magic diffuse into their head (another thing we learn about) Unfortunately we don’t have it ingrained into our DNA, so we do need someone to guide us. You need to decide what is right for you. You can’t just blindly follow something and hope However, what we want from our lives has to that it will work out. Older generations might try be considered. Managing your finances isn’t and put pressure on you to conform to a certain penny – pinching to conserve money but it’s financial situation because that is what they did how to make the most of what you have to live

No.

to live your best life- whatever that means for you. So young people need to overcome social pressure either to spend or save and figure out what they want … Whether that means renting or doing an apprenticeship or hiring rather than buying a car - it is up to the person but they

should at least be provided with the bare bones of receiving financial security or you know we could leave it up to their parents to provide but I’d rather young people weren’t the leaches of the world and I think my parents would prefer it that way too. 7

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

CLIMATE CHANGE AND AVIATION.

s you may have gathered the world is currently facing a climate change crisis which could result in another mass extinction event. As such, many corporations - especially those in ecologically unfriendly industries - are trying to become more ecologically friendly to ensure that public opinion stays on their side and to protect their futures. In this way, gradually more money is being pushed towards innovations in the fields that could have a great effect on the environment. This would conform with Boserup’s theory of agricultural intensification (when innovations are needed, innovations are made). In aviation, such innovations have been thought as so near impossible, they have achieved the status of being considered the ‘holy grail’ of aviation technology. Flight itself was, at one point, considered as a ‘holy grail’, impossible with heavier-than-air machines. Despite this, the combined ingenuity of Orville and Wilbur Wright managed to create the first heavier-than-air flying machine, which, on the 17th of December 1903, flew 120 feet.

Chuck Yeager’s first supersonic flight was the idea of a supersonic passenger jet, or supersonic transport (SST). Some, however, may not consider this so much of a ‘holy grail’, as it was not considered impossible, but instead achieved its status through capturing the public imagination. The main contenders in the race for SST were Britain/France and the USSR. Eventually, the Soviets won the race with the Tupolev Tu-144 (known as Concordski), achieving supersonic level flight on 5th June 1969. Despite winning the race, the Tu-144 eventually lost out to the British/French entry, Concorde, due the Tu-144’s astonishing reliability problems, as it was rushed to be ready for an inaugural flight on the 60th anniversary of the Communist revolution. The Tu-144 had such poor reliability that whenever one was scheduled to fly, four were stationed at the airport in the hope that one of them would be fit to take-off. The Tu-144 was so plagued by its problems that it ended up only ever making a total of 55 passenger flights before it was retired in 1978. In comparison British Airways made over 50,000 flights with Concorde before it was retired in 2003. Now, in the present day, the most sought-after innovation in aviation is the development of zero emission passenger air travel, to solve one of the largest problems facing air travel: pollution. All passenger planes, whether jet or propeller driven, pump out pollution at an exceptional rate. Jet engines, and engines as a whole have been getting more and more efficient but air travel is still one of the larger producers of carbon emissions. Zero emission flight has been achieved, but not on a large enough scale for passengers, by an unmanned solar powered plane: the Helios Prototype, a flying wing covered in solar panels and 14 propellers, designed for atmospheric research.

Another such achievement was flying faster than the speed of sound in level flight. It was considered impossible due to the strange problems with controls that pilots encountered when they flew close to the speed of sound. The controls of the Mitsubishi Zero would freeze if they approached the speed of sound, just due to the weight of air acting on the wings and control surfaces (- the flappy bits of wings you use to steer a plane). However, on the 14th of October 1947, Chuck Yeager travelled at 1.06 times the speed of sound (Mach 1.06), in level flight, in the Bell X-1. The Bell X-1 was modelled off a bullet, because it was one of the few shapes that the engineers and designers knew to fly stably at supersonic speeds. Perhaps the most influential development from However, Airbus offers a glimmer of hope with 8

their 3 Airbus ZEROe concepts, revealed in September of this year. These planes aim to use a hybrid system of using liquid hydrogen as a fuel in a typical gas turbine (jet) engine and using hydrogen fuel cells to produce electricity to “complement” the gas turbine. So, is this the solution to the airline industry’s pollution problem, the innovation that Boserup’s theory predicted? In short: No. This is a crucial step towards the technology we need but it suffers from the age-old problem of “too little, too late”. Aircraft development takes a really long time. These concepts are expected to be introduced

into passenger flight in 2035. In addition to this, it’s unlikely that these planes and similar planes will be widely used as they are only likely to be affordable for the most prestigious airlines. The surrounding infrastructure doesn’t exist yet, in much the same way that early electric cars don’t have enough support. To me, widespread, zero-emission, passenger planes is an impossible goal. Then again, aeronautical engineers have a good record when it comes to achieving the impossible.

Michael Frost

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

HOUSING AND CLIMATE CRISES.

ith the impending climate emergency, it is becoming more and more apparent that our current way of living is unsustainable. However, basic human needs still need to be met and housing is one of the most essential requirements that we all deserve. Our finite amount of resources are quickly slipping through our fingers as we fail year on year to address these urgent issues yet there is perhaps a glimmer of hope as we see a rise in eco-friendly and affordable housing. While a house may not seem as environmentally damaging as travelling by plane on holiday or using unsustainable palm oil products, buildings generate 45% of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. Most of them use environmentally damaging materials like concrete (which requires cement production, contributing to around 8% of global carbon emissions) and also use materials acquired from a long distance from the building site, further adding to the emissions through transportation. The damage caused is exacerbated when we take into account the heating and cooling within houses that are down to poor building quality to start with, e.g. poor insulation means residents need more heating in the winter, but this isn’t only harmful to the environment but also to people’s wallets. There are multiple studies that show there is a rise in house prices (and the facilities within those homes) that is so great that many families have to decide whether to spend their income on heating in the winter or gas to cook for their families. The housing crisis and the

environmental problems from unsustainable buildings need to be addressed simultaneously if either of these problems are to be given the response they deserve. People will always need affordable shelter but is there a way to provide this in a low-carbon way? Typically, eco-friendly alternatives tend to be more expensive than the traditional methods, hence why there is a distinct lack of progress in all kinds of ‘green alternatives’. Therefore, most people assume that an environmentally friendly house would be out of budget for everyone but the privileged few who don’t need to choose between heating and gas. Yet the rising popularity in ‘co-housing’ might provide the solution. The best example is found in Leeds in the 20-house community of low-carbon homes: LILAC (Low Impact Living Affordable Community) is a project completed in 2013 that is the home to 20 families/ individuals who take part in a community led scheme that means they all take financial, social and environmental responsibility for their living space. They learnt how to construct their own houses using a new technique of using strawbales as the main structure (it is a good insulator and easy to build with) and they have a common house where they can share meals, use communal washing machines and use a community gym, showing that a shared way of living can reduce the costs of living. No concrete was used and only natural/ reclaimed materials were involved in the construction, minimising their footprint. This is great for the environment but the unique financial package it comes with (everyone pays

a proportionate sum into the whole project depending on their personal income) means that it remains affordable for anyone of any salary as the costs are shared between members. The only question left is whether this strategy can work on the larger scale, would it work for a whole city or is this just an inefficient method of housing people?

Anna Skeels

BLACK HISTORY THE HISTORY AND INFLUENCE OF BHM. David Osahon

lack History Month is a month dedicated to celebrating and recognising the role and achievement of people of African, Caribbean and black descent. As depicted by Catherine Ross the Editor of Black History Month UK it is a “time to look forward and celebrate”. Black History Month began in the UK in the 1987 where the aim was to reveal how there is a plethora of black history which we don’t access in the normal school environment. Black History Month was

first organised by Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, a coordinator of special projects the Greater London Council.

Throughout time figures such as Clive Sullivan, rugby’s first black captain and Bishop Wilfred Wood, The Church of England’s first black Bishop are celebrated for their influence in opening the way for others. In 2013, the Black Cultural Archives became the UK’s first national black heritage centre allowing people to see exhibitions of both prominent and unrecognised influences in the community such as a royal visit from Prince Charles in 2017 who praised the contributions of the West Indies and Africa in World War 1 and World War 2. Another aim of Black History Month is to look to the wider black community across the world. With movements such as Black Lives Matter at the forefront of society today being able to discuss and inform people about such matter is of upmost importance. Being able to tackle history such as the effects of colonial rule such as Brian Larkin commenting on how even “the lights and fountains were not just effects of colonial rule; they were the mode of it” portraying the influence of colonisation in Nigeria. By looking at the world beyond and how history affects lives even today we can gain a deeper insight into another culture’s experiences. Black History Month reinforces the progression that can be made through the interplay of cultures. Looking to the future “2020 has held a mirror up to the world and forced many to see the reality of racism,” says Catherine Ross and as we do so once we do fight to end inequality. As Barack Obama said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”.

We should all be feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Freedom is a constant struggle – Angela Davis

I know why the caged bird sings – Maya Angelou The Fire next time – James Baldwin

TV’S BLACK AUTHORS TO READ.

The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas

Queenie – Candice Cartie Willaims

The Colour Purple – Alice Walker

Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Black and British: A forgotten History - David Olusoga

MONTH Between the world and me - Meby Ta-Nehisi Coates

Well-Read Black Girl Glory Edim

BHM

TEACH BLACK HISTORY. Anjali Patel-Ramcharran

lack History Month’s importance has faced much criticism and controversy since it’s establishment in the UK in 1987, mainly due to a lack of education around Afro-Caribbean history and it’s importance, a failure on our education system’s part. The primary reason for celebrating BHM is to acknowledge and pay homage to the many significant figures and events that have affected the African Diaspora, particularly spreading awareness about many black peoples’ struggles for freedom and equal liberties, a fight that hasn’t fully been won yet, as seen through the recent revelation of just how corrupt the US Judicial System and police are, with Black men being 2.5 times more likely to be killed than white men, despite only representing around 12% of the population. However, it is pertinent that whilst the battle for equality continues, we focus on the positive figures in Black History than overcome their social injustices and paved the way for generations to be treated with the same respect they campaigned for. Such figures such as Thurgood Marshall, the first black US Supreme Court Justice, were crucial in the rulings of cases such as Brown vs Board of Education, which marked the end of racial segregation in schools, an event that happened barely 60 years ago, and fought for the rights for women and other ethnic minorities during the 50s. Black historical figures have been kept out of textbooks for so long, probably to elude anger and protestation, over the extent of the adversity they endured, and to support prior governments’, most notably the Wilson administration, under which Enoch Powell performed his ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, stating that immigrants were breeders of crime and violence, the Thatcher administration, which openly opposed the sanctions South Africa were

to face due to their continuance of Apartheid, John Major administration that allowed for John Taylor, a Caribbean politician who was repeatedly deselected from the Conservative party purely for his ethnic background, portrayed though a series of racial slurs said by other party members; and these are all but a few of this country’s long history of systematic racism against Afro-Caribbean immigrants. The ministry of education’s failure to educate the youth of these, is proof of our country’s long-held guilt over the travesties and violations they infringed upon African countries, and their reluctance to properly admit guilt, as proper education would vastly reduce racial discrimination and prejudice, but it seems this doesn’t cater to the country’s current priorities, if racism was even properly considered a problem by the government ever. Black History Month teaches us the history that the classrooms never quite taught us, that without Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and countless other Black freedom fighters, President Lincoln would have never become the President of the United States and abolish slavery, as it was his main presidential platform. If Lewis Latimer never engineered durable carbon filaments and work closely with both Alexander Bell and Thomas Edison, neither would have founded the modern lightbulb, that sits in all of our houses today. That Marsha P Johnson and several other queer black women, were the pioneers of the LGBT civil rights movement in the US, following the Stonewall riots. These hidden figures have been wiped from our historical perspectives and it is imperative we re-educate ourselves, not only during BHM, but for all 11 other months, on the importance these black figures have in the world.

field and the decades of segregation, and centuries of colonialism and racial superiority hadn’t reigned on, there would be no need to celebrate Black History Month independently, as black figures would’ve hadn’t reigned on, there would be no need to celebrate Black History Month independently, as black figures would’ve received the same amount of appraisal, criticism and historical research that their white counterparts have had for years, but unfortunately this has never been the case, and so, the importance of spreading historical truth is continued, through this delegated month of reflection. Black history features in most aspects of our day-to-day lives, from rap and hip-hop music that are rooted in the cultural exchange of experiences amongst Afro-Caribbean people and other children

of immigrants in the late 70s, to fashion and hair, where we witness ‘Y2K’ fashion making a comeback, all innovated by black musicians and actresses, and now being harnessed by our youth today. We are proud to be a part of a community that celebrates these historical feats, but it is our job as citizens, specifically UK Citizens, to learn about this country and other countries’ histories surrounding influential black historical figures, and their impacts on the world today. History is important as enables us to understand the world around us, and develop a new appreciated understanding of current events today, being proud of how far we’ve come, and developing our strategies to further the journey to racial equality.

YOU’RE NOT BLACK. - Amy Saunders I sit with them at lunch Fried chicken on my plate I eat with a knife and fork “You’re not black, if you don’t use your hands to eat” Yet I know that hands tied up the strange fruit on the trees in the south The fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop I don’t recognise the Caribbean music, or the Afrobeats I only know of Liszt, Chopin and Ludovico Einaudi Whose names you’ve probably never heard “You’re not black, if you don’t know this beat” Yet, I am familiar with the beat of pounding Pounding of sugar cane, the whipping of backs The cries and screams of my ancestors Ring loud in my head centuries later So how dare you? How dare you put me down! Question my ethnicity, I’m still a shade of brown And I’m sorry if I don’t live up to your ‘black norms’ But I live in a world with segregated dorms Society crushes me, tells me I’m ugly But copies my features, they must think it’s funny I’m not trying to in any way be mean But I live in a society covered in white sheen Sorry to Bother You, but I should Get Out ’Cause The Hate U Give leaves me with no doubt That I am not The Help, the help that you need But the Hidden Figures are clear to see That I should stop trying to be ‘Black’ and just try to be Me

If historically, we all received an equal playing 15

POLITICS

James Skinner

oe Biden has been elected president of the United States, after receiving 306 electoral college votes, which takes him past the 270 required to win. Biden will become the 46th president in January, considering that Trump’s legal challenges do not seem to be achieving any success at all for his campaign. However, against many of the polls, President Trump did manage to hold on to 3 of the 4 biggest battleground states – Texas, Florida and Ohio. What was predicted to be a complete steamrolling by the Democrats did turn out to be a fairly narrow contest, with the result taking almost a week to be confirmed. Though winning 3 states (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan) known as ‘the blue wall’ back from the Republicans proved crucial to the Democrat victory. After a long, agonising count of outstanding postal ballots, constant monitoring of screens day and night, watching a few thousand votes trickle in every 10 minutes, and the eyes of the world focused on Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin, it was Pennsylvania (rather poetically the state where Joe Biden was born) that delivered the 20 electoral votes he needed to nudge past the 270 required. The way the result played out was fairly unprecedented, which matches the times we live in. Both parties effectively declared victory on the morning after the election, and though in hindsight, Trump could be seen as a fool for doing so, not that this description of him could be wrong, but he had somewhat good reason to call victory early. Most states count on-the-day votes first, which gave a false impression that Trump would win, as he took an early lead in battlegrounds across the country. He was projected to win in what was the historically key swing states, most notably Florida, and he was outperforming the ‘polls’, for the second election in a row, by some distance. You could not be criticised for thinking that this was going to be the 2016 upset all over again. However, the Democrats had been encouraging voters for months to vote via postal ballots. This was mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as the concern about the safety of joining queues to vote in person, or the prospect of being ill or self-isolating on election day and therefore unexpectedly unable to vote.

As the Democrats were more likely to gain support via these postal votes, over time, Trump’s lead in numerous swing states slipped away. For example, the state of Pennsylvania received more than 2.5 million postal votes – 10 times more than usual – which led to the slow drip-feed of their results. So why did Biden win the election? President Trump has polled incredibly badly on his handling of the Coronavirus pandemic. A poll by Pew Research suggested Biden held a 17% lead over Trump when it came to confidence with regard to the matter. As well as this, Trump’s campaign message of ‘growth and prosperity’ and the strong economy he had championed for years, was knocked off course by the pandemic and the subsequent economic decline. Some were also concerned by Trump’s questioning of science and his mixed messages of ‘Fake News’, at a time when the US wanted clear and steady leadership. With 230,000 lives already lost (in the US at the time of the election), Americans wanted competence, empathy and stability. The footage of Trump asking whether injecting ‘disinfectant’, or bleach, into people was a good way to stop the spread of the virus, didn’t exactly go down well with Republicans or Democrats alike. Not just this, but Trump himself has recently accused the US Food and Drug Administration and Pfizer of delaying their announcement of their vaccine results until after the election, thus denying him a ‘good news story’ after he’d repeatedly promised to deliver an immunisation programme. In contrast, this was Joe Biden’s third campaign and attempt to be president. He has been prone to verbal stumbles in the past, so by saying considerably less, he reduced the probability of these occurring. As a result, Biden would be criticised by some as ‘hiding’ and being ‘sleepy Joe’, but to others he has come across as measured and composed in contrast to Trump. Especially during the live TV debates, where it was estimated that Trump interrupted Biden an incredible 128 times, surely a world record in televised debates. This leads us to a key criticism of Trump’s presidency – that it has been too divisive and polarising. Many Americans had found his term in office

too inflammatory and they were exhausted by it, especially his many all-caps, aggressive tweets. Biden has had a centrist strategy which has allowed him to maximise his appeal to moderates. This made voting Democrat somewhat tolerable to Republicans who didn’t want to support Trump but also were unlikely to vote blue if the Democrats had followed their more left arm with figures such as Bernie Sanders. Lastly, the voting demographics. It is clear that Biden proved to be more popular with female voters and with African Americans. In a year of Black Lives Matter protests, a poll by Edison Research suggested that 20% of the voters put ‘Racial Inequality’ as their first issue in this election. Of that 20%, 91% were Biden voters. This was particularly relevant in the inner cities of the marginal states, where Biden gained votes in Detroit in Michigan, Atlanta in Georgia and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. So, what does all this mean for the future? Well, firstly there is a high chance that the American Senate of 100 seats might be split 50-50. If not, it will certainly be a narrow majority at best for the Republicans, which is likely to block progressive action and force Biden more to the political middle ground on a host of matters. If the Republicans retain control of the Senate, President Biden can make policy changes through ‘executive orders’, which were also used by President Obama and Trump, and these are, therefore, likely to become a feature of his presidency too. However, in regard to Trump, the Democrat victory marks an end to

THIRD TIME LUCKY

How Biden won the Presidential Election.

Trump’s presidency......for now at least. However, there are several rumours that either Trump will run for election himself in 2024 or create a Trump dynasty by encouraging either his son Donald Jr or his daughter Ivanka to run.

If Trump were re-elected, he would be the first one-term president to return to serve as president again since Grover Cleveland achieved this at the end of the 19th century. Bearing in mind Trump received over 72 million votes in this election, (which is more than Barack Obama achieved in either of his campaign wins), and massively outperformed the polls in both 2016 and 2020, it would be incredibly premature to dismiss the possibility that he might be back, especially as a large amount of support for the notion of ‘Make America Great Again’, still remains…

POLITICS

PHILOSOPHY

SUBJECTIVE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

THE BATTLE FOR THE LEFT.

ithin the space of one year, we as a nation were pressganged into focussing not only on our general election in December of 2019, but also that of the United States in November of 2020. What I took away from it is that the left wing is born to fight itself, and the fighting is only going to get more bitter. Following Jeremy Corbyn’s defeat against Boris Johnson in 2019, many members of the Labour party (including myself) began to wonder what had gone wrong. How did the obvious underdog, who had polled to well in the run-up to the election, end up performing so badly against a party who had been in power for nine years, and at parts, had been historically unpopular? How did this David not knock down this Goliath? Many Corbynites will tell you, following the publication of an internal report from the party, that it was down to disloyal staffers with personal vendettas against Corbyn and his allies, purposefully sabotaging campaigns and not communicating well enough (infamously within WhatsApp group chats). More moderate members, who are beginning to be called Starmerites, will tell you it was because of the party’s lurch to the far left, alienating the electorate. This hot water seemed to simmer upon the election of Keir Starmer to the leadership of the party, but it all seemed to boil over again upon Mr Corbyn’s suspension from the party upon his remarks that the Equality and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) report about possible antisemitism within the party was “overstated”. Yet again, the party is at odds, with several MPs flocking to support Corbyn, and Starmer’s key front bench allies saying nothing, signifying their solidarity with the abrupt push out.

Alas, may we not forget our cousins across the pond. After several months of Democrat primaries, former Vice President Joe Biden was picked to be the nominee in the General election of 2020. This came at the dismay of many of those who are less moderate within the party, with some of these voices being more vocal than others. Former challengers such as Senator Kamala Harris (who went as far to criticise Biden’s apparent willingness to work with pro-segregationist senators) and Senator Bernie Sanders (who time and time against criticised Biden’s overly moderate policies) flocked to support Biden upon his appointment as nominee, following the rather resentful tagline “vote blue no matter who”. To many across the world, and even in the United States, it seemed as if Biden was running under the mandate of “I’m not Donald Trump!” Nevertheless, it seems to have worked. Is it a sustainable model for the left; to simply just say that “we aren’t the right”? In my opinion, no. 2020 has been an extreme circumstance, and in the US and at home, it has been incredibly easy for the left to criticise the choices of the right-wing party in charge, and it has paid off for them, both with the victory of Biden and with Labour consistently being at least 3 points ahead of the Conservatives in the polls. But for one party to lead by only saying “we are the alternative” doesn’t seem like it can last. When the electorate finally turn around and ask the left what they have to offer, and all we can do is point and criticise, it will be devastating.

Nathan Concagh

n his 1922 work ‘Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus’, Wittgenstein famously declares that philosophy is not a noun, but a verb: philosophy does not result in new propositions about the world but is rather the process of clarifying for others what can (and more importantly, cannot) be said meaningfully. Whilst this suggestion does seemingly fail to account for a large body of philosophical work (Wittgenstein himself changed his mind on these ideas), they do raise crucial question on the nature of philosophy: when so many philosophical ideas are seemingly based on the subjective experience of the philosopher, how can they claim to say something objectively true about the universe? This distinction is often called the analytic-continental split in philosophy, where the continental tradition is characterised by the philosophy of mainland Europe, whist the analytic tradition began in 20th century Britain as an attempt to use logic and mathematical reasoning as a means to find objective truth in philosophy. Whilst Wittgenstein might do away with continental philosophy as ‘nonsense’ which is not really ‘philosophy’ I hope to answer where this subjectivity can fit into a philosophy which seeks objective answers.

existentialist, therefore, has no valid argument for his beliefs- rather, he offers emotive ways we can deal with the feeling of meaningless in life (namely, to invent our own meaning). It is here where the true value of subjective philosophies comes into play: whilst analytic philosophies can (at least attempt to) establish some stable ground of objectivity, they cannot make value judgements about how we should act after having established how the universe is. Any attempts at objectively telling us how to act, namely ethics, have failed spectacularly (with the possible exception of political philosophy). By contrast, these subjective philosophies offer us inspiration on how we can understand or act in the universe- not hoping to do so objectively but rather to inspire the human passions. It is clear that this rejection of even the possibility of objectivity or ‘truth’ in the vast majority of philosophical attempts leaves much of philosophy on par with novels (or expressions of art in general): they contain a look into someone else’s perspective of existence and can one subjective (but emotively appealing) vision of the world. It is quite normal to reach the end of a novel and have a profound sense that the author has expressed a feeling about the world you have always felt but has previously eluded you. This does not make the ideas necessarily true- Plato in particular pointed out the danger of art in its ability to distort reality, and it is important to maintain the difference between subjective art and objective attempts at truth. Nevertheless, the value in these alternative visions of the world through art is immense from both a recreational sense and in its ability to give life value.

A good example of such a subjectively based philosophy is existentialism, coming to prominence in the 20th century with philosophers such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre professing the ultimate lack of meaning in life, where we must rise up and ‘invent’ our own purpose for ourselves. Whilst they would certainly disagree, it is clear that Sartre and Camus had no ‘proof’ of the meaningless of life: they based their belief on observing the universe to be irrational and ‘absurd’, but offer no counter criticism to the theist who might Much of philosophy is very much the same: it observe the same universe and declare there offers one way of understanding the world, must be a benevolent creator behind it all. The which is by no means ‘true’, but nevertheless

HUMAN HUMAN NATURE NATURE AND AND THE THE HUMAN HUMAN CONDITION. CONDITION. can strongly resonate with readers and therefore finds value. Consider the pessimism of Schopenhauer, who declares ‘It would be better if there were nothing at all’. Whilst we cannot justify his ideas rationally, they doubtlessly tap into the sense of dread and hopelessness we all feel. Similarly, Rousseau’s romanticism of a ‘state of nature’ where man can live an idealistic, free life is not a philosophically sound argument, and should not be treated as such. Rather, Rousseau captures the Edenic beauty of a primitive society on an emotive level- not apt justification for the removal of the state! It is no coincidence that many continental philosophers choose to express their ideas as novels (Sartre, Camus and Rousseau all published many), and the more we observe the true nature of these ‘philosophers’, the more we see that their value lies not in uncovering truth in the universe (the true purpose of philosophy) but is rather on par with novelists in expressing different human perspectives on the complex nature of existence.

PHILOSOPHY

provide a comprehensive valid model of reality, and a new title is required for these emotively based schools of thought. Whilst it might appear that this declaration discards much of the history of philosophy as ‘invalid’, I would argue that this emotively based ‘philosophy’ has proved itself as far more valuable as a tool for understanding the universe than analytic philosophy will ever be. My introduction championed analytic philosophy as a flawless tool to discover truth in the universe- however, in reality the nature of our language makes it impossible (in my opinion) to assert a single thing as ‘objective fact’, and indeed analytic philosophy is yet to provide any truth we can agree on. Whilst this should not stop the analytic discipline of searching for objectivity, emotively based ‘philosophy’ have given humans far more value in getting to grips with irrational universe we are faced with every day.

Overall, it therefore seems clear that much of what we call ‘philosophy’ does not truly deserve this title- it’s attempts at understanding reality lack any of the rational vigour required to

Lukas Cobb

ynecdoche, New York is Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut released in 2008, which although receiving critical acclaim from the likes of Roger Ebert - calling it the best film of the decade, it still managed to relatively flop at the box office. It had a budget of a relatively low 20 million but only earnt back 4.6 million. Why was this? Were people who saw it too scared to

face such complex themes as mortality and the human condition? Probably not. It is probably potentially because of the uninteresting title, Synecdoche, New York. According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘Synecdoche’ is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in England lost by six wickets, you 21

PHILOSOPHY

aren’t claiming that the whole of England lost the match but using a metaphor. This film, in a way, set itself out to be an uncompromising vision by Kaufman, with him not caring about whether people would understand the title. This suggests that the title is most likely significant to the film's meaning. Synecdoche, itself is set in a real place in New York, and where the film is set. The real reason behind the name rests on a piece of art that the main character, Caden Cotard, will try to make. This piece of art is uncompromisingly honest, Caden uses a warehouse to symbolise every aspect of his life, which ends up in being a stage play. This play is a synecdoche of his own life. He begins creating this play because he realises, he is getting old so when he receives a grant with a lot of money for his previously successful stage plays, he uses this to make a massive production. His own mortality spurs him on to continue production because he wishes to avoid what is known as the ‘third death’, according to David Eagleman who says ‘There are three deaths. The first is when the body ceases to function. The second is when the body is consigned to the grave. The third is that moment, sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the last time.’ Caden Cotard attempts to avoid this third death by creating works of art that will stand the test of time and be revered for generations by everyone for its honest depiction of his life, and his struggles with death. Much like the first and second death, which Caden understands is inevitable, he cannot accept the third death. Not accepting death is very common with human nature, we tend to not accept our own mortality, even though that is the thing that unites us all. This unity among humans is called the human condition, which is defined as. This now should be incredibly obvious in the way it links to Synecdoche, New York, with this being the key drive and motivation at Caden Cotard’s core. That also brings into question his unusual name, why is he called ‘Cotard’?

relevant to Caden’s character here as he clearly experiences this, with him saying in the opening scene that he thinks he is dying. This is clearly an over exaggeration of what is happening. Although he does not have an illness that will lead him to death, a scene of him on the tv where a cartoon-show scene- of him falls whilst a song saying ‘you fell, then you died’ plays in the background. However, when he goes down to Adelle’s basement and urinates in the sink, it comes out red and dirty, yet he is oblivious to that. Humans have a tendency not to focus on the real problem, and remain in this state of obliviousness, not accepting the fundamental fact that there are issues to deal with. Let's go back to the cartoon scene I just mentioned. Caden again here refuses to accept that his wife has left, and that he won’t be able to get back to what he wants. He instead focusses on cleaning the apartment rigorously with a toothbrush, which makes the video go away on the tv, as he is no longer focused on the distraction of his existential crisis. As soon as we cut to the apartment being clean and Caden lying on the floor, the television returns. Just as death and birth are a part of the human condition. I interpret this scene as Kaufman conveying how the human condition truly is impossible to escape, and with this acceptance, we can then figure out how to act, while Caden, a representation of humanities lack of acceptance decides not to figure out what he wants, rather distracting himself from the truth. Friedrich Nietzche says on the idea of post-religious modernity that without a God or a transcendent purpose, how can we withstand such terrible truths about our existence. The existentialist here is arguing that with a lack of feeling of purpose, we can be left with terrible truths that we cannot stand and must ignore.

Caden is inundated with signs of mortality: expired milk, newspaper obituaries of notable figures, including famed playwright Harold Pinter. Caden obsesses over the idea of death, with this scene being his morning routine, it shows the audience how Caden cannot escape Cotard delusion is a rare condition marked by the idea of death. The philosopher Heidegger the false belief that you or your body parts are postulates that accepting death is our ultimate dead, dying, or don't exist. It usually occurs possibility. Themes of death and decay are not with severe depression and some psychotic only obsessively indulged into by Caden but by disorders. It can accompany other mental Kaufman through the films meta-narration. As illnesses and neurological conditions. This is with many of Kaufman’s films, the main character 22

is supposed to be a symbolic representation of him, with Synecdoche, New York, although not quite as obvious as in Adaptation, where the main character is literally Charlie Kaufman, it is still remnant here. Kaufman writes Caden as a theatre creator tasked with creating whatever he wanted after some successful plays. Caden continuously tries to up himself in layers of metanarrative, with characters filming characters playing other characters, whilst being directed by Caden. However, this goes deeper, with Caden’s existence being questioned as well, is he supposed to be a real character, or is he an actor. Is Caden just supposed to be an honest depiction of who Kaufman is? Caden’s attempts to expand his theatre repeatedly also appear in the film, however, the audience and the writer ultimately understand that his attempts are finite, yet he continues. Caden is desperate to create something that’s universally loved and will achieve his goal of writing the ultimate honest depiction of his life. Synecdoche New York shows an artist trying to build something grand true and wholly satisfying to him, and much like the film, it tries to be an honest portrayal of his life. However ultimately the audience innately knows that he will fail, as he delves into characters playing characters however, he truly cannot accept the fact that he will never be able to make something that will stand the test of time fully and capture life. He carries on with the play even though there is clearly a futuristic dystopia for everyone living. Even the audience is obscured from it, perhaps with this filmmaking technique, Kaufman is trying to illustrate that you cannot capture every part of life, as you may end up ignoring living. Caden cannot capture his life fully.

“Each of us knowing we’re going to die, each of us secretly believing we won’t.”

is clearly illustrated within the film in Caden’s miserable rally cry to the production team in the locker room and shows Caden going through a similar existential crisis. David L Smith writes about Synecdoche, New York in his book ‘the Philosophy of Charlie Kaufman’ and recognises that ‘when we are alive, we so often feel that we are not really living.’ and ‘Nature is elusive; relationships are hard; it is even a struggle to be who we are.’ This Philosophical perspective argues that the human condition forces humans to struggle to be who we are and truly feel alive. Ultimately, the Joke is on us, as you watch the film, with all the absurdities and characters playing characters playing characters, there is a through line of realism that passes through the metaphorical art-house aspects of the film with Caden’s character and expression of his view of death. As hard as it is to accept, the one thing that is universal to humanity is that we are all going to die. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing though. German philosopher Martin Heidegger argues that we are fundamentally united by the fact that right now we exist right now and will all be claimed by what he calls ‘das nichts’ or the nothing. The nothing, although seeming ultimately hopeless allows for humans to stop caring about what others think when we realise, we cannot be saved from the nichts by them. In Synecdoche New York, Charlie Kaufman is brutally honest about life, similarly to how Caden attempts to be brutally honest about his own life, yet this movie captured mine and many other’s minds, and had a connection to us. Although ultimately, we may be hurtling towards ‘das nichts’ there is an amazing journey that we can have on the way and be captured by such beautiful works of art as Synecdoche, New York.

Sam Bateman

Some philosophers whose ideals on the human condition are clearly prevalent in the film, such as Jean Paul Satre, a key existentialist philosopher came up with the idea that ‘Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.’ This 23

SPORT

SPORT DURING THE PANDEMIC.

he cancellation of mass gatherings was one of the earliest measures put in place due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that along with the entertainment industry, the sports industry was one of the first severely hit. Since then, the majority of markets have suffered and companies are trying to conserve cash, meaning sponsorship contracts are also under increased strain.

Isolation Games which generated around 800 million views on TikTok.

Interactivity with fans has also been a method taken up by the industry in order to keep fans engaged. A good example was Manchester City’s Design your own City Kit with Puma. This was for people with kids at home who needed something for home-schooling. This added an interactivity factor and also introduced an authentic way for the brand to communicate An example of the impact of Covid-19 on sport with fans. can be seen in the football Premier League where teams have suffered £700m in losses Despite the financial impact of the pandemic, we last season and the league says the national have still seen the sports industry and athletes game is losing more than £100m per month. A trying their best to help frontline workers and large factor of these losses is because of s lack those who have been the worse affected by of commercialisation. Due to these losses, the the virus. One example is Chelsea football club pandemic has accelerated the shift towards digital helping the NHS staff by offering the club’s and the data-driven side in the sports industry. Millennium hotel as accommodation for the men and women working to fight against COVID-19 in Since Lockdown there has been an increase in London as well as Marcus Rashford free school engagement through digital content, as sports meals campaign. Once again highlighting the teams have taken to social media to try and importance of community during this time. interact with fans. From this, we’ve seen a 74% surge in Instagram TV posts, and Instagram stories have jumped by 31% as well as longform content performing much better than it would have historically. Athletes have also grouped together to create challenges online such as Team GB’s inventive and imaginative Amelia Andrews