2/23/2018 0 Comments 2018As contradictory as I am to the purpose of this post to start on a somewhat morbid note, it is safe to say 2017 was not a good year for me for a numerous amount of reasons; to name a few, reoccurring phases of social anxiety that haven’t enabled me to build relations with others easily, unhappiness with my physical appearance which have often made me resort to unhealthy habits in order to obtain the desired figure, pressures of finding a happy and long-lasting relationship like others have who I surround myself with, losing people who I once considered close and reliable means of support, making mistakes and failing things that other people seemed to have had success in. And predominantly becoming someone I really did not aspire to be – insecure yet seemingly to be outwardly vain, cynical, selfish and unmotivated. So, long story short, in hindsight these are not the sort of memories I want to associate a year with. But then I look back on these things that seemed to sum up a bad year, and a majority, if not all, of these things involved other people, by this, I am not blaming others for what has gone wrong, but I have come to the realisation that a big part of my downfall this year was my desperation to compare and satisfy others, subsequently depending on others and waiting around for something to happen. And 2017 has proved to me that that is not the way to approach life, but merely something we should work on in order to find a happy medium – therefore, independence and self-driven motivation.
So here I am, on January 1st 2018 at ten in the evening, slightly hungover and barely being able to keep my eyes open in order to write, writing this as a way to make this year a revelation of happiness and self-confidence, so by December 31st 2018, I can see myself as the person I then aspired to be. Scrap the “New Year, New Me” fad, as I have always been slightly cynical and moody and opinionated, and as someone who is also stubborn, my character is very unlikely to change but it is my motives this year that will be new. First step. Write yourself a list of everything you want to achieve this year. Then re-evaluate that list, but I put myself back in the mindset of eight-year-old me, who had very little interest in body image, relationships, money, fashion trends nor popularity, but did have ambitions and prospects larger than life (despite some being quite unrealistic and juvenile). Children tend to be naturally self-motivated as their pragmatic understanding of building and maintaining relationships is not fully formed nor is it important, and children also have this want to be independent and essentially be older than they are so they can do so – therefore, by being in this mindset, I ruled out anything in the list that involved others, for example being in a happy relationship and losing weight to look good in prom photos (trivial things like that), leaving me with the ultimate concern of succeeding in my A-Levels, getting my university offer and finding the independence I really want to have. But obviously life is not driven on success but happiness and health as well – this is what provides the motivation. And these things included making a scrapbook of memories for this year (which I genuinely will be the pinnacle year of my youth) involving my wonderful friends and family which I will be sad to distance myself from when September comes, “havin a crackin gals holiday” which will definitely be well-deserved after the hard work we endured during exam season, remaining healthy and fit by continuing my gym membership I had last year (not for the purpose of looking good for Instagram but to be healthy) and actually going to university which will put me in a good place to kickstart a career surrounding my love for writing which I have had from eight-years-old and beyond. So 2017, you have taught me, and hardship is a way of teaching that causes you to really open your eyes and appreciate not only what you have but also what you deserve. And I have been taught to not compare myself to other people, because despite whether you come from the same place, have the same interests or are the same age, everyone is different and everything plays out differently for different people - so to base what you do on what someone else has done is relatively pointless. I have also been taught that no matter what age I am or whatever situation I find myself in, I should never put myself in the position where I whole-heartedly depend on someone else to make me happy or succeed, and everyone should learn how to find happiness in themselves by themselves before they find happiness in anyone else. Please, do not wait around this year expecting things to be handed to you on a plate because life doesn’t owe anyone anything and certainly do not start the year with the mindset that it is going to be a bad year as it is what you make of it at the end of that day – motivate yourself and have an amazing 2018! So, besides all that, here are some happy memories from 2017 I will certainly cherish in the foreseeable future!
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Education for the past few generations of children and young adults has been considered to be “dumbed down” in order for it to be more accessible, as such, for a wider range of people to obtain substantial qualifications, to subsequently ensure them financial stability and to keep the unemployment rates down for our may-as-well-be laissez faire government. But, the past couple years has seen a slight “flip it and reverse it” now the government have decided it has become too easy for young adults to leave with worthy qualifications and it would be much better if we made it unbearable for them instead. Were they expecting a 5% decrease of university applicants (which once upon a simpler time was seen as a be all and end all) or a rise in college drop-outs?
Education has this stigma, primarily created by children, of being boring, or “pointless”, and this is probably due to the fact that it is compulsory up to a certain age – like the cynical arrogant British citizens we are, we have an immediate distaste to anything we are forced to do. But education is a very beautiful thing, and I can not be the only one who takes pride in being the most knowledgeable one in a group or being able to apply your newfound knowledge just get out of a much harder situation. But also, the accessibility we have to learn in the UK shouldn’t be condemned, it should be admired because although it is compulsory, it later on gives us a freedom to wider opportunities. In a sense, the government are depriving some of us this freedom – not necessarily directly. But in this scheme to make school harder, children and younger adults build this greater resentment towards it and begin to lose faith in their abilities. Don’t get me wrong – education should not be too easy as challenges make it more stimulating and enjoyable, yet not challenging to the point it is causing a loss of passion and emotional distress for the child who really wants to achieve a certain thing but can’t because they don’t adhere to what enables them to do so. With particular reference to myself, this hardened education system tampered with my interest in education during Sixth Form when studying my A Levels – I had entered Sixth Form with the mindset that A Levels were not walk in the park like GCSE’s were in comparison, however I did not quite prepare myself for such an experience. An experience which, due to the uncontrollable amount of work load (which despite how much free time I sacrificed for I never found myself on top of it all) and a continuous “Oh, that exam went surprisingly well!” – gets back results – “Where the hell did I go wrong?” scenario, I lost an interest for a topic I had built on since I was a young child. And that was a result of knowledge for the subject just being thrown at me, and it being expected for me to learn so I can put my skills of remembering and writing fast to task in the exam. That’s not how it should be – we should be taught knowledge, how to use to it and be opened to a variety of ways we can use it. Luckily for me, although weakened and becoming lazy with my education, I still obtain my ambitions to further on my education in university, I can not say the same for the disheartened children who loss interest in what they loved doing the most and craved the easy way out. I would not say, however, the ones who actually tolerate this hardened education system and still do remain to do well are “the lucky ones” because although intelligent, it does not make them more intelligent to those who do not do so well. Like Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid” and it is completely and utterly true – intelligence comes in many forms and abilities. An artist paints his intelligence, a writer writes her, and a fish can’t write an essay – but it all means nothing to what else he can. I know what you are thinking, and yes it is all good for me to sit here and write away with my complaints on something I cannot single-handedly change, but hopefully it will act as comfort for someone in a similar situation who is worried about their lack of interest in education and how that will then inflict their future prospects. But it is nothing to worry about, being disheartened with the education system does not equal to a crumbling intelligence, but just the fact that you are human and not invincible and not expected to abide with the rash changes the government are making. Because no individual is the same or has the same abilities, as otherwise we wouldn’t be individuals, and the government should cater for this and encourage a want among children and young adults the further their education (because it is no lie in saying qualifications is better than no qualifications) however they choose to do so, but in an enjoyable and stimulating way. 2/23/2018 0 Comments Tragedy of the Modern ManTragedy is a much-anticipated genre of fiction, as well has it become a major feature in real life. It is something that has adapted to suit those of “high prosperity” and “worthy status” in addition to the “common man” – yet it is believed that the biggest tragedies come of those who have more to lose, but I strongly believe that it is not about what you lose, it’s about the fact you have lost. Well, I am a very big believer of fate and the common idea that everything happens for a reason – whether that’s through a genuine belief or the comforting thought that these mistakes we make throughout our life are merely minor stepping stones of failures that will lead to much greater success. However, many tragedies thrive on the idea that their protagonist had no other option to escape their fate. It is this idea I find fault in, for I believe there is always another path that we can take and that our destiny is just the most obvious path so we choose to take it. The most common flaws among our tragic heroes and heroines is naivety and impulsiveness; therefore, we choose this most obvious path because we are either too rash to consider the other paths or too inexperienced and fearful to go an alternate route. That is why the biggest tragedy is accepting your tragedy.
Or in other words, giving up. One of the most prominent tragedies of the modern man is illness, a tragedy that has always been common but not always well-known. All illness is misfortune, but it is the most critical ones that do a significant amount of damage – not just to one’s health, but to one’s faith. It is saddening to hear that people who have been diagnosed with these critical, or terminal, illnesses lose hope and, well, give up. When they put solemn faith in what the doctor says. When they give up on their former values. When they just wait to succumb to their tragedy. Unfortunately, yes – illness is not a tragic path we can always escape, but that certainly does not mean the chance is gone. Take Stephen Hawking for an example: an exceptional man famously known for not only managing to outlive motor-neurone disease (a disease known to defeat the modern man within a few years), but also for his outstanding work as a theoretical physicist despite his condition. So, this proves that a little perseverance has the ability to get you back on your feet, as well as a little ignorance to what people tell you is going to happen with your life, as no amount of certainty can ensure something is set in stone. It is unfortunate that the greatest fear and dismay in our society is inflicted on us by our own media. The news and new digital media has not just become something informative and entertaining, but it seems to be a kind of mind-numbing injection that exploits our passivity and controls the way we approach life. Take terrorism for example – a topic that is deemed to have a greater importance in our world than ever before. But has it? Or has it ALWAYS been there? I believe it is the media that has had a greater importance in our world than ever before – the more it advances, the more we rely on it. Therefore, through the news informing us of latest acts in terrorism is scaremongering us in a way that our fear compels us to want to not even set a foot outside our door. It’s stopping people from travelling, attending big events and visiting popular cities. This media fear has brought to our modern lives another tragedy. Because I cannot think of anything more tragic and miserable than reaching an admirable old age but looking back on your life and the things you stopped yourself from doing. So don’t let fear brought by our own media stop you from doing something courageous, something memorable, something daring. At the end of the day, a life wasted is just as bad as a life lost. The tragedy of the modern man. Giving up and giving in. The modeling industry is one of the most criticised industry of our generation, yet still remains one of the most important factors of our consumer society. A majority of people feel it should have less influence than it has, or that it should be stopped once and for all with backing from a number of issues involving it. The issue I have with the modelling industry is the 'idealistic image' of the human body it conveys, and this is an issue many people obsess over. As a model is defined as something that is used to shape or portray a certain aspect of society, whether that be a certain fashion, sport or lifestyle, people feel that the modelling industry should employ a broader range of healthy bodies. Not to just use the petite, the plus size and the 'normal', but all the in-betweens. And this I fully agree with, because if a model is designed to represent our society then it should represent the variety and differences it has.
However, there is some loose criticism thrown on the modelling industry, such as the following... "Models are Objects... your body is a prop that shallow people use to make other people feel bad and then spend too much money on things." If anything models are objects to Capitalism, and their bodies are props to capitalist people to use in making fellow capitalist people spend more money in the consumer society that we have built ourselves. I find it ironic that people have this sort of criticism against models, but they are the people who fuel the conspicuous competition that prioritises making and spending money. Buying that top from your favourite clothing website, the top is shown on a model, you like the way the top looked on the model, you want the top to look that way on you. Choosing your new sofa in a catalogue, there is a picture of the sofa shown with a family sitting on it, you like how happy the family look with that sofa, you want your family to look as happy as that when you buy that sofa - that family are also models. Despite whatever your views are on the matter, you choose to buy into this scheme, and models are purely for advertising, and our society is built on advertisement and propaganda - so we can't throw dirt on a model for their successful persuasion. "Models are pretentious beings, who indulge themselves too much with their looks and narcissism" People fail to realise that appearance will always be one of the most significant influential factors in the way of which we approach life. We see with our eyes, read with our eyes, eat with our eyes - judge with our eyes. Although it may not be the most ideal way of approaching, but it's unchangeable because we will always see before we view, and viewing has a much more deeper approach. When regarding narcissism and being pretentious, I see no fault in loving oneself. Those who look down on people who love themselves are usually the ones with the insecurities, and it is perfectly normal to have insecurity, as should be loving oneself even with that insecurity. It is something to be encouraged, to be confident in ones skin. Because confidence in one's skin contributes to confidence in oneself and one's abilities. On the other hand, this criticism is very one-sided; to not judge a book by it's cover is one of our most profound morals, yet to call a model narcissistic from the way they pose in a photo is very judgmental. Since when has a photo told the whole story? If the product contained direct speech from the model listing their insecurities then that would be a different story. "Modelling is all about beauty. But there is no beauty in modelling." Again, a criticism based on a one-sided opinion. I feel modelling in the correct sense is very artistic and very influential, especially with certain model statements that act in portraying a strong message to those who view it. For example, such as the model statement "Black Mirror" done by model Deddeh Howard, who went out to improve modelling with her powerful movement on diversity in the industry. Something which turned out to be very beautiful, artistic and influential, and all shown through a series of modelling photos. "Models are brainwashed. Industries need to look past the looks, and show a person's brains and abilities." Finally, there is the stereotype that presents models as mind-numbed and vacant and as lacking in talent outside of posing for a photo, but there is more than enough proof against this. Take Cara Delevingne as an example: a very beautiful woman and talented actress. A well-known strong feminist and appreciated for her down-to-earth witty persona. It's also proven that she has stamina, with no problem in voicing her views, especially with her criticism of industry she's involved in in attempt to build awareness and make a change. There we go, a model with far more than looks and even brains. Therefore, like most industries, modelling has its downsides but faces criticisms and stereotypes that are not fair. People do not always appreciate the fact that some models actually enjoy what they are doing, but this is too easily mistaken for negative self-indulgence and for being pretentious. And despite criticised for doing so, it remains a large aspect of our society and the way it functions. And it always will be. As products of the late 20th century or the 21st century, we thrive on the changes our world has experienced through time. What we see as some societal amelioration to be proud of and propagandise to kick-start further changes, while we explore a time in the mid-20th century where we discriminated a race and a religion different to ours for being destructive, so in response we acted destructively towards them. We entertain ourselves with 18th century literature which outlines sexual double standards that lay between the two genders and how an unmarried woman would receive condemnation for partaking in sexual interaction, by force or by will, while a man watches flourishing in his high status because he did the same thing as that woman but did not experience the same consequence. Or we study that time where we killed our king in fear he would force his beliefs on everyone else, but maybe if his beliefs were the same as ours, he would not have experienced the same fate. We look back on our history, and rightly so, we think we made those changes to ensure that all that inequality and hypocrisy will not remain in our society today. But were those changes really progress or was it just adaptations? Because after all, like the philosopher David Hull once said, “hypocrisy is the lubricant of our society” and in my opinion, it always will be.
In a modified education system, which is now accessible to all that make up our society, we ridicule students for “acting dumb” as it is unattractive and unprofessional to absent oneself from their knowledge and understanding. So why do we look down upon a student for “looking down upon us” because they think they are smarter than us and essentially try harder than us? Because it is seen as unattractive and unprofessional to embrace your knowledge and understanding just because it makes other people feel stupid. In an occupation, where men and women now have equal opportunities and ideals, why do we prioritise our respect towards a woman more than we would towards a man? Is it out of fear that we will be pointed out for “disrespecting a woman” or is it that some feminists are possibly taking it too far? Because if some were solemnly about equal rights for both genders, why is the fact that the term ‘feminism’ is marked by only the female gender not a disputed problem? In a media that idealises the exceptionalism of our country and confidence among our people, why do we frown upon people for appreciating or prioritising their appearance just because it must mean they love themselves and make others feel inadequate? Well, why can’t we love ourselves? As we tell people with broken confidence that they should love themselves and embrace themselves for who they are. Because “you must look good” and “you must remain confident” because otherwise “it reflects bad on the business”. In a new wave of fashion that sees the beauty in all different styles and people of all different shapes and sizes, why do we feel the need to point out the differences in a person? Because we tell ourselves that difference is okay and being unique is a good thing, yet we refer to the beautiful shape of a human being who does not quite match our interpretation of slim and petite as ‘plus size’? So, if difference is a natural and essentially an expected thing in our society, why do we distance people in the modelling and fashion industry because they are different to the expected? Hypocrisy will never be something we can avoid, because despite the advancements and changes we make in our society, or the amount we preach over inequality or change our mannerisms, we can never be a part of a totally equal society. Although history will always prove to us that those changes we made were necessary, it cannot allow us to be fair in all aspects. Because at the end of the day, it is out of our hands to change - hypocrisy is the lubricant of our society and it always will be. |
Jem DuttonStudent Blogger. Archives
April 2018
CategoriesAll Current Affairs Lifestyle Narrative Journalism Opinion Articles Personal |