Some days it feel like conservatives simultaneously claim ownership over the idea of “values” and “morals” while criticising “the left” as overly emotional. Equally a lot of alleged progressives have let them do this, seeing values as describing somethings backwards and irrational rather than what it is – prioritised ethics. But there are things I
Many great thinkers and doers of modern history have labelled themselves activists, many have not and there have been plenty who called the title for all the wrong reasons. There are different schools of thought on this but generally speaking if you want to be good at activism forget about being an “activist”. Forget activism
“The mode of production of material life conditions the general process of social, political and intellectual life. It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness.” (Marx 1859) In what way is health, in particular mental health a highly political and potential radical issue? In
I’ve wanted to go to Athens and see the Acropolis since I was eleven and my drama teacher started us on Greek tragedies. So when a university study trip of ten days based in the ancient city was offered to me I jumped at it like a shot. My mother was so jealous that in the
“You got rid of them. Yes, that’s just like you. Getting rid of everything unpleasant instead of learning to put up with it. Whether ’tis better in the mid to suffer the sling and arrow of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them…But you don’t do
“Never forget who you are and where you’re from.” Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi 9/10 There is no way I could speak about censorship or banned books in the modern age without discussion Persepolis, my favourite political graphic novel. It is written by French-Iranian Marjane Satrapi about her life from Pre-Revolution Iran to the modern day.
“It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.” 1984 by George Orwell: 7/10 “…the clocks were striking thirteen.” I love this opening line. It at once is completely of our world and completely not. Famiilar and foreign at the same time. The cold bright April day is so mundane
