Debate – The Orbital

12Mar

By Martha LochheadNo Comments

Lifestyle

The Real Fur Debate

Those of you who have seen videos of fur farming will have, no doubt, been appalled by the gruesome and bloody images, and quite naturally will have proclaimed yourself anti-fur. Yet, on the runways of Paris, New York, London and Milan when the new winter season comes, fur is still prominently featured. There seems to be a gap between the average customer and the world of real fur. This is an opportune moment in which to shed a little light on the subject, exploring both viewpoints and possibly seeing if there is a middle way. My partner in this Martha Lochhead, an anti-fur voice, who has joined me in an open-minded discussion on the matter, to attempt to find a way through the heated voices on both sides and reach a place where fashion and compassion can coexist. Tom: So Martha, I d...

14Jun

By Georgia BeithNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

And The Winner Is…

“Acting is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and that doesn’t need to be separated into two different categories.” These were Emma Watson’s words as she accepted the MTV Award for “Best Actor in a Movie” as a result of her role as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Her acceptance speech not only expressed her gratitude for receiving the award, but also her joy at it being the first ever gender neutral award for acting. While the MTV Awards are not renowned for being the most prestigious, in comparison to awards like the Oscars or the Emmy’s, the 2017 awards mark a milestone for gender equality in Hollywood. Many, like Watson, expressed their approval of the move. Billions’ actor Asia Kate Dillon, who presented Watson with the award, perfectly summed up the motivation b...

‘Warning Explicit Content’: Is Censorship Needed in the Music Industry?

9Jun

By Natasha PhillipsNo Comments

Opinion

‘Warning Explicit Content’: Is Censorship Needed in the Music Industry?

Censorship is a hotly contested issue and one with a long history of misuse and authoritarian control, but does it still have a place in a 21st century society? Izzy Swanson and Natasha Phillips debate the need for censorship in music. Izzy: against censorship A quarter of the current top 40 singles on the official UK music chart contain explicit language. As a result, these songs are censored when played on the radio. According to Ofcom, the government-approved regulatory body for broadcasting, the reason for this censorship is to ensure that “under-eighteens are protected” from being exposed to “offensive and harmful material”. While the majority of listeners would argue that skipping out or replacing swear words is warranted on the radio, in a wider context, music censorship can ...

7Jun

By Victoria ChapmanNo Comments

Lifestyle

The Politics Of Social Media

Victoria Chapman discusses how social media is used to engage people in current affairs and why it has become such an influence on modern day politics. A day doesn't go by where you don’t see a disgruntled socialist complaining about Theresa May’s cutbacks, or a Conservative supporter making yet another statement about Labour’s debt and denial. And whether you’re into politics or not, you have to agree it makes for an interesting debate on Facebook. But how exactly does social media have such an impact over politics? Everyone’s on social media now; politics can be accessed through every technological medium, allowing it to reach out to everyone rather than the select few. Anyone can get involved in a discussion or movement on Facebook, Twitter, you name it. Even Instagram had users ...

29Mar

By Georgia BeithNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’

Georgia Beith criticises the ban of ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ Upon first inspection, the Indian Hindi film ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ would seem to be a relatively harmless, small, independent yet uplifting film. And what was intended to be an empowering portrayal of ordinary Indian women has sparked a wave of controversy after the Indian Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) refused to certify it; thereby preventing it from being released in India. There is little basis for their argument, which has opposed the film on the grounds that it is “lady orientated” and contains “sexual scenes, abusive words and audio pornography”. It is the first criticism of the film that has garnered the most attention, with accusations that this is an attempt to silence women in Indian popular cult...

11Jan

By No Comments

Opinion

What’s this about a “No to EU” society?

Recently, on the university notice board I came upon a request asking for a society to be created in regards to Britain’s status in the EU. However the preferred title of the society was “Better off out”, indicating the society would lean mostly towards Britain leaving the EU. This initially upset me as it was very one-sided; mentioning those who are undecided are still welcome. But what if you’re Pro-EU? But besides that, isn’t a society meant to unite you in a new or known topic of interest? This topic can, to some, be a huge subject of interest, but creating it for one side didn’t seem fair. However this feeling soon drifted as one point this post managed to succeed in, is the question of promoting a debate. A debate to occur within the university among both British students and inte...

2Jun

By No Comments

News

Anti-Tory Article by RHUL Lecturer Causes Controversy

Rebecca Roache, lecturer in Philosophy at Royal Holloway, caused controversy the day after the General Election. In her post, “If you’re a Conservative, I’m not your friend”, on the University of Oxford’s Practical Ethics blog, she writes that she unfriended those on Facebook who had liked the pages of the Conservatives or of David Cameron. She writes that “life is too short, I thought, to hang out with people who hold abhorrent political views, even if it’s just online” comparing Conservatives views with racism, sexism, and homophobia. In spite of this, contextually, the General Election was an emotionally charged evening. Roache recognises this, and states that although she values political debate, at the moment she is “tired of reasoned debate about politics—at...