Apology for my lack of posting.

There is really no excuse, I should really update more often. And I will make it my new years resolution to do so, I promise.

I have a Tumblr account now, and post a lot of stuff there, so do come and pay me a visit!

It's been quite an eventful year in British politics. The Liberal Democrats got a taste of popularity, unfortunately is was short lived. Although I am not really fussed about the tuition fees being raised, Nick Clegg has made a fatal mistake that has probably cost him and his party any chances they had of ever getting into power.

Yet I still love their policies more than those of any other party. Unfortunately should I decide to vote for them in the next election there will be a massive stigma attached, as with the rest of them. If you vote Tory you're a milk snatcher, if you vote Labour you're a warmonger, and now if you vote Lib Dem you hate students. Still that's British politics for you. America, I have noticed, does not have that problem, at least not to the extent that we do here. When a Republican candidate runs for election, they are not automatically compared to Bush or Nixon because they happen to represent the same party. (At least that's the impression I get.) At least they judge each candidate individually. That's definitely one aspect of American politics that makes it favourable to British politics. So, yeah, gotta give 'em credit for that I suppose. ;)
Hope everyone has had a good Christmas, and have a great New Year! :)

Hung parliaments and world cup hysteria.

Oh dear, it has been a while since I graced Blogspot with my presence. I have had an avalanche of assignments and exams, but I am pleased to say that I am now free for the summer! Also I am no longer a fresher at Brunel University - unbelievable how fast the time has gone. Since my last visit we have had an election, which is like a Politics student's equivalent of the world cup. I'm pretty sure I must have driven my parents insane as it was all I could talk about. As far as the results went, in all honesty, as a Liberal Democrat voter, it was the best outcome we could have hoped for, but I digress, this blog is not about the election. As much as I have to say about it, I will surely bore you and it is kind of old news now. Just wanted to give it a brief mention ;)

What I am here to talk about is still political in some respects, although it is more just another angry rant about an "issue" that has really got me going. I use quotations for the word "issue" because the truth is it's not really an issue at all. It is merely a combination of hysteria and bigotry that has created this so called issue that isn't actually there. Allow me to explain.
The world cup is approaching, and as always, people are suddenly remembering that England isn't such a bad place after all and that they actually quite like this country and so they get out the England shirts and flags and we all cheer for England until they get knocked out in the quarter finals, and everyone goes back to complaining about what a cold, grey place England is.
So everyone is happy, digging out the St George memorabilia from the attic or the shed or wherever it is they so grievously tossed it three years previously when England failed to qualify for Euro 2008. Everybody has Baddiel and Skinner or Fat Les on repeat, and even the big companies are cashing in on the event. World Cup fever is here once again.
But this time the Sun, that Holy Grail that only speaketh the truth, has made a scandalous discovery. Police want to BAN England shirts from pubs! Oh noes! :O
The offending article can be found here.
Only it's actually not as bad as is first assumed. They only recommend a ban of the shirts during the World Cup for the simple reason that there may be clashes involving drunken football hooligans. I have read the article three times and have not seen the words "Immigrants", "minorities" or "political correctness" mentioned once.
So we should accept that for once, the blame doesn't lie with immigration and that maybe the police have a point somewhat, right?
Wrong.
I came across a lovely little group on facebook. Did these people bother to read the article? Probably not. One outraged patriot says:

"how would they like it if we went and lived over there during the world cup what weve been waiting so long for and full off hope and we forced them to take off there turbans, they dont remove vales and turbans whilst there over here so why should we remove our shirts in our own country?? they shud be greatefull there here nevermind trying to take over the country. WERE ENGLAND !!! ALWAYS WILL BE, NOT PAKISTAN :D"

Do policemen wear turbans? I do not see what Pakistan has to do with policemen wanting to ban football shirts from pubs. Do they do that in Pakistan too?

"come on england im going to wear an england shirt with bnp no 10 on it im english and proud .."

Yes, because the BNP supports everything about the England football team. Wasn't it them who supported Denmark in 2002 because England wasn't "white" enough?. And didn't two senior members of the party claim that Ashley Cole wasn't English and therefore had no right to play for England, despite him being born in London?
So, if it wasn't enough that they were taking all our benefits and jobs, now those nasty immigrants want to steal our world cup too! Never mind the fact that the Sun never even mentioned immigrants in the first place. So once again the Sun’s readers fail to illuminate the issues concerned and demonstrates its inability to differentiate between fact and myth, and the proud patriots who speak for the entire population have made us look like a nation of gullible xenophobic fools.

You know, English pride, and all that.

REAL Feminists.

It saddens me that people simply do not know the true meaning of the word “feminist”. When I say I am a feminist, immediately I am accused of hating men, and pursuing a world dominated by women. No, that’s radical feminism, and only a minority of so called feminists fit that category. (Although frankly I don’t think anybody with this point of view has the nerve to call themselves a feminist, it’s not what it’s about, and it gives the rest of us a bad name.)
Ok so feminism is the idea that women are equal to men. This definition itself gets criticism, namely from conservatives, because “men and women are different, therefore they cannot be equal!” to be perfectly honest I fail to see the logic in this. Perhaps you have forgotten that “equal” and “different” are two completely different words with different definitions? We are all different, no two people are the same, but we can still have equality. It’s a pretty simple concept, and I am quite surprised so many people use that argument when it is hardly rocket science to allow diversity and equality to coexist. But I’ll explain what true feminists mean when they campaign for “equality”.
First, let’s take employment into consideration. Suppose we have two people, their gender is irrelevant, but one is qualified to be a plumber and the other has a degree in primary teaching. Both are unemployed. Let’s say there were to be a shortage of teachers, and both people applied for a teaching position in a primary school, obviously, the person who has the degree in primary teaching will get the job. They are both different but in the eyes of the employer, they are not equal, because the graduate has the appropriate qualifications to be a teacher, while the plumber does not. If they both went for a job as a plumber, then the plumber would have the advantage. HOWEVER, both the plumber and the teacher are allowed to vote, are allowed to get married, and enjoy the basic human rights that the law offers, because although they are different, their salaries are different, but they are both equal in the eyes of the law, just not when it comes to applying for a teaching position.
Ok, now let’s say we have two people, a man and a woman. Both are doctors, both studied medicine at the same medical school, both have the same number of years experience, both specialise in the same area, with the same ability both work in the same hospital. Therefore, both should receive equal pay. A feminist is someone who would look at this scenario and would agree that it would be discriminatory and unfair for the hospital to pay the male doctor more.
Their careers become irrelevant when it comes to other basic human rights, such as the right to vote. It doesn't matter whether a woman is a doctor or a housewife, she should still be allowed to participate in democracy, and she should be allowed to have all the opportunities that men have and so on. She and other women are all equal in the eyes of the law. Her gender should not get in the way of her human rights or her career prospects. That is what I believe, and so I am a feminist, as are those who believe the same. I do not hold the opinion that women should have more privileges than men, which is not feminism.
While we’re still on the subject, I do not believe that men are “objectifying” women, the media is responsible for that, and the media consists of both men and women. I also understand that men are naturally aroused by the female form, and as long as they don’t actually treat all women like objects, which the majority don’t, then I have no problem with lad’s mags like FHM, since they are merely the male equivalent of their female counterparts. Generally speaking, men tend to be interested in similar things, the same with women. I don’t necessarily think that is down to gender stereotypes, it’s down to our hormones and our brains, which is where it starts to get a lot more complicated, but that’s the basic idea.
I also disagree with encouraging girls to stay at home (which, thankfully, has been greatly reduced in the last century). However if I was a mother, I wouldn’t force my daughter to apply to university and get a career that pays lots either, I’d let her decide for herself what she wanted to do, and if that includes finding a husband and staying at home being a mother, then so be it.
So this has hopefully not just explained what I believe and the true meaning of the word "feminist", but also why feminism is important, and people should be a lot less sceptical about it. Do not be afraid to call yourself a feminist, because chances are that those who criticise it are unaware of the true meaning, or not worth your concern.