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Day: 16 October 2011

The importance of Black and Ethnic Minorities Week

With the anticipation of Black and Ethnic Minorities Week, and the numerous social and political issues which are prevalent in our society, it has become increasingly important to justify the significance of this poignant week in reflection of society today.

There are an inextricably huge amount of factors impacting the under-representation of certain communities in not just corporate industries, but on the political platform and public services, such as the police force. A recent survey indicated that only 3.7% of the police force are from ethnic minorities, emphasizes the so-called negative discrimination which is currently embedded in our public culture. Futile attempts to reverse this trend have had knock-on effects to the next generation, with mixed ethnic groups seeing the biggest increases in youth unemployment since the recession began, rising from 21% to 35% in the period, and as graduates, black people are three times more likely to be unemployed than white people within six months of graduation. Within five years of graduation, black students earn up to nine per cent less than their white peers for the same work.

When the TUC themselves are blaming the employment gap on firms discriminating against candidates from ethnic minority communities then this requires reformation of not just a social culture, but affirmative action to address the deep racism at the heart of our education and student life.

Why is this week so important? It is a compilation of influential events which help to expose the problems faced by ethnic minorities with commonalities of shared suffering and deep-rooted discrimination. The aim is to fight racism and under-representation and expose the shortages faced by victimised students who are treated unequally to their counterparts, as well as to empower these groups to learn about how integral they are in a developing multicultural society, by celebrating the contribution of Ethnic role models, such as Gandhi and Malcolm X, who held a meeting in our very own Student’s union Hall on the 3rd of December 1964, months before he was assassinated.

Unjustified inequality has been rife in our society for a long period of time, while efforts by many groups and movements have aimed to bridge this void, we still hear of the 72 per cent of Muslim women have experienced verbal abuse and threatening behaviour relating directly to their visible Muslim presence.

This week is so important to help engage with groups from an array of backgrounds and disciplines to tackle these issues head on. Our constant drive to lobby and campaign have insofar helped to raise fundamental issues facing back and ethnic minorities, but more needs to be done to empower these communities, less as ‘ethnic minorities’ but as global majorities and foster a sense of solidarity in common struggles.

Not only will these inequalities be addressed, but united on an equal front, we can also celebrate our rich heritage of the positive contribution made throughout civilization from the Civil Rights struggles to strongly featured history on the acts, culture and beliefs of self determining Ethnic groups and people such as Marcus Garvey and Steve Biko, staunch proponents of black equality a shining symbol represented in our very own union, something which we should take great pride in.

Granted, these issues have contended with short-term fixes, now is the time to empower these groups into substantive action, immerse yourselves and support progressive campaigns that aim to tackle deep-rooted abuses in reality and fuel change by observing the inequalities around you.

Blind date: Rob and Rosie

Rob, Accounting and Finance (and BA Econ Society President!), Third year

What were you first impressions?

Friendly and nice smile

What did you talk about?

A whole bunch of stuff: travels, good nights out in Manchester, the embarrasement of going the wrong way to find the loo, and working out how we could get a Wills & Kate calendar off the crazy beardy quiz guy

Best thing about them?

Really easy to have a chat with almost like we had known each other

What did you eat?

As it was paid for, obviously the most expensive thing! Steak with a brownie for dessert

Any awkwardness?

Managed to catch my drink after nearly knocking it out of my hand….though, I hope she didn’t write anything here!?

How did you part ways?

Did the standard gentleman approach by waiting at the bus stop until the Magic Bus came..glamorous but there was a casual hug at the end

Out of 10?

8

Would you see them again?

Hope to see her around

 

Rosie, Politics and Modern History, Second year

What were your first impressions?

Oh, that’s not the photographer then.

What did you talk about?

Everything, where we wanted to go travelling but hadn’t, what we wanted to do in Manchester but hadn’t. His penchant for fancy dress and our mutual appreciation of BOP. Families and what it’s like to grow up in the middle of nowhere and how we both clearly need to improve our geography as we had no idea where the others home town was.

Best thing about them?

He was so easy to talk to, and his being comfortable made me much more comfortable which definitely helped. He also stole a wagon wheel and didn’t judge me for drinking a pint.

What did you eat?

We both ordered the most expensive thing on the menu- steak salad, and a massive sundae I couldn’t finish.

Any awkwardness?

I don’t think so; I went the wrong way to the toilet which was vaguely embarrassing.

How did you part ways?

Classic hug.

Out of 10?

8

Would you see them again?

Probably will, in BOP, or one of the millions of places we convinced ourselves we’d actually go to this year.

 

Rob and Rosie ate at The Deaf Institute, Grosvenor Street, Manchester. Visit their website www.thedeafinstitute.co.uk to check out their menu, gig listings and have a look at what club nights are coming up.

To sign up for blind date please e mail your name, year of study and course to [email protected] with ‘blind date’ as the subject.

Model Behavior?

Controversial behaviours have long been synonymous with the creative industries. The music, film and fashion worlds have enjoyed a lasting affinity with activities that have outraged and appalled the general public, whilst simultaneously cementing the other worldly allure of the decadent and debauched.

And whilst this behaviour is expected, certainly, rarely is it entirely accepted. In recent years, a slew of prominent fashion figures being exposed as all too less than perfect has revealed the extent to which an individual’s career and legacy can be blemished. From an exalted position as an icon, to shunned and disgraced, the fashion carousel has witnessed its fair share of falls from grace. Is it, however, fair to allow non- ideal behaviour in an individual’s private life to seep into and tarnish the professional?

Take, for example, the ‘Cocaine Kate’ scandal of 2005. When The Mirror obtained footage of Miss Moss chopping up and consuming numerous lines of coke, they deplored her behaviour and Kate went on to lose a number of high profile campaigns in the aftermath. Certainly, dabbling in the world of Class A narcotics when you are the mother of a dependant young child is morally dubious behaviour, and a terrible precedent to set as a primary role model in an infant’s life. But did anyone truly suppose that the then girlfriend of notorious substance abuser Pete Docherty was livin’ la vida sober? The world of modelling has long been associated with the consumption of illegal drugs, and for a seasoned hack at a publication such as The Mirror to bleat that Kate was setting a poor example to legions of young girls is ridiculous- a fashion model is not, by default, a role model to all exposed to her. Whilst Kate is answerable to her daughter for her past behaviours, it doesn’t seem correct to use this instance as an impingement against her iconic status.

Should, however, allegations of an even more unsavoury nature have any bearing on how we view the status of a deceased icon, with no means through which to redeem themselves? A new book detailing Coco Chanel’s relationship with a senior intelligence officer in the Nazi Regime (‘Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel, Nazi Agent’ by Hal Vaughan) sheds more light on the speculation that one of history’s most esteemed figures in fashion was a fierce anti- Semitic. That the late Chanel’s status will ever be called into dispute is highly doubtful- she is far too firmly cemented and celebrated for that to be the case. But for many, the association of the House of Chanel with the atrocities committed earlier in the century will tarnish the image of one of the century’s most revolutionary designers.

In a similar vein, the infamous British born designer John Galliano was notoriously caught spewing a racist verbal tirade which was captured on video and obtained by The Sun. Having been recently brought to trial, found guilty and given a suspended sentence by an outraged French feudal system, his publicist has claimed that he is working on alcohol and substance addiction problems and hopes to defeat these to come to a place of ‘understanding’.  In the ensuing fracas following the release of the footage, Galliano was sacked from his position as Head of Design at Dior and openly shunned by various influential media personalities.

The racist views and acts of Chanel and Galliano most definitely warrant punishment via the legal system, which only one of them is alive to have handed down to them. But whilst, they both evidently possess some extremely harmful, offensive and outright ‘bad’ opinions, the facet of their person which comprises their talent and achievement can be compartmentalised and assessed outside of this. For fashion to qualify every achievement recorded by the late Coco Chanel, or for the industry to forfeit the talent of Galliano, would be a terrible negation of a pair of visionaries.

Does Galliano have a future?

In March 2010 when John Galliano was spectacularly suspended from Dior following allegations he had made anti-Semitic comments in a Paris bar, the world questioned the future of one of fashion’s most creative and eccentric talents. Having headed couture fashion house Dior as chief designer for nearly fifteen years, Galliano’s downfall was as sudden as it was shocking and threw to light the question: what will become of John Galliano?

Galliano’s outburst not only deeply disturbed but divided both the fashion and celebrity worlds. Somewhat surprisingly, due to the severity of Galliano’s comments, many loyal friends jumped to his defence claiming him ‘ill, not racist’. Kate Moss stuck by her long standing friend and symbolically asked Galliano to design her wedding dress when she wed Jamie Hince in July this year.

However, despite many friends rallying around Galliano, others publically criticized the shamed designer, including Karl Lagerfeld who declared he was ‘furious’ at the ‘horrible image’ Galliano had created. Hollywood actress Natalie Portman, who is both Jewish and the face of Dior fragrance ‘Miss Dior Cherie’, also publically spoke of her disgust and disassociation with Galliano, which is understandable considering Portman lost her great-grandparents in the holocaust.

Although many condemn Galliano’s intoxicated outburst, very few can criticize his talent which will undeniably be missed by the fashion world. His collections, season after season, showed real imagination and creative talent barely rivalled by any other designer, each catwalk show seemed to tell its own story, each outfit depicted a character.

When the highly anticipated Dior Spring/Summer 2012 catwalk show opened in Paris, the audience were finally shown a hint of life post-Galliano. The clothes- though beautifully crafted by Galliano’s former right-hand man Bill Gaytten- seemed to lack the energy, the fantasy and the controversy that embodied John Galliano. Where Galliano had pushed the boundaries, Gaytten played it safe, where Galliano had created a story, Gayttenscollection seemed to lack coherent flow. And when the final curtain came down, the audience were not left questioning Galliano’s future without Dior, but instead questioning the future of Dior, without John Galliano.