Heavy smog covering Shanghai Tuesday shut down school events, restricted construction and kept the elderly indoors with the highest air pollution levels in nearly a year. Reuters reported authorities issued a yellow alert — which is the third-worst on the environmental scale — once the air quality index reached hazardous territory. As of 6 a.m. local…
Cover Photo: BriYYZ/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Person Who Lobbed School Bomb Threat Hoax At NYC Was Likely A Weird “Homeland” Fan
New York City officials dismissed the bomb threat its own public schools and Los Angeles schools received Monday as a hoax likely concocted by a fan of the Showtime drama “Homeland.” New York City public schools did not close down any of its campuses Tuesday but the same threat prompted Los Angeles Unified School District to… Read More
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This Video Shows Why People Hate Local TV News Sometimes
Typically, I would take this space to write 300 meaningless words that you would probably skip because you clicked on this post to watch a video.
So I’m not going to waste any of your time and just post the link of a Cleveland TV station stalking Browns QB Johnny Manziel in the dumbest tv package we have seen in a long time.
Yep, that’s right. A great reporter was forced to wait out in front of Manziel’s home because he may or may not be an alcoholic. HAHAHAHAHA. Oh wait, that is literally none of our business.
Clearly the guy has some real issues going on right now in his life.
Who would wear a disguise and sneak away to Las Vegas less than 24 hours before his team played their last game of the season?
Someone with a real drinking problem would do that.
But let’s stand in his yard anyway because there is probably nothing else happening in Cleveland that is worth covering.
Cover Photo Credit: WEWS NewsChannel5/ Youtube (Screengrab)
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Does The Movie “Suffragette” Create Delusions About Modern Day Feminist Success?
By Sean Moran
At the October 7 London premiere of the film Suffragette, several activists from the group Sisters Uncut crashed the red carpet and released smoke canisters as part of a protest against recent budget cuts to facilities that offer care to victims of domestic violence. When asked why they chose this film for the protest, one activist replied that the film’s “celebratory sense” has created a “delusional element” that feminism has accomplished its goals.
Suffragette, set to begin a limited American release on October 23, tells the story of one mother’s experiences as she gets caught up in the female suffrage movement in early 20th century Britain. The movie stars Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter (who also happens to be the real life great granddaughter of H.H. Asquith, the Prime Minister who opposed female suffrage), and Meryl Streep as the leader of the suffrage movement, Emmeline Pankhurst.
A movie can be effective in getting an ideological message across, but how much can you ignore or even distort actual history?
Along with the protest at the premiere, the film has also received some backlash against a promotional photoshoot where the actresses wore t-shirts that read “I’d rather be a rebel than a slave.” Critics immediately began criticizing this quote for perceived racial insensitivity. Some pointed out that Emmeline Pankhurst and many other suffragettes were not advocating for black female suffrage too.
As much as people try to argue that the Pankhurst was a progressive feminist, the truth is that she wasn’t. Pankhurst was aided by her two daughters, Christabel and Sylvia, the former much in her mother’s image, while the latter had much more radical beliefs. Neither Emmeline nor Christabel believed women should wear pants or short hair, and both detested the rise of the Labour Party that represented the working class. Emeline also believed women should remain chaste, and all but denounced her daughter Sylvia when she had a child out of wedlock.
This raises an important issue with historical films: is it okay to force historical facts to fit a modern narrative? A movie can be effective in getting an ideological message across, but how much can you ignore or even distort actual history?
It would seem more authentic if characters did have inconsistent beliefs about equality, believing men and women should be equal but only some men and women (white, educated, upper class, etc.).
So in a way, the protestors at the premiere were right; this film shouldn’t be seen as the epitome of feminist ideology (Note: I have not seen the actual movie yet, and the film could totally address these issues).
Having said all that, I think this film will provide an adequately objective viewpoint. In an interview with Variety’s Kristopher Tapley, screenwriter Abi Morgan admitted that she didn’t want to do a feminist film.
“I don’t think any of us said, ‘Let’s make a feminist movie.’ I think we kind of went, ‘This is exciting. We never see women blow up buildings. We never see them militant.’”
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