BLAMING THE BEAR – THE 21st CENTURY RED SCARE

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged 100 years, 1918 Immigration Act, 1918 Sedition Act, 2016 US Presidential election, activists, Adam Ramsay, anarchists, anti migrant, arrest, Arthur Miller, Artie Shaw, berlin wall, bolshevik party, Brexit, burqa ban, capitalism, capitalist west, Catalonia, cold war, communism, communist east, Department of Justic, deportation, EU referendum, General Strikes, government, hammer and sickle, Hollywood, independence referendum, Leave Campaign, media, muslim ban, nuclear weapons, openDemocracy, Palmer Raids, People's Republic of China, political phenomena, prevent strategy, provisional government, public hysteria, putin, Quebec, red menace, red scare, Russia, russian revolution, sharia law, Soviet, spain, Stalin, state power, The Crucible, Truman, Trump, US Patriot Act, USA, USSR, W E B Du bois, wwii, xenophobia.

by Chris Jarvis

Tuesday November 7th marked 100 years since the Russian Revolution, when the Bolshevik Party overthrew the Provisional Government in Russia established in February of 1917. What followed was 84 years of Government by the Party in Russia, and what came to be known as the USSR, as well as a global struggle for ideological, economic, military, and imperial dominance between the “communist” east and capitalist west.

Throughout that period, a central plank of western political policy and rhetoric was the fear-inducing concept of the red menace and its attempts to wreak havoc upon the democratic states of Western Europe and North America. Erosion of civil liberties, aggressive policies on migration, and imperialist adventures through East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa were all justified with the visage of Joseph Stalin, conniving communists. and the hammer and sickle looming ominously as a backdrop.

Amongst the most brazen of these were the infamous ‘red scares’ – periods of government, media and public hysteria about the communist threat, primarily confined to the USA. Continue Reading

SATIRICAL SABOTAGE

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged comedians, comedy, Emmys, Have I Got News For You, Hollywood, John Oliver, Melissa McCarthy, political satire, satire, satirical, Sean Spicer, sketches, skits, SNL, Trump.

by Richard Worth

Sean Spicer made an appearance at the Emmys on Sunday evening and an institution I hold incredibly dear to my heart almost destroyed itself. It was unexpected and extremely upsetting, but with time I think things could be alright. I am not referring to the Emmys of course, but to the tradition of satire.

Since the dawn of the Trump Era (a TARDIS-like section of time that hopefully, history will see as quite brief but which feels eternal to those in it), satire has arguably become more important than ever before. I’ve written about it a number of times for The Norwich Radical and I genuinely believe that mockery of the maniacal and mighty serves as a psychological sword and shield, at once cutting into the ego of demagogues and simultaneously protecting us from being pummelled into submission by their beliefs.

These past few years, as the Right, the Centre and, though it pains me to admit it, the Left have started to construct their own realities, satire has become more confusing as writers around the globe have all but given up trying to match the farcical nature of the world, but we still fought on under the banner of “this is not normal”.

LADY OF THE FLIES: WORKSHOPPING A BAD IDEA

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged David Siegel, female cast, Female Lord of the Flies, feminism, film, film adaptation, Heathers, Hollywood, Lady of the Flies, Lord of the Flies, matriarchal, Mean Girls, movie, patriarchal society, patriarchy, remake, Scott McGehee, William Golding, women in film, workshopping, Y the Last Man.

by Richard Worth

Hollywood seems once again to be trying to prove that it is incapable of coming up with an original idea, while the ideas that they do have are disturbingly off base and fly in the face of prevailing winds. The latest is a forthcoming remake of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies featuring female characters playing the traditionally male roles. Predictably, it got the internet, usually known for its tempered and considered reactions, good and riled up.

Lord of the Flies is a complex and challenging piece of literature. As such, adapting it with such a major fundamental change, threatens the integrity of the original story. Having the story revolve around a group of girls, rather than boys, presents some hurdles but I think it doesn’t necessarily destroy the story’s function.

THE CONQUERING OF NO-MAN’S LAND: WONDER WOMAN

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Perspectives and tagged art, artform, arts, Beauty and the Beast, Buzzfeed, casting, Catowman, cinema, comic, criticism, David Edelstein, director, Elektra, feminism, Gal Gadot, Hollywood, icon, Justice League, La La Land, lgbt, movie, pacifism, Patty Jenkins, review, romance, superhero, The Mary Sue, Vulture, warrior, women, Wonder Woman.

by Sara Harrington

A bolshy child running through a busy village, a nanny calls after her. Racing, they pass people conducting business, chatting, carrying linen, selling wares. The responsible guardian calls after the child carrying chaos in their wake; futile exclamations for them to stop and return to their studies. Refusing they rush rambunctiously, weaving in between villagers; who take notice. We take notice.

This scene is composed of women. Upon arrival at their apparent destination the child lashes fists and feet in the air, an indignant display of fighting. Determined to take part, the camera pans to show us the source of the excitement. Women warriors wrangle tacitly dropped shields from atop horses, all spin kicks and slaying swords that clash furiously, deadly blows dealt with gravity defying deft and ridiculous displays of battle prowess in all its slow motion glory. Child Wonder Woman is awash with awe and envy as we, the audience process our thoughts.

This is so fucking cool.Continue Reading

SCARLETT AND YELLOWFACE—THE CASE OF SLANT EYES IN 21ST CENTURY MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Inter|national, Perspectives and tagged Alex Borstein, Alison Ng, Aloha, Amanda Stenberg, Arthur Golden, arts, asian, cGI, Cristina Yang, Dr Strange, East Asia, Emma Stone, erasure, film, Full Metal Jacket, Ghost in the Shell, Glenn Rhee, Grey's Anatomy, Hollywood, Jackie Chan, Ken Jeong, Leslie Chow, M&S, MADtv, Major Kusanagi, martial arts, Marvel, media, Memoirs of a Geisha, minority, Mortal Kombat, movie, Ms Swan, portrayal, race, racism, representation, Scarlett Johansson, South East Asia, The Last Samurai, Tibet, Tilda Swinton, Tom Cruise, white privilege, yellowface.

by Julian Canlas

(Writer’s note: I specifically wrote this article focusing on East and South-East Asian portrayals. Despite being in the same continent, I do think that South Asian and Western Asian representations in media differ vastly from those of East and South-East Asians.)

There’s no doubt: East and South-East Asians in mainstream media can’t exist without being reduced into racist caricatures. Asians, including me, cannot exist beyond the characterisation of our slant eyes, buckteeth, and thick accent. We are good at maths, martial arts, and being meek. We are not artists, but tech geniuses. We cannot be main characters, only sidekicks. Only comic reliefs, either sexless nerds or docile sex fetishes, and ladyboys. Because if we do, we turn white.Continue Reading

DEADPOOL AND SEXUALITY: MINIMUM EFFORT

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Perspectives and tagged blockbuster, box office, comic, comics, Deadpool, film, fourth wall, Fox, gender, heterocentrism, Hollywood, homosexuality, LGBTQIA+, Marvel, merc, money, Morena Baccarin, movie, pansexuality, Ryan Reynolds, sex, sexuality, Stan Lee, Tim Miller, Wade Wilson.

by Beth Saward

Bringing in a staggering $132.7million, Deadpool had the biggest opening weekend for an R-rated movie, beating The Matrix Reloaded’s previous 2003 record. It’s safe to say that the Merc with a Mouth has been a success. Tim Miller’s direction combined with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick’s screenplay manage to stay true to the comic’s sense of humour.

Those fans who were worried about how Deadpool’s infamous fourth-wall smashing would translate to the screen weren’t disappointed (even if a beautiful opportunity was missed during Stan Lee’s obligatory cameo). Reynolds, who’s said in interviews that he’s waited 11 years to make Deadpool, plays Wade Wilson with an infectious glee that you can’t help but enjoy. Despite all of this, the film leaves a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste.Continue Reading

THE JUNGIAN APPEAL BEHIND STAR WARS

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged carl jung, comics, Disney, film, george lucas, Hollywood, joseph campbell, science fiction, star wars.

By Faizal Nor Izham

What is it about Star Wars that makes it so endearing to the public consciousness? Is it really all about the lightsabre duels, the weird and wacky alien characters, or the intense melodrama behind the story that reaches almost soap opera-like proportions? Fans and critics have long speculated the secret behind the franchise’s popularity over the course of three generations, but the truth may actually lie behind the fact that it is a form of modern-day mythology that is universally relatable to this day.

THE MALE GAZE WON’T CURE EATING DISORDERS

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives and tagged anorexia, body, bulimia, eating disorder, education, female body, feminism, feminist theory, Hollywood, in theory, male gaze, male privilege, media, privilege, self-esteem, street harassment, trigger warning, TW, wellbeing, woman, women.

by Robyn Banks

Eating disorders and low self-esteem in women and girls have been making headlines in both feminist discourse and the mainstream press for years, usually being linked in a variety of ways to the media, be it advertising or the homogenous representation of women. 1.6 million people in the UK suffer from some form of eating disorder, of which 89% are female, and anorexia nervosa has been reported in girls as young as six.

The issue has resurfaced again recently after Dr Aric Sigman, a professor in child psychology, has said that boys are an ‘untapped army’ who can prevent girls’ diet disorders by telling them how attractive they find ‘curvy’ women. At the same time, France unveiled a plan to ban models deemed too skinny from the catwalk. Both of these prevention measures are well meaning, but both are rooted in a profound misunderstanding of eating disorders that could do more harm than good.

Hollywood

BLAMING THE BEAR – THE 21st CENTURY RED SCARE

SATIRICAL SABOTAGE

LADY OF THE FLIES: WORKSHOPPING A BAD IDEA

THE CONQUERING OF NO-MAN’S LAND: WONDER WOMAN

SCARLETT AND YELLOWFACE—THE CASE OF SLANT EYES IN 21ST CENTURY MAINSTREAM MEDIA

DEADPOOL AND SEXUALITY: MINIMUM EFFORT

THE JUNGIAN APPEAL BEHIND STAR WARS

THE MALE GAZE WON’T CURE EATING DISORDERS

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