COMBAT CAPITALISM – THE SHAME OF MAYWEATHER VS MCGREGOR

Posted on July 15, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged Amanda Nunes, athlete, boxe, boxing, brock lesnar, capitalism, combat, combat sports, Conoc McGregor, Dana White, Dimitrius Johnson, entertainment, fight, Floyd Mayweather, George St Pierre, Jay Z, Jon Jones, martial arts, MMA, money, mysogyny, press conference, profit, racism, sexism, sport, sports, toxic masculinity, UFC, wrestling.

by Toby Gill

Content warning – sexism, domestic abuse, racism, two very rich men being awful.

Last night, combat sports enthusiasts of the world gathered around their television sets. At the end of a long day’s work, they sunk into their sofas – remote in one hand, perhaps a Bud in the other. Of course, as they have been saying to their less knowledgeable friends for months, this whole fight is simply a farce. Of course, just like everyone else, they are obviously going to watch it. This week has been the world tour: a series of hugely anticipated pre-fight press conferences. Fans now watch eagerly – just to see if there could be some substance to this fight after all.

What they have been greeted with is a steaming, grotesque, shameless turd-like insult to everything they hold dear.

REVIEW: AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES, BY JOHN GREEN

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged ableism, adaptation, an abundance of katherines, author, bestseller, book, colin, dehumanisation, dialogue, entitlement, expectations, fault in our stars, film, hassan, humour, John Green, language, literature, love, makeup, meditation, mysogyny, okay, reading, relationship, review, romance, sexism, tampons, teen, teenagers, travel, writing, YA fiction.

by Carmina Masoliver

I picked this book up on my travels from a Silent Meditation Retreat in Ubud, Bali. Reading a good book is like meditation for those of us whose minds won’t shut up. It’s something I know I should do more, especially as an English Literature graduate and as a writer. But in the age of social media, I find myself clicking on different articles deep into the night instead. That said, a good writer will keep you hooked enough to pull you away from such distractions.

I had read John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars, which rightfully brought him to critical acclaim (as well as a film deal). An Abundance of Katherines was first published ten years ago, but is seeing a revival now that Green is a bestselling author. I felt excited to start reading it, and I enjoyed it so much that I made sure I had a copy waiting for me when I returned home, in between jetting off to Spain, where I’m now living.Continue Reading

THE SPECTRE OF IDEOLOGY

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged 007, agency, anti hero, arms, bond girls, books, comment, conservative, control, Daniel Craig, Englishman, film, films, hero, Ian Fleming, ideology, Idris Elba, James Bond, MI5, movies, mysogyny, NSA, politics, review, security, Spectre, status quo, terrorism, totalitarianism, Waltz, weapons.

by Jack Brindelli

In the years following the Second World War, Britain had shifted in ways many thought impossible. In the 1950s, amidst the fading colonial legacy of a crumbling empire, with increasing levels of immigration and the decreased faith in the power of the free market led, the country’s middle class felt stranded. These revolutionary changes in the country’s fabric radically challenged the ideas they had been raised to adhere to in the name of success. Middle England was holding out for a hero – and boy did Ian Fleming’s gin-swilling womaniser give them one.

James Bond is a cultural artefact – an ideological snap-shot, emerging initially as the embodiment of the established order, in order to defend it. Such was the archetypal appeal of the character, and so in tune was he to the fears of the middle class, that he soon moved seamlessly between mediums. In a world where Britain’s influence seemed to be waning, and where marginalised races and genders were pushing for equality, Bond showed Middle England could still have it all – no wonder he’s cited as being David Cameron’s inspiration for foreign policy, 007 is a conservative’s wet-dream.Continue Reading

HOW SHOULD WE TALK ABOUT MISOGYNY IN RAP?

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged De La Soul, Dr Dre, female artist, female mc, female musicians, feminism, hip hop, intersectionality, Lauryn Hill, MC, music, mysogyny, NWA, rap, salt n pepa, Snoop Dogg, spotify, straight outta compton, TLC, women.

by Mike Vinti

Between Spotify releasing data showing that hip hop is the most widely listened to genre of music, and the imminent release of Straight Outta Compton: The Movie, rap has been in the news a lot recently. With the spotlight firmly on Dr. Dre & Co., and in light of a fantastic article for Gawker by journalist and MC Dee Barnes, detailing the abuse she faced from the former NWA member and how women were excluded from the movie, questions have begun to be asked about the treatment of women in hip hop.

In many ways these questions are long overdue. As with many other genres, women have been all but erased from the popular narrative of hip hop’s history, and many rappers still use misogynistic language today. The latter of these is the most frequent, and most generalised, complaint levelled against hip hop and rap, and has been since the genre reached mainstream popularity. Continue Reading

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX: THE INSTITUTE OF SEXOLOGY AND SEX IN THE AFTERNOON

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged exhibition, feminism, Institute of Sexology, london, Marie Stopes, mysogyny, performance, poetry, psychology, review, sex, Sex in The Afternoon, sexology, sexuality, Sigmund Freud, Wellcome collection, women, writing.

by Carmina Masoliver

I didn’t know what to expect from The Institute of Sexology, exhibited at the Wellcome Collection, but it was probably not the mass of phallic and explicit penis-shaped trinkets, supposedly associated with power. What would have been nice is the inclusion of similar vagina-inspired adornments. Nevertheless, it was bound to be that an exhibition about sex would highlight patriarchal power and women’s submissive role throughout history.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD – IS IT JUST ME?

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged adaptation, arts, Atticus Finch, Barbican, Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee, london, Mockingbird, mysogyny, novel, play, race, racism, rape, review, stage, to kill a mockingbird, women, words, writing.

by Carmina Masoliver

Recently, I went on a school visit to see To Kill a Mockingbird at The Barbican, and whilst I think the actors played their parts incredibly well – especially Zackary Momoh, who played the role of the falsely accused Tom Robinson – I’m not writing here to give a glowing review. I read the book around the time I started my job at the school three years ago, yet the play, adapted by Christopher Sergel, had a different impact on me.

Actors slipped in and out of character to read directly from the book, narrating through a multitude of different accents, obviously showing that they were each sentimentally and emotionally affected by the text. This sentimentality, however, was lost on me, and as the production drew on, I came to think of it as unnecessary that it was being heralded to such acclaim in 2015.

mysogyny

COMBAT CAPITALISM – THE SHAME OF MAYWEATHER VS MCGREGOR

REVIEW: AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES, BY JOHN GREEN

THE SPECTRE OF IDEOLOGY

HOW SHOULD WE TALK ABOUT MISOGYNY IN RAP?

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX: THE INSTITUTE OF SEXOLOGY AND SEX IN THE AFTERNOON

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD – IS IT JUST ME?

Support the Radical

Subscribe

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Support the Radical

Subscribe