Are you a feminist yet?

I was driven to write this article due to a conversation with a friend stating that he is now a feminist. Now, I’ve never really classed myself as a feminist, to be honest, I’ve never really looked into the subject. However, for those of the more ignorant simpletons amongst us, with the desire to be enlightened quickly, the answer may be to simply type ‘feminist’ into Google images (or at least to get the general picture anyhow). One of the top results describes a feminist as, and I quote “ an unshaven, militant vegan.” Well, I can’t say I associate with any of that; maybe I’m not a feminist after all?

I’ve never agreed with traditional gender roles, I haven’t been brought up to think so. For example, I’m sure my closest male friends are all fully aware of that - “ No mate I’m fine with the heavy bags”, however I’m also not stubborn enough to get rotator cuff damage, and in turn will also offer to take something to carry for them. I don't do this to be degrading and to strip them of their masculinity, to me It’s not necessary for a man to prove his masculinity and to be a ‘gentleman’. One of my own views has always been that I will never be treated unequally because of my gender, which has always been drummed into me by my mother. I remember coming home from school once and telling her, that a boy had a problem with me playing with all the other boys because I was a girl. The first thing she asked me was “is he short?” “well” I said “he’s shorter than me”. She replied “ ah he has short man complex darling, don’t worry about it.” In other words, she meant Napoleon syndrome, a psychological condition that can occur in both men and women of short stature, in which they possess over-aggressive and domineering personality traits, which is said to compensate for the inferiority this persons feels due to their height. Well actually he was being a misogynistic twat. Okay, maybe a little harsh, as even I didn’t even know what misogyny was when I was 9, however at this stage he was already exhibiting sexist qualities, which could possibly manifest in later life. This is where I think it is crucial for  parents to nip this kind of behavior in the bud at this early stage , and it not  to be overlooked as playful children’s behavior.

 I’m sure every woman has experienced misogyny at some point in her life, some to more of an extent than others. I’m also positive that misogyny attracts some women to have a more active and opinionated role in the feminist community, as one of their main aims is to battle misogyny and encouraging more rights for women, especially to those that have been exposed to this kind of treatment. These kind feminists are often given the title ‘man haters’ (or something equally derogatory) due to their strong-willed beliefs, as a result  the impression some men get, is that feminism is an exclusive, female only, man hating club. Especially to those that do not venture further than the fact that the word feminism contains ‘fem’ . However certain individuals could have exacerbated these connotations by anti-masculine activism in the guise of feminism, therefore wronging the whole ideology and principle of feminism.  Even when discussing this with friends and asking them if they are a feminist some say no due to this portrayal. 

Courtesy of elisabethlmurray.wordpress.com

 According to Wikipedia (the fountain of all knowledge): “feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies that share a common stated aim: to define, establish, and defend equal political, economic, cultural, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment.” With that in mind, I am a feminist, actually who isn’t a feminist? This doesn’t discriminate between men or women, it is an equal right.

It’s the 21^st century, why is feminism still a term? 

What’s anti-feminist? Anti-feminists are those who disagree with feminist ideology. But why? One argument is that men and women are different physically, and therefore it is realistic to think that men are more suited to different tasks than women. I think one of the most memorable things I’ve ever been told on this subject is that “There will never be a female U.S president, as it is such a powerful role; a woman is far too hormonal to be a successful leader.” Or is it religion? Our interpretations from religious writings that have lead to this perception i.e. Genesis 3:16: “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Or is the use of terms such as “don’t be a girl” or “man up” still subconsciously allowing us to accept that men and women each belong to certain roles in society ‘Gender difference’. 

Using a quote from Emma Watson’s UN Speech on Gender & Equality “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.” Not only will this outlook be the foundation to promote feminism but also pioneers the positive thinking towards issues such transgender acceptance, which has been in recent news.

I’ll leave you with this:

 

 Written by : Charlotte Lea

Altruism: A quick thought

Before I begin, I would like to call attention to the fact that I am not a philosopher. I have never studied philosophy or the works of any philosopher. I am a medical student, a man of science and its application. My degree requires me to commit to memory a great deal of strategies, procedures and guidelines without much room for interpretation or free-thought.

As an aspiring healthcare professional, altruism has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. I am frequently asked why I have chosen this career and I frequently answer “to help people” – a response so automatic that it has begun to lose meaning. I believe that a majority of medical students (and the general public) would like to believe that the reason for their choosing to study medicine is care-orientated – they wish to best utilise their skills and knowledge for the aid of humankind. Yet the ambitious and egoistic qualities consistently displayed by my peers and I leads me to question the extent of our selfless motivation.

'Bélisaire demandant l'aumône' (Belisarius begging for alms)
by Jacques-Louis David - 1780

Before I further discuss the role of altruism in healthcare I want to consider its origins. If we strip away human emotion, thoughts and feelings, and consider Darwin’s genetics-based “survival of the fittest” concept, the idea of altruism seems almost to be a hindrance for the continuation of one’s genes, especially if the action is done at one’s own expense. By helping someone in a way that allows their genes to be passed down and flourish would squander energy that could be applied to the furthering of one’s own genes. So why do it?

An argument for altruism, with regards to genetics, could be the hope that any support provided might be returned, allowing for mutual gain and furthering of one’s own genes as well as the genes of others. This brings about the concept of a gene-pool or society. If everybody within a society helps one another out, or “does their bit”, the likelihood of the society surviving is higher and therefore the gene-pool. Perhaps altruism is a tribal concept that has persisted to the modern-day. This may be why people are more benign towards - and inclined to help - somebody from a similar culture/country/race as they are, and shun/fear those of different backgrounds to increase the survival of their own genes, either through themselves or through someone who is likely to share some of their genetic material.

It would be hard to write an article on altruism without mentioning religion. In most organised religions altruism plays a central role. From The Bible’s: ‘Do to others as you would like them to do to you.’ to The Qur’an’s ‘None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.’ However, what is the reason for selflessness in the name of religion? If a person helps someone in the hope that they will ascend to heaven or in the fear that they would otherwise go to hell; is the action truly altruistic? It could be argued that such behaviour is spawned from one’s own selfish terrors or desires. A constant “looking over one’s shoulder”: in fear of a higher power. But what if that power came from oneself? The reason for selfless deeds came from a fear of dishonouring or upsetting a code that comes from yourself rather than another source? Then it would be impossible to be egotistical without damaging oneself and therefore impossible to be purely selfish, whilst also having the ability to be purely altruistic.

Altruism is an enigmatic concept. Open to endless interpretations and applicable to infinite thoughts, feelings and actions. As a medical student, it is hard not to get caught up in the idea that what I intend on doing is selfless and that my reasons are pure. But what is of crucial importance, and the crux of my future career as a doctor is not whether or not what I’m doing is selfless but whether why I’m doing it is truly altruistic.

Written by Roop Gill

Mud, Sweat and Beers

George's Ladies FC battled through the wind, rain and sun this weekend to secure their place in the quarter finals of the LUSL Cup. The match against The London School of Economics Women's 1sts was highly anticipated and started off in the opposition's favour with our girls falling 0-1 behind early on in the first half.
However the Green Army never go down without a fight and, after several attempts on goal, we equalised. The pace was set by our attack and combined with our relentless defence, we took control, securing 2-1 just after half-time.
LSE did not back off easily and Jess Baker proved her skills with some impressive goalkeeping throughout the entire match.However, a scuffle in the area following a well-executed LSE corner resulted in a George's own goal. Equalisation.
15 minutes later and after some excellent football from both teams, the score was 3-3.
5 minutes before full time, George's baffled the LSE defence to push into the lead. LSE then proved why they are in the Premier League by forming a deadly counter attack.
However it was just too little too late and the full time whistle blew to confirm a Green and Gold victory. With a final score of 4-3, we had just beaten the second best team in London, ending the year on a high!
Special mention goes to our goal scorers, Olivia Bennett (2), Danielle Brazier and Sophie Lenihan.

From left to right: Olivia Bennett, Steph Lupo, Rachel Hunt, Charlotte Lea, Catherine Gibbs, Sophie Lenihan, Jess Baker, Jess Herbert, Priya Barmi, Danielle Brazier, Bryony Esmat and Emily Cartwright (Photographer)

Written by: Rachel Hunt (Captain)

Audiosexuals: Pay Attention

To the girls who demand to be able to sing along to every word of the songs they rehearsed on Chart Hits; And to lads who refuse to listen to nothing but the slickest beats and ‘real’ rhythms with drops: You people polarise the ‘quality’ of the party playlist; insisting it to pander to only one or the other. The specification of gender here is purely anecdotal. Best believe this applies to you sing-song boys and ‘hip’ chicks too.

Though there is nothing wrong with having a bias in your music tastes don’t be so ridged when it comes to sharing sound space. As you get older you’ll meet more and more people who are convinced that their tunes are ‘objectively’ superior. These people refuse to share the jukebox and will audibly pout and moan when a disagreeing style takes the reins as self-appointed DJ. They’ll wait in line to jam in their ipod barely seconds before the chorus is over; sometimes, even before it started.

Pop fiends who only rock out to established tunes, it’s important to realise that sooner rather than later, you will stop being the demograph of the UK top 40. Unless you want to be that embarrassing spinster, drunk at the karaoke bar screeching T-Swifts ‘22’ at 44, you’d better broaden your horizons and try dancing to something more suited to your taste. You might just uncover a vein of music gold that will keep you musically entertained long after your grandchildren are dancing to ‘Now That’s What I Call Music 673’. A little more open-mindedness could take you somewhere beautiful.

Special snowflakes who insist that all chart music is homogenised trash and beneath you, there’s no need to be so flippant. You know the words to a million 80’s bangers; but they were on Top of the Pops too. Who’s to say that timeless music isn’t being made in the mainstream right now? You maintain your guilty pleasures in spite of your audiophillic views but you should at least know that liking something “ironically” is the same as regular liking it. Now that we’ve established that the prevailing genres aren’t all bad, maybe you can appreciate that having a little more tolerance for those catchy number 1s might just allow you to have a little more fun. And if you believe you are too cool to stand out of your chair and dance with your girl-friends as BBC radio one chimes away, you probably just aren’t that cool anyway.

Written by Mide Adebambo

Maybe we should even give these guys a chance?

SGHBC Cambridge Winter Head Race Report 15/11/14

The first race of the season and – after a period of squad training/crew selection – everyone was looking forward to seeing the results of all their hard work. The race is 2500m long and takes places along the River Cam. The day alone is a test, facing the elements with no cover to (de)rig the boats – always against the clock. The races are usually viewed as a form of training, however, the weekend has become synonymous with “Captains’ test”; the first major event where the newly-appointed captains have to overcome the obstacles faced when attempting to get 5 boats and 40 rowers to Cambridge. The day ran smoothly, with every member of the boat club contributing to the overall success, resulting in a fantastic event for SGHBC.

Photo courtesy of Cantabrigian Rowing Club 

(Men's Second IV)

(From left to right: Chris Rimmer, Max Sullivan, Courtney Dos Santos and Grant Nolan)

Photo courtesy of Cantabrigian Rowing Club
(Men's First VIII)
(From left to right: James Forrester, Adam Tabor, Tom Borthwick,
Hugo Layard Horsfall, John Edwards, Jordan Coleman, James Parkin
Mohammad Osman and Ashley Tomlinson)

Men’s First VIII:

With a newly formed crew, there was everything to play for. Our starts were fierce but could have been cleaner. Despite this, there was complete commitment from the crew resulting in a finish time of 8.53. This placed us as the 2^nd fastest UH crew, chasing ICSM.

Men's Second VIII:

The men's 2nd VIII showed some very promising signs, putting in a solid time of 9 minutes and 42 seconds. This placed them as the second best 2nds crew within UH, leaving them in a strong position to contend for the top spot at the Allom cup next week. The 2nd IV (Joe Bridgeman, Chris Rimmer, Max Sullivan, Courtney Dos Santos and Grant Nolan) then went on to produce SGHBC's best result of the day, finishing top of the 4+ category and destroying their opposition by a margin of 28 seconds!

Photo Courtesy of Ashley Tomlinson
(Women's First VIII)
(from left to right: Natalie Anscombe, Helen Menys, Liv Jones,
Alex Crossland, Becca Jenna and Joanna Fish)

Women’s First VIII:

A strong row up and a tense start finishing with a hard push and a speedy 10.23 time. This placed us in 4th position. All things considered, it was a positive day with lots of experience gained. Hopefully with experience we can carry through to our next races – Allom Cup on 30th November.

Women’s Second VIII:

Some apprehension as a majority of the team had not raced Cambridge before, but this soon evaporated as the adrenaline kicked in and lots of support from captain Ester who was cycling alongside. We rowed well, finishing in 11.36 which placed us in 11^th position.


Written by: Hugo Layard Horsfall, Mohammad Osman, Natalie Anscombe and Flora Campbell