The best decision I made this year

 

Source: Aman Kalkat

It goes without saying that 2020 has presented challenges and frustrations for everyone. The pandemic has changed the course of thousands of lives and may have suffered different forms of loss, whether that be loved ones or life changing opportunities. Whilst loss has weighed heavy on our world this year, the opportunity for reflection and gratitude has risen as a consequence.

And as a consequence of everything that changed around the world, I want to take an opportunity to express how grateful I am for the life I am currently living.

As part of my degree I am inclined to spend a year abroad to help with the development of language skills. This is something I had been anticipating for form the moment I had applied to university way back in sixth form. However, when the pandemic hit, my plans had been changed and the year I had planned to have was looking very different. The logistics of moving abroad became much more complicated and of course the health aspect made me a lot more anxious to go through with it. There were so many moments where I had considered passing up the opportunity and staying at home because I was just so scared to move my life at such a time, but almost two months on, I can say, the decision to make this move has been one of the best decisions of my life.

Source: Aman Kalkat

The emotions and rewards I have experienced during my time here are incomparable to anything I have ever felt, and I am indefinitely grateful to everyone who supported me and pushed me to do this.

2020 has proved how unpredictable life can be. In every country across the world, things are constantly changing, opportunities and circumstances transform so quickly now. Moving my life here has shown me just how important it is, especially during the circumstances we are in now, to completely step out of your boundaries and make the most of the advantages that are in front of you right now.

I would also like to say I recognise how privileged I am to be able to sit here and write something like this during what has been a difficult year for so many people. Although I have been presented with challenges this year, I am incredibly lucky to be able to travel freely and enjoy my current environment.

Whatever your situation may be, I hope that my words can encourage you to not let your losses completely define you and make the most of what our world has to offer. 

Thank you for reading!

Aman

White America: “Under Attack?”

 

Source:edition.cnn.com/politics

The last decade has seen an unparalleled wave of movements supporting ethnic and racial minorities. What springs to mind for many I am sure, is the Black Lives Matter movement.

Following the recent peak of the BLM protests after the killing of George Floyd, numbers exhibited this to be the country’s largest movement in all of its history. However, it was countered by the concept of “All Lives Matter”, which is the ultimate symbol of a majority embracing a minority mindset.

Now there are hundreds of white people in the US who complain that they are at threat or under attack. Many of them refuse to see or acknowledge their white privilege but will gladly use it to their advantage.

To put this into perspective for you, many white people claim bias against them despite the undeniable history of white people perpetrating discrimination, violence, and injustices against all minorities in the US.

Despite every US President, except for one, being a white male.

Despite the fact that the majority of business CEOs are white males.

Despite an indisputable majority of white males across the US Congress and Senate.

Despite all of this, many white Americans believe in the genuine experience of racial discrimination against white people. They believe that movements supporting non white communities have gone too far and now overlook the equality of white people. This is why the manipulative slogan “All Lives Matter” exists – it allows those individuals to deny white privilege and somehow place their so-called experiences of discrimination on a similar level as black Americans.

Who is fuelling this toxic mindset? Donald Trump.

Many around the world welcomed the Obama presidency as a tool to start building a truly equal America and never saw the damaging effects of the Trump administration.

Throughout his presidency, Trump has been unmoving in his racial attitudes toward black Americans, Muslims, Mexicans, and other minorities. He has made a point of villainizing “the other” in every way possible – whether it be that they are ‘terrorists and rapists’, ‘thugs’, or ‘job stealers’, Trump has exploited every label and used it to paint the picture that white America, ‘the true America’, is under threat.

Now, with Kamala Harris running alongside Joe Biden, Trump will be unforgiving in his racist and sexist attacks as he demands that America should not fall into the hands of a black woman. Something that he will definitely be tapping into.

Those people that believe white Americans are under attack? Those are the people who will criticise Biden for welcoming a black woman into this position.

 Sadly, it is inevitable that both Harris’ gender and race will be used against her by Trump in an aim to exploit the vulnerabilities of white Americans and Biden will be portrayed as actively bringing white Americans ‘under attack’.

Thank you for reading!

Aman

The sexist obsession with what women in politics wear

Source:zimbio.com

Leading women are usually presented in the media as women first, and then powerful figures second. This phenomenon of a gendered representation in media is known as ‘gendered mediation’, a “new phase in the study of women, politics, and themedia”, which focuses on the “stereotypically masculine narrative used inpolitical reporting”. This takes place when media representations of public figures choose to reinforce social gender stereotypes, often regarding women as trivial and men as essential.

In the last 20 years, female figures in politics have become more accepted and they are now more recognised for their skills and abilities, yet there is still undeniable discrimination against these women, simply for being women. It would be expected that as the world has begun to open its arms to female politicians that media would mirror this shift in its own language. However, by comparing the ways in which Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May have been described by the media, it is clear that there is still an overwhelming presence of gendered mediation.

Research by Blair Williams showed that during the first three weeks of her term, Thatcher’s appearance was mentioned in only 15% of the articles commenting on the new Prime Minister. In the case of May, however, her appearance was noted twice as often. Newspapers chose to focus on May’s style and fashion choices, adopting clothing items to identify her, something which rarely, if ever, occurred with Thatcher.

Source:thesun.co.uk

For example, May has often been referred to by the likes of ‘The Sun’ as “kitten heels” as a result of her frequent style choice of footwear. We saw this again in another headline by ‘The Sun’: “HEEL, BOYS – New PM Theresa can reunite Tories & deliver Brexit”. The headline was accompanied by a large striking image of a high heel shoe above a selection of male MPs. Both the image and the syntax of the title place more emphasis on May’s shoe choice and even suggest that her identity lies primarily in the items that make her a woman, something that would not happen to a male Prime Minister. Her choice of dresses, variety of necklaces, even the shades of her lipstick all manage to create headlines where the changes she is bring to the British government should be, all in a negative and critical manner with an aim to denigrate her, simply because she is not a man.

Another woman in a high position of power is Angela Merkel, the first female chancellor of Germany. Merkel’s own wardrobe choices take part in determining what language is used to regard her in the media just as with Theresa May. For years Merkel’s signature look has been a colourful blazer jacket usually worn with contrasting colour suit trousers. Merkel has long created consistency in her dress choice and perhaps this is why “you barely waste a thought as to what she is wearing and immediately move on to think about what she has to say” as suggested by, Dara Ford in her article titled: ‘What Theresa May can learn fromAngela Merkel on Fashion’. But isn’t Ford simply saying that it is Merkel’s downplaying of a stereotypically feminine trait that has earned her more respect than May in global politics? Are women only deemed respectable if they supposedly dress like men?

Source:daraford.com

Angela Merkel’s appearance is described by the New York Times as a modification of “the male uniform” allowing the German chancellor to remain “within the traditional framework”. Here the pairing of the words “male” and “traditional” gives the impression that in the political world, men in power are the norm and that women are required to mirror their features in order to succeed as leaders. Instead of being celebrated as the first woman chancellor of Germany, Merkel is instead presented as a man and is associated with the powerful images of male leaders. It is this masculine identity which ultimately earns her more respect on the behalf of the media in comparison to someone viewed as more feminine like Theresa May.

Leading women are caught in a paradox. A paradox which requires them to be strong, authoritative, and powerful, yet not so much so that it takes away from the stereotypical characteristics of a woman. Often women in leading positions find themselves subject to criticisms for leaning too far into either of the tensions.

Mainstream media are simply unable to disconnect a woman’s identity from her appearance. Theresa May is much more than her heels, and Angela Merkel is much more than her androgynous suit choices. Both of them are formidable women who have led significant changes and decisions in both of their countries. Why does it matter what they look like and what they wear?

Thank you for reading!

Aman

2020: Activism at full speed

Source:news.sky.com

The Premier League made a return yesterday and whilst many fans were excited to see the sport return to screens there was considerable attention placed on other aspects of the match.

As I watched the nation’s reactions to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ written on the players jerseys, the moment of silence, and the blue NHS across players’ chests, I realised just how central activism has become to each of our lives.

Now let’s not forget that there has been a long history between athletes and activism; Colin Kapernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem as a protest against police brutality; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s protests after the assassination of Martin Luther King; Venus Williams’ impact in equal pay for women players in tennis. To extend that list one could mention the names, Muhammad Ali, LeBron James, or Tommie Smith and John Carlos and there are clear examples of changes that they have influenced.

Its not hard to go back through history and discover that sports protesting runs deep especially within American sports, whether the protests be about race, pay, gender or nationality - sports has always had a place for activism.

Yet few of these examples come from the UK. Does this contribute to the narrative that the UK likes to appear as a non-racist country? Would openly protesting in ways that American athletes have hold up a mirror and reveal a reflection that the UK does not want to see?

2020 has definitely been a year like no other. We have endured an unprecedented global pandemic and been witness to one of the biggest civil movements in history, one in which many of us have been active participants. And it is this combination of these two events which has produced a response like no other.

What is being brought to the forefront of every family home and every company building is the reality of human vulnerability. Never before have I seen my Twitter feed full of petitions from those supporting the Black Lives Matter movement to petitions in support of the Yemen crisis. It seems that the affects of such deep world crises have truly been education and action, often on a small level, but nonetheless a level much higher than I have ever witnessed.

Seeing those players take a kneel yesterday and finally acknowledge a problem that does not only exist in America but in every culture and country seemed like a real turning point especially for the UK and its problems with racism. From the actions of these players, to call to actions created by social media influencers like Jackie Aina, 2020 has seen millions of people find the activist in them.

I mentioned the reality of human vulnerability and I really do believe that this is the year in which people have finally been able to separate politics, and human vulnerability. Of course, the outcomes of the movements, petitions and protests are to create law reforms and influence changes in politics and state rulings, but this renewed wave of a stronger involvement from people who aren’t MPs or aren’t State Governors, has truly revealed that change doesn’t just come from a few people in suits and ties, it come from us, the real people.

“I don’t claim to have the education of an MP in parliament, but I do have a social education”, Marcus Rashford 2020.

Thank you for reading!

Aman

Let’s talk about the mental health of our keyworkers

Source: ohsonline.com

Over the past few months, Britain, along with rest of the world, have developed a new found appreciation for society’s key workers, a list including; those in the health and social sector, teaching and childcare staff, those working in transport and public services, those involved in the production, distribution and sale of food, and government officials among many others.

On the 8^th April, the NHS announced a mental health hotline that had been launched to support the 1.4 million NHS staff as they work to manage infections and prevent deaths. The Chief People Officer for the NHS, Prerana Issar stated: “We need to do everything we can to support our incredible NHS people as they care for people through this global health emergency.”

While mainstream media has been quick to label these individuals as ‘heroes’, particularly those at the NHS frontline, there has been a severely underwhelming amount of reporting and coverage about the mental health implications regarding these workers.

The consequences of this? NHS staff and other keyworkers may feel less inclined to speak up on their true feelings and the experiences that they face at work.

Dr Esther Murray, from the Queen Mary University of London spoke on labelling these people as ‘heroes’, saying: “It also makes it harder for NHS staff to talk about how they really feel because opinions get polarised – are you a hero or a coward? A lot of staff like cowards but they are not at all, they’re quite justifiably frightened and angry.”

Its disappointing to see just how little this is being spoken about. The media need to address the fears and concerns that keyworkers are facing. Workers fear catching the disease themselves, many are afraid of what they are bringing into their homes and around their families. Many NHS workers will have been overwhelmed with witnessing a much higher number of deaths than they have perhaps experiences in their whole working lives. This can all very quickly lead anxiety, extreme stress, depression, and psychological distress.

This brings me to what media is focusing on. As a nation we have seen many shared gestures, the ‘NHS Clap’, public buildings being lit up with blue lights, and whilst these are crucial to uplifting members of the health care service, yet this needs to be met with an equally public understanding that the expectations we have of the NHS and keyworkers are extremely overwhelming for someone to endure. 

Source: liverpoolbidcompany.com

Just as we have seen hundreds of campaigns to support the physical health of keyworkers with the correct and consistent supply and distribution of PPE, there should be just as much awareness being raised about the mental health of these people. Mental health does not come after physical health.

Of course, keyworkers should be admired, they are working around the clock under unprecedented conditions to create as much normalcy as possible, but society and media need to understand that placing them on the pedestal as a ‘hero’ runs the risk of making them feel that they are responsible for what is out of their control. Remember, this is a new disease, we are learning every day about the best way to move forward and protect the public.

I hope to see much more appreciation from acclaimed journalists, the media and the public for the implications and effects on the health of keyworkers in all different aspects.

Thank you for reading!

Aman

My Sister Needs PPE Now

Source: change.org

On the 10^th April, the UK saw the biggest rise in deaths from Coronavirus, 980 in 24 hours – a jump much higher than Spain’s worst affected day of the global pandemic crisis.

On the 10^th April, my sister, a doctor working with COVID-19 patients, finally had time to check her post for a card I had sent her telling her how proud I was of her during such a difficult time.

My sister has continuously amazed our entire family with her unmatched work ethic and dedication to creating a successful career and life for herself. Most of the things that she has been able to achieve in her life, I could never dream of doing, however, there is now something that unfortunately she cannot do – challenge the way in which NHS staff are being treated. If she cannot, I will.

Currently, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for NHS staff treating those with COVID-19 is inadequate. Guidelines made available by the World Health Organisation state that PPE should include the correct medical mask, a gown, gloves, and some form of eye protection, either goggles or a face shield.

Unfortunately, this is not being provided to all staff by the government. Many staff find themselves using their own DIY versions of PPE just for them to feel some sort of reassurance whilst at work. And the effects of this are clear. Every day more deaths of NHS staff are reported but what is alarming is the government’s attitude toward this.

Matt Hancock has recently made a point of reminding the BBC that it is important to remember that many NHS workers who have contracted the disease or are suffering with symptoms may just as well have caught it outside of work. Frankly a comment like this, especially by the UK’s health secretary, is ignorant, insulting and a perfect example of how the government will shift the responsibility to avoid further criticisms over their own failures.

This shift of responsibility has also come with increased pressures upon NHS frontline staff. Everyday there are new stories and reports of nurses and doctors being gagged from speaking out about their experiences with PPE. Simply put, my sister was strongly advised against starting a petition for sufficient PPE in her hospital if she didn’t want her career to suffer any consequences because of it. 

Those who do raise issues surrounding PPE with NHS bosses are made to face the consequences. They are subject to unnecessary and increased criticisms in their own work and are often told that their social media profiles would be monitored. Across hospitals in the UK, hundreds of NHS workers are being made the example of just what happens when you speak to journalists or raise concerns on social media.

We are now at the point where NHS staff are having their careers threatened, a career that is incredibly admirable to achieve, in order to protect the government. These people need their representatives to speak out on their behalves.

Every time I have spoken with my sister, she has told me that during each and every shift she completes, she feels vulnerable to infection and unable to properly carry out her job.

We cannot expect NHS frontline staff to continue without the adequate PPE. Losing NHS workers will have extreme effects on just how quickly the UK and the world is able recover from this pandemic.

Below I have included a link to a petition that is putting pressure on the Government so that they do more to ensure ALL NHS staff are protected. Please sign it.

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/ppe-now

Thank you for your support.

How has Coronavirus become a feminist issue?

Source:www.ft.com

The COVID19 pandemic has proven that in the UK, and across the world, women are crucial in maintaining a functioning society.

Globally, women make up over half of the workforce in what are considered ‘key-workers’. This includes nurses, doctors, and health-care workers, cashiers in supermarkets, those working in education, among other public services.

In the UK, 60% of key-workers are women – without these women, systems like the NHS would have started facing a collapse much earlier than it already has.

Yet despite their huge importance in the battle against COVID19, it is ultimately women who will continue to disproportionately suffer as a result of this crisis, and in a multitude of ways, whether that be their economic autonomy, or physical safety. Regardless, the independence of women across the world is suffering hugely.

With most schools and day cares closed, and many unable to provide care for vulnerable children or the children of key-workers, COVID19 has, for the time being, destroyed the notion that both men and women are now welcomed to the ability to work whilst knowing their child is being cared for.

Almost 30% of the key-workers in the UK with children have a partner who is also a key-worker. Combine this with the huge numbers of non-essential workers who are unfortunately still expected to come into work despite the national requirements of staying at home, you end up with a much larger number of women asking themselves “who will have to focus their efforts on the children?”

On average, women bring the secondary incomes to a household. In many cases, their jobs are being looked at as lower value, especially in light of this crisis, so the answer to that question becomes simple. Sadly, the reality is, it is usually the father who can earn more during virtual meetings and working from home, than a woman can during her shift at the supermarket.

With lock-downs and ‘stay at home’ campaigns in place, people often fail to recognise that thousands of people do not have a safe environment to quarantine in.

Levels of domestic violence are increasing drastically across almost every nation. The virus outbreak has caused almost every one of us to feel like we have very little control over how we are living our lives. This in turn, potentially has severe impacts on how abuse victims are being treated during their time in home quarantine, and unfortunately access to shelters and organisations is proving to be much more difficult than it usually is.

Ultimately the COVID19 pandemic is aggravating existing social-economic inequalities. In addition to racism, discrimination and classism, sexism is now at an all-time high.

COVID19 has become a feminist issue.

The Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, an organisation working towards an intersectional approach in all global foreign policies has created a list of actions to ensure everyone can be protected from this crisis.

The CFFP COVID19 campaign includes:

·        Investing in critical infrastructure for women and everyone affected by sexualised/domestic violence.

·        Increasing the salaries of nurses and caregivers. Making sure they get the respect and resources they deserve, both now and later.

·        Increasing the salaries of those working in supermarkets. Making sure they get the respect and resources they deserve, both now and later.

·        Ensuring that financial support packages not only target the paid economy but also the unpaid economy.

·        Ensuring single parents (9/10 are women) get the financial support they need.

You can check out the CFFP and the work they do in the link below:

https://centreforfeministforeignpolicy.org/

Thank you for reading!

Aman

What India’s Citizenship Amendment Act really means for India

Source:huffingtonpost.in

The Indian government has recently made changes to a law that allows it to regulate who is given citizenship in India. First passed in 1955, the legislation aimed for better control in giving Indian citizenship to members of communities who were in a state of possible persecution from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. This ruling made no references to religion as a factor for eligibility as a new citizen

Now under the ruling of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) the legislation has been amended and the new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) clearly targets Muslims, both living in and out of India.

Essentially this is nothing but a discriminatory bill in efforts to fulfil the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a completely right-wing Hindu India. Critics have likened Modi to US President Donald Trump as both have now made their views towards Muslims in their own countries very clear.

Trump and Modi have openly supported each other for many years, based on the fact that they share a common opposition in Muslim communities in respects of controlling which ethnic communities are deemed acceptable for their own respective countries.

By actively targeting Muslims in more than one occasion, is there really much of a difference between US white supremacists and Hindu nationalists?

The wider effects of the CAA? Havoc across India.

India’s tourism industry is now majorly suffering due to the consequences of violent protests against the CAA across the country. Every day since the amendment, tensions between protesters and police dramatically increase. Many countries have now issued travel cautions for parts of India where protests are most disruptive.

There have been reports of at least 15 deaths in the state of Uttar Pradesh, home to the city of Agra and its prized possession the Taj Mahal. As a consequence, the state has suffered a 60% decline of profits in the tourism industry. The BJPs solution is simply to place restrictions on internet services in Agra so as to soften the conditions in the city and hopefully stop this decline.

Despite such consequences, the Uttar Pradesh state is continuing to look into the possibility of renaming Agra, having already changed many location names with Mughal connotations within the state. The city name Allahabad, referenced the Mughal Emperor Akbar of the 16^th century, has since been renamed. The Mughal Sarai rail station has also  been renamed and more changes are in planning.

Source:Dhiraj Singh

This now concerns rewriting India’s history, almost erasing anything with Muslim significance so that nothing but the Hindu faith lies at the centre. As town and cities are overwritten, any Muslim citizen that is in India essentially becomes disenfranchised.

With regards to the incident in Nanakana Sahib, where a Sikh gurdwara has been threatened and the location has been renamed Ghulama-e-Mustafa, it is likely that the BJP government will highlight this in its next rally. But rather than show their support for the Sikh faith, the BJP will likely use it their advantage in defending the CAA. Should this manifest, how can the Sikh minority believe that the BJP truly do have their best interests as a priority? How can the Sikh minority believe that their government also represents what is right for them?

Following the CAA, it is likely that conditions will only become more hostile across all states. With lockdowns in Kashmir, little evidence of support for ethnic minorities in India, and now this, India’s image has become very negative. The BJP government has shown little commitment to India’s secularism and are instead attacking it.

Thank you for reading! 

Aman