Today’s post can only be about Angelina Jolie’s decision to speak about her double mastectomy. The statement has met with widespread admiration and support, and has inspired others in the spotlight, such as Barbara Walters, to come forward about their own decisions to prevent cancer through elective surgery. Who knows quite how many people will choose to take the test to determine their genetic susceptibility to cancer now that the issue is being more widely spoken of.
The addition of Jolie’s status as a sex symbol adds a whole new dimension to the story, as a woman known so often thought of as an object has chosen to alter what is arguably her most bankable asset for the sake of herself and her family. Jolie’s reputation as a de facto angel can only increase after this move, and hopefully it will help to change the perception of women as a body to be scrutinised. If women who would previously have been hesitant to consider such a radical treatment, due to the stigma associated with female perfection, can now see the infinite benefits that come with knowing that your chances of cancer are significantly reduced. That is not to say that it isn’t an incredibly difficult and life altering decision that is certain to have an overwhelming emotional effect, but hopefully Jolie’s choice will give people the sense that they are not alone in their plight, and make people realise that this horrific illness can happen to anyone-even them.
I know that I will be researching the availability of a test to determine the presence of the cancer gene in the UK, and I hope that others are as well. F*ck cancer.
7 Kinds of Mind
One for every day of the week
Tag Archives: issue
Wednesday’s Got Issues: Wheelchairs can bungee too
It’s not exactly a big issue, watching Christine Rougoor bungee jump in her wheelchair, but it is fucking awesome. And it does help to raise awareness of the 9Lives Adventures project, which helps disabled people to engage in unique experiences that may not otherwise have been possible for them to do.
If you want to find out more about them go to http://www.9livesadventures.com/
Wednesday’s Got Issues: Politicians act like, well, politicians
Warm, meaty, expensive goodness
Today the main topic of conversation seems to be Cornish pasties and petrol, as the government announced plans to increase VAT on hot convenience food, and told everyone to panic buy petrol in case of a strike. Not only are Cameron’s cronies insisting that the already struggling working class must pay for their comfort food, but we must also keep containers filled with flammable liquid at hand at all times. As usual it seems that a government does not have the best interests of the populace at heart.
Watching 10 O’Clock Live this evening, the pasty tax seemed to be characterised as an attempt to curb people’s waistlines and ease the pressure on the (now fucked) NHS. But making people pay an extra 20p for a Gregg’s pie doesn’t seem to be the most effective way to encourage people to lose weight. I would suggest more community exercise programmes, better diet education in schools, or make healthy food cheaper – the amount of times as a student that I chose 8p Tesco Value noodles over a £2 salad is really quite embarrassing.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Francis Maude is facing criticism over his advice to keep a jerry can (a large container with a capacity of 20l) full of petrol in our garages, to prepare for an upcoming strike, though the date has yet to be decided. This led to huge queues outside most petrol garages today, as people took the government’s advice and started to panic. This created chaos among the petrol suppliers, who struggled to keep up with demand, and may face further issues in the future.
Basically, it seems to boil down to politicians acting before thinking. Which should hardly come as a surprise to us, seeing as we are currently being ruled by an unequal coalition government full of such conflicting ideals that, in the only laws that they have managed to pass, they are the only ones in the country who support it. I give you the astronomic hike in tuition fees as an example of both how little thought there is for younger generations, or indeed pre-election promises, within 10 Downing Street.
I would quite like it if they could do something that the majority of people actually agreed with for once. I won’t hold my breath.
Wednesday’s Got Issues: Charity swim/run/head shave/I think I’ll just text in a donation
Surprised by a razor, perhaps?
Disclaimer: I’m about to look like a bad person, I promise you that I am not, and will make up for this lack of moral character tenfold in the future.
This week I am reminded of how much more I could do to help people by Sport Relief, and the myriad of shows leading up to tomorrow night that have detailed the grueling tasks performed by celebrities in the name of charity. David Walliams swam the Thames, John Bishop cycled/rowed/ran from Paris to London, and Helen Skelton CYCLED to the SOUTH. POLE. I mean, blimey, it really puts my £5 text donation into perspective.
And just this week, Jessie J announced that she will shave her head to raise money for teenage cancer charities in April. I still haven’t got over having my long tresses cut into a bob 18 months ago (it’s still too short), it really does put me to shame.
So what am I going to do about it? Well…for the moment, not much. Other than dreaming about volunteering in Africa, I’m ill-equipped to do anything that stretches my already exhausted bank account. And, while I wouldn’t mind doing something for charity, the idea of fundraising fills me with dread – what if no one sponsored me? So tomorrow night I will send in my (already budgeted) donation to help vulnerable people both here in the UK and all over the world.
If you would like to do the same, or find out more about Sport Relief and the brilliant work that it does, click on this link:
https://www.sportrelief.com/donate/2
Here’s hoping that next year, I’ll have both the means and courage to raise enough money to cure world hunger. You never know. It could happen. Watch this space.
[Image via lastfm.com]
Wednesday’s Got Issues: Something happened in the football world, and everybody cares
The main news story today has been the resignation of Fabio Capello as the England football team’s manager, it has been everywhere since it was announced. If you look on the BBC homepage this story, and the story of another aging manager’s court trial, are pretty much dominant features. And what irritates me is that everyone has an opinion, is talking about it as if it affects their life, and generally accepting the massive coverage that has been going on. Why? Because the UK is a nation of football fans, you only have to look at an average tabloid newspaper’s TV advert to see that the majority of the working and middle classes focus a lot of their attention on which of ‘their’ teams has beaten the hated rival (which incidentally changes to suit every single match), rather than realising that there are bigger news stories out there.
The same applies to the importance that the general media place on stories of celebrity hook-ups and break-ups, it is almost painful to see a BBC newsreader, used to reporting in a warzone, relegated to a red carpet event just to ask some jumped up ingenue about what it was like to kiss Brad Pitt. Fuck. Off.
I’ll admit, the world of entertainment is something of an interest of mine and while I can’t stand football, if there’s a story about the All Blacks then I’m all ears. But the point is that if I want to read about such subjects, then I go to the relevant source, I do not expect Perez Hilton to get as excited about a general election than he did about Kim Kardashian’s wedding. Of course, he does report quite often on political matters, particularly ones relevant to gay civil rights – which is very admirable – but that’s not why I read his website. If I go to the BBC News homepage, I expect to see stories that fit in with their reputation for high brow reportage, not the revelation that millionaire Russell Brand will not be asking for any money from millionaire Katy Perry. Yes, it’s refreshing to see celebrities mid-divorce behaving like adults (I’m looking at you Halle Berry), but I’d much prefer to hear about what has been going on in Syria, or at the Leveson inquiry.
In a way, I’m mostly annoyed with other people. The media has responded to signals from their viewers about what constitutes an engaging news story, and they are going to do whatever they can to increase their ratings, I get it. But just once it would be nice not to have to get my information about more serious topics from sources on Twitter, rather than have to wait even past the human interest story, in which a farmer has grown a marrow bigger than his entire family, to learn a bit more about what’s going on in my country.
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