In 2003 Where is the Love? by The Black Eyed Peas became the longest-serving British number one in five years and the best selling record of the year in the UK. I think more than anything this song and the response it was given shows how much we're all crying out for love, for change, for pain and brokenness to end.
Today we found out that Amendment One has been passed in North Carolina; it's horrendous news. In this day and age, in our current society, we're made to believe that most of the human race, especially in the western world, is becoming reasonably liberal, opening themselves up to change and growth. Today we can clearly see that that is not the case. Only 39% of voters voted against the amendment and it says a lot about the state of the world.
I am a Christian and I feel like I do a lot of apologising for those who act out of bitterness and hatred, and today isn't the day when I'm about to stop apologising.
Tami Fitzgerald, head of the pro-amendment group, Vote FOR Marriage NC said:
"I think we've built a huge coalition across North Carolina of people who believe godly values..."
I'm sorry, I didn't realise that "godly values" involved discrimination and stopping even civil partnerships? And how can you, a human being, a tiny little insignificant human being, say that you know what "godly values" even are? This response is simply small minded people trying to prove a point, and not out of love.
I think these people are forgetting one thing. They're forgetting what this world was founded on, why this world was made: they're forgetting love. And that's really sad because at the same time they're trying to say that they represent Christianity, that they represent what Jesus wants, but would He really want this? Would He really want a group of people to feel entirely discriminated against and hated? Jesus befriended everyone, people from all walks of life; do you really think He would treat gay people like this?
Maybe my views are simple. They're not full of political jargon and they're pretty much opinion based, but I think this world is crying out for love. I think the people who voted for this amendment to go through want love as much as those who voted against it, and I just think they're not sure how to go about finding it. When we vote we have a great responsibility, and if we call ourselves Christians we need to use that vote in a way that will glorify God, not our own bitterness and personal judgements.
Not because the violence being spoken of is so brutal, or because it makes clear to us how broken the human race really is. Sadly, I've been aware of these things for a long time; part of me has become desenstized.
Kony 2012 scares me because until the plight of the child soldier was plastered haphazardly all over the social networking sites that our eyes stumble across every single day, we didn't bat an eyelid towards it.
Until the hands of a rich, white American named Jason Russell clicked the "upload video" option on YouTube, until he enabled us to click the "reblog", "retweet" and "share" options on our favourite social networking sites, we refused to step outside of our comfort zones.
We're still in our comfort zones. We still want to spend $30 in return for an "action pack" full of items we can hold in our hands, posters, stickers, bracelets... what would Africa do if we started demanding material items in return for clean water?
We want an excitingly named event, "cover the night", to make us feel empowered and like we can do something to change the world.
Did you know that 80% of the world has 20% of the world's wealth while 20% holds 80%? I am a final year student, thousands of pounds in debt, yet I am one of the richest people in this world. And I don't think putting up a bunch of posters to make a wanted criminal famous in a country in which he does not reside is going to make much of a difference.
Raising awareness is important, but if people never cared in the first place, how long will it be until this all fizzles out? How many well made YouTube videos is Jason Russell going to upload to make sure it doesn't?
Even if they do capture Kony, North Africa has been in debt for years. The political and economic situation there is so broken that this would be a victory for no other than a bunch of rich Americans. It will take more than money and the capturing of Kony to save the people of Uganda, it will take justice within their political system and neither Jason Russell or the American government can create that.
If you want to help Uganda, support charities that will send money and aid to the people there, charities that we don't have to question the authenticity of. And start questioning and researching, stop falling for a well made film that reduces you to nothing more than emotion, because your tears won't save the people of North Africa.
Aaah, the good ol' Kony 2012 bandwagon that I've managed to hop on and off again within the space of just over twenty-four hours.
Before I continue I'd like to emphasise that, in making this decleration I'm not saying I'm better than anyone, I'm simply stating why I've made this choice. I'm also not about to try and write hateful words about Invisible Children, that isn't what this is about either.
Students love to protest. Since we realised that being in a big group of people who had the same ideas and thoughts on liberation we've been banding together for the greater good, trying to get what we want, standing up to the lions of injustice and fighting for freedom.
But has the internet changed this?
I remember my mum telling me about her days at university, when the Queen came to Stirling and students were out in hoards, protesting against her with their actual voices, not the ones that appeared through their keyboards, and holding up signs that they had made by their own efforts, not paid $30 for or downloaded from a website.
As stated above, twenty-four hours has been more than enough time for me to make up my mind about Invisible Children and then change it again. Maybe it's a sign about the human condition and a general lack of trust, but I think a lot of it lies in two things: firstly, my generation's fear of leaving the mob behind and going it alone. Secondly, the frenzy that the media are able to whip up by creating a thirty minute video.
If you don't know about the London riots over tuition fees, check this out:
Y'know what baffles me the most about this? These riots weren't started by students, they were started by a group of people who just wanted, well, a bit of a riot. Before this began there were some really peaceful protests by some really respectful students who just wanted to keep tuition fees the way they were.
The difference with Kony 2012 is that it has now made people aware of what's going on in Uganda but because of all the criticism Invisible Children have been getting, no one's really sure what to do next; it's understandable. The media (whether that be a newspaper you can purchase or the everyday citizen journalist), just like the government, throw as much information at us to try and get us on their side and it just confuses us even more.
The most scary part about the Kony 2012 video is that it was made incredibly well. It had atmospheric music that made you want to cry at the right times and riled you up to a state of excitment the next. It showed images of mutilated children's faces and soldiers with guns. It was narrated by the calm, kind voice of a white American with scenes of his adorable son. It was a brilliant film.
I don't know if supporting Kony 2012 is the right thing to do. I don't want to harm the people of Uganda any further but I also don't want to pretend like I'm okay with the child soldier situation, because I think it's horrendous.
But, for now, I will be jumping off the Kony 2012 bandwagon, keeping my lips sealed and my thoughts to myself . Some of you might say "I told you so", and some might think I'm being apathetic, but I'm just happy I made up my own mind.
Before I start this I want to ensure you that I'm not a crazy pro-lifer.
I can't stand the people who hang around outside abortion clinics with pictures of aborted fetuses and try and make women feel guilty, and I wouldn't force my opinions on abortion on anyone. My belief is that if the baby being born is going to harm the mother in any way then abortion is okay, but otherwise I don't support it. However, I would never tell someone else they should agree with me on that because having a baby is a big deal.
A lot of you will have heard about the journal article entitled “After-birth abortion: Why should the baby live?” If not, check out the news report here.
My first question is this: if you are willing to go as far as giving birth to your baby then why on earth would you want to kill it? And how could you kill it? How could you carry that little thing around for nine months, let it grow inside you, gaining strength from your own body, and then kill it like squashing a spider with a newspaper?
Maybe the biological mother doesn't want it, but what about all those couples who can't have children, who could be some of the best parents? What about gay couples? Lesbian couples? People who are so willing to love these children with the most unconditional love?
The article argued that "the moral status of an infant is equivalent to that of a fetus in the sense that both lack those properties that justify the attribution of a right to life to an individual.” But a baby, a newborn baby, does have these properties! The main one being that it no longer needs to be attached to its mother to breathe. From that point it is an individual and its life has just begun.
The article also states "academics also argue that parents should be able to have their baby killed if it turns out to be disabled when it is born." I'm really struggling for words in response to this. Why don't people put their children up for adoption? Is it easier to know that, ten years on, you won't have to wonder where they are? This world is not about you.
It is the 96th smallest country in the world, has a population of approximately 1,799,392 (as recorded in the 2010 census), the biggest city is Belfast and the country itself is 99.15% white in ethnicity, with 91% of that statistic being born and bred in the country. It's made up of the six counties, Fermanagh, Antrim, Tyrone, Londonderry, Armagh and Down and the flag is the Ulster Banner.
We have a thriving arts and culture sector, with musicians, painters, poets, and writers being well supported by the community, as homegrown talent is taken seriously. Surf culture is growing on the north coast, which hosts some of what I think are the most stunning beaches in the world.
Since we're such a small country we're incredibly proud of anything that we can call our own, from C.S. Lewis to Liam Neeson, from the Giants Causeway to the Mourne Mountains, we're a patriotic bunch, even if we don't admit it.
This is the place I will always call home, the place that I'd like to stop pushing away.
Before I moved to Scotland for university I adored Northern Ireland, but after having lived in a country with more than 3 trainlines for almost 4 years, it's become a place that I struggle to return to. It feels like a bubble, restrictive and bland, sometimes a little bit backwards. When I go home I can't get a bus after 6pm and I have to rely on friends and family for lifts everywhere because I can't afford to drive. When I do want to escape my hometown I have to get the train which travels only 12 miles in the space of 40 minutes. In Scotland I spend the same amount of time, and less money, going 30 or 40 miles down the road to Glasgow, with the ability to further to the capital city of Edinburgh or, if I fancy it, as far as London.
I don't know where I'll be later this year, but I know that if it's Northern Ireland, my main aim is to learn to drive. I want to explore the place I call home in my own time, on my own terms. I want to fall in love with it for my own reasons, not just stick it out because I have to.
I have reasons to be bitter about where I'm from. It holds a lot of negative memories, there were a lot of people who really tore me down, made me feel like I wasn't good enough. But university has taught me that everyone is worth my time, no matter who they are, so it doesn't matter if people still think I'm a nerd because, well, I am haha. But I embrace it these days.
But I don't know if I'll ever have to really call it home again. It will always be the place I return to, but it might never again be the place I reside. Who knows, really?
2:24am is a good time to start writing isn't it? Hah...
I have been mildly shocked and surprised this month, but not really by the food, mostly by the reactions of meat eaters. People have told me I won't get any iron without meat (though bran flakes are full of this, along with numerous other vitamins, such as vitamin D, B6, B12...), that I'd have to take numerous supplements (see previous brackets, as well as considering how much fruit and veg intake has gone up), that without meat there's nothing to eat (if this is true, then why am I not losing weight?!), that my diet must be bland... the list goes on. And, after a while, I learnt to ignore most of it because the past month has actually opened my eyes to so many different foods that I wouldn't of tried had I continued to eat meat. Some of my favourite vegetarian/pescetarian meals include spinach, sweet poato and lentil dahl, vegetable stir fry (which can be made with numerous sauces), mexican vegetable soup, Morroccan chickpea soup, goats cheese risotto, baked sweet potato (with so many different fillings), pasta bake, roasted vegetable tart, fish tacos, sushi, as well as so many different types of salad.
Someone asked me at one point "do you just eat fish and vegetables?" I mean, how does a pescetarian answer that? Fish and vegetables may be the main part of my diet but it's not like I just boil some veg, stick a slice of fish in the oven and eat it like that. Take the fish tacos, for instance. I bought smoked mackerel marinated in ginger, lemon and chilli, fried it up, and bulked out the taco with lettuce, tomatoes, jalepenos, salsa... And something like Morroccan chickpea soup is full of vegetables and beans, as well as different spices which give it the most amazing flavour. I have eaten well, cheaply, and have discovered so many diverse foods this month, that I wouldn't of even considered had I stuck with meat.
Someone also once said to me that all vegetarians eat is pasta. This month I have eaten less pasta than ever before. I usually go through a really big packet of pasta in a month, but this month I've only half finished a small packet. One thing that's really frustrated me is the pizza issue. Every time I say it's hard to get good, vegetarian pizzas someone comes out with "just get a margharita." I mean... what?! Margharitas are the most bland things I've ever tasted, if I want a vegetarian pizza I want it covered in as many different types of vegetable as you can fit on there, along with a few different types of cheese. This frustrated me massively when I didn't feel like cooking today and went to Tesco, to discover about 5 shelves full of margharitas and only one mushroom pizza in amongst the countless different types of meat pizza. I don't even like mushrooms on pizza. I had the same sort of issue in Filling Station last week, only finding about 6 or 7 vegetarian options (no fish, of course...) on the menu.
So I have a few days left of being pescetarian and, in all honesty, I'm not sure I'm going to go back to being an omnivore. I like how much cheaper my groceries are and I'm so much healthier, because eating less meat and more veggies and fruit has encouraged me, over all, to eat better and to cut out the junk. One of my main reasons for giving up meat was because of the fact that we take advantage of our meat supplies in the west, and I've been thinking more about this over the past few weeks. Today I cracked open an egg to discover the yolk was a very pale colour; this is a sign of a stressed out chicken that hasn't had enough living space. Those eggs were labelled as free range. So how much are farmers getting away with these days? Are these supposedly free range chickens really free range, or do they just have a little bit more space than the average battery hen? As a media student I'm very aware of how much the media (and the government) hide from us, so it makes me a little nervous to think that the people who sell me my food could be lying to me as well.
