Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Blog Page 434

Finality in film: The sense of an ending

Bella Stock
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Finality in film: The sense of an ending

For me, it is always endings, not beginnings, which leave the most lasting impression: the ends of novels, films, historical epochs – even lives. Finishing with a flourish is the difference between a good film and a great film; it’s like writing a mediocre essay but concluding with such aplomb that your tutor forgives all the waffle and wool you spouted en route. Well, a girl can dream anyway.

Ambiguity in film endings is as tempting for filmmakers as it is infuriating and intriguing for audiences. We crave closure, and when this desire is thwarted, we seek to become the producer ourselves, concocting elaborate conspiracy theories and submitting our interpretations to debate with others. Ambiguous endings are a gamble for filmmakers. Such endings expose them to accusations of non-committal storytelling, a failure to satisfy, and cowardice before the daunting task of wrapping things up, or indeed, relieving themselves of the onus to do so by putting the ball in the viewer’s court.  Nevertheless, the rewards of taking such a risk can be great, generating an ongoing dialogue that enlists a cult following and a sense of timeless classicism, which indisputable conclusions don’t seem to so readily accommodate. 

There is no better way to introduce ambiguity into an ending than by blurring the boundary between the real and the imaginary. Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan is so intensely symbolic throughout, that some view its dramatic ending, which sees Nina collapse wounded on stage, as purely a metaphor for the tortures of achieving artistic perfection. Throughout the film, Aronofsky continually has the audience see one version of events through the warped vision of Nina, who is steadily losing her sanity, only to be corrected by reality, so that viewers are left wondering whether the ending is but another figment of Nina’s imagination– the entire scenario a hallucinatory episode. 

Perhaps, debating the reality or fictitiousness of a film is a futile exercise, as film is a medium born of imagination. Yet, it is an exercise we are irrepressibly drawn towards. The ending of Life of Pi is charged with the meta-meaning surrounding this very idea. When Pi finally returns home, the insurance agents who interview him are unconvinced by his tale and ask him for the truth, to which he responds with another story, replacing the animals with humans. The film ends with Pi telling his autobiographer that the matter of which story is true is immaterial and leaves him the freedom to choose that which he prefers. Pi, in a sense, extols the virtues of the ambiguous film ending, seeking to leave the interpretation of plot details to the viewer, so long as the essence of the narrative is maintained. 

At times, I feel there is something gimmicky about ambiguous endings– that they are a kind ‘interactive experience’ that indulges our childhood fantasy of being invited on stage to be a special volunteer at the pantomime. This is inflated to the level of travesty in Netflix’s recent release of an Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt special, which gives the viewer as much power as possible to determine the ending as they are provided with narrative options at various points throughout.

It’s something theatre has also toyed with. James Graham’s play, Quiz, gives the audience an opportunity to act as a jury (via electronic voting)  and decide whether Who Wants to be a Millionaire? contestants, the Ingrams, are guilty. Graham’s interactive play operates on much the same principle as the ambiguous ending: the filmmaker brings forward the witnesses, lays out the arguments, and then leaves it to you, the jury, to make the decision, even if the judge gives a tentative nod. Graham understood the desire of the viewer to be provided with the flexibility and freedom to come to their own conclusions, rather than be funnelled into a single interpretation by the writer. 

It is striking that Parasite, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture this year, has a deeply ambiguous ending. We think we have an ending: Ki-Woo’s dream home achieved and reunited with his father, but the final shot, back at the film’s opening, writing his vow to his father in his childhood home, muddies this image. Has he really attained his aspiration of wealth and social success, or is he once again doomed to the torture of relentless striving? 

I miss the sucker-punch, phwoar kind of awe I feel when served an undisputed finale, but it is the ambiguous endings which have me mulling over what I have seen for days on end. If nothing else, the ambiguous, leaving-it-open-to-your-interpretation card, might be worth a try the next time one of my tutors challenges me on my essay’s inconclusive ending: it’s artistic license, I promise.  

Heads of colleges condemn racism in open letter

Joe Hyland Deeson
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Heads of colleges condemn racism in open letter

The heads of house at all thirty-nine Oxford colleges, as well as at Rhodes House and all six of the Permanent Private Halls, have written an open letter condemning the “conscious and unconscious racial bias” which “remains prevalent across many institutions” in response to protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Signatories included the Dean of Christ Church, the college which has this week faced backlash after inappropriate comments were made about the global Black Lives Matter protests during the hustings for Cake Rep.

The letter, meanwhile, asserted a shared desire for “good race relations, tolerance and multiculturalism” at the University and across the world.

The first draft of the letter circulated to college JCRs was not signed by the Warden at Wadham College or the Rector at Lincoln, although it has now been explained that this was caused by an administrative error. 

The Lincoln JCR President, Amy Dunning, had told Cherwell that she was “beyond disappointed” to find out that her college’s Rector Professor Henry Woudhuysen had not signed the open letter. However, upon seeking an explanation from college, it emerged that the signature had not been included due to confusion over whether approval from the governing body would need to be sought before Woudhuysen could sign. Between the circulation of the draft letter to JCR Presidents and its online publication, the Warden of Wadham College’s signature was also added.

The open letter, which was written from John Bowers QC, Principal of Brasenose College, was published on the Guardian website on Sunday afternoon, and now includes the signatures of all Oxford college heads of house. It concludes:

“We acknowledge the role that education can play in building racial equality and fair inclusion of black voices and perspectives in society. We recognise and regret that, for black members of our community, the unfolding crisis together with the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on their communities has caused them particular anxiety, anger and pain.

“We stand with them during these difficult moments with hope that, through the global mobilisation of many against these injustices, through education, discussion, and peaceful protest, we may work together towards a world free of systemic racism and discrimination.”

Image credit to Radcliffe Camera Oxford/ Wikimedia Commons.

Open Letter Responds to Support Service Investigation

Suzie Murray
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Open Letter Responds to Support Service Investigation

Following an investigation published by Cherwell earlier this week, an open letter has been circulated, calling on the University to collaborate with students in improving both the services and transparency of the Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Support Service. 

Cherwell’s investigation revealed that the University’s Support Service also provides support to students accused of sexual harassment and violence — a provision which they do not make clear in their advice to student survivors who may be accessing the service. 

Following a lengthy statement released by It Happens Here, the Student Union campaign have partnered with the independent advocacy group SpeakOut Oxford to produce the open letter, addressed to Vice Chancellor Professor Louise Richardson. The letter may be signed through a google form, and is being circulated by the groups alongside a template motion for college Common Rooms to add their signature as a collective body. As of the evening of Thursday 4th of June, the letter has received 459 signatures. 

The letter calls on the university to provide “independent, victim-focused advice from a service fully dedicated to helping victims/survivors”, and criticises their decision to keep students “in the dark”. It goes on to quote anonymised accounts from the student body: one wrote, “I feel utterly disillusioned and shaken, and that I have lost a safe space”, whilst another said, “The University’s response of empty phrases … makes it even worse”.

Further to this , the organisers have appended to their letter comments from a number of their signatories (with permission), including expressions from individuals who feel “shaken and disappointed”, “appalled”, and “devastated”. One such comment addresses the University directly, writing: 

“Please do more than read and reply. I hope this letter, these stories and these students’ experiences are enough evidence to bring about necessary dialogue and change within the university, both in terms of culture and policy.”

At least sixty comments have been appended to the letter.

When contacted for comment, the organisers said: “After learning about the Support Service’s lack of transparency and conflict of interest, both It Happens Here and SpeakOut wanted to take action before the end of term. Whilst these are two separate organisations, we have the same values and goals, and believe that our combined actions will have the greatest impact on reforming the University’s policy. In the space of 24 hours we formed a collaborative group and wrote both an open letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor and a template motion for JCRs and MCRs to pass in solidarity. 

“Sexual assault is chronically underreported, and victims are too often left feeling isolated, ashamed, and helpless in a culture which silences their voices. The Support Service is one of the very few official University spaces intended to make victims feel supported, safe, and believed. However, in its current form the Service is failing both victims and accused, and both organisations believe that the University owes its students better.”

A spokesperson for the University said: “We are aware of this open letter and we have contacted the authors to have a constructive conversation on the concerns raised about conflict of interest, and seek their input on how we can better advertise the provision and provide reassurance to all students.

“We cannot comment on individual cases. However, sexual harassment and violence are completely unacceptable, and the University treats all allegations with the highest seriousness. We are committed to minimising all forms of sexual misconduct and continue to invest in our support and disciplinary systems to reflect this.”

If you have been affected by sexual harassment or violence, there are a number of resources available to you. As well the University’s support service, you can also contact: the Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre, an independent charity in Oxford where you can also refer yourself to the university ISVA; your local GP; It Happens Here, the OUSU campaign against sexual violence; SpeakOut Oxford, an independent and student-run advocacy group; the university counselling service; and/or your college welfare team.

Opinion – The Tautology Of Police Brutality: What Is Really At Stake

Jerry Amokwandoh
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Opinion – The Tautology Of Police Brutality: What Is Really At Stake

There is a lot of noise surrounding the unlawful murder of George Floyd and the murders of countless George Floyds, Ahmaud Arberys, and Breonna Taylors (see their names at NPR’s comprehensive, but by no means exhaustive, list). There is, rightfully, an endless stream of strong analysis of what is going on, and amidst this uproar I do not wish to add anything to distract from those hard facts which we all must acknowledge and for which we must bear social responsibility. It falls on us to interrogate our relationship to state criminality. As the so-called anti-police brutality protests rage on, and the race war is now more visibly witnessed (at least in a way that mainstream media outlets can attempt/pretend to digest), we must assess our position of solidarity and look at the clear-as-day inner workings of oppressive state force.

The protests in the States are about far more than police brutality. In fact, their labelling as such is a gross (and dare I say intentional) over-simplification. The police force is necessarily brutal by definition: they are the civil force of a state, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and maintenance of public order. The role of the police to protect property and the private interests of the capitalist class, over those of the public, is more than clear when the US government easily and quickly mobilises forces en masse in response to the manifestation of frustration but justice remains reluctant, and still missing in the case of the actual murderers. 

There is already plenty of useful analysis about the role of ‘looting’, as well as the classist and racist nature of invectives against passionate organisation. The differences in the handling of armed white protestors and unarmed black protestors in the past month, for instance, are readily accessible on your social media feeds. Though under-reported and rarely acknowledged, longer-term strategy is being employed. Black Movements were ready to mobilise and have been mobilising long before this recent killing, and for significantly longer than our leaky memory of  60 years of marching against state-sanctioned murder.

I repeat: what is being protested in the US is far more than police murder and the sanctioned devaluation of black life and civility. What is being protested is even more than the structural disenfranchisement, electoral and extra-electoral, of black citizens or that we all knew (pre-inquiry) that the lethality of Covid-19 would be higher for black citizens. If we, here in the UK, are able to grasp this, then we too shall be aware that we are staring down the same mobilisations of state oppression. A wider definition of police brutality must be acknowledged and challenged here. Brutal is all police machinery. We have witnessed that police brutality has not been silenced by Covid-19 but amplified at a time when statistics show that black people were more likely to be fined than white counterparts[1]; and the overrepresented black population (wiped from public imagination) behind bars are kept at high risk of infection. If our government failed to protect and safeguard those in UK care homes, then how much less do we expect them to have cared, covered up and under-reported the situation going on inside the largest prison population in Western Europe?

Police brutality is the conservative pledge to guarantee ‘safer streets’ by increasing this prison population capacity by 10,000, to recruiting 20,000 more police over the next 3 years and 6000 in the next year alone. Pledges all made without any further considerations for the sort of necessary community actions required to challenge the issues of the streets. Police brutality is, and is backed by, the £10 million that Boris could find to “significantly increase the number of officers carrying” Tasers, as well as the increase of their legal usage by police officers. Tasers are not fashion statements. Police brutality is, I repeat, the UK’s claim to having the largest prison population out of all in the EU, with taxpayers footing the £2.75 billion prison expansion project. Domestic violence, ‘anti-social’ behaviour, knife crime … these will likely increase – they will increase – under the circumstances of a deeply depressed society, increased unemployment, and no prospects, yet, for future sustainable training and restructuring of the economy. But I suppose that is exactly what the extra 10,000 places in prison will be for. While some may believe in police reforms, others understand that police brutality is tautology. We must apply a structural gaze to the voice of protest or simply be forced to witness the continuation of our community’s pain.

What is being protested here is far more than the police’s protection of private interests. Police brutality was witnessed at Extinction Rebellion protests. Police brutality has been witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have not forgotten Belly Mujinga; we have not forgotten Stephen Lawrence; we have not forgotten Mark Duggan, or the dubious circumstances surrounding his death; we have not forgotten Jimmy Mubenga; we have not forgotten the police raiding Stormzy’s house; we have not forgotten gutted communities and the increasing power of police; we have not forgotten countless pictures of the loss of black life systemically normalised; we have not forgotten that black life extends beyond diasporic and displaced communities in the West. Black Lives Matter in a way that threatens the global status quo. BLM

[1] Imagine a £60 fine while waiting for Universal Credit to come through or knowing that you will not be able to pay rent soon.

Anneliese Dodds accused of “sitting on the fence” over lockdown easing

Joe Stonor
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Anneliese Dodds accused of “sitting on the fence” over lockdown easing

Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor and MP for Oxford East, has been accused of “sitting on the fence” after avoiding stating whether the Labour Party supports the government’s easing of lockdown.

Despite the warnings of some senior scientists that it is still too early to relax strict lockdown measures, the government has pressed ahead with plans to partially reopen schools and to allow groups of up to 6 people to meet from Monday.

Appearing on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Dodds was asked several times whether she supported the government’s move to ease restrictions, but avoided answering the question directly. The government’s decision does not appear to align with conditions that Labour had demanded be met before giving people more freedom, including the roll out of a national phone app and 250,000 tests a day, neither of which have been achieved.

The Labour leader Keir Starmer had said on Friday that the party would not support a gradual easing of lockdown until these conditions were met.

In response to Mr Marr’s conclusion that “given your own tests, it seems to be that Labour must oppose unlocking”, Ms Dodds sought to distance Labour from the decision-making process, suggesting that Labour does not have access to the same scientific information as the government. She said: “You know the government has taken that decision and the opposition can’t take that decision because we don’t have the scientific advice in front of us.”

The short interview provoked frustration amongst some Labour supporters, with many writing on twitter angered at the perceived lack of clarity in Labour’s position, with one user stating: “What has become of Labour? It’s awful.”

However, Dodds did respond to the threat of a resurgence in coronavirus cases leading to a reintroduction of lockdown measures, and in doing so acknowledged the risks associated with an over-hasty easing of lockdown. She stated: “As you would expect as Shadow Chancellor, I’m very, very concerned about what could happen to our economy if that happens, as well as the health impact.” 

Anneliese Dodds stressed that parents should not feel pressured to return their children to school if they fear it is unsafe. She also challenged the government’s “lack of preparedness” that has led to the Prime Minister’s promise that “we will have a test, track and test operation that will be world-beating and yes it will be in place by June 1st” being unfulfilled, calling for the government to act “urgently” to clarify the scheme. 

Image credit to Cicero Group/ Flickr.

Oxford delays publication of access reports because of current “world events”

Violeta Perea Rubio
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Oxford delays publication of access reports because of current “world events”

The University of Oxford have delayed the publication of their yearly admissions and diversity data, due to be published today, in light of current “world events”.

The HuffPost UK had access to an email circulated on Wednesday which notified staff of this delay. In this email, the university stated they felt “strongly that this is not the right time to share our data”, alluding to the ongoing global Black Lives Matter protests against racial injustice in response to the murder of George Floyd last week.

The report gives annual detailed diversity data on university admissions. Last year, the ‘Annual Admissions and Statistical Report’ found that the 2018 intake saw an increase in the proportion of students admitted from state schools from 57.2% to 60.5%. The report aims to make data on ethnicity, age, gender, disability, economic background, education and geographic residency area more transparent in order to improve outreach efforts.

The HuffPost quotes the email, which reportedly reads: “After careful consideration of the current world events and also learning that Cambridge will not be publishing its admissions data until late June, the decision to postpone the release of the annual admissions statistical report has been taken,” the email states.

“The delay also allows us more time to work on announcing our commitment to outreach through our digital outreach programmes, which are being delivered despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and particularly the closure of schools since March 2020.”

This comes after the University has received backlash for its response to the Black Lives Matter protests. Users on Twitter have responded with mentions of the University’s issues with racism, particularly regarding The Union, affiliations with Cecil Rhodes, and the rejection of the Stormzy Scholarship.

Yesterday, June 3rd, South Parks saw hundreds of protesters manifesting their solidarity with George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

A spokesperson for the University explained: “The University of Oxford was scheduled to publish its annual Undergraduate Admissions Report this week. However, as world events have escalated over the last ten days, it became obvious that now was not the time to share this content. In fact, some headline admissions figures have already been published, in January this year, and revealed that the University is now attracting more ethnic minority students, including Black students, than ever. Having already shared this core information, it felt deeply inappropriate to publish content that could distract from the important challenges and debate facing our society at this time and try to draw attention to our own progress on the figures. The report will therefore appear later this month.

“Oxford abhors racism and discrimination of any description and protecting the wellbeing of our Black and ethnic minority student and staff community is a University priority. Recent events have shone a light on imperfections everywhere, including at Oxford, and we are working hard to build towards a truly diverse community. Our admissions figures are an important indicator of our progress but we also need to guarantee an inclusive and respectful learning environment for all.”

The University reassures the report will be published by the end of the month.

Image credit: Ellie Wilkins

Law finalists not informed of exam error

Tilly Walters
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Law finalists not informed of exam error

A Law FHS paper contained different instructions than previously stated in the exam conventions, and finalists were not communicated instructions to remedy this mistake during the window throughout which the paper was taken. 

While the exam conventions, sent on Tuesday 26 May, state ‘FHS candidates taking this paper should answer 4 questions including at least one problem question’, the exam paper for land law stated that candidates must answer two problem questions. In previous years, the land law paper has required students to answer one problem question. 

Individual candidates were sent conflicting information during the exam, but no clarification was made to the full student body, even though the faculty were aware of the error. While many students followed the stated guidance on the paper itself, some reportedly deviated from the rubric. Individual replies to students from the faculty seen by Cherwell demonstrate that they were aware of the issue, but did not take any steps to inform all finalists. 

Only some candidates sitting the exam in different time zones (which, in accordance with University policy, is anything beyond GMT+7), were informed of the mistake or of the way to approach the exam.  

It remains to be seen what steps the Law faculty will take to remedy this. In an email to finalists sent early on Thursday, the faculty wrote, “The examiners will take account of the position in which this placed candidates– I can’t comment further on what steps might be taken at this point – while anyone who did not follow the rubric and answered one problem question will not be penalised for rubric violation.”

While Oxford’s guidance for closed book exams states to “Raise your hand if you suspect there is a mistake on the exam paper”, in order to communicate to invigilators, there was no advice on the exam conventions circulated to candidates about how to communicate a mistake in the current open book format. 

A Law finalist, who had taken the exam, stated: “It’s disappointing but not unprecedented that an exam should contain a typo. What is shocking is that the fact of the mistake wasn’t immediately communicated to everyone taking the exam and clear instructions given about whether to follow the conventions or the exam. That is what would have been done in an in-person, invigilated exam.  

“It is even more surprising that only some candidates were told that there would be no penalty for breaching the exam rubric. Forcing students to work out, in the middle of an exam, whether they should ‘break’ the rules to perform best, while only some are told that there will be no consequences for doing so, ironically raises some interesting jurisprudential questions about obedience to law. I would have preferred to deal with those in the jurisprudence paper, rather than in the land paper.”

A spokesperson for the University said, “We will not comment on individual papers while the exam process is on-going. However, the University has always had process in place so errors can be flagged in the conduct of exams. This process has been adjusted for this year’s Open Book exams and communicated to all students sitting these exams. Exam boards will take any errors into consideration when finalising marks.”

Image credit to Ham/ Wikimedia Commons.

how i’m feeling now: Hyper-Pop Masterpiece for the Lockdown Generation

Adam Hewitt
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how i’m feeling now: Hyper-Pop Masterpiece for the Lockdown Generation

Charli XCX’s lockdown productivity is putting us all to shame. On the 6th of April she announced to fans via a public Zoom meeting that she was producing a new album despite the global pandemic. It would be created just with ‘the tools she has at her fingertips’, including all of the music videos and artwork. Oh, and it would drop in 6 weeks. Fast forward through numerous weekly updates posted to her YouTube channel and how i’m feeling now has been released for us all to enjoy in the self-isolated safely of our homes/workspaces/world.

To say that Charli has her finger on the beating pulse of the current global situation would not be enough. The album accurately describes the thing that we’re all struggling with right now, trying to create something amongst the current madness. But it is also so much more. how i’m feeling now is a direct product of winning that battle with boredom and procrastination. It is, paradoxically, a professional rendition of a DIY art project. It is personal, genuine, polished, unpolished, and covered in PVA and glitter. If you can’t tell, I love it. 

Like I do with most of Charli’s work, I checked the producer credits on the album before listening. Seeing either A.G. Cook, Danny L Harle, or Dylan Brady listed on every single song peaked my anticipation to almost unattainable levels. For the uninitiated, these three producers make up a significant proportion of the underground internet sub-genre Hyper-Pop. The genre is notoriously hard to define, but imagine an early noughties pop song sped up and pitched up to speaker clipping levels, all drizzled with a healthy dose of LGBTQIA+ pride vibes. A.G. Cook can be described as the spearhead of this musical vanguard. He’s the founder of the PC Music record label, a hub for huge names in the Hyper-Pop scene. He is also the most frequent producer of Charli’s tracks and his experimental tendencies can be found all over songs like ‘Vroom Vroom’ and ‘Click’, as well as her new album. 

Charli has two musical personalities. One can be found in the music video to her mainstream chart-topping classic ‘Boom Clap’, the accompanying musical release to YA blockbuster film The Fault in Our Stars. In the video, Charli is dressed in Top Shop-esque fashion, sporting big hair and throwing lots of serious, smouldering glances at the camera. The song, and all her others like it, still sounds catchy and pops in all the right ways. But it lacks the experimental electricity found in projects like her EP Pop 2that puts her streets ahead of all the others she frequently collaborates with. 

Luckily, Charli nerds would be pleased to hear that she described her newest album as the ‘frantic emo younger sister’ of Pop 2 on Twitter. The album’s first three tracks are a perfect encapsulation of why a significant portion of her fanbase are the type you’d never catch tuning to Radio 1’s big Top 40. The record opens with ‘pink diamond’, a crunchy two minutes of Hard Trap in the vein of another PC Music genius, SOPHIE. ‘forever’ was the first single Charli released off the album and its video is a quick cut mash-up of her fans quarantine home-videos. It’s hard to fight the lump in your throat as you read through all the people fangirling and putting time stamps to their appearances in the comment section under the video. Charli singing ‘I will always love you… even though we’re not together’ feels like a direct message to them. The experience of being on the ground floor for this record’s release feels as close to an album release party that can be achieved in our current, socially distanced reality. 

The third track on the album is the record’s glittering, 3D modelled, jewel in its pink-plastic tiara. ‘claws’ is an autotuned, up-tempo, squeaking roller coaster ride with all the prickly synths and sickening bass drums that you could expect from producer Dylan Brady, one half of experimental pioneers 100 Gecs. This is another track where the music video adds buckets to the song’s charm. The visuals were made with nothing but Charli’s own eclectic wardrobe, her on a greenscreen and an electric scooter. The video is perfectly described by ‘Fursio Names’ in the comments, who says it screams ‘graphic design is my passion’ vibes. 

Words like ‘unpolished’, ‘crunchy’, and ‘sickening’ wouldn’t typically be used to describe a ‘Masterpiece’ album. Yet, that’s kind of the point. Hyper-Pop walks the tightrope of cheesy trash and truly boundary pushing music production with such subtle finesse that the ‘ironic hipster’ mindset is necessary to really appreciate it.  

Prague’s Telling Tale of Tourism Under Coronavirus

Lizzie Harvey
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Prague’s Telling Tale of Tourism Under Coronavirus

Walking through the streets of Prague, Janek Rubeš1 points out to the camera how his hometown has adapted to the pandemic. Red lines 2 metres apart have been painted on the cobbled roads to keep social distancing, prices in city-centre restaurants have fallen dramatically, and there is a notable lack of foreign tourists in Staroměstské náměstí, (Old Town Square) along Karlův most (Charles Bridge) and at other famous landmarks. Janek’s YouTube channel ‘Honest Guide’ is usually full of tips for visitors to the city, hidden gems to discover, and tourist traps to avoid. It helped me, along with thousands of others, to make the most of my trip to Prague last summer. His more recent videos, however, paint a very different picture to the Prague viewers are used to seeing.  

“The downtown became a village,” Janek remarks after chatting to a stallholder about plans for the evening – a quiet pint by the river with a friend.  

The Czech Republic was one of the first European countries to implement lockdown measures; borders were shut, and social distancing became the norm. The timely response meant that by April non-essential shops could open and Czechs could travel freely within their country. 

Photos on social media are testament to this change. Hordes of tourists’ snaps gave way to a remarkably deserted Old Town square and the occasional mask-clad selfie. Now, people are beginning to return as Czechs start to visit Prague themselves, going places previously frequented only by foreigners. A beer that would normally cost around 200 CZK (£6.70) is now under 50 CZK (£1.70), a result of pubs cutting prices to attract more locals as the number of wealthy foreign tourists dwindles.  

In a normal year, the Czech capital welcomes around 7 million foreign tourists and has the (mostly) enviable position of being the fifth most visited city in Europe. Its landmarks are famous across the world and draw a huge range of visitors to the city; Charles Bridge featured in the latest Spiderman, the Historic Centre of Prague is a UNESCO world heritage site, and each year 8 million people visit Pražský hrad, the medieval castle that overlooks the city. However, the number of Czechs who visit the capital is much lower; normally only 1 million visit annually and Czechia’s second city, Brno, is far more popular. There, Czech visitors outnumber foreigners by a ratio of 3:1.

Of course, 2020 is no normal year. 9,134 positive tests and 11 weeks in a state of emergency later, Czechia is looking to end their lockdown measures. Attention has turned to the future of tourism. The borders are currently only open to Czech citizens after a two-week quarantine, and future policies designed to reduce transmission of Covid-19 will likely deter the millions of foreigners who would have visited the capital this year, often only staying a weekend for a bar crawl or stag-do.  

For the last 5 years, Prague has battled with over-tourism; residents were pushed out in favour of more profitable Airbnb rentals and the Old Town started to lose its identity to growing commercialisation and drunk revellers. The city needed drastic change, and coronavirus has provided it with a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” in the words of its mayor, to transform its relationship with tourism. Longer stays and the city’s historical importance are to be promoted; in an effort to shift the culture away from drinking and towards that of the Czech nation. As such, museums will have free entry this summer.  

The type of tourist in Prague has also changed.  German holidaymakers on beer bikes have been replaced by Czech families on weekend trips, exorbitant bureaux de change counters have closed, and signs and menus have been translated back into Czech. Not 6 months ago, Jan Lopatka lamented3 that “many Czechs avoid the city centre,” something that seems to have ended with coronavirus, temporarily at least.  

Prague’s story is being echoed by other tourist hotspots across the world. But what does all this mean for the tourism industry on the global scale? The only thing certain in an uncertain future is that a new normal must be found. The days of short city getaways and stag and hen dos abroad are at an end for the time being. With more restrictions on travel, a likely decline in budget airlines, a recession looming and anxiety over non-essential trips, tourists will be more hesitant and less able to travel further afield. Regional travel bubbles, like that established between Australia and New Zealand, may help in the short term to keep the tourism sector afloat and will become more widespread as more and more countries move out of lockdown. 

For the UK, with the second-highest death toll globally from Covid-19, this could take some time. The transitional phase of Brexit will end in a matter of months, leaving Brits to navigate extra EU visa difficulties on top of everything else. Will all this compel Brits to follow the Czech example and ‘go local’ for future holidays? While it may not be sounding the death knell for globalisation in its entirety, coronavirus is making everyone appreciate the benefits of a more localised lifestyle. Even if we’d all rather be sipping rosé by the Mediterranean, this year, being able to eat fish and chips on a rocky beach in Norfolk with our friends and family would be a dream come true. At least for now, local seems to be the future.  

*Image of Prague skyline provided by Lizzie Harvey*

Christ Church JCR candidate steps down after George Floyd comments, college responds

Mark Robins
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Christ Church JCR candidate steps down after George Floyd comments, college responds

A Christ Church JCR candidate has linked the protests after the death of George Floyd with “flour shortage”, in JCR minutes seen by Cherwell.

In hustings held via Zoom on Sunday, the candidate for “Cake Rep” claimed that “Flour shortage leads to rioting, which leads to death” to explain anti-racism protests. Following backlash from students, they withdrew from the election on Monday. Christ Church did not respond publicly until Thursday, when they posted a statement on their website condemning the speech.

In their opening speech, the candidate said: “The US is facing two very important crises at the moment – the curious incident of George Floyd, and the event of flour shortage. I would like to put forward the motion that these incidents are not two, but rather one.”

“Flour shortage leads to rioting, which leads to death, which leads to racism. And racism, leads to death, leads to rioting, and that leads to flour shortage. Really, it is just a massive positive feedback loop. While I cannot address the consequences of flour shortage, I can at least cut at the root of all evil, by continuing the legacy of cake distribution.”

They went on to explain how they were qualified to be the “Christ Church protector of evil.”

In response, JCR member Melanie Onovo asked the candidate to clarify what they meant by this comment.

The candidate responded: “Well, what I am trying to say is that it is a positive feedback loop. Where flour shortage leads to rioting, which leads to death, and that leads to racism, and racism leads to death, which leads to rioting, which leads to flour shortage. We cannot stop the consequences of the evil of racism. We can however symbolically support the victims by cutting out the root of all evil, as I said before.”

Onovo says she was unable to respond as she was placed on mute, and was unable to ask followup questions. She also claims the candidate “giggled” when asked the question.

The other candidates for “Cake Rep” declined to comment, with one saying it was “too soon”.

Onovo told Cherwell: “I was left on mute and unable to respond. Even the pleas of members of the JCR through messages were ignored.”

During the hustings, the Returning Officer said: “I have a few messages of people wanting to make a message or point or statement at the end of the meeting – in my opinion, it is not appropriate, so if you would like to do, please do so through the JCR page or Facebook. I don’t think it is appropriate to use hustings to make political points – we would be here a very long time otherwise.”

The JCR president released a statement: “Being a member of the JCR is to commit oneself to engage with others, to live in a community, and above all to respect one another. These basic standards were violated. The injustices of American society, that travesty of American police brutality, were trivialised for the sake of a cheap and repugnant joke.” 

“We must recognise that such insensitivity and lack of compassion cannot be treated with indifference. We must learn to live with one another. We must be understanding, and we must be kind.”

“The individual who made the remark has made the right decision to withdraw their candidacy for a position on the JCR Committee. They are apologetic and it is clear to me deeply regret the hurt and anguish caused, and did not foresee it.”

“I spoke at the end of the Hustings to ensure that the incident did not go unaddressed. In future, the provisions of our standing orders will be reviewed to ensure that unacceptable and offensive remarks are immediately addressed, in the instance in which they happen, and addressed for what they are. We are thankful that this incident has given us the opportunity to learn and improve.”

Prior to the meeting, the JCR passed a motion donating £720 to the Minnesota Freedom Fund and associated charities.

Students have since created a template JCR motion to be presented to colleges. It states: “I call upon my JCR to table a motion condemning the handling of these hustings by the Christ Church JCR and call for the resignation of the Returning Officer and an apology from the Christ Church JCR.

“A successful motion in each JCR would show this and thus help provide a semblance of reassurance to the brave individual who spoke up, as well as others affected, about our student body at Oxford as a whole.”

The motion calls the events “disgraceful” and adds that “responsibility was on [the Returning Officer] to condemn this remark as soon as it was said”.

A statement made by Christ Church says: “Christ Church condemns the deeply offensive remarks that were made during the recent JCR Hustings, which appeared to make light of the appalling death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We are taking the incident extremely seriously and have investigated what took place.” 

The College’s Censors said: “We completely support the frank words of the JCR President, who has kept us fully informed about the incident that took place during the recent Hustings held on Zoom. Christ Church is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all, whatever their background, or the colour of their skin. Racism, in any form, cannot and will not be tolerated and it is completely unacceptable if any student felt uncomfortable, let alone distressed, at this meeting.”

“We have been deeply impressed by those who spoke up during the meeting, and for their honesty and openness in discussions afterwards, as well as by the students who have contacted us individually to share their concerns. From the ongoing conversations we have had, there can be no doubt that our students and the wider Christ Church community take a very clear stance against racism and were dismayed to hear about this incident. We will continue to work closely with all our students to ensure that Christ Church provides a welcoming and supportive home for everyone. We expect all members of our community to adhere to our Equality policy and will be dealing with violations of this policy through our established procedures.” 

“Although an anti-bias session is already a compulsory element of our induction programme, it has become evident that this is not enough. We will therefore work with students to ensure that not only freshers, but the entire community, continues to confront the very real impact of racial bias and all forms of discrimination. To that end, we will be taking concrete steps to introduce new and ongoing initiatives to combat prejudice and to give everyone—students and staff—the tools to stand up for the values of tolerance and equality that Christ Church embraces today. We all have much to learn, but we are committed to fostering a culture of mutual respect both at Christ Church and in the wider world.”

Image credit to Toby Ord/ Wikimedia Commons.

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