Are social networking sites and apps just a way of communicating or are they an open door to attack?

We’ve all heard of them: Twitter, Facebook, Formspring, Ask FM, Snapchat etc. but what people really lurk behind their computer screen and are they there to communicate or to insult? In this article, I intend to find out if these sites/apps are responsible for making us feel miserable.

Let’s start with Ask FM. I have to admit that when I first heard of this idea, I thought it was terrible. Why would you want teenagers to open an account and then have people ask them questions anonymously? This is a gateway for bullying. Still, it was popular and people went on to find out answers that sometimes should really be kept private. What worries me is that you didn’t even have to have an account to ask a question; it was a simple case of typing it in and pressing enter. Anyone can ask anyone anything. Of course, this was the whole point of the site but with the anonymity comes confidence and insult, with no discipline. Why not insult that person in your class if you weren’t going to get in trouble for it? There were no boundaries and still aren’t as to what you could ask, how you spoke or what you said. I only need to type in ‘girl kills’ into Google before my first suggested search was ‘girl kills herself over Ask FM’. Hannah Smith, a 14-year-old girl from Leicestershire, killed herself after receiving taunts in real life and from the site. While Ask FM bosses Mark and Lija Terebin, blamed the girl herself. However several major companies have announced that they will remove their advertising from the site following the controversy of this case and others. Another example is of Daniel Perry, 17 from Scotland, who killed himself after allegedly being blackmailed during a Skype chat and previously being told to commit suicide from anonymous people on Ask FM. The site has caused controversy by not having workable reporting, tracking or parental control processes, which have become the norm on other social media websites. However, Ask FM spokesmen responded by stating that they do have a reporting feature and employ a number of moderators to fight cyberbullying. Accordingly, the site has a “sexually explicit comment” monitor staffed by moderators; however, the comments are never deleted, even for explicit threats. This is a major cause of criticism.  Erin Gallagher, who hanged herself in October 2012 actually named Ask FM in her suicide note and said that she had been bullied on there.

Other sites known for causing hate from one to another is Twitter. The press constantly reports celebrities tweeting back and forth taking digs at one another. Notable examples are The Wanted vs. One Direction and Amanda Bynes vs. Miley Cyrus. Amanda Bynes tweeted a picture of Miley Cyrus stating towards her ‘ur ugly’. While Zayn from One Direction called Max from The Wanted ‘Chlamydia boy’ and ‘geek’. While Miley Cyrus wasn’t provoked by Bynes’ comment, she has replied ‘I think it’s all so sad that I don’t wanna add any fuel to that fire. It’s really so sad to me. I was rooting for a comeback until you start attacking me. I just thought it was hilarious that she mentioned my name the moment I was the worldwide trending topic on Twitter. It’s just funny. The moment you’re a trending topic it’s funny how many people want your name to come out of their mouth ’cause somehow they can associate, and maybe they can be a trending topic.’ Not all girls are that strong. However it doesn’t mean that you are weak to let these kinds of things offend or insult you.

And finally, Facebook. Does posing for pictures then uploading them onto Facebook make you vain or is it just a way to make yourself feel good? Dawn O’Porter thinks not that vanity might not be such a bad thing. ‘Well I think it’s terrible that such a negative connotation has been attached to people who like to share themselves with the world’ … ‘But snapping a selfie in a smashing bit of clobber and hoping a few people say you look alright, well that’s just a lovely thing to be able to do, isn’t it?’ (Dawn O’Porter, Glamour Magazine).

‘We cannot change the ever-developing social network era, but we can do our best to help the next generation realise that beauty comes from within.’

Regardless of what you think of social networking, they are without a doubt a way to communicate and if wanted, insult and degrade. Bullying can be such a horrible thing and with the added effect of the bullies able to hide behind a computer or phone screen, it is now much easier and more difficult to know when to stop. Many people don’t show when bullying or teasing is getting to them and the risk is increased when you can’t even see the person. ‘Following the suicide of Hannah Smith, British Prime Minister David Cameron called for a boycott of websites shunning the responsibility for dealing with cyberbullying on their sites.’ But can anyone ever control it? With so many small comments ripping into people, can there ever be a way of stopping people insulting others online? You could ask what we actually use social networks for: just a way of communicating or are they an open door to attack others?

About the writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!

Is Hollywood Really Dead?

While tidying up the shelves in work, a song came on by Michael Buble. Not being a massive fan, I’d never really properly listened to the lyrics of any of his songs (except singing along in my very talented, beautiful voice of course) but after hearing a few of them I began to think.

The title is quite deliberating itself; Hollywood is dead. This got me thinking. Hollywood certainly isn’t what it used to be; in fact popular culture is the same but times have changed.  I’m going to take some liberty in this article and talk not just about Hollywood but also music stars and other stars of entertainment.

When The Beatles became famous, they were thought of as rebellious because they had longer hair, whereas rebellion now a days is Miley Cyrus rubbing herself with a foam finger and Lady Gaga dancing around in a thong. One could argue that these things, although they do sell the music, take the attention away from the music itself. Back in the sixties, the Beatles were rebellious initially because they played rock n’ roll music, not because of their shenanigans.

With social media and paparazzi at an all time high, the normal things discussed are who was seen together, how thin/fat someone is; basically gossip. For example, most of the press on Justin Bieber consists of him being late for concerts or of him spitting on his fans. Not that these aren’t issues and events that need to be discussed, but the focus shifts from that of their music. While you can argue that this is happening more and more in recent times, back in the 80’s the only real entertainment news I can find is Ozzy biting the head off a bat. In conclusion, any big gossip in the entertainment world is particularly difficult to find. However most of my research is done online and this got me thinking that as the Internet is a fairly recent phenomenon then this may be the reason that gossip about celebrities has gotten so high and become normal. Indeed some entertainment gossip features are seen on the news.

While watching The Big Reunion, many of the cast spoke about their depression and the pressures of fame, as well as their loss of control due to it. However this may not be a new thing – Marilyn Monroe is famous for her feelings of being trapped as seen in some of these quotes: “It’s often just enough to be with someone. I don’t need to touch them. Not even talk. A feeling passes between you both. You’re not alone.” and “A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night.” Indeed the magnitude and pressure of fame have sometimes thought to have pushed some celebrities to suicide, such as Marilyn Monroe from an overdose of barbiturates or Heath Ledger from prescription drug intoxication, while both may not be suicide, the result of the medication they were taking may be from the stresses and pressures of celebrity life and from the paparazzi and gossip. Indeed the gossip and paparazzi may have gotten a lot worse in recent years but these two celebrities were many decades apart, meaning that life for celebrities was also hard back then and wasn’t always the glitz and the glamour.

Hollywood; the big sign on the side the hills of Los Angeles, California promotes the height and Godly approach that Hollywood is meant to suggest but has this all been lost now? There are still some ‘stars’ among the celebrities who have been working for many years like Johnny Depp or George Clooney but celebrities who are famous for being famous may change this. The glamour hasn’t gone from Hollywood, we still have the red carpets, awards shows and sparkly dresses but the metaphorical glamour of being a celebrity in Hollywood, or that of popular culture, may truly have disappeared.

About the writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!

Friends for Life!

One of the most awkward times in my life was when I was in college. A group of us were planning a charity gig and trying to attract an audience, a friend of mine turned to another member (who didn’t hang around with us much) and said for him to ‘invite your friends’, his response? ‘I don’t have any friends’. Which then lead to a very uncomfortable atmosphere. Friends are a very important part of life. They relax you, offer you advice, act as a social aid, and help you not to go too mad. When I moved back home from university, I was afraid that I wouldn’t have many friends. So much so, (and as difficult as this is to admit), I even wrote a list of friends I had to make myself feel better.

So who are friends? People say that university friends are for life. I don’t speak to quite a lot of my friends from there, not because of anything in particular but we have just lost contact. It probably doesn’t help that 2 of them have been until very recently or are still, in America. My other group of friends I meet up fairly regularly with and would count these more so as friends back home. And there’s Daisy, who although I don’t really see very often, is the co-manager of Yellow Bunting! This helps us keep in touch with one another. You see, I love all of my friends but life gets in the way. Especially when some live in what can be seen as another country. Well, England, which, yes I know it is still Britain but still it’s quite far! And so they are sometimes harder to keep in touch with than those living in the same place and near to me. My point? University friends may be for life but at the end of your studies, more often than not, everyone goes back to their hometowns or pursues a career, which usually isn’t in a place with their university peers.

However, friends aren’t everything. There was a point in my life when I was socialising so much that it became difficult to have time to myself to get anything done. However, I wouldn’t change this for the world, I was just happy to have a life that I was afraid wouldn’t happen. Friends don’t have to be everything though, so if you are going through a bad patch with one (or some) or don’t really have any, you don’t always have to worry about it! Fight for your friends (but don’t make all of the effort, you have to know that they want to be friends with you too) but don’t worry if you don’t have many. You’ll make more in the future; when you a new job, move, even people you meet online. All of these hypothetical reasons could be responsible for new people in your life, people who are more similar to you. But don’t worry if you can’t find anyone, you should never change or change your personality for anyone, and if someone cannot appreciate you then don’t change for them. If having friends makes you fake then would you still want them? It is your choice, but don’t worry yourself with finding people, if they are meant to be then they will happen. Put yourself out there, show off your personality and find the right people for you, people who will make you feel good about yourself, help you and make you happy. Believe me, I have had friends who have made me feel very crummy and you deserve to be happy so stand up for yourself!

About the writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!

Apillable or not?

It seems to be fact that more young people are on antidepressants than our older generations were. But is this because we genuinely need them, and if so, why is our need greater than that of our elders? Or is it that doctors are just more willing to prescribe tablets to patients, making our generation a more dependent one on drugs?

Tablets actually help. That is a fact, otherwise there would be no need for them. They simply would not be prescribed. Whether or not doctors are more willing to hand them out does not matter in a way.

We have to ask ourselves why so many should be healthy young people are in a position to have to visit their doctor and therefore be prescribed medication. I myself was put on antidepressants after a serious illness took hold of me. If I’m honest, I needed them. That was a couple of years ago and since I have requested to come off of them but was told to wait until a stress-free time. I have now only in the last couple of months been able to stop taking them. My doctors were, in my opinion, sensible in keeping me on them until I was ready to come off them by having a ready lifestyle.

Yes, more young people are taking antidepressants but is that because life is becoming more difficult and stressful than past times or is it that people are just finding it harder to cope? Why is this however? In previous generations there were world wars etc. Was there not a need then? The answer is no. There is always a need, people always have problems and issues but not everyone chooses to take medication for them. However, psychological illnesses weren’t always diagnosed back then, for example: many soldiers suffering from shell shock in WW1 were fact suffering from PTSD, though many were accused of cowardice and shot. Does this then mean that there were a lot more depressed people that just weren’t diagnosed?

I saw on television a story about a girl who had visited her GPs on a totally irrelevant matter and was put on antidepressants. Yes in this case I believe the doctor was too easy in giving the girl the tablets as a solution but we do not know the finer details of the appointment. The girl may have in fact had underlying issues in which she needed to be put on the medication for.

Why is this in fact an issue? In this day and age, science has progressed leaps and bounds for these very reasons. Why not take advantage of what is already there for us? Why is there an issues if it helps someone’s problem?

In conclusion, in my own personal view, yes everyone has problems, some people’s are big and some are small but if a solution is there, why should the people who find it harder to cope, not have them in order to make their lives easier?

 

About the Writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!

Vegetarian Fast Food

You’re travelling to meet the family. You’re on your lunch break prior to a meeting. You’re with your family at a service station on the way to the annual holiday. Where do you go for lunch? Well there’s plenty of those good old fast food places, McDonalds, Burger King or KFC? You see that man tucking into a Big Mac and can’t hold the hunger any longer. As you slowly wander over to the counter and peer up at the menu, you pause. What can you eat? Meat…meat…meat… Aren’t there any other options? Here in this article, we look at what is on offer in some of the biggest corporate companies, for the people who decide that they no longer want to eat meat.

While beginning my investigation, I wanted to hear what the companies had to say first on their policy on vegetarian food. On firstly ringing, KFC, they explained that they had ‘no policy.’ However there were sides available for veggies such as fries, beans, corn and coleslaw. Take out of that what you want but I wouldn’t say that these ‘sides’ were exactly filling or substantial. The other two companies to test were McDonalds and Burger King. They however weren’t getting back to me so I have decided to review their food fairly and look at the options available. In McDonalds, there was one veggie option (Veggie Deli) and no choice for children in the Happy Meals section. Unfortunately, after 8pm they no longer serve the veggie deli. McDonalds had this to comment when addressed on the issue, ‘A vegetarian Happy Meal has been trialled before but didn’t prove popular at the time. However, McDonald’s is always working hard to provide its customers with as much choice and value as possible and this is no different for vegetarian customers.’ Jan, 09. They go on to say that the fries, fruit bag and garden salad are wholly vegetarian. But not exactly what you go to a fast food restaurant for…

Moving on to Burger King. The said Veggie Burger actually turned out to be cooked in animal fat and their fries have only recently changed to becoming vegetarian. What is left? Onion Rings that contain whey and bagels, which contain egg. Burger King does not endorse that its milkshakes or ice creams are vegetarian suited either. In certain foods, the ingredients state that they are from ‘unknown sources.’ ‘Some places carry veggie burger, but they are usually cooked in the same oil that is used to cook meat.’ On their website, Burger King states, ‘Burger King Corporation makes no claim that the BK VeggieTM Burger or any other of its products meets the requirements of a vegan or vegetarian diet.’

Last, I followed up on the KFC frequently asked questions bit of their website. Someone has asked, ‘Why don’t you offer a vegetarian option?’ Their answer was much the same as when I spoke to them on the phone, ‘Currently we do not offer a vegetarian option due to the low demand. However, some of our sides may be suitable for vegetarians. Please visit the nutritional pages of this website for more information.’

While writing this article, I discussed with my colleagues what I was doing. One colleague told me that her friends had studied at Corpus Christi College in Oxford for 2 years. There had only been one vegetarian option on the menu and after 2 years of eating the same meal, she turned back to eating meat. When I tried calling the catering manager, she was unavailable and after being placed on hold for a long period of time, I gave up on speaking to them.

My aim here wasn’t to turn everybody reading this article into raging vegetarians (although that would be a perfect world) but just to point out that giving up meat shouldn’t be such a chore. Vegetarians should be respected instead of having to go out of their way for a decent meal. There should just be more awareness in the world that people who are purposely not eating animals are being forced to either return to it or go without of out of their way to have a basic meal.

For more information on where to go when you are out and about, this book comes recommended: The Vegetarian Resource Group.

About the writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!

Interview With Carers

Margaret Lewis and Katie Jennings, mother and daughter, have gone through major upheaval and stress throughout the last three years. Moving in with the grandmother after the death of her husband and then caring for her following a stroke and an extreme change of personality, it was a real struggle. Margaret’s other daughter, Tamsin, then had a major relapse in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and was then diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa.

How are the carers coping? They are the ones who have to deal with the consequences and the emotional turbulence. So how exactly do they feel? They are the ones in the background who don’t receive the ‘get well’ tokens of pity and compassion. How do they cope with having to watch their loved ones suffer? What do they do when they can do very little?

Here we interview these two people in how becoming carers has changed their lives.

 

Margaret

Margaret Lewis used to describe herself as an easy-going and hard-working person but what could have changed to make her view herself so differently?

When I asked her if her personality had changed at any point in her life, she replied that it had. When she elaborated further, I found a mournful story. She explains that when she became a carer her whole personality changed. She says she was happy to move in with her mother at the time.

Asked if she had had a close relationship with her mother, she told me that she used to, less so now because she is a totally different person. Having a good relationship with my mother, it really struck me: What if my mother totally changed? What if the person I had come to for help and spoke to every day on the phone was the reason for my nervous breakdown?

Having a happy home, happy family and overall happy life made Margaret worry that something bad had to be brewing for her. ‘I had too much luck going for me. I knew at one point something had to tip the scale and change things.’ It is weird to think that the scale needs to be tipped the other way now as Margaret and her family are still waiting for some good luck to return.

After the sudden and unexpected death of her father, the abrupt move in with her mother, and the constant arguments between her brothers and husband, it is difficult to see what more could go wrong. ‘One thing seemed to lead to another. I think my daughter could see that I was struggling and in a lot of pain and she couldn’t do anything about it. So I think that her subconscious allowed her to be in control of one aspect of her life, her weight. I think that is where her anorexia originated from.’

If she had her chance again, would she still move in? ‘My father wanted us to move in. He told the neighbours that if anything happened to him that he knew we would move in and look after mum. With that said, I would seriously reconsider moving in, but that’s easy to say with hindsight. If we hadn’t moved in then I don’t know if mum would still be here. If I didn’t move in then I would just feel guilty.”

Some of the family didn’t deal with the move very well. In terms of her marriage, Margaret says that it made them stronger as ‘we have helped each other.’ But how does she feel about her brothers? ‘Sometimes helpful – some more than others. But I feel alone in terms of that family as they don’t help at all.’ What was an extremely close-knit family turned out very differently when something major happened.

If she had decided to remain where she was, what would be in store for her? ‘I’m unsure in what way my life would be different but yes, it definitely would be. It could have been worse because of my guilt, but it also could be less stressful as I wouldn’t have had to become a carer. It all depends on what would have happened to mum.’ Margaret is carrying a lot of confusion, ‘if she had gone to a home and deteriorated then I would have felt guilty. But to be honest, I don’t see how it could be worse than the last 2 years.’

And how does she feel towards the people who put her in this situation of worry, panic and sadness? ‘Sometimes angry. I can get very annoyed at my mother but I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s not her fault, although that is hard to do.’ She adds as a quick after thought. ‘It doesn’t help that I don’t get a break from her. I also worry about my daughter a lot.’

The role reversal is very strange to deal with. ‘It’s almost like my mother has gone back to childhood.’

However, Margaret seems to be happier than she has been in the last two years and is looking forward to a well-earned break next week when she goes on holiday to Florida. ‘I can’t wait! I seriously need to just get away and I can’t wait for all the sun!’ Her face has lightened up considerably as she is reminded of what awaits her.

And what is going to happen when she has to return to real life? ‘I need to start having more breaks and some ‘me time’ – away from everyone, just to chill.’

 

Katie

Katie Jennings is your average seventeen-year-old girl. Her hobbies include driving, Wii, shopping, socialising, and, having just passed her driving test, driving. She is the middle child of 3 children and thinks she suffers from middle child syndrome. She has lived in Cardiff all of her life but has only lived in her current home for the last ‘two wonderful years.’

While she points out that living in a family of five can be hectic and you’re not left alone for more than ten minutes, she likes it. Although she does admit that sharing a room with your older sister does have its drawbacks. When her sister received her diagnosis, Katie says that she felt ‘sad.’ Her eyes raise slowly from the ground as she tells me that she wasn’t angry when her sister was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder but was for the Anorexia Nervosa. Explaining that this is because ‘OCD is more mental rather than with anorexia which doesn’t begin mentally but develops into something mental.’ Asked why she believes that Tamsin is prone to these anxiety illnesses, Katie notes that ‘she has always been a worrier and I think that it didn’t help that she used to be quite largely overweight and would be more paranoid due to past bullying.’

Katie points out that she sometimes felt like less attention was put on her and their other younger sister, Bryony, since their parents were always focused and worried on Tamsin. ‘I also didn’t want them to be any more worried than they already were so I tried not to discuss any problems I was having.’ Looking-shame faced at the table between us, she adds, ‘I know it sounds bad, but I was always the thin one. It was just my place within the family. When mum said that she thought Tamsin could be thinner than me, I felt like I had been punched in the gut.’

‘I try to help her. I used to help a lot more as it was easier to help with her OCD and I was the only person to know at first. However, now that I’m not the only one to know, I’m not included as much.’ When I ask her if she gets on well with her sister despite the illnesses she smirks and comments, ‘sometimes but she can annoy me.’

While people may pity the poor sufferer of these illnesses, does anyone think of their carers and families? How can it effect them personally? ‘It takes a long time to recover from OCD so no matter how much I tried to help, it didn’t work as quickly as I would have liked. It was also very difficult to cope with the fact that my sister could die.’

I ask her if she could go back in time, would she change anything? Her reply takes a while to come as she deliberates the many possibilities. She finally looks up and states that she would change nothing because if we didn’t make the mistakes then we wouldn’t regret anything.

Has she noticed any changes since becoming a carer? ‘I am more understanding now and know a lot more in my psychology classes at college thanks to these illnesses.’ Unfortunately these things seem to be the only advantages of having to suffer alongside a family member, but even worse was when Katie had to move out of her local community after the sudden death of her grandmother. ‘We all thought it would be nice living with Nan,’ she says with a quick smile, ‘but after her stroke we became her carers, too.’

Katie has had to cope with an extreme change of personality in her grandmother but she is still always an optimist. ‘When the rest of the family all went downhill, into depression and nervous breakdowns, I just tried to carry on and remain happy.’

Thanks to this strong will of Katie’s, she pulled her sister out of the dark side and into recovery. Though she does say that if they hadn’t moved in, ‘Nan would probably be dead.’ When asked whether she misses her grandfather and the ‘old’ Nan, she frowns. ”Course I miss them.’ Her face relaxes slowly. ‘But we do sometimes get glimpses of the old Nan.’

Does she believe that if these ‘events’ were more spread out then it would have all been easier to cope with? ‘Yes, definitely. Less stressful. I wouldn’t have found it necessary to have to bury my emotion so much.’

And when she was finally asked if she thought that life is improving or if it is going to improve, she assures, ‘We’re quite happy at the moment. Could be worse. Life is going to improve because we have a holiday planned to Florida! Also when we get back, I am going to Teenscene! It’s a Christian camp which is really modern and great! I can really see my religion improving there.’

What did I find when concluding this interview? That one, Katie Jennings is in no way selfish, giving so much of her time to helping others. Second, that the carers of the ill suffer, too, and that the government should spend more time thinking about them and what they are going through.

About the writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!

Niche films to check out!

While I prepare for my article for next issue, here are some fab not very well-known films that I think you should check out!

Repo! The Genetic Opera

With a superb headline cast, including Antony Steward Head, Alexa Vega, Sarah Brightman and cameo by Joan Jett, this film is not to be missed. As the trailer says it is a ‘cult classic’ and while the songs aren’t the best the first time around, they will grow on you and you’ll soon be belting them out with your ipod! However the film was made by the same producers of Saw so the gore won’t be swept under the carpet!

Annie 2

To be honest this is a terrible movie but should be watched just for the terribleness of it all. It’s entertaining because its hilariously bad but that’s what makes it all the fun! With none of the original cast, and a terrifying Daddy Warbucks, this is definitely a must-see for any other crazy nut!

Battle Royale

An adult version of The Hunger Games, in my opinion. In other’s opinions, a bad version of the Hunger Games. With a lot of gore, it does seem very realistic with the storyline, a lot more so than The Hunger Games. Subtitles may put you off, as I have been told, ‘I’m there to watch a film, not read it’. But I think everyone should definitely check it out, to see similar things that are going on in the world rather than burying heads in the sand. We should all witness and stop what is happening in our world.

Imaginareum

Not only because it is made by one of my favourite bands, Nightwish, this film is actually really intelligent. I did have to be accompanied downstairs by my other half because I was terrified of the snowman but apart from that it was incredible to hear some of my favourite songs really fit with the dramatic situations on screen. Great acting along with an incredible storyline, not to be missed!

About the Writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!

Bad direction

We’ve all heard of them. If you haven’t, I’m wondering what cave you’ve been hiding in and if there’s any more room? No, in all seriousness, since being on the X Factor One Direction, have become one of the biggest selling boybands of all time. Their ‘Directioners’ are nothing but supportive and will certainly not let their beloved boys receive any insult without strongly defending them.

The group originally started out as five separate boys auditioning for the show, but the judges decided to put them all together as a group, believing that they would work better this way. They were right! Louis, Zayn, Harry, Liam and Niall have been booted to stardom since winning third place. I have one gripe with this band however and that’s not Harry’s continued publicity with present/ex/who the fuck cares what the tabloids make up, girlfriend, Taylor Swift; it is in fact their songs.

Their first song, in my opinion is amazing. What Makes you Beautiful, is a brilliant message to send to their legions of young female fans worldwide. This song talks about how a girl is beautiful but she doesn’t realise it. This is a lovely message to send. In a way, this could be saying that all of you girls out there who think you are ugly or are struggling with self-esteem issues, you are still beautiful no matter what you think and there is someone who realises this even if you are unsure of it yourself. I believed that this band really had potential and they did. They really had potential to show young women how to feel about themselves, which is what Yellow Bunting aims to do. For such a major emerging popular band, this is such a breakthrough. However they ruined this with another song…

‘Let’s go crazy, crazy, crazy til we see the sun’, ‘hey girl, it’s now or never’ and ‘if we get together, don’t let the pictures leave your phone’ are just some of the examples of lyrics of Live while we’re young. In fact the chorus of the song is ‘tonight let’s get some and live while we’re young’. With a catchy beat, I even find myself nodding along to this song on the radio and can quite imagine plenty of teenage girls dancing around in their bedrooms to quite frankly these disgusting lyrics. Now I’m not one for these scapegoats for how society acts. I don’t agree that the Columbine shooting had anything to do with Marilyn Manson or his music but maybe a lot to do with the lax gun laws in America. However for such a publicised fashionable band to like, I cannot believe that they are allowed to release this kind of material. Especially when it is quite common for pictures to get out of girls by their male counterparts, telling girls not to let ‘the pictures leave your phone’ can only end badly. This isn’t my main gripe with the song however. The lyrics, ‘I know we only met but pretend its love’. In other words, we’ve just met but let’s pretend we’re in love so we can fuck all night.

However with five young boys in the band, is this the right publicity stunt to give them? Aren’t they meant to come across as clean cut? Now I’m not saying that younger girls are easily influenced but for their record company to release this song sends feminism back a number of years and teenage pregnancies up higher. Not because the target audience is influential but because this song makes it seem that there is nothing wrong with just sleeping around. And also some of the audience may be easily influenced: is it their duty as they are in the limelight to send out the right message?

Sending a bad message out is however not a new thing. Popular 90’s band, The Spice Girls, released many songs with titles and lyrics that were meant to connote different things that young ears should maybe not hear. (The age group for the Spice Girls was probably a tad younger than for One Direction). But with modern culture seeming to decline in any morale and kindness for others, is this then more reason to promote good feeling about yourself and not sleeping around? Like in What Makes you Beautiful, did they have it right the first time?

But is it the band’s right to influence their fans? Or should they just be able to go on and live their lives?  Although they don’t have to bring it into their music. Whatever artists say is forever recorded in papers and in the press and can be brought back at any moment. If JK Rowling, in the height of Harry Potter, had said pretend you’re in love so that you can fuck around, there would have been outrage because of her younger readers. However because these are five young boys, it seems to have been ignored. So do these boys owe something to their fans to be somewhat of a good influence? Or is this just modern culture and we need to get used to it? Or is it in fact just a catchy tune that no one listens to the lyrics of? Well let me just ask you this, do you not find it easier to sing along to your favourite song rather than revise maths? The lyrics stick in your head. I for one can admit to listening to sad songs, trying to make them fit to my situation at hand. So what do you think Yellow Bunting readers? Do One Direction owe it to their fans and modern culture to send a good message out or can they simply go in a bad direction?

About the Writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!

Does Facebook encourage people to read?

Many people both young and old use Facebook. In fact, most use it more than once a day. From checking your newsfeed in your work break to checking your notifications before you go to sleep, we all do it. But does this continuous reading actually improve the literacy in the world or is it just now a social part of society? This article attempts to find whether popular phenomenon’s such as Facebook, Harry Potter and Twilight actually encourage more people to read more. Can I please note that this article is not intended to insult anyone. I know plenty of young people who read lots but this is purely to look at whether different types of modern culture encourage people who would perhaps choose not to read.

The first Harry Potter book was published in 1997, the first Twilight book being published more recently in 2005. With a difference of 8 years, you would think that the audiences would be very different, however from my experience I have found that the same people became fascinated and obsessed with both series. The fervour meant that the books were bought by millions and read over and over again. By the rereading of the series however means that the people who are in fact reading are only reading the same thing again and again and while they are reading more, it does not mean that their reading is branching out. However one could argue that they are in fact reading a book, a piece of literature material out of choice (one that isn’t compulsory from school or from college) that they wouldn’t perhaps be reading if they had not heard of it from its popularity. Fans may then also read more of those author’s books such as Stephenie Meyer’s, The Host ,which was read and viewed by millions of fans of Stephenie’s and Twilight’s, therefore more literature then being read.

However one could argue that as slang and lack of grammar is used so often on Facebook, it is not a fair literature trial. While Facebook involves quite a lot of reading, it is primarily a social resource and so a lot of ‘street speak’ is used. Although from my experience, I have seen plenty of people correcting others and saying that they need to use standard English. However this could just be the people I personally hang around with. Much of Facebook is also visual from photos of friends to memes. These sometimes use clever puns but mainly do not need much reading. As Facebook began as a way to rate pictures of women, this may once again be said to be an unfair example.

Plenty of older people also read Twilight and Harry Potter and also use Facebook. This then could show that these examples reach all generations to encourage them to read. However the same arguments detailed above could then be used.

The internet and websites like Facebook also mean that more people from other countries use English. I have cousins in Holland and friends in other countries that I have seen use English on Facebook. Not only does this promote English but as a social part, users are also able to use their own local dialects and language such as Welsh which friends can respond and converse with, advancing their written English (or other languages) also.

Texts are also another good example of literature in the modern world. Although they also carry the cons (slang) of Facebook, they are something that many people use daily. However speaking of the slang element, as texts are quite often a quick way to text friends, this may then mean that more slang will be used and less standard English will be. This can then be used as an argument that actually using written communication more than verbal does not count as using more literature.

Books made into films are also a good example of promoting literature as quite often people will go back to the first text and read how it differs from the film text because as most say, ‘the book is always better than the film.’ The films also encourage people to go back and read the book, regardless of whether you believe that this does not count as it is the same material. Another good thing is using film covers on books, promoting favourite actors and actresses, so that fans may pick up those books.

Whether or not you believe that Harry Potter or Twilight are good examples of fiction, you cannot deny that they have got a lot of people reading who otherwise would not have done so, especially many young people and in my opinion, this is a very good thing. As we have seen from Harry Potter to eight years later with Twilight, a new literature popular phenomenon is bound to capture each generation and hopefully keep coming and so we will anticipate which new book or book series will get audiences reading.

About the writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!

Work for life or life for work?

Work. Its seems to be my life at the moment. Work. Work. Work. Day off? Catch up on everything else I have to do. Then work. Work. Work. Once again. My mum always used to say she would love a day off. I thought you have a day off? I didn’t get it. So my question is, is this what being an adult means? Do we work to live to work? Is there actually any point working so much when we have no spare time to live with the money we earn? Especially when all of that money then gets sent off for bills and tax? Is there any actual point? What’s the point in earning so much money if it is just going to be taken off you? But it helps to live, it pays for the electricity, gas, water in your home, enabling you to live. My problem is that with the amount of work I do at the moment, it seems pointless sometimes, however when I’m going out and socialising, I love having money! …Although a lot of the time I don’t actually have the money because I’ve had to pay loads of bills. I pay £100 a month for petrol to and from work, not much you might say but what is the point in spending that much travelling for work when I may as well work less days and therefore not as much petrol needed?

Tax. This frustrates me. I understand we need it for our economy to work, however when there are so many companies and celebrities avoiding it, doesn’t it make the small man (or woman) feel a tad stupid? Recently I kept managing to finish early from my shifts, I was therefore worrying about my pay packet. When I received it however, it was a tidy sum. However last month, I worked many more hours but didn’t have much more of an increase from the month before’s pay. Why is this? Because the more I work, the more tax and insurance they take off me. While this then is unfair, it is very fair when you think that the people who earn more money should then be charged more tax.

So aside than a rant and taking a look at tax payouts, this article is also about afternoon shifts! I work most days from 2-10. Most probably think it’s easy starting work at 2 in the afternoon, however when everyone else is going home for their tea and able to socialise. I am stuck in work until 10. When I get in, I normally have errands to do or go on Facebook for a bit, by the time that is done, its normally 12/1’o’clock. I then get up the next day, get ready for work, go to work, stay there until 10 and come home, this schedule is resumed most days. I don’t really get to socialise because people normally meet in the days or the evenings when I am in work and I don’t eat properly because while I have something small to eat before work, my tea which would normally be a bigger meal, I am unable to a) make it in work with our appliances and b)don’t have enough time to with only a half hour break. There would also not be enough storage facilities, as well as taking time out of either your work or break to stick labels on the items to put in the fridge. Also just a quick note, 2-10 is also a lot of the day too (and I do a normal 8 hour shift).

So let me know what you think! Would you prefer to work evenings or are you quite happy doing days? Please debate with me as I am more than happy to discuss anything said in my article!

 

About the Writer: Becky has just finished a degree in English and Creative Writing and is very happy with her 2:1. She is friendly, bubbly and just so happens to be the co-creator of Yellow Bunting. She hopes you enjoy it and that you get involved!