In The News
Next Entries »Terrorism
Thursday, July 7th, 2005Yesterday London was awarded the 2012 Olympics.
Today terrorism has killed and injured hundreds of innocent people and brought London to a standstill.
We can only watch and wait for news.
Subscribe Via Email OR
Subscribe Via RSS
OR
Comments Off
Posted in Worrying About Society, In The News
Women in a men’s world?
Thursday, June 9th, 2005I thought it was interesting that Lionel Shriver, who won the Orange Prize for Fiction on Tuesday for her novel about motherhood gone wrong, changed her name to Lionel from Margaret Ann aged 15 because she ‘thought men had an easier life’.
I have always written music using a male pseudonym. It was a decision I took when I started out, as women writers in popular music have traditionally been few and far between. As a modern woman (I hesitate to use the word feminist because although I am a feminist I associate myself more with the doctrine than the movement) I feel slightly ashamed that I have felt the need to write using a male pseudonym. However I know that in my heart of hearts, in doing this, my music was judged solely on its own merits irrespective of my gender. If we lived in times of true equality then I think my music would be judged solely on its own merits but regrettably the music industry is dominated by fat cat males and ‘girls’ are not given equal weighting in the writing, production and other backroom aspects of the music industry. There are, of course, exceptions. In the UK this means, among others, Cathy Dennis and Debbie Wiseman, two very successful composers. And female singer-songwriters have always had success. But the industry, both here in the UK and in the US, is dominated by men.
Other instances of gender inequality abound, whether it is professors giving students with male names higher marks than those with female names or women struggling to break the glass ceiling in business. If there is a chance to level the playing field by having a male name so that assumptions are not made about your ability before that ability has been properly assessed, is that wrong? Is it deceitful? I don’t think so. And in novel writing, composing, anonymous student marking and so on, where the person doesn’t have to be present when that ability is being assessed, it is possible to have that equality.
So I can understand why Lionel Shriver did what she did. However despite choosing a male name, I find it a little ironic that Shriver won the Orange Prize for Fiction, which is a women-only competition, writing about a traditionally female subject: motherhood.
Subscribe Via Email OR
Subscribe Via RSS
OR
Comments Off
Posted in Feminism, In The News
The General Election
Friday, May 6th, 2005We had an election yesterday. It was so exciting and the outcome was so unexpected that I felt I had to blog about it.
Blair won.
And that’s enough about that I think.
Subscribe Via Email OR
Subscribe Via RSS
OR
Comments Off
Posted in In The News
The Royal Wedding
Friday, April 8th, 2005Jennie Bond, the BBC’s royal commentator, has it spot on with her article Like a pair of comfy old slippers in which she discusses how Charles and Camilla’s love has endured for more than thirty years.
These two have caused a great deal of unhappiness to their families in the past, but I feel it is time to let them get on with it. They are clearly meant for each other and it is eminently regrettable that they didn’t realise this before they married other people but a lot of time has passed and it is clear they intend to be together forever whatever the circumstances, Charles making it clear that Camilla is “non-negotiable”. I don’t really understand this need to hold Charles constantly to account for his past. Yes, he is the heir to the throne but his ex-wife is no longer alive and he has loved Camilla for so many years and now wants to marry her. Camilla knows that she is not particularly liked yet they are both still willing to take all the flak that will come from marrying. As if having all that to deal with wasn’t enough, they have also had to cope with the last minute changes in their wedding plans and, after an unseasonably warm weekend last weekend, wintry weather is set to descend by tomorrow. In my mind, that would be enough to cut anybody some slack.
Call me a romantic (go on, you know I am!), but doesn’t he deserve the chance to be happy? I’m behind him all the way on this one and I wish them both all the happiness in the world.
Subscribe Via Email OR
Subscribe Via RSS
OR
Comments Off
Posted in In The News
Next Entries »