Quit complaining about the ice bucket challenge!

So you're probably all aware of the ALS ice bucket challenge which has gone viral. It follows the #nomakeupselfie which happened earlier this year. Essentially these things set a challenge to people in order to raise awareness of particular charities and issues and encourage people to donate where they can. But why are people complaining about it?

Some people are just fed up of the ice bucket challenge videos filling up their news feed. Others feel like there is some peer pressure involved with getting others to do challenges by linking it to charity. People sometimes just think it's stupid and achieves very little.

But these people are wrong. What we must realise is that although these viral charity challenges might seem ridiculous, they are working. They raise huge amounts for charity and huge amounts of awareness. Once nominated, rules state that you do not have to do the challenge but if not, you must donate money. I personally did not know much about ALS before this challenge went viral. Yet now I do and so do millions of others.

How can this be a bad thing? Around $50 million dollars has now been raised through the emergence of the ice bucket challenge and awareness has been raised for a serious and damaging illness. So really if you're one of those people thinking it's stupid and people are just joining in because it's a trend, well so what? Even if people are just following a trend, by doing that, they are contributing to something important and surely that can never be a bad thing. As long as people remember it is for charity, challenges like this which successfully raise huge amounts of money will hopefully continue to happen.

Saturday @ Reading Festival 2014

Dry the River

These guys have come a long way in the past few years, a great festival band with some lovely tunes. They performed to a pretty substantial crowd on the Main Stage and did a good job of it. Their music is pretty chilled and sounds a bit heavier live than recorded. They were nice to listen to and reminded me of a less annoying Mumford & Sons. They played some new songs from their new album which is set to be released tomorrow which were great so 'Alarms in the Heart' will definitely be worth a listen.

Royal Blood

I only caught about 3 songs from these guys but they were fantastic. They played to a huge crowd spilling out of the NME tent. Royal Blood definitely deserve a place on the Main Stage next year and could easily pull in a great crowd. They are just as good live as one would imagine. Songs like 'Come on Over' and 'Figure it Out' got the crowd going and the band were great.

Peace

One of my highlights of the day. I was unsure how they would be live but they blew me away! Harrison is a great front man and his outfit was amazing. They played fan favourites such as 'Bloodshake,' 'Lovesick' and 'Money.' All of which were sung along with and enjoyed. They also performed their new song set for release next month called 'Lost on Me' which is just as catchy as one might expect. Seeing them live made me really excited for what is coming next for this band.

Wolf Alice

Another highlight! I love a good front woman for a band and I think I might be in love with Ellie. She has the most mesmerising voice and is a great live performer. She reminds me a little bit of Alison Mosshart. Their sound has got a bit heavier recently and it makes for a brilliant live show. The crowd seemed to love them and were singing along to favourites like 'Bros' and 'Moaning Lisa Smile.' This band is definitely one to watch and to catch live if you can.

Foster the People

They were really boring. I understand why they were on the Main Stage, they seem to have a lot of fans. But, I was just so uninterested. I thought they would be really fun to see live but I really did not enjoy them.

Imagine Dragons

As Dan Reynolds commented during the set, Imagine Dragons were playing in tiny venues 6 years ago and now they have been on the Main Stage at one of the best festivals in the world. So how did they do? Amazingly well. They are a rock band but they have such a distinctive sound that makes them loved by so many fans. The crowd went crazy for 'Demons' and 'Radioactive' as one might expect. Imagine Dragons look set to get bigger and better.

Jake Bugg

He played a surprise set on BBC introducing in the afternoon with just his guitar and I won't lie, he just sounded a little bit whiny and I wasn't enjoying it. So when he took to the Main Stage in the evening, I didn't have high hopes. He is much better live with a band than on his own. I still like his music but he seemed to struggle to engage with the crowd at all. Musically, he was good but I understand why people find his singing voice a bit annoying. He's still very young and I think he'll eventually find his way with big crowds on big stages.

Arctic Monkeys

Phenomenal. Seriously, they were incredible. The crowd was singing and dancing along to every song. These guys continue to grow and change and still release brilliant material that the fans love. Although 'AM' is worlds apart from 'Whatever People Say I Am...' they managed to perform songs from both seamlessly and it all sounded amazing. Matt Helders really is one of the best drummers around at the moment and Alex Turner (no matter how ridiculous some people think he looks right now) knows how to write songs and perform. I am so glad that I finally got to see one of my favourite bands live and I was not disappointed!

Depression and Suicide

You've probably all heard that the world lost a great man this week as Robin Williams committed suicide. After battling with depression and anxiety for a long time, he took his own life and yes, it's tragic. This was a man who bought joy to so many lives through his comedy yet he was suffering every day. So what can we learn from this?

Well, it highlights the fact depression can affect anyone. It doesn't matter what class, race, sexuality you are. It doesn't matter what job you have or where you live. Depression is a mental illness that can creep up on anyone at any time.

Many people have commented on the selfishness of suicide. I get this, I understand that it seems selfish. But, unless you've been there, unless you have felt so hopeless that you feel death is the only way out then you cannot understand it. Robin Williams had access to a lot of help and sadly, depression still did not stop for him. So think about those people who do not have access to help. Life seems even more hopeless and pointless to them. Referring to suicide as selfish just shows the ignorance surrounding the mental illness.

Depression is serious. It is not just feeling a little sad. Imagine a day when you cannot motivate yourself to move from bed. You cannot eat or shower or move. You might be able to cry and when you start, you cannot stop. Life seems pointless. You do not enjoy anything. You hate yourself so much that it hurts. Depression gives you physical pains - headaches and nausea. It feels like there is nothing that can help. Now, imagine this happens regularly.

That's the pain of depression. Calling suicide selfish when it seems like the only way out of this misery is ignorant and unfair. 'Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem' - yes, but sometimes the problem seems permanent. It feels like it will never end. Depression does not allow for logical thinking. The sufferer contemplating suicide will not necessarily think about the family and friends they will be leaving behind.

Depression can affect anyone. Suicide is a desperate act from someone who is suffering. Respect the deceased and keep your "selfish" talk to yourself.

Here Comes The Sun...

So I haven't had time to blog as I worked almost 50 hours last week! As many of you know, as part of my internship, I was helping to organise an arts centre's annual festival. This involved heping with making decor, setting up logistics, programming, marketing among other things. It finally happened on Saturday and was a huge success! The week was stressful but I had lots of fun. It's fair to say that this internship has been amazing, I've really enjoyed it and met some brilliant people. I never want it to end.

Lots of people enjoyed the festival and I've had some great feedback from acts. Of course, there were a few small hiccups but it all got resolved. I've learnt how much I love working with volunteers. They're especially enthusiastic and passionate about what they do and work so hard. We had over 25 acts across 3 stages with incredible decor, much of which was made with a group of adults with learning disabilities.

As far as figures go, we're looking to have raised around £2500 for the arts centre which is incredible and I'm so proud to have been part of such a brilliant day.

If you're looking to check out some new music then I'd definitely recommend some of the artists we had playing: 

Bentcousin

A band from Brighton, this band are really fun. Lyrics which remind me a little of Kate Nash's old stuff. Their energy is contagious and they are just the perfect pop style band to put you in a good mood.

Co-Pilgrim

A band from Oxford who are lovely guys and great musicians. They play lovely pop melodies and have great harmonies. Definitely something to check out if you like bands such as Stornoway or Villagers.

Vienna Ditto

Something really different but really fantastic! Electronica and bluesy. It's quite difficult to describe them but they are definitely worth a listen.

Khamsina

Beautiful lady with a beautiful voice. I could listen to her sing all day. Her music is just lovely and she has incredible stage presence.

So there we have it, the big event of my internship is over and it will all be over in a few weeks. I'm hoping to continue volunteering at the centre when it's done though. Now I have to find a real job. Also got Saturday at Reading festival coming up and The Libertines at Ally Pally. Lots of exciting/scary things to look forward to!

Women Against Feminism don't understand feminism...

I am a feminist. Why? Because I believe in the total equality of men and women regardless of class, race or location. Most people have probably seen posts from whoneedsfeminism.tumblr.com, an array of women declaring why they believe they do need feminism today.

There have been jokes made about this blog. There have been plenty of men going on about how feminism is a bunch of bullshit. That’s bad enough. But now, women are joining in. This comes in the form of womenagainstfeminism.tumblr.com –

What occurs to me most here is that most of these women do not really appear to understand feminism or the real position of women in various societies across the globe. They seem to forget that without feminism, all women would probably have to give birth and rely on their husbands, women would not have the right to vote. The reason women have so many rights today is because of the work of feminism in the past.

For a second, let’s just look at some of the points on this tumblr and address them properly.

Equal Rights exist

Really? Governments around the world are still dominated by men which means that in many countries, the majority of power lies with men. Women are blamed for their sexual assaults because of the way they dress. Women are still expected to look and act a certain way. Men still feel some entitlement to our bodies. That does not sound like equality to me.

Helpless Victim Cult

There appears to be a lot of this talk on this particular tumblr blog. I have to disagree with the idea that feminism tries to tell women they are weak and need help. As far as I can see, feminism does the opposite. It aims to make women feel strong and use their strength in a movement to change things for all women.

Rape Culture does not exist

Okay, the very fact that there are constant cases of women being blamed for their own rape because of what they are wearing shows that rape culture does indeed exist. We do live in a world that teaches women how to avoid being raped and hands out personal attack alarms rather than teaching men about consent.

I don’t believe in promoting slut/whore behavior to be healthy. 

Seriously?! Feminism does not promote “slut/whore” behaviour. It tells women that they are allowed to have consensual sex whenever they want with whoever they wish to. It is not about telling women to sleep around. It is about giving women a choice to do so if they want to, letting them know that it is okay to have sex outside of a relationship.

Feminists are jealous of other women who receive more male attention than them

I do not even feel like I need to articulate a proper response to this. It’s just another example of how ridiculous some of these anti-feminist arguments are.

So to those who believe what this blog is saying, go away and read something. All of this seems to be purely based on their experience of feminists through tumblr. You cannot base views based on one group of feminists on one website. Yes, some women who claim to be feminists on tumblr are extreme. They do want supremacy over men. But what about the rest? It’s not the case.

Most feminists I know do not hate men as a gender. They might hate particular men. Mostly, they just want to live in a world where they can walk down the street without being cat-called. They want to know that if they do get raped, justice will be served. They want to have choices. It is true that women in the western world have more rights than in other parts of the world. This does not mean we cannot try to pave the way for change in other countries. It does not mean we cannot continue to set an example for the rest of the world. Maybe if we gain full equality, other women in other countries will see that it is possible. Surely that is a cause worth fighting for. In short, just because your life and experience of men has been good does not mean everyone else’s is! So surely it's better to try and help other women who haven't been as fortunate as you...

Feminism is not about ignoring men. It is simply about helping women. Throughout history, men have had the power. They have had the control. Most feminists do not want to get rid of men or take away their rights. They just want to have those rights for all women. We do not all hate men. We hate the way that the world works, the way that men are seen as superior a lot of the time.

Instead of ploughing through tumblr for examples of feminism, open some books, read some news articles, go to some conferences. Learn about feminism in the real world. Remember what it has achieved already. Be aware of the real aims it has. Remember that some feminists are more radical than others. There are always extremists in movements. Stop basing your views on a few people behind keyboards because they do not represent the whole movement.