Isles of the Left

‘Militant Feminist’: the Straw Woman, or Battles with a Feminist You Never Met

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Feminism needs ambition to achieve change, but for the sake of appearing ‘nice’ and non-threatening, activists have to dedicate much effort and emotional labour to soothing their critics’ fears.  [Read more…] about ‘Militant Feminist’: the Straw Woman, or Battles with a Feminist You Never Met

MeTooEP: Rooting Out Sexual Harassment in the European Parliament

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The political sphere has also been a focal point of sexual harassment allegations, and in the European Parliament, a group of young feminists are determined to fight back. [Read more…] about MeTooEP: Rooting Out Sexual Harassment in the European Parliament

Mass Panic, Public Health and the Economy: How the Coronavirus Scare Exposed Our Wrong Priorities

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A selective approach to self-quarantine is another inconsistency the coronavirus scare has exposed. If the virus really is as threatening as the media portrays it (although it is not), then what about tourists?

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Fitness and Its Discontents: The Pursuit of the High-Status Body as Therapy. Part 1.

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We live in a culture that tends to define the self in accordance to the status of its body and the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. The corporal self-identity of contemporary times frequently goes under the name of ‘fitness’. It is a measure of aptitude for life in consumer culture and a service economy.

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Queues and Empty Shelves Reveal Our Fear of an Uncertain Future

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Deep down, everyone embarking on a panicked shopping spree harboured no illusion about the time and place they inhabit. They simply understood that, in a society where nobody cares about the needs of others, their security is their own concern.  [Read more…] about Queues and Empty Shelves Reveal Our Fear of an Uncertain Future