caenanalysis

As some of you might know, mental health is a subject very close to my heart. I've had my own share of experiences with it, and I've worked for two years in a youth group supporting young people struggling with their own mental health problems. It's a sensitive subject, and one which I think needs to be talked about far more than it already is in order to reduce the stigma surrounding it. Saying that, many celebrities have recently spoken openly about their mental health (JK Rowling detailing her battle with depression, for example), as well as events such as World Mental Health Day on October 10th gaining more traction in the media. People of any age can be affected by mental health, but a prominent demographic suffering from depression and anxiety are young people, particularly teenagers. That's why many content creators on YouTube, whose main viewership is made up of teenagers, putting out videos talking about their own struggles can be extremely useful for those suffering - Luke Cutforth, Rebecca Brown, Drew Lynch, Zoe Sugg and Shane Dawson are just a few vocal advocates on the platform. These so-called 'millenial celebrities' use their fame and notability to raise awareness and support for those in need, and I'll admit that I found their videos extremely useful when I was a young, struggling teen myself

That's why when I saw a brief mention on Twitter of a controversial YouTube upload I immediately searched it on several different news sites, hoping and playing the original tweet had been hyperbolic, or just a sick joke. It wasn't.

This is Logan Paul. He's 22 years old, was born in Westlake, Ohio, and has a younger brother called Jake. His rise to fame started on Vine, where in 2015 he was named as the 10th most influential figure on the site, and as of 2017 he has attracted 19.24 million subscribers between his two YouTube channels.

And this is a screenshot from a video released on December 31st, 2017, uploaded as part of a series documenting his trip to Japan with some friends. The group took a trip to the Aokigahara Forest at the base of Mount Fuji, intending to film a video focusing on the 'haunted' aspect of the site, and a short distance into the forest they came across the body of a Japanese man who had apparently hung himself. Though Paul looks to be shocked in the picture above, the group continued filming, making jokes about the situation. A story from the Metro reports:

Japan has 'one of the highest rates of suicide in the developed world', and for something so tragic to be taken lightly and mocked is awful. Although many celebrities and ex-fans (who have denounced their support for Paul after this stunt) have given their two cents, his recent tweets are still receiving 34k+ likes, and supportive replies including the hashtag #Logan_you_are_forgiven.

I'm sorry this story isn't quite as impartial and informative as my other entries. I considered going into more detail about celebrity responses, or discussing Paul's sorry excuse for an 'apology' video, but I'm afraid I can't. I'm just so disgusted that someone held in such high regard by so many young and impressionable people would not only think that this was an acceptable thing to film and publish, but also that he's so quickly been able to return to tweeting, publishing videos and attracting fan attention after such an abominable move. I'm angry and appalled and horrified by such a selfish, thoughtless move, and that Paul cares more about his own fame than the lives of vulnerable people such as the countless Japanese people who lose their lives to suicide every year. 

A (very picture-heavy) summary of the production cycle that I can forget about until 3 weeks before the exam, panic, and then learn to death.

This article, published today by the BBC, gives a member of the general public a voice to speak out about her experiences with sexual harassment. Martha Hammock, the only female chef at a Derbyshire Premier Inn, claims she was made uncomfortable by messages sent by a co-worker, including asking her opinion of a 'penis-shaped bottle'. As with countless victims of Hollywood, Hammock came forward and complained to head office about the behaviour. However, instead of the news coverage and public support the former receives, Hammock says that the company suspended her the day after reporting the events. A letter she received gave work-related reasons for her suspension, and a spokesperson insists that an investigation is ongoing, and that her suspension on full pay is in no way related to her complaint.

Although both sides of the story are given, it is obvious that the reporter is on Hammock's team regarding the incident. The article uses several emotive quotes, reinforcing Hammock's consequent discomfort and suffering - "it feels like I am dying" is a particularly powerful statement that drives the severity of the situation home to the audience. I'd like to believe that the reporter wholeheartedly believes the victim's account of events, but perhaps due to the BBC's own history of sexual harassment, rape, pedophilia and necrophilia accusations their staff have been warned to keep their noses clean.

The fact that sexual assault exists at all is disgusting, and the numerous named perpetrators in Hollywood (should the accusations against them be proved true) deserve everything they get as far as I'm concerned. Celebrities are role models for many people, and notable people committing these obscene acts paves the way for their followers to do the same. I'm sick to death of reading the words 'sexual harassment' in the news, but I know it's necessary to call these people out, to keep impressionable people in the public for citing them as their influences into their own vile behaviour.

Last Thursday a few of our A2 Media class were invited to visit the BFI Southbank London Film Festival, and were given the opportunity to watch a early-release screening of  Andy Serkis' Breathe. Far from the rushed nightmare of a journey I'd expected of the travel up to Waterloo, we arrived at the centre relatively unscathed and with the same number of students we'd left with. This success stayed with us for the rest of the trip, creating a relaxed atmosphere for the day that was a relief after the bustle of the college week.

Breathe is the heart-wrenching tale of Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield), an upper-middle-class man who meets the woman of his dreams as she waves him on during a cricket game. The well-spoken, clean-cut couple venture to Kenya, where Cavendish starts up a tea-broking business and his wife Diana (Claire Foy) becomes pregnant. Before the baby is born, however, Cavendish falls ill and is diagnosed with polio, given only three months to live.

The plot follows the family's struggle to cope with the diagnosis, the symptoms and Cavendish's forecast untimely death. Through the lows (when the disease robs him of the use of any muscles from the neck down, Cavendish begs to be left to die) and the highs (the family and their friends become a celebrated group into the development of modern disability aids) the audience are held captive by the tension, the love and the intense emotion that threatens to tear the family apart but ultimately brings them stronger together. Though I didn't cry during the film, I may or may not have reached for a tissue as the credits rolled.

The most remarkable thing about this film, however, is not the wondrous script by William Nicholson. It's not Andrew Garfield's Oscar-worthy portrayal of Cavendish, and his ability to convey so complex a character with nothing but his speech and facial expressions. It's not the gorgeous lighting that enhances warm and touching moments with soft yellows and oranges, nor the understated yet powerful soundtrack. This film was based on a true story, and produced by the real-life Robin and Diana's son Jonathan Cavendish.

We were privileged enough to attend a Q&A with the producer afterwards, and his devotion to his family was clear in how passionately he talked about every aspect of the film. Garfield and Foy's performances, he said, were like seeing his parents on-screen, reliving their past in such a romantic and touching way. The premiere was also attended by a representative of Rotary GBI, a non-profit organisation which has made huge contributions to the research and prevention of polio. The disease has reduced by 99% over the last 30 years, from approximately 350,000 cases to only 37 reported cases in 2016.

The film has also caught the attention of others, giving audiences an emotional insight into the lives of the disabled rather than just statistics (which, on their own, often mean very little). Garfield has voiced his own thoughts on the issue, saying "it's a crime the world isn't more accessible to disabled people". Films like this, with controversial or unusual topics, get people talking, and this can help raise awareness and support for the issues raised (in this case, disability and its effects) through discussion and film promotion alone.

Wading through all of the news stories about sexual assault, toxic masculinity and Las Vegas shootings, though all are very relevant topics, I thought I'd search for something a little different. A little more upbeat, perhaps. Well, sorry guys, but I didn't find it. 

Instead I opened this article to read about Noel Conway, a 67-year-old retired lecturer who suffers from motor neurone disease and has been told he is unlikely to live beyond the next 12 months.

Motor neurone disease is a condition which affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Gradually signals from the nerves stop reaching the muscles, leading to weakness and wasting. Other symptoms can include muscle cramps and spasms, pain and discomfort, speech problems and breathing difficulties. There is no cure, and the disease is ultimately terminal. Because the US are difficult and like to confuse everyone, their term for motor neurone disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS (remember that ice bucket challenge circling Facebook in 2014?) but both are synonymous conditions. Although it is considered a relatively rare disease (with up to 5,000 adults affected in the UK at any one time) it is still debilitating and can lead to an abominable quality of life.

Conway appealed to the high court for the law on assisted dying to be changed to allow him a 'peaceful and dignified' death. He was ruled against by three judges, though his case was supported by Humanists UK.

Assisted dying is legal in Switzerland, Canada, Columbia and various states in the US, but in the UK it is treated as a criminal offence to aid in someone's attempt to end their life. Though Conway's illness is terminal, and will only get worse over the coming year, the law forbids him from choosing when to end his life, and passing peacefully and safely rather than suffering in a 'zombie-like condition'.

One of the topics I am studying in Sociology is crime and deviance, so this story was immediately relevant to my interests as it posed an interesting question on whether acts deemed as 'criminal' are always evil and condemnable, and whether perhaps the terms of the law needs to be revisited in order to aid in cases like this, where a man so obviously suffering is being denied a dignified death. However, I ultimately decided to write about this story as it relates strongly to the upcoming film Breathe which I was given an opportunity to watch at the BFI last week. Both stories revolve around men with debilitating diseases (Conway with MND, Andrew Garfield's depiction of Robin Cavendish with polio) and their struggles to cope with their diagnoses. Both men consider suicide, and Cavendish only succeeded in an assisted suicide because a physician saw how much suffering he was enduring and broke the law to end his pain.

Assisted suicide is a bit of a grey area in my opinion, and I'm not sure where I stand on it. On one hand, cases like Conway's should be handled gently and empathetically, and I believe he should have the chance to pass away while still mentally sound in order that not only he is spared the pain of the progression of his illness but his family are spared the sight of a loved one's suffering. On the other hand, I think if assisted suicide was legalised across the board, I'm a bit too cynical to not consider the possibility that a handful of medical professionals might abuse their position of power, or adopt an 'angel of death' role which does more harm than good. I've been having this debate with myself for a couple of days now, and I still can't decide how I feel.

Religion and artificial intelligence. Two fascinating topics of conversation, two equally terrifying realities. This article from the Independent, written by technology editor Andrew Griffin, combines the two in an article written about the recent advances in AI technology.

My coursework this year centres around technology, science and the future, and this article seemed like a perfect introduction to this year's blogging analysis (and a possible source to be quoted in my research investigation). The quote in question is from Elon Musk, a pioneer in groundbreaking technology worth $21.3 billion dollars as of August 2017, whose current projects include building a hundred-megawatt lithium ion battery, developing an 'underground hyperloop' connecting Washington DC to New York and distributing clean-energy Tesla cars (some of which are self-driving) across the US. For a man who has given his life and soul to technology, his words are unsettling.

To balance out the sensible words of Mr Musk, the article announces the founding of an organisation called Way of the Future. Led by Anthony Levandowski, the man responsible for Google's first self-driving car, the non-profit religious organisation 'appears to be something like a church devoted to the worship of artificial intelligence'. Griffin writes a sardonic account of the announcement with what little details have been released to the public - we're not even sure if the 'robot God' even exists yet - using a mocking tone and the stark contrast between Levandowski and Musk to express his cynicism of the new organisation. Though the details of the article are mostly factual, the simple introduction to the piece - 'Silicon Valley engineers are worshipping robots as gods' - sets up a narration just as ridiculous as its opening sentence.

This article intrigued me due to its title - since the late 19th century the key concepts of science and religion have been at war with each other (thanks, vague Sociology knowledge) so to see them together, along with the recognisable company name, was of immediate interest. Personally, although I know AI is, and will continue to be, a valuable development in our society, I can't help agreeing with Musk as to the dangers of artificial intelligence - especially not when robots are creating their own language to communicate, sex robots are in development and films like I, Robot keep being released and fuelling my nightmares.