American Sniper: I’m Not Angry, Just Disappointed

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Kelly Welles

You’ve probably got an opinion on this, whether you’ve seen it or not.

Nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, American Sniper is a Clint Eastwood directed, unapologetic tribute to the heroism of war.

It tells the (true) story of Chris Kyle, a sniper who, with 160 confirmed kills, is generally considered to be the deadliest marksman in US history. It has also been heavily criticised for being an ironically short sighted examination of masculinity, patriotism and modern warfare.

It stars a bulked up, monosyllabic Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, the terrorist riddled, gun battle pock marked streets of Iraq and a shit load of dust.

An award magnet, if you like. Continue reading “American Sniper: I’m Not Angry, Just Disappointed” →

No More Page 3: No Longer A Movement. A Fact.

Posted on January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 by Kelly Welles

Congratulations to Lucy-Anne Holmes and the team.

Not only will kids no longer have to deal with the confusion and consequences of a newspaper objectifying the female body on a daily basis, but they can see that even the most powerful institutions can be brought down with hard work, unity and most importantly, persistence.

This is a huge day. For all of us.

–

More: No More Page 3 : Symbolism, Not Censorship.

Methinks they doth protest too much…

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Kelly Welles

You might not necessarily agree with her views, but this woman’s ability to deliver a powerful, impassioned speech to anti-abortionists on the spur of the moment puts the majority of career politicians’ oration skills to shame.

Put her in charge of something. Preferably the House of Commons.

Stinson Hunter: The Exception That Proves The Rule

Posted on October 2, 2014June 4, 2015 by Kelly Welles

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Stinson Hunter is an inevitability in a world completely blindsided by the power of technology.

Fulfilling the criteria of your average Daily Mail reader’s idea of a ‘chav’ – broken home, jail time, cap, sportswear, bad tattoos, lip piercing, a confidence that far exceeds his station in life – he spends his time sitting silently in the corner of 18+ websites in the guise of a young girl, waiting for someone to approach.

When they do, and be under no illusion, they do; a former Metropolitan Police office who worked in child protection doing more or less what Stinson is doing claimed he had over 2000 approaches from men, he advises them of his ‘age’, usually between 11 and 15. Some move on.

Many don’t.

Continue reading “Stinson Hunter: The Exception That Proves The Rule” →

Facebook: Architect of The Too-Much-Information Age

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Kelly Welles

Oh, it’s a problem unique to the Information Age, for sure.

You know someone casually, a friend of a friend, perhaps, or a passing acquaintance you quite like, but only on a very superficial level. You don’t know anything about them, you don’t particularly want to know anything about them. They’re the wallpaper of your existence – perfectly pleasant in passing, but any attempt to sit down and have a conversation with them would look and feel slightly awkward.

Continue reading “Facebook: Architect of The Too-Much-Information Age” →

‘The Wrong Turn’? That’s One Way of Looking At It

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Kelly Welles

These photos, from a series called ‘The Wrong Turn’, depict a young Indian woman being manhandled on a bus.

Continue reading “‘The Wrong Turn’? That’s One Way of Looking At It” →

Kathleen Hanna & Miley Cyrus: Breaking The Chain

Posted on August 5, 2014August 5, 2014 by Kelly Welles

Miley-Cyrus-Wrecking-Ball

You’d imagine that Kathleen Hanna, founding member of the riot-grrl movement, ardent feminist and lead singer of ground breaking bands such as Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin would have little time for Miley Cyrus.

After all, isn’t Cyrus the antithesis of all that Hanna stands for? Living proof that the world at large has considered her message and summarily rejected it, preferring to keep its female pop stars constrained by the twin shackles of sexual availability and the male gaze?

Continue reading “Kathleen Hanna & Miley Cyrus: Breaking The Chain” →

Elliot Rodger: The Blame Game

Posted on May 31, 2014April 25, 2018 by Kelly Welles

Now that the smoke has cleared from yet another horrific shooting in the United States, we stand, united in our grief and nausea, peering at the twisted wreckage while trying desperately to make the shapes fit into whatever political ideology we feel most comfortable with.

The usual suspects have been led past for viewing by the great and the good of the media. World of Warcraft. Guns. Misogyny. Asperger’s. Even the notion of gay couples being able to marry has trudged by in leg irons, charged with being the single motivating factor behind 22-year-old Elliot Rodger’s decision to murder six of his peers, then shoot himself to death.

In a world as complex as this, you see, a world as beautiful and bewildering and harrowing as this, every single tiny thing is someone or something’s fault and if we can just find and kill the offender, everything will be fine.

Continue reading “Elliot Rodger: The Blame Game” →

Digital Witness Says: Error. Does Not Compute

Posted on April 5, 2014June 5, 2015 by Kelly Welles

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For ‘The Valleys’ girls, this is a arguably step forward. Image via blogspot.

When I were a lass, digital technology was, like my sense of dignity, in its infancy.

I could stride confidently through my errors of judgement – clothing, opinions, whether a cardboard box full of beer bottles would indeed hold my weight – safe in the knowledge that while I would wake up with a hangover, some minor facial injuries and a heavy feeling of shame in my gut, it was unlikely the moment in question was currently being broadcast across social media networks or indeed, national newspapers.

Continue reading “Digital Witness Says: Error. Does Not Compute” →