Woah woah wow, what an opportunity!

A week or so ago, I applied through www.chuckpalahniuk.net (the official website of author Chuck Palahniuk) to run the new Official Chuck Palahniuk Tumblr blog, and I found out less than 24 hours ago that I was selected for the position! It's a non-paying role, but to be able to work in an official capacity being connected to my favourite author at nineteen is just incredible! I feel as though this will be an amazing addition to my resume, as it is not only re-blogging and posting content, but a creative position; part of the reason I was selected out of hundreds of applicants was my idea for the Invisible Monsters Remix Photo Competition we will be releasing tomorrow, along with my social media experience and existing Tumblr following.

This is such an honour, and I hope I will be able to do the role justice!

Feel free to take a look over at www.chuckpalahniuk.tumblr.com, though I will be posting the competition details as soon as we are officially able to release them!

#BRANDYLIVES 

More on Slutwalk 2012;

A few weeks ago I attended Brisbane's 2012 Slutwalk - a movement I have strongly agreed with since I first heard about it on the blogging platform Tumblr around this time last year. For my Reporting class, I made a video detailing my experiences at Slutwalk, which you can watch here.

For a bit of context, Slutwalk began in Ontario, Canada, on April 3rd 2011, as a widespread response to one police officer's unashamed statement that to attempt to avoid getting raped, "Women should stop dressing like sluts." Popular opinion and societal expectations may tie in with this view, however the women who originally organised Slutwalk felt that this was an outdated, disgusting notion that was offensive not only to victims of sexual violence and assault; but all men - it implies that men are animals who cannot control themselves around attractive, scantily clad women, and they are almost EXPECTED to rape women who 'lead them on'. Slutwalk does not believe this. Slutwalk does not shame men; it encourages men to participate, to stand up and say, no, you can wear what you like, I'm still going to respect you and your personal boundaries because the length of your skirt has nothing to do with your willingness to sleep with me.

Many men were in attendance at last month's Slutwalk, which I think is just amazing. I've spoken to a lot of boys my own age who disagree with the movement because, "It encourages women to be whores and just sleep with everyone" - yeah, right? Some boys I've spoken to even agree with the original statement that began Slutwalk. To them, I would like to extend an invitation to speak to their mothers, sisters, female friends, girlfriends and, in the future, daughters, and hopefully come to an understanding of just how wrong they are.

Slutwalk Brisbane stopped traffic, with cries such as "Hey hey, ho ho, sexual violence has got to go!" ringing the streets and many passersby and tourists stopping to take our pictures, some even taking the time to ask exactly what it is we were doing and why we were there - reactions like this are a huge part of why I will always believe in the power of protest, and the possible implications of like-minded people gathering together to be vocal about their causes.

Not everyone had positive reactions to us, however.

Before the march even began, when we were simply standing around King George Square listening to speeches, comparing signs, telling stories and complimenting one another's fabulous outfits, a girl I later interviewed was subject to the oh-so-witty and relevant taunt of, "Fucking slut! Yuck, you're such a whore!!!" from a snapback-wearing fifteen-year-old male.

Her reaction was to laugh at him and refuse to allow his slut-shaming to affect her day - however this abuse, even at a Slutwalk event, really got me thinking as to the ways in which our society raises boys. Girls being taught that their sexuality is a 'prize' is a whole other kettle of fish; when parents teach their little boys the virtue of "purity" and "saving yourself" (only in relation to the female gender, mind you) then yet another generation of misogynists are born.

I believe that over the next few years, Slutwalk should have a large focus on the male gender; inviting males of all ages to come along and hear the stories of their female contemporaries; a focus on parents and how to raise children to believe that any and all genders and sexualities are equal and need to be treated with the same amount of respect; the idea of "teaching men not to rape", etc. We can scream and shout about these things as much as we like, but until we start taking positive steps towards implementing what we believe to be right into society and generations to come, we may as well be talking to brick walls.

Overall, Slutwalk was a positive experience for me and everyone I spoke to. I do think, however, that Slutwalk is a largely misunderstood movement, and for it to become spoken about and respected on a global level there needs to be a higher focus on education, rather than simply assuming that everyone in attendance is doing so because they understand and support the cause.

I have had many mixed reactions to my support of Slutwalk, so I thought it would be interesting to reach out to a wider audience with a diverse demographic - I asked my followers on Tumblr, "What do you personally think about the Slutwalk movement?" and these were some of the responses I received:

"I personally think it’s fab, it’s for something I agree with a lot and would love to go on the march, although some people I feel don’t represent it the way I think it should be represented."

"I love that people do it, but hate the fact that we live in a society where anyone would even have to." 

"Sanguinetti’s comment was brutally honest, but honest still. If you’re prepared to dress or act in a way that promotes attention to yourself than also be prepared to take attention, good and bad. HOWEVER rape is never excused by a victim’s appearance."

(All photos found here.)

Marching for Equal Rights, Brisbane 2012

Last night (Wednesday, May 30th, 2012) I attended a rally that began in King George Square & progressed down to Parliament to protest the proposed repeal of civil unions by the LNP.

As an avid consumer of punk culture, the idea of rebellion is something I've always been fascinated by, so I make it a point to attend any protest, rally, march or similar event that's going on around me - sometimes whether it's my area of interest or not. I do have a vested interest in LGBTQ rights because so many of my friends fall under that category, and I have made the statement many times that I will not personally get married until everyone else is allowed to do so, too.

I do find that things like this in Brisbane are often quite badly organised (I'll be talking more about this when I post about Slutwalk later on this week) however at this particular event bad timing and technical difficulties did not take away from the obvious solidarity, passion and determination displayed not only by the speakers and officials amongst us, but everyone who made the effort to walk through the rain in order to take a stand regarding what they believed to be right.

Most heartwarming, to me, was the diversity of people in attendance; people of all ages, races, genders, sexualities, etc, came along to support their cause and protest the LNP's decision.

I really do think taking to the streets can make a huge difference. I've encountered a lot of people throughout my life (in no small part due to the fact that I never shut up about certain topics) who do not believe in the power of protest, even peaceful, nonviolent protest and think that, and I quote, "If you want to change something do so in a manner that'll make them take you seriously. What does walking around yelling do?"

Well, in my mind, walking around yelling:

• Lets those in power know that the people are unhappy with their decisions.
• When we consider this, along with the notion that the entire point of having politicians is to represent the voices and needs of the people;
• Hopefully is indicative of the view of wider society, which should be of strong concern to those who claim to be working for us.
• Alerts others within society to what's going on - so many people were taking photos of us walking the streets on Wednesday; so many people walked up to ask what was going on, or listen to the speeches, what we were chanting and to read the signs we were proudly displaying. Those people may not have previously known about this issue, but it could very well have swayed how they saw LGBTQ issues and their opinions on the current QLD government.
• Empowers those involved to make a difference in other ways, such as directly contacting politicians, journalists arranging interviews, etc.

Thus, I will always believe in the power of protest.

BLOGGING IS SCARY, YO.

Maybe twenty minutes ago, I made the following post on my Tumblr account:

Ten Little Life Lessons:

1. Stop consuming certain types of mainstream media – television such as TMZ, celebrity gossip news programmes, Cosmopolitan magazine, Girls of the Playboy Mansion, etc. There is nothing wrong with exposing oneself to this form of popular culture, but try not to read/watch when you’re feeling down; all Cosmo does is tell you that the person you are right now is not good enough, that you constantly need to change… Not only that, but the reason for change is not to improve yourself, but to make you more desirable to others. This is not okay, so stop reading, throw them out and pick up a copy of ‘One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich’ instead.
2. Take yourself out on dates. For years I was so scared to go to the cinema alone, even though it was something I’d always wanted to do. I think because I lived in a small town I worried that people would judge me, think I was a loser, etc. So, when I moved to the city for the first time, I took the opportunity to take myself out. It’s really quite a cool experience, try it sometime!
3. Dress the way YOU want to dress, when YOU want to dress that way. Fuck social conventions, fuck what your friends might be wearing – you just do you and worry about other people later. I am always either over or under-dressed, and I certainly get some strange looks from time to time, but that’s a menial price to pay for the fact that I don’t remember the last time I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin.
4. Smile at people more. When buying your train ticket, wish your teller a good morning. Hold doors open for people. I know how clichéd all of these are, but when you put acts of kindness out into the world, no matter how small they are, I genuinely believe the world rewards you back. Even if you don’t believe that what goes around comes around, I doubt anyone could deny that we treat nice looking people nicer than those with Chronic Bitch Face!
5. Miss an old friend? Call them up. Have a chat. Organise a hang. Hell, write them a letter if you feel like it. Sometimes you don’t even realise what a positive impact someone had on your life until they’re back in it, even for a short while.
6. Do not, whatever you do, read the ‘Twilight’ series. Okay this is another silly one, but I really do think what we read has more of an effect on our lives than we realise. If we surround ourselves with unrealistic, unhealthy love stories, for example, then we’re going to have unrealistic, unhealthy expectations for our own relationships. Thus, I think we should all read books with strong characters, decent plotlines, beautiful language and characters who can get by just fine on their own, thankyou very much.
7. Forgive those who have wronged you in the past. You don’t even need to TELL them you’ve forgiven them (some people don’t deserve it, let’s be right) but once you get to the point where you can walk past them at a party and smile, you’re going to be a happier person within yourself just from letting go of all that bitterness. I promise.
8. Find quotes by people you love. Stick them up around your room. Write them on your arms. Get shirts that have them printed. Get them tattooed. Write them on your walls. Words are so powerful, so why not use the words of some of the most powerful writers in the English language to make you feel fucking awesome? Examples include Rollins, Wilde, Nietzsche, Frey and Keruac. Go, consume beautiful, inspiring words.
9. Realise that some people just aren’t going to like you – and that’s okay. It’s not something you’ve personally done wrong, necessarily, it’s just that some people don’t click, you know? I’ve sat by so many friends as they’ve obsessed over why someone doesn’t like them, and it gets to the point where you just have to shake them and say, “Because they’re a white rap wannabe who wears Supreme and says the ‘n’ word, yo, of COURSE they’re not going to care when you start telling us all about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!!!” Some people just aren’t meant to be friends. Doesn’t make anyone a bad person, it just makes us all different. Which is k00l.
10. Look in the mirror every morning and focus on something beautiful about yourself. Embrace it. Touch it. Remember it. Tell yourself you’re beautiful and throw away the concept that believing so is a negative, narcissistic thing. If we were all comfortable in our own skin, we’d start to fully appreciate the beauty of everyone else, so let’s take that revolution one step at a time and begin with our own reflection, shall we?

In the time since I posted it, it has, at my last check, 856 notes.

That means it's been liked, commented on, reblogged, etc, EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX TIMES IN THE PAST TWENTY MINUTES. 

You can read my blog at www.daisylola.com if you like. 

Annotated Bibliography:

Pratt, A.C. (2010) "Review essay: Simon Frith, Sound effects: youth, leisure and the politics of rock 'n' roll." International Journal of Cultural Policy. Retrieved from : https://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/cmci/people/papers/pratt/sound.pdf

The author, Professor Andy Pratt of Culture, Media and Economy at the University of London, explores the relationship between music, subculture and politics. The article begins by explaining the inspiration behind this exploration; the 1981 book 'Sound Effects' by former music critic Simon Frith, which fundamentally examines production as well as consumption of music - how it is made, its context as well as the text itself. Pratt goes on to explain his views on rock music as a form of culture, rather than a subculture or separate cultural movement unto itself.
The author backs up the widely explored notion that there is a 'material culture and political economy to music'; this could be further examined and the conclusion made that music - in particular the fluidity between genres and relationships between musicians and the sounds they create - can be viewed as a metaphor for society. Thus, studying the politics of music can educate people as to the nature of society itself.
The credibility of the article is established in no small part through the allusions to comparison between the understanding of the artistic, cultural and creative industries that one can gain a greater understanding of policy-making within greater society. The significant use of relevant texts throughout the article, though occasionally outdated, validates Frith's views on politics and music, and how they come together within the outside world.


Rolling Stone (2012, May 29) "Bob Dylan Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom", Rolling Stone. Retrieved from: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bob-dylan-awarded-presidential-medal-of-freedom-20120529


The author, not cited by Rolling Stone, simply reports on legendary blues musician Bob Dylan being the latest recipient of the United States' Presidential Medal of Freedom; the highest civilian honour in the States. On the topic of music and politics, the author brings attention to a previous media statement by the White House, in which President Barack Obama described Dylan as having a "considerable influence on the civil rights movement of the 1960s" - thus providing a solid example of popular music influencing the manner in which society perceives certain political issues such as race and equal rights.
The author goes on to explain the award itself; individuals who receive the Medal of Freedom are deemed to have made a significant contribution to the security or, in Dylan's case, the national interest of the U.S. - yet more evidence to substantiate the theory that the worlds of music and politics are more closely connected than mainstream society may give credit to.
The article itself is clearly favourable towards Dylan, citing previous awards the musician has received in recent times; and subtly praises President Obama as being involved in the Arts, music and the culture that surrounds the aforementioned.


Serpick, Evan (2003, March 6) "Musicians Divide Over Protesting the War", CNN Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved from: http://articles.cnn.com/2003-03-06/entertainment/ew.hot.iraq_1_music-and-politics-musicians-songs?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ


Servick introduces the article by commenting on the division of popular musicians regarding their opinions on the war in Iraq; he also manages to implement his own opinion very quickly - that contemporary musicians do not match those popular during previous generations as a ' potent political force', however goes on to devote the rest of the article to providing quotes from various prominent musicians regarding their views on war and the politics of American involvement. 
The author is clearly personally invested in the article and does not hesitate to make his opinions known, through small asides regarding the decreasing involvement of musicians in politics, speaking of 'changing times and attitudes'. Though this obvious opinion piece provides valid commentary on the war and how band members use their music to convey political messages to their fans, the continual asides into personal speculation diminish the quality of reading from an objective point of view.
Servick cites several popular artists, including Norah Jones, Art Garfunkel and Mike Mills of R.E.M, however does not explore the involvement that alternative, rock and punk musicians have within political circles and influencing public attitudes to the war. A more diverse exploration into the links between music, culture and politics would find a more well-rounded conclusion. In the words of Billy Bragg, "The bottom line is.. to engage."


Service, Tom (2011, September 21) "But music and politics have always mixed", The Guardian. Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/tomserviceblog/2011/sep/21/music-and-politics-must-mix


Service's article is a response to another, previous Guardian article by journalist Libby Brooks, entitled 'Music and Politics Don't Mix', which essentially suggests that for musicians to attempt to connect to (whom she refers to as) "real people" through their art is "embarrassing", and that the relationship between music and politics is strained at best. Service strongly disagrees, and thus uses the article to further his point that this view is 'philosophically wrong' and 'historically inaccurate' using a series of examples both from contemporary popular culture, and going so far as to reference Beethoven's influence on the social politics of his time.
Service raises the idea that an attempt to separate music from politics is in itself a political agenda; a concept which he backs up using not only popular contemporary musicians, but more obscure examples such as the cellist Steven Isserlis' views on his own involvement with the British Orchestra overseas and the ways in which it could be perceived in terms of the war in Iraq. Thus, by exploring the world of arts and music on a deeper level, along with discussing elements not only of recorded music but performance, Service manages to accurately convey the nature and societal impact of the close relationship between music and politics, both in today's society and throughout history.

FINALLY!

Oh my god what a nightmare - the morning before my annotated bibliography was due, my six month old MacBook Pro decided to break beyond repair; considering I treat the thing better than a human child, you can imagine my complete and total despair, especially since this wasn't the only assignment I had due last Friday... After much swearing, despairing and whatnot, I requested extensions on the assignments and thankfully had them approved.
I then ordered a new computer online (why I didn't just go into an Apple retailer and do it there is beyond me, stupid Daisy) thinking it'd be here by Monday and that's when I'd start working on it... No, Thursday. Thursday. Everything is due tomorrow. More swearing? Maybe.

At least it's all here now though, and I can begin my frantic descent into SERIOUS ASSIGNMENT MODE, avec tea & not enough sleep. That's okay though - good practice for when we've got a 24 hour deadline out in the real world, right?

I also received some seriously awesome feedback when I went to talk to my tutor about getting the extension in the first place, which restored my faith in this degree.

Slutwalk 2012

As part of my 1112 assignment on reporting, I attended Brisbane's Slutwalk this weekend, and was lucky enough to grab a few minutes with Mistress Kalyss Mercury, fetish model, pro-domme and sex therapist. Her role throughout the day was to give speeches on empowerment, sexual health and protection; she is a very interesting and inspiring woman - here's the video of our conversation.

I've lost track of what lecture we're up to now...

Investigative Journalism
What is investigative journalism?

"Isn't all journalism meant to involve questioning 

investigation of facts and opinions presented to us?"

- Ross Coulhart

Money, sex and power tend to be what is investigated.

In my opinion, this is because they are the elements of life which people, particularly people in positions of popularity amongst their communities tend to be dishonest about or attempt to keep secret; in accordance with this, money sex & power tend to interest the general public the most - they feel that they are entitled to know these details of certain people's lives & world events.

The "ins" of investigative journalism - intelligent, involved, informed, intuitive, inside/intimate, invest.

Deeper meanings and purpose:

1. Critical and thorough Journalism - critical refers to the journalist being an active participant in events rather than simply an observer. Active intervention is the key idea. The journalist makes a substantial effort regarding time and sources.
2. Custodians of conscience - "Investigation takes society's morals and normals and holds breaches up to public scrutiny; in other words, what they call 'civic vice' is exposed for society to respond."
3. To provide a voice for those without one and to hold the powerful to account - social justice - power to the powerless - public interest being a key interest.
4. Fourth Estate/Fourth Branch of Government/Watchdog - Journalists represent the interests of those without power to balance the power of the government. Journalists ensure free flows of information necessary for the functioning of democracy by interrogating the judiciary, executive and legislature. Journalists make accountable public personalities and institutions whose functions impact social and political life.

"It is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without 

understanding the hidden agendas of the message and myths that surround it."

 - John Pilger, Australian Investigative Journalist

What do we investigate?

A lot of investigative journalism is fact checking; this can involve simply researching, but more often than not it is about getting out there and finding the factual information, sources, etc for oneself.

Threats to investigative journalism:

• Online news - less money = less journalists + less time = LESS INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
• Less journalists - not as many people in the newsrooms

Journalism vs. PR:

PR = propaganda by truth; the selective use of 'facts' to present a persuasive case to the public

Journalism = verifying these facts

Growth in PR = shrinkage in Journalism

The future of investigative journalism:

YouTube claims to have a channel dedicated to investigative journalism; however the content relates more to what investigative journalism is - stories aren't being broken, there's no actual CONTENT, merely educative resources. There are a lot of legal issues regarding investigative journalism - amateurs don't understand these issues and the professionals won't put their work on YouTube because they want to be paid.

Thus, we need to keep TV and print alive!

Personally...

Regarding my own personal interest in investigative journalism, I feel that it ties in closely with photojournalism and documentary making, both of which are areas I feel strongly about working in throughout my career.

I feel that good investigative journalism should, wherever possible, include original photographs to accompany the story - not only because the general public are more likely to believe that the information they are digesting is factual if there are pictures next to it to 'prove' it (or video footage, of course) but also simply because it is more visually interesting and makes any article or news story more whole.

When I was fifteen my parents and I spent a few nights in Las Vegas. Though it was actually illegal (weirdos!) I had my own hotel suite, and when I couldn't sleep at night I'd watch the cable. Namely, investigative documentaries detailing American journalists' experiences in the Iraq war. I watched these men and women run across firing lines; crawl down into underground caves to see how certain people lived and communicated with one another; etc, They spoke to children whose parents had been lost to the war; they spoke at length about risking their lives for their stories and I remember that being one of the first times that I really knew journalism was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. 

Investigative journalists change the world. Whether by changing the age of consent, exposing information which led to the end of a Presidency, or anything else, the information they have brought to light has altered the course of history - investigative journalism is where the line between documenting history and shaping it is blurred.

Personal blogging & its potential impact.

I run a personal blog over at daisylola.com, sometimes I'm serious with it, talking about current events, literature, cultural appropriation & other such 'proper' topics; and sometimes I just screw around and post stupid pictures of my friends and get into online arguments. You know, the usual teenager stuff, really. I guess the difference is that my blog has... Well, a fair few thousand followers. Sometimes this comes back to bite me because everything is under constant scrutiny - and sometimes, it shocks me to my very core.

One such incident was around this time last year, when I spent the evening answering messages from suicidal teens, trying to help them out, offer them advice, give them reasons to stay, etc. One of the features of my blog in 2011 was 'Reasons Life Is Worth It', just some silly little lists of reasons life is nice, reasons to stay, etc; just some fun for me, but I was to find out, they were actually a lifeline for some people. I ended up feeling particularly overwhelmed by the messages I was receiving, and I ended up writing, without proofreading, editing or even much motivation behind it, this little piece of thought-vomit here:

It ended up receiving over 800 'notes' on Tumblr (meaning someone likes, reblogs, or comments on the post) and I was completely inundated with messages telling me I had saved someone's life - with a post I'd frantically turned out in under ten minutes! It's moments like those when blogging completely and utterly overwhelms me. Blogging is a tough world for me sometimes - there are whole forums dedicated to writing derogatory things about me... Hi guys! - but it's times like those when I know I'll never stop writing, never stop turning out posts like those, if they could honestly help people then it'll all be worth it, I suppose.

I write a lot of Inspiration based blog posts, and often they're received quite well. Here is another of my favourites, which has actually been stolen and reposted multiple times already!

I have a huge platform of communication, and that's pretty amazing, huh.

I read Chuck Palahniuk’s ‘Survivor’ on buses, in bars, in the bed of someone amazing, and lying in the grass absorbing beautiful sunshine. I finished Chuck Palahniuk’s ‘Survivor’ sitting on my bed alone, drinking cider, listening to the rain hit my window – and in this moment, I realised that no-one truly gets out of here alive.

‘Survivor’, without giving too much away, is the story of Creedish-cult-survivor-turned-pop-culture-messiah Tender Branson, his psychic quasi-girlfriend Fertility; and his twin brother, Adam Branson. Together without Tender’s knowledge, the three propagate a plan to save the world, resulting in mass murder and a plane spiralling out of control in the Australian desert, leaving behind the truth, but no survivors.

Palahniuk’s writing is hilariously dark, witty at times and tear-inducing at others, but above all else, it’s brutally honest. Why present hope for the future when you don’t see it? Many modern novels reject the idea of dystopic society in order to cultivate optimism within their readers; Palahniuk does no such thing.

The true nature of people, pack mentality and painful realism is explored using the upended concept of The One Who Lived, a recurring theme within literature throughout the ages – Palahniuk’s twist is to question whether the Survivor truly Survives, or if instead the horrors haunt forever.

After all, we all end up in the ground (or with our ashes recklessly spilled on the ground at airports, of course) when we’re done with it all. None of us make it out kicking, so who’s to say if the fight was ever worth it?