Nicki Minaj “Anaconda”: A step too far?

In the last few days Nicki Minaj released a video for her latest single “Anaconda.” The video has garnered much criticism due to various factors. Nicki Minaj is one of the most famous rappers in the world and the impact of the video is near-unprecedented, with at the time of writing over 80M views of the video. Minaj is known for not holding back in the wardrobe department, with often her videos featuring bikini-clad performers, including herself at times. Her followers on Instagram also get to see Minaj upload images of her self on a frequent basis, with once again an emphasis on her body. So the video Anaconda is nothing new in terms of what we are used to with Minaj – but is this time the video a step too far?

So the video Anaconda features an emphasis on Nicki Minaj “twerking” – moving her arse in a suggestive manner, while she also gives fellow rapper Drake a lap dance. At most points in the video she has a lack of clothing, something the rest of the actors in the video have in common. So all in all Anaconda is a very racy video, anything like this draws criticism – this was no different.

It can be argued that this time it is a step too far. Music videos are seen by people of all ages. What is a young girl going to think when she sees this video – she may think that it is acceptable to act in the way that Minaj is doing so. There has also been concern that teenage boys often see women as “objects”. When they see Nicki Minaj acting the way she is, does this not further this idea? Suddenly the music video doesn’t look as such and is more of a chance for Nicki to show off her body. There are also many people that are insecure about the way they look. Seeing Minaj flaunt her body in such a suggestive manner may further decrease their confidence – something that is bad.

However others could argue that this is no different to what has been done in the past. Back when Madonna was among the biggest stars in the world some of her videos drew mass criticism for her the way she was acting. It can be argued that this is just the latest video in a long line – many of which are from Minaj herself. It can also be said that there is little regulation on music videos, meaning that people like Minaj are entitled to do what they like. Then there is the idea that if “you have it, flaunt it”. If Nicki Minaj has the confidence to upload a video like Anaconda, then good for her – after all, confidence most the time is a good thing.

Overall Nicki Minaj is an entertainer, she is one of the most well-known rappers in the world and has millions of fans. Her latest video has drew criticism for being over-racy, however when looking at past videos from her and others, it is not much different! The criticism of the video can be understood, with Minaj not exactly presenting herself in the most classy manner. But as so many of these issues are, they are open to opinion and everyone will have some idea of what they think, maybe it is too far, or maybe it is no different to previous videos.

/MF/
(‘014’)

Ice Bucket Challenge: An Update (Part Four)

So far I have taken an in-depth look at the ice bucket challenge – the latest viral craze. Millions of people have been taking on the challenge, with some donating to the ALS Association. In my three posts regarding this challenge so far, I have first discussed it as an overview, before looking at the criticisms and then a moral problem that was created by the challenge. It has been an incredibly interesting topic to look at and it is certainly something that is generating a considerable amount of interest. So this time I am just providing an update, with the latest figures from the ALS Association.

I found that the biggest criticisms of the challenge were:

• Lack of donations – many people did the challenge, perhaps trying to look “cool”, but didn’t actually donate to the ALS Association or any other charity.
• Waste of water – With many locations around the world suffering from a drought, think of all the millions of litres of water that has been wasted!
• Moral problem – It soon became public knowledge that the ALS Association were supporters of Human Embryonic Stem Cell research, something that is highly controversial.

However with this latest update, complete with new statistics, there are several positives to take from the challenge. As seen in the graph below, the ALS Association has received $62.5 million in donations – this is compared to $2.4 million during the same time period last year (July 29 to August 23). These donations have come from existing donors and 1.2 million new donors to The Association. It should have also raised awareness for the illness itself. There are certainly criticisms but the most important thing is that the challenge is boosting the chances of helping the illness.

$2.4M to $62.5M – the impact of the challenge!

I think it is easy to understand the criticisms of the challenge – there are many. However there is no doubting for how much good the challenge is doing for the ALS Association. The comparison between 2013 and 2014 is huge, the challenge has been of huge help to the association and will ultimately boost the efforts to combat the ALS illness.

ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE CONCLUSION
This post bring an end to my analysis of the Ice Bucket Challenge. I feel overall that, as if with any Internet craze that there are both positives and negatives attached. Which side I am on I am not sure! As previously mentioned, there are good and bad parts to this argument. There is no doubting the positive influence that the challenge has had on the ALS Association, but there are ethical concerns present that should not be forgotten. However whichever way you look at it, it has made a huge impact – something impressive. It will certainly be remembered in the times to come.

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(‘013’)

Ice Bucket Challenge: The Moral Problem (Part Three)

I have already created two posts based on the ice bucket challenge. When I first started, I thought “wow, this is great” – how great that people are taking time to help raise awareness for ALS. However by the time I wrote my second post, I had realised that perhaps the ice bucket challenge wasn’t as good as it perhaps seemed. After researching the criticism further, I have discovered criticism on a moral front. Before I start the main part of this post, may I just say that although it may appear I am anti-ice bucket challenge, I have an open-mind on it, however based on how popular the challenge has become and all of the questions surrounding it, it has become something very topical to blog about.

So to set the scene – the Ice Bucket Challenge is where a person gets a bucket of ice-cold water thrown on them. It is done to help raise money for the ALS Foundation, ALS stands for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and is an illness that affects the brain and spinal cord – 12,000 people in USA alone suffer from ALS. So far the ALS Association has reported donations totalling over $15M for the last three weeks, compared to $1.8M in the same three-week period last year. There have been over 300,000 new donors as well – this all suggests that the ice-bucket challenge has been a resounding success for the association. The idea is that each person who takes on the challenge then nominates others to take on the challenge, and so the chain begins. For a general look at the challenge, or to see the criticism behind it – I have written two posts before this one regarding them.

One of the controversies around the world at the moment is the question over embryonic stem cell research and whether or not it is ethically right. The main controversy is that the research leads to the creation, usage and destruction of human embryos. With human embryos being destroyed, this helps create a moral problem in that many opposers to the research suggest this is ethically wrong. Some believe that embryos are an example of life – therefore it must be treated with care and not destroyed. I don’t want to explore this idea too much as it will form the basis of a future post – but you see the concern that people have – some people see this effectively as murder and are massively anti-embryonic stem cell research.

Now you might be wondering how this ties in with the ice bucket challenge?! All donations that are received from the ice bucket challenge goes to the ALS Association. Now it is a well known fact that the ALS Association support embryonic stem cell research, causing a problem to anyone who is against stem-cell research. The quote below is taken from the ALS Association website.

On many forums and social media sites, there has been mass discussion about this idea. Many people have refused to do the ice bucket challenge due to the fact that they don’t want to be directly funding the research into embryonic stem cell research. It is unknown how much money the ALS Association spends on supporting the research, however with the surge in donations, it is only going to rise! If there are people who don’t like the research, then it is understandable their concerns. However the vast, vast majority of those who take on the challenge have zero knowledge of the ALS Association’s association with embryonic stem cell research.

OVERALL

So in conclusion it really is interesting how much this challenge has allowed me to write! I started out just with the bare facts, I am now on my third post on this topic, I have discovered and uncovered a lot! The moral problem with the ice bucket challenge is that the donations received directly help to fund embryonic stem cell research – something that many people are hugely against. The fact that not many people know about this doesn’t help, although as the ALS Association gains more press as the ice bucket craze advances, it will surely come to public knowledge soon – it is of course possible that this wont affect the association, but the moral problem has no real way around it – those who don’t support the research are unlikely to want to donate to the association, it is very much a case of waiting to see how this plays out and if the public are to hear about this – who knows?

/MF/
(‘012’)

Ice Bucket Challenge: Criticism Fair? (Part Two)

My last post concerning the Ice Bucket Challenge centered around the idea that the ice bucket challenge was a good thing, as long as it was being done for the correct reasons. Despite the challenge raising money, there has been a considerable amount of criticism – mostly with suggestions that those undertaking the challenge are not making any donation, or even a mention for the cause. But with the ALS Foundation reporting an all-time high in donations, I ask is the criticism fair?

ALS – THE FACTS

• ALS stands for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• The illness affects the brain and spinal cord
• Can eventually lead to paralysis in arms and legs
• Also affects breathing, speech and swallowing.
• In the United States alone there are over 12,000 people who suffer from ALS.

The Ice Bucket Challenge is the latest Internet craze

THE CRITICISM IS FAIR

As mentioned before there is a worrying lack of mention for the ALS Association or even ALS itself. It seems that a high percentage of those who take part in the challenge believe it is just one of the latest Internet crazes, it gives them an excuse to look “cool” on social media by showing friends their travails. The latest figure for donations to the ALS Foundation are $15M. This is a high amount and presents a vast improvement compared to previous years. However the other side of the coin is $15M – is that really an amount that the ALS should be aiming for given how the craze has gone viral? Furthermore these “a-list celebrities” that have undertaken the challenge, between them alone they could surely muster up more than what is a feeble $15M between them – this excluding members of the general public.

You would think that with all of the millions of people taking part in the challenge that the figure would be higher. One imagines that the amount will rise in the coming weeks as more and more people take on the challenge, but at this stage the $15M total doesn’t look too impressive all-things considered. More criticism has also stemmed from opponents to stem-cell research, in a post tomorrow I will be discussing that side of the ice-bucket challenge. But to conclude this part of the argument – those who criticize the ice bucket challenge have a fair point, in all honesty, very few of the ice bucket challenges that I have watched have made any mention of ALS or the ALS Foundation – when after all raising money for the foundation is the main reason for the challenge.

THE CRITICISM ISN’T FAIR

On the other side of the argument, there are suggestions that the criticism is unfair. With any craze that takes place on the Internet, there is often a backlash – this is no different. Like I have suggested before, there is the idea that as long as money is being raised then it is okay. The money being donated is going towards the ALS Association. The ALS Association says it has collected $15.6 million in donations in the last three weeks, compared to a mere $1.8 million during the same time period the previous year — an almost 800 per cent increase. The cash has come from existing contributors as well as 307,598 new donors. Statistics like these are highly impressive and suggest that the ice bucket challenge is doing the association a lot more good than harm.

There has been voices of concerns over the waste of water that the ice-bucket challenge is bringing, but the overall cause surely deflects these concerns. To see so many big-name celebrities and sportsmen and women throw their weight behind the challenge can also be seen as good to those suffering from the illness, their role-models are making an effort to help them. Overall it has to be said some of the criticism isn’t fair, an average of $5M being donated each week for the last three weeks will go along way to allaying any criticism.

OVERALL

There is no doubting the good nature of the cause. The ALS Association is reporting higher than ever donations, while it is actually something that is a well-natured internet craze, something that isn’t always the case (cough* neknominate cough*). However there is a lot of criticism, $15M may seem like a good amount on paper, however when you actually think of the rich celebrities and sportsmen that have taken on the challenge, this perhaps isn’t such a large amount – not to mention the average Joe’s and Mary’s who have taken on the challenge. Like with my previous post on the challenge – there are good and bad sides to it. Next time I will keep on this topic – focusing on the moral side of the challenge – another criticism of it.

/MF/
(‘011’)

Ice Bucket Challenge: Introduction (Part One)

Recently in the news there have been a series of “celebrities” undertaking the “ice bucket challenge” – a challenge which as the name would suggest has the person doing the challenge pour a bucket of ice-cold water on them. This is to raise awareness for neurodegenerative illness ALS. At the moment the idea works very well, the challenge should help raise awareness for those who are unfortunate enough to suffer from ALS, although as it makes its way around social media – how long until it becomes yet another way of improving ones social standing – making the overall cause forgotten.

As mentioned, several celebrities have taken part in the challenge. Once the person has completed the challenge, they then have to nominate others to do the same. This is slowly making its way around social media, meaning soon it won’t just be “celebrities” who take part in the challenge, it will be everyday people. Examples of some people who have taken part already include Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder. These two are examples of “role-models”, it would look as if they are doing it to raise awareness for ALS, it is not as if they have anything to gain personally from it.

Bill Gates takes part in the challenge

It is great to see awareness being raised for ALS. For sufferers of ALS and similar illnesses, it can be heart-warming and inspirational to see people they consider to be role-models taking part in the challenge. ALS stands for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – it is something that affects the brain and spinal cord. The illness can eventually lead to paralysis in arms and legs, it also affects breathing, speech and swallowing. In the United States alone there are over 12,000 people who suffer from ALS, this is just one country – demonstrating how much of a problem it is.

I feel that the Ice-bucket challenge is a great idea. Any way to raise awareness is going to be a good thing! However there is sadly a negative to this challenge. Often these crazes can get out of control, meaning that the real intention with the challenge can become forgotten. As the challenge goes viral, more and more people will take part in it, without doubt sooner rather than later the cause behind it will be forgotten. When there are people taking advantage of the challenge to be seen as “cool”, that is when the challenge isn’t so effective. In the past there have been other crazes which have gone viral – suggesting that in no time the Ice Bucket Challenge will be the same. There was the infamous “NekNominate” – a stupid craze where participants consumed a large amount of alcohol in one go – something that resulted in two deaths. It wasn’t as it we saw Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg take part in the “NekNominate” challenge! Although it is unlikely that the Ice Bucket Challenge will kill anyone – the message should remain the same throughout.

However without doubt any awareness raised is going to be good for ALS. Yesterday the ALS Association announced that they had received donations worth $13.3M from over 250,000 people. This is a staggering amount and when compared to the same three week period in 2013, as seen by the graph below it is a huge increase.

A graph which shows the change.

There is no doubting that the Ice Bucket Challenge has been largely to credit for the mass surge in those donating to the ALS Association. It can be argued that as long as people are donating, then it is all okay and that there is nothing to worry about. What is most important is ALS itself, raising awareness for those who suffer from it and trying to donate money to help fund resources required to combat the illness. The Ice Bucket Challenge is certainly doing its bit to help in the battle against the illness ALS.

/MF/
(‘010’)

A-Level: Results Day 2014

So today was the day – after months of waiting I received my A-Level results. These were the results which would determine what will happen in the rest of my life – they were highly important! Coming into the day, I felt confident, although I wasn’t sure what to expect! I was fortunate that regardless of the results, I had strong plans of what to do whatever the result. However I wanted to do as well as I could, as the better the results, the better the university I can go to!

As is customary within the British school system – I checked my “UCAS” page first of all today. I had no idea what to expect – the exams I had sat were incredibly unpredictable. UCAS is the website used to control all of the University applications in the UK. So when I logged in I was greeted with wonderful news – “Congratulations, your place at….” – my place had been confirmed – meaning that my results had pleased the university!

The illusive A* was among my grades, the combination was easily enough to secure my place at my first choice University. I felt so happy – all of the hard work and determination of years of work paid off! It made me very happy and once again it shows how important it is to persist – many times during my studies I felt as if I couldn’t go on much further, but I kept with it and it is only now that I see the true benefit. So overall I have been left incredibly happy by today’s events, although now the next stage begins.

There is a lot to think about over the next few weeks, as I choose exactly what is going to happen in the next few years. I am not sure what to expect, but hopefully I will enjoy the next few years. But at this moment, I am very proud, I feel fulfilled – years of hard work has paid off, that’s something that cannot be taken away!

/MF/
(‘009’)

Suicide: Is it selfish?

In the wake of the death of respected actor Robin Williams, I recently read an article from British newspaper “The Guardian”, stating that his death is a reminder that suicide is not selfish. Suicide is something that is deeply sad, there are people who come to the end of their tether, not wanting to live on anymore. If the person has family, or friends, it is likely they will want to know why – why would the person take their life? This is why it has been said that suicide is a selfish act – however on balance, is it selfish or not?

Robin Williams, a highly-respected actor. RIP

The issue surrounding suicide was highlighted once again by the media in recent days with the death of Robin Williams. Almost 4,500 people take their own lives’ in the UK alone per year. It is a real issue. Suicide can often be linked in with mental problems. Often the reason that people end their lives’ is due to on-going mental problems. Robin Williams was known to suffer from mental problems and it is believed that this was one of the factors leading to his death. I took a quick look around the Internet – a website named debate.org were debating this question as well, opening it up to the public. The results are as follows:

This is an international-based website and the views come from all over the world. Each person who votes gets to write an opinion based on the topic. There are a lot of people both suggesting that suicide is selfish, but the majority suggest that suicide isn’t selfish.

SUICIDE IS SELFISH:

Here are some opinions suggesting that suicide is selfish.

The idea of a “permanent solution to a short or temporary problem” is one that is always used against the idea of suicide. It is also important to take religion into consideration here as well. Many religions are taught that suicide is wrong – it is a waste of life. It can be argued regardless of the situation the person is in – it is still a waste of a life.

SUICIDE ISN’T SELFISH:

On the other hand it can be argued that suicide isn’t selfish. 66% of those who answered suggested that it wasn’t selfish. Here are some answers:

Both arguments put together some very valid points. Many people that suggest suicide isn’t selfish talk about the problem of those in pain. Those who are terminally ill and have no quality of life – is it really loving to keep them alive? It is difficult but sometimes it could be suggested that the most loving thing to do is to free them from pain.

OVERALL

In conclusion personally I would put it down to quality of life. When people who have limited problems yet think that suicide is the best action to take – this is something that is wrong, especially if their quality of life is high. However there are some people who have such a poor quality of life and in the end perhaps the most loving thing to do can be to end their life. On the other hand some will suggest that life is a gift and any attempt to end the life isn’t fair on people around that person. It is a topic that can be debated forever, it is likely there will never be any proper answer to it – like so many other topics – everyone will have their own opinion on this topic, differing opinions too.

/MF/
(‘008’)

World Conflict: Will it ever end?

There is a considerable amount of conflict around the world at the moment. There is the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict, militants around the world waging war against civilians – among them the Boko Haram militant group in Nigeria. Then there is the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, while one of the conflicts heavily in the news at the moment is the advancement of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq. Some of the acts that have taken place in recent weeks and months border on barbaric. How is it that after all of this time on Earth, there is still mass conflict around the world, it affects so many people.

It is extremely unfair that it seems to be the civilians who suffer the most. Through no fault of their own, they are being caught up in horrible situations and are in no safe situation. In Iraq at the moment members of the Yazidi community have had to flee their homes to go and seek refuge on a mountain range. Thankfully US forces are flying in aid to help limit the damage. It isn’t right that people are being persecuted for what they believe in. The Islamic State (IS) have caused an unbelievable amount of deaths, releasing gruesome, harrowing videos of some of the murders. There were so many innocent people caught up in the conflict, woman and children as well. It is not fair that IS haven’t given a chance to some people just because what they believe in. They have been responsible for some cowardly actions, this particular conflict shows no sign of ending any time soon.

Then there are other conflicts as well around the world. Ukrainian rebels allegedly shooting down a full-airplane – what did the 300 or so passengers on board do to deserve being shot down? It isn’t just the victims that suffer either – it is all of the families of the victims as well. It simply isn’t fair that there is so much evil in the world.

As sad as it is it doesn’t look like any time soon the conflict around the world will stop. When people are born they are born with a fresh slate – no one is born evil. But there is obviously a lot of hate around the world at the moment – things don’t show any sign of getting any better. The fact that so many lives have been lost in recent times underlines the problem – but realistically there isn’t a lot that can be done. However in the future, there is always the chance that perhaps things will get better – for the good of the human race, I certainly hope that things do get better. Realistically though – this isn’t going to happen any time soon.

/MF/
(‘007’)

Life Lesson: Never Give up

Back earlier in my life, I went through a very difficult period. But throughout this time I didn’t give up on the things I believed in, a few months later I was very thankful that I had made the decisions that I did. The lesson learned was that never, no matter how bad things get, there is never any reason to give up.

Learning to drive was difficult!

So it was during the times that I was learning to drive. There I was, questioning what was it that I was doing so badly? Those people close to me were putting me under intense pressure – I just couldn’t handle it. During this time I was studying for my A-Levels, hoping to work hard and get results to send me on my way to a good university. However I did use to get lonely at school – I had plenty of “friends”, but as time has gone I have realized that they were more “acquaintances”. There were limited people that I could truly consider a “best friend”. This was difficult, not being able to have anyone to talk things through with was difficult. The third area of discomfort at this point was that I didn’t have a job, which meant that I couldn’t realistically spend money as many could my age. This meant that I had to miss out on certain things. Although a job wasn’t essential, it could’ve certainly helped improve my life at that stage. So things weren’t going well at this stage.

However throughout these times, when things got bad, I told myself not to give up. I knew that if I persisted long enough, that things would get better. Now obviously there are huge problems worldwide that my issues couldn’t even compare with, with hunger, poverty and famine just some of the many issues much bigger than mine. I was determined to turn things around. As I mentioned, those problems were difficult and I found myself so depressed, but after keeping faith and not giving up, three months later things had changed completely…

As I mentioned in a previous post, I passed my driving test – the relief that I felt was fantastic. I was very happy and the car that came with passing the test gave me a sense of freedom I hadn’t ever felt before! I felt that this opened new doors for me, I made the most of being able to drive, it was strange how big a difference just one thing can make! I also managed to get a job, just a ten minute drive away. The workers at the job were extremely kind and made me very welcome. I was suddenly incredibly happy – a big change from just a few months before. The 10-12 week period that this was part of were some of the best weeks’ of my life to date, they were happy times.

Overall I would attribute this turnaround in fortunes to keeping faith and not giving up. Even when things are going bad – you just cannot afford to give up on things! As I have mentioned before, “struggle is natures way of strengthening”. It was a difficult time period, but I feel overall it has made me a much better person. I hope the good times will go on.

/MF/
(‘006’)

Ariana Grande: Role Model?

One of the top songs around the world at the moment is “Problem”, a song by Ariana Grande which features Iggy Azalea. Like the majority of songs, this one has a music video which accompanies it. The video on You Tube at the time of writing has gained over 110M views. This is a huge amount and goes to show what a hit the song has become.

Ariana Grande used to be on kids’ TV network Nickelodeon. Since then she has forged a successful music career. There is no doubting her talent! In previous years however it is worth noting she has lost a significant amount of weight during this time. Now I would like to point out there is nothing wrong with this whatsoever – if she put in the dedication to make herself look more like how she wanted to – then good for her. However what isn’t so good is that Ariana will be seen by many youngsters around the world in this video – they will see her and feel that her weight is the weight you are meant to be.

So I ask the question – how much of a role model is Ariana Grande? I viewed some of the comments on You Tube for the video “Problem”, and below are some of the results.

As you can see the majority of the comments are less than savoury. It appears there is a lot of “hate” being directed at Ariana. However the sad truth is that most celebrities receive comments like these. It can certainly be argued that Ariana isn’t a very good role model. It is likely that as I mentioned before that youngsters’ will see her in these videos and aspire to be like her. This could lead to eating disorders which not only would lessen their quality of life, but also negatively affect the lives’ of those around them. It is sad when this happens – kids want to be just like their favourite celebrities, when they look the way that Ariana looks, this isn’t something that kids should aspire to look like to the extent that they are starving themselves’.

Although Ariana may not look like the perfect role model, it is worth noting some of her philanthropic efforts. When Ariana was just ten years of age, she was a co-founder of a youth singing group based in Southern Florida named “Kids Who Care” which managed to raise over $500,000 for charities in 2007 alone. This group performed charitable fund-raising events. She is also a vegan. Vegan’s are perhaps not widely accepted in todays’ world, however having a celebrity such as Ariana Grande throwing her weight behind the movement is only going to help. This whole post was about how much of a role model Ariana is. Grande renounced her faith as a Roman Catholic after comments from Pope Benedict regarding homosexuality and working women. Regarding this, she said: “I lost faith when the Pope decided to tell me that everything I loved and believed in was wrong. I needed something else to believe in.” It can be argued that it is admirable for her to stand up for herself, this suggests that perhaps she is a good role model.

It is a question that is polarising, but it can be argued either way. Ariana Grande looks to be very talented and heading for a long and successful career, she is doing some very positive charitable work and has millions of fans. However questions remain over her depiction in the media – with her image likely to cause damage. There is no straight answer to this question and it is very much open to opinion.

/MF/
(‘005’)