Speech: Why I should be the Next Features Editor

Hi everyone, my name’s Chris Park and I’ve just finished first year studying journalism and creative writing and english.  I’m going to tell you why you should vote for me to be your features editor next year.

     Nearly two years ago, I visited Strathclyde on an open day to see the campus and discover the Uni.  I’d come to listen to a presentation about why I should take journalism and study here.  But on my visit I was only interested in finding out if the Uni had a student newspaper.  When I picked up the Strathclyde Telegraph for the first time that day I knew this was the opportunity I’d been looking for: to write and work with like-minded people and help produce Strathclyde’s fantastic student paper.

     I never hesitated in signing up on Fresher's Week and since then throughout the year I’ve written countless articles for the Telegraph covering news, features, music and arts.

     But writing for features has always been my favourite.  This is because I’m passionate about writing.  I’ve got my own style and would look forward to bringing this to the features section. 

     I also think I’d make a great features editor because I know the student audience: I know what it means to be a student and I’ve always tried to write articles that students can enjoy and relate to.   For example, in the current issue I have an article published about student finance.

     If I’m elected features editor I’ll continue to make sure that the section is fresh, varied and enjoyed by all students.  Some ideas I have include a specialist section covering current affairs or politics or maybe even a section on science and technology which would appeal to even more people. 

    This year I’ve learned so much.  And I really love Strathclyde Uni.  Writing for the Telegraph has been an absolute highlight and I would feel privileged to start the next year as your features editor.

     My favourite writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, once said that “action is character”.  I’ll always take the right action to ensure the Strathclyde Telegraph remains exciting, respected and always the best. 

Money and Me: The Love-Hate Relationship Students Know Too Well

I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to put that back because I know for a fact that you can’t afford it.  I’m sorry, but you can’t afford that top you’ve had your eye on, or to go to that new Mexican bistro that’s just opened up in the Union (which is, incidentally, very expensive).  How do I know this?  Well, because you’re a student of course.  I don’t need to tell you that the student lifestyle does not accommodate fiscal responsibility.  In fact, students are infamous for being in a constant state of economic crisis.  You’d even think the EU was run by students who have misinterpreted the continent’s idea of a “union”.  Even with loans, bursaries and student discount we just don’t have money on our side – or in our wallets, or bank accounts.

     One timeless solution is thrift.  For the past few weeks I’ve been implementing rigorous self-austerity measures that are so disenfranchising they would make George Osborne look like a socialist.  My friends hate me because I refuse to do anything that involves spending money – so, I pretty much refuse to do anything at all!  I’ve even adopted phrases like: it’s not “fiscally pragmatic” or “economically rational”.  The trouble is, when you become stingy, it’s almost impossible to stop.  Your mind-set changes: you become anxious and conservative – questioning the affordability of everything and calculating your budget down to the penny.
     If your budget is anything like mine then it could potentially reflect the larger economy.  A brief flurry of affluence usually entails high levels of spending (and thus happiness); quickly followed by a (predictable yet unpredicted) financial crash and consequent penury.  The worst part of it is that I honestly don’t know where the money goes.  I should really start keeping receipts and try to close the monetary vacuum.

     Believe it or not, I am in fact employed.  But wages tend to be spent before they’re earned.  There is a tinge of envy for those who seem to have an infinite flow of cash but don’t appear to have a job; especially when you suspect they have a current account with the Bank of Mummy and Daddy.  Nobody can judge who deserves what and when.  But, in my mind, I take the high ground and remember that every penny earned is worth more than every penny borrowed. 

     Perhaps unlike George Osborne, I am looking forward to the end of my austerity policy.  As soon as I have accumulated sustainable savings I will be able to spend money again.  But this time, I won’t be caught out when the river meets the waterfall.  I think long term money management is in order so I never have to panic about my finances again.  My plan is simple: no more impulse buying, save at least some money, and when buying something I’ll need to ask myself if I actually need it or do I just want it for the sake of it.  That advice isn’t new; it was given to me a long time ago.  I just haven’t had the willpower to follow it.  I believe this is a path us students must take to make it to adulthood. 

     Money is deceitful - it will play tricks on you.  It’s arguably the greatest manipulator of human beings.  No other external force has so much control over our lives: always on our minds, in our pockets, and often dictating how we feel.  But even more so, it can have a direct effect on our actions by deciding what we can or can’t do – our fate is often decided by numbers.  Some people know this and they understand it; they use that knowledge to varying degrees of good or bad, practical or wasteful.  But right now, we don’t really need to worry about money because we never have any to fuss over!  

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald - How Worlds Collide

Arguably one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century and potentially of all time, the work of Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald  defined a generation.  In fact many would claim he pioneered and led the people of 1920’s “Jazz Age” America – a term he coined himself.  A time when society had “woken up to find all Gods dead, all wars thought, all faiths in man shaken.”  After the abrupt horror of WW1 people realised that life was short: reckless hedonism became society’s preoccupation with the 1920’s being America’s boom period for industry and capitalism.  Every penny was dissipated on self indulgences especially alcohol – despite prohibition laws banning its sale and consumption. 

     In his time, Fitzgerald was a popular contemporary author but his reputation dwindled towards the end of his life and he sought a comeback writing screenplay in Hollywood. The skill displayed in Fitzgerald’s writing is superlative: dialogue and description conform flawlessly creating effortless scenes that are vivid and memorable.  But today, Fitzgerald’s critical acclaim and renowned stature comes not only from the grandeur of his prose but from his documentation of an era in American history.

     This Side of Paradise was Fitzgerald’s first novel and was written with a particular aim in mind; indeed, almost with a certain desperation.  Fitzgerald wrote to his agent: “I have so many things dependent on its success – including of course a girl.”  The novel was written to win the favour of high-society belle, Zelda Sayre.  After dropping out of Princeton University, failing to see military service and struggling to have his writing published Fitzgerald was dependent on the success of his first novel to show him to be an accomplished man. 

     It was a novel two years in the making and essentially with two complete redrafts.  Initially called “The Romantic Egotist” after the vain and narcissistic central character Amory Blaine.  The book follows Amory’s life as he tries to make his way to adulthood with a sense of identity, outlook and success in both love and work.  The reader’s attitude towards Amory is often ambivalent: we find his self-absorption borders on arrogance, we distrust his idleness and become weary of his introspection; yet we do admire him at the same time.  Fitzgerald notes that even with a personality readers will find selective, Amory’s sense of identity is resolute.  Furthermore, the reader empathises with his hopes and dreams, longing for the character to find a meaningful vocation whether art, politics or religion.

     However Fitzgerald never loses sight of the bigger picture: Amory is but a contingent of a lost generation of those who want everything (money, stature, romance, vitality, purpose) for nothing.  Amory’s longing for a meaningful vocation is so he can procure everything he craves for in life especially love, success and even the answers to life’s fundamental questions. 

     Whereupon I reflect and realise that Amory could quite easily live among us today. His strengths, weaknesses, triumphs, and failures can easily resonate with people even in this day and age.  This Side of Paradise is 93 years old and what has changed since its publication in 1920?  Very little.  Of course, we have progressed technologically, but the rudimental essence of the human condition never changes.  Lost and alone; increasingly disillusioned; desperate for love, money and meaning; suffocating in our own cultures of desire for everything material, everything spiritual and everything sensual.  Perhaps a different time from the people living in Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age; but today’s “YOLO” generation have assumed the very same attributes.    

     I began reading This Side of Paradise just before I started University here at Strathclyde and I found a direct parallel between myself and the central character because at the start of the novel Amory is a Fresher at Princeton.  It was reassuring to read about Amory’s sentimental depictions of his college life and I found strange comfort in the gothic spires and throughways of the archaic institution.  Fitzgerald has given me so much truth about what it means to live in a world of restless fear and chaos, moral confusion and desperate ambition.  When he died in 1940, all of Fitzgerald’s work was out of print and he regarded himself as a failure.  As I muse over my own writing or contemplate my own life’s direction, I often wonder to myself: what would he think if he was alive today; what would he write in time not so different from his own. 

The Majestic Interruption

     The TV was rubbish that night, as it generally was every night.  But still, I was glad to be indoors. Outside, the rain fell in lashes and cut through you like a volley of arrows; the wind blew waves of surface water across the pavement turning them into rivers.  The Met Office had issued a weather warning across central London.  I was very glad to be indoors.

     I was tempted to watch a sad film.  It would go well with the bottle of wine that I’d opened.  I was just about to get up to browse my DVD collection when there was an unexpected knock at the door. 

     Who was that?  At this time, in this weather?  Really?

     I approached the door: cautiously, but more annoyed than anything else.

     Upon opening I was met with an elderly woman: left beleaguered by the weather, I couldn’t see her face for some ridiculous pink hat she wore - made worse by the long pink overcoat.  She was small and I thought facetiously that she looked like a marshmallow – a drenched marshmallow. 

   “Oh thank you dear, one is so grateful you answered at this late hour of inclement weather.”  She addressed me in a pompous, nasally voice, “well you see dear, our automobile has seemingly stalled just outside your house and I was wondering if I could perhaps utilise your telephone?”

         Before I could even say anything she turned around and, in one loud screech incongruous to her size and demeanour, yelled out: “Phil! Phil! Come on she’s letting us in.  Bloody hell, hurry up!”  She looked at me and smiled; then walked up the steps into the hall without invite.

     I raised my hand to object but before I could speak I felt something push past my legs.  I looked down and saw two small dogs had just run into my house after the woman.

   “Oh, I am terribly sorry.”  This was a new voice, a man’s, from behind coming up the path, “I couldn’t stop the little buggers.” He chuckled, obviously finding this amusing; I didn’t.

   “Yes, yes that’s right”, it was the elderly woman I could hear: on my phone in my kitchen! “Yes, Buckingham Palace please”.

      I froze.  Startled and bemused.  I went into the living room and picked up the bottle of wine: studying the contents for anything unwonted that could have brought on this hallucination.

     Giving up, I turned listlessly to the old man: “Do you take wine, Phil?” I enquired politely.
   “Oh no thank you dear, not with my bladder.”  He chuckled again.  I burst into hysterics.

2013 - The Year to Stay True to Your Self

     How’s the diet going?  Did you ever lose those calories?  Start saving for that holiday?  Join the gym, new hobby, five-a-day? Of course by now your New Year’s resolutions are in full effect and you are beginning to see a whole new you with these revolutionary life changes.  Your once distant hopes and aspirations, the person you longed to be for all that time, are beginning to shine through right in front of your eyes like a beautiful – wait, what? What do you mean you never stuck to your vows?  Don’t tell me you were drunk at the time.  How could you let yourself down like that – future you is in tears!

     Seriously though, don’t worry. It’s fine – I don’t blame you.  You never really had faith in your empty promises and after all you really were drunk at the time – remember, in the small hours of New Year ’s Day?  Didn’t think so.  Unless of course you’re one of the mavericks attempting a “dry January": an entire month alcohol free.  I think you’re crazy, January is the month when booze is required most to get us through those exams, celebrate their end and provide solace when the results come out.

     By now it’s estimated that 88% of people who made New Year’s resolutions will have abandoned them, according to a survey by Channel 4.  But the discerning amongst us may have recognised the futility of making these resolutions and therefore decided sensibly (like me) that their only vow is not to actually make any. 

     Trying to make big changes takes energy – a lot of energy; a lot of mental energy and then inevitably: mental anguish when we fail. We set the bar so high it needs red aviation warning lights.  Then often it’s only a matter of days before it soars to the ground – landing right in top of our self-esteem. 

     But don’t reproach yourself into misery.  Penalising yourself for something that was, statistically and historically: doomed to failure, won’t do you any good.  Psychologists suggest that the tasks we set at New Year are far too great to be achieved and willpower is like an energy that must be accumulated over time then spent wisely.  Often people make multiple promises and willpower is dissipated quickly on just one task leaving us spent for the completion of any of our resolutions.

     This year I did think of some vague aspirations because it’s always good to set goals just keep us on track, give us something to work to.  They were standard and included: more exercise, reading more, finding a better balance between work and leisure and (the one that’s most likely to fail) economise.  They’re not my “resolutions”; I didn’t even waste time writing them down; and I don’t have that transitory outburst of determination we often get at New Year to make sweeping changes to our lives.  But I have made a simple commitment to endeavour to do what’s good for me – just like what we tend to do on a daily basis anyway.

     So I guess my undefined resolution is to maintain the rationale of everyday life… Ok that’s the most bizarre resolution I’ve ever heard; perhaps I’m better sticking with my original plan: not bother making any resolutions because they’re pointless – past me you are a genius!     

Crying at the Christmas Ads

     Baby Jesus secretly hopes the three wise men kept their gift receipts.  I mean seriously: gold, frankincense and myrrh – what the hell is a baby supposed to do with those? Adhering to social protocol he feigns appreciation with an angelic smile; but the three weary travellers can sense he’s obviously disappointed with his misguided gifts and they are dismayed - the overly sentimental Christmas advert made the presents look so attractive.  They weren’t quite sure what it was advertising but the appeal was there.  Really, the new-born king just wanted the 7 foot stuffed elephant from Hamleys.

Let’s face it, the Nativity Story of the 21^st century would read something like that.  What used to be something synonymous with Christianity has now become so consumer-orientated that it wouldn’t surprise me if the current generation of kids didn’t even know Christmas was actually a religious festival.  Although, I’m not criticising. I love Christmas in the 21^st century.  It’s inevitable that the meaning of Christmas will change and adapt to fit the society and people celebrating it.  Jesus has been replaced by Santa; gold, frankincense and myrrh with Ipads, gift vouchers and Call of Duty.  Spending money has always been part of the Christmas ‘spirit’, but now it’s more lavish than ever with the average Christmas budget to be £600 this year.

It would seem that the spending frenzy is a consequence of a wider phenomenon which has swept the pre-Christmas build up and pervades our TV screens in-between the X-Factor.  I’m talking about the advertising.  I’m sure you will have noticed them by now.  There is no escape.  Most of the adverts are dull and uninspired, leaving viewers with the sensation they get after a Christmas-cracker joke.

However, over the past few years one store’s adverts really stand out: the John Lewis ads. Typically a sequence of scenes following individuals as they procure gifts for family and friends in the anticipation of Christmas; always backed by an acoustic version of a well know, emotionally-charged ballad.  You may remember last year’s which followed the story of a boy desperate for Christmas with the twist that he wanted presents, not for himself, but to give to give to his parents. It received over 4 million YouTube views and this year the high-street department store is aiming to do the same with their advert entitled “The Journey”.  This one sees a personified snowman risk life and limb on a treacherous journey to the city to bring back his female companion a gift.  The emotion is intense as always and the mystical cover of ‘The Power of Love’ makes a tear-jerking watch.  But with £6 million spent on this one ad, we have to ask ourselves just how effective it actually is. Sure, we feel something for the poor snowman: climbing mountains; crossing rivers and motorways; caught in the crossfire of a snowball fight – there is something about his journey, his determination and his happy ending that we can empathise with.  But does his ‘journey’ really make us want to spend money at John Lewis?  It’s either marketing at its best or we’re just suckers for a good story, especially at Christmas.   

Whatever it is, the adverts are to be enjoyed accordingly: they won’t resonate with everyone and most people find them hit-and-miss.  Their emotional appeal is just a marketing technique to reflect the sentimentality associated with the Christmas spirit.  What’s more, the idea that Christmas is now just ‘all about the money’ is only a problem when people begin to get greedy; but there’s nothing wrong with buying gifts for your family and friends – and it’s always special when it’s reciprocal.  But the fuss over presents and money can make Christmas stressful for some people and they are anxious rather than excited for the big day.  Christmas has become so inflated by all the hype that it’s not clear any more what it really means today.  In some sense, the build up to Christmas is more exciting than the day itself; but for me, Christmas is a time of year to appreciate the little things.  The glistening lights in the city centre; the rush and bustle of last minute shopping; the still, icy landscapes; family traditions like going to the cinema on Christmas Eve; and most of all, those damn ads – they give me misty eyes every year! 

Fun Live at the 02 ABC, Glasgow

    

     Why am I seeing Fun?  They have one good song; they’re just a one hit wonder – ok, apparently a two hit wonder.  I don’t even like We Are Young (they’re signature track) it seems to give me a migraine every time I hear it – I’m aware that’s a bizarre and misguided justification – but that’s what I thought when standing in the queue for almost two hours.  Tickets were bought on a whim but for £12.50 I was quite content. 

     The band hail from New York and comprise of Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff.  I did feel privileged to discover that the gig was sold out; in fact they sold out all UK venues and almost everywhere else on their US and European tour.  Not bad for a two hit wonder.  True to the gig’s sold out status throngs of people had turned out: the queue disappeared up the hill and around the corner; one elderly passer by stated the obvious: “oh tremendous queue, will be full house tonight.”  Much to his envy it was and the O2 ABC was bursting with excited fans packed in to see these new international stars. 

      The band’s first album Aim and Ignite was released in 2009 and they remained virtually unheard of in the UK. It’s an interesting (sometimes bohemian) indie sound with Nate’s intriguing vocal cadences backed by powerful instrumentals.  But they shot to stardom earlier this year with their indie power- pop record We are Young appealing to the drunken “YOLO” generation of today’s youth.   Their latest album is just as captivating; albeit perhaps made more commercial by occasional auto-tuning and a feeling of less ingenuity in some of the songs compared to Aim and Ignite.

     As I expected, the tracks from Some Nights were the focus of the gig.  Carry on – a song of hope in difficult times – was their opener and a tremendous crowd pleaser from the new album.  They made sure to dip in and out of their traditional material to satisfy diehard fans.  Walking the Dog was performed well and the band’s enthusiasm on stage conveyed the track’s quirkiness.  While the mood was slowed down for The Gambler: a sentimental track about the band’s home and family making for a charming interlude from the overall energy of the gig.  Their cover of You Can’t Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones was a fitting song choice and well performed; however a few good songs from the first album were omitted from the set list that I’m sure would have been preferred.

     The hallmark of any great concert is the connection between the audience and the artist on stage.  Fun never failed to engage the crowd.  We revelled as they urged us to introduce melodious track Barlights with a repeated chant of “I feel alive”; at some points they the band were very nearly out sung – especially as they performed We Are Young.   I was convinced it would be the encore but Nate declared “another highlight” as the opening drums for the anthem rolled out and the audience knew exactly what they were doing.   I can now say I have a new found love for that song and any headache has vanished as I listen to it on replay.

     That could only mean that the final song was reserved for Some Nights, their latest single: an evocative rhapsody, potentially the best song on the album – far more meaningful than its predecessor.  Like every song before it, Some Night was performed with style and vigour.  The crowd left chanting the lyrics - the words of Fun’s tracks resonated with me all the way home from what was an exceptional gig.    

     “If you’re lost and alone or you’re sinking like a stone – carry on; may your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground – carry on!”