Banter Articles
Banter Magazine is a new Bristol magazine written by students for students. It is a collaborative schools project with contributions from schools and colleges all over the Bristol region. Banter will appear as a supplement in the Bristol Evening Post on a monthly basis and will be filled with articles, news, reviews and images of interest to young people.
The articles listed below are those which have been written and submitted by St Brendan's students.
Articles on this page:
- Talking about my Generation
- A Passion for Change
- Mental Illness
- When the Thrill is Gone
- A New Truth
- Fees; The True Cost
- Having no drive-diaries of a Facebook addict
Banter articles are listed in date order:
Talking about my Generation
June 2011
On the 9th December, 25,000 students took to the streets in protest to the coalition’s proposals to raise university fees and to cut EMA.
The roar of the already enraged crowd dictated that another surge of violence was inevitable. The hostility was almost tangible; walking around parliament square, which had been transformed into an amalgamation of Glastonbury Music festival and a socialist training camp, the feeling of crass excitement slowly mixed with a deep creeping dread, like ice crystals slowly forming and reaching out across your abdomen, about the upcoming ruckus in what appeared to be a perpetual fight between the messengers of the executive, and the persecuted youth.
An hour before, having been clasped to the railings of Westminster abbey in a desperate attempt to facilitate the safe progression of the day for our coterie of Bristolians, twenty police horses charged past us in a frenzy of crowd splitting furore. Sparks fly off their hooves as they clatter towards a packed swath of humanity, intent on dispersing the personified anger, but incredibly aware of the potential damage which could be inflicted upon the recipients of the charge. The rapid advance provides stark parallels to the poll tax riots, and fails to disperse the simmering crowd who manage to fill the skies with missiles in a vehement reprisal of the police’s menacing yet inept approach to crowd control.
After flooding onto parliament square in the wake of an unprompted and unscheduled halt to what had been a peaceful protest; the containment of protesters poured petrol onto the already roaring fire of frustration burning at the heart of the crowd. The heavy handed tactics of the police enraged even the most ‘Ghandi-esque’ protesters into a fit of retaliatory hostility. The antagonistic police tactics, littered with spasmodic advances, conflicting information and a mantra of intimidation and degradation upon the protesters saw the shibboleth of non-violence slowly slip away.
The vote to save the future of hundreds of thousands of students, and by proxy the future of our country was lost; some may say it was a gross inevitability, rendering our being in parliament square an exercise in futility. For me, it was about the chance to take my passion and anger to the heart of the issue; Parliament. Not to mention a deep moral obligation to stand up and fight for those unable to do so for themselves.
12 police officers were injured; 43 protesters were injured, with one student, Alfie Meadows, suffering life threatening brain injuries subsequent to a blow to the head with a truncheon.
Written by Ben Metters
A Passion for Change
April 2011
What normally comes to mind when thinking of passion? For my twenty-first century mind it's lust, wealth and desire, all in a red tinge that I immediately envisage. However, when I think about what I'm passionate about I see poverty, desperation and hunger; I am passionate about seeing a worldwide end to poverty and exploitation. Many of us have passions for music, art, literature; but what of those who have none of this, and whose only obsessions are want of food, shelter and healthcare?
Coming out of the week in which Comic Relief makes people do crazy things for charity, and everyone gives what they can, I feel the need to challenge myself, and you, to become passionate for a positive change in the lives of those who have nothing to be passionate about. If we gave up one CD, one DVD, one cup of Starbucks Caramel Latte, one skirt, one handbag or gig ticket a month, think what a change that would bring to the lives of the truly needy. Is that really such a crazy idea?
Written by Rebekah Brain
Mental Illness
March 2011
Mental illness is something we teenagers don't discuss enough or know a lot about. There are many negative conations attached to sufferers of mental illness especially, it seems, amongst our youth. They seem to believe that everyone with a mental illness fits the stereotype of being 'weird' or 'crazy'.
I believe this is because young people are uninformed about it and are often scared of things we don't understand, so it's easier to make fun of it. Better to avoid it than take the time to understand it.
A little over a year ago, I was diagnosed with depression. When it struck, I had no idea what it was and I felt confused by the emotions attached to it. I genuinely thought I was losing my mind and I was completely alone, it wasn’t until I confessed all to my mother about how I was feeling that I got some professional help and was given medication.
I believed that my friends would always be there for me no matter what. As I started to become withdrawn, quiet, and increasingly anxious from my illness I noticed genuine concern from my friends. However, when I finally confided in them about my illness I was surprised from their reaction. Many stopped avoided me because they assumed I was 'psychotic'. Some even expressed the opinion that I was attention seeking and over reacting, insisting that everyone feels depressed from time to time. None of them took the time to understand what I was going through.
When I discussed my problems with some of my colleagues, a lot of them said they didn't actually believe in depression and said it wasn't real, just something in my mind. They didn't realise it's an actual chemical imbalance in the brain and that it's a real illness. Perhaps if I had some sort of physical illness and could show them the damage they would have reacted differently and more supportively. I think the reason society reacts this way is because they are unaware or not exposed enough to mental illness and therefore are reluctant to understand it. Why do the media and other institutions seem to keep mental illness in the dark, making it a taboo issue? With one in ten adolescents aged 13 - 19 experiencing an episode of some form of mental illness surely schools and colleges should be educating people about it. Society needs to ensure that young people do not feel isolated and know where they can seek advice and support.
Written by Nikki Hudson
When the Thrill is Gone
March 2011
As I fidget with anticipation for the days to tick by until I finally turn eighteen and I can at last present Identification in the nearest bar, I ponder of what will actually change in my daily life. The answer of course, is nothing. It seems now more than ever acquiring a fake ID is incredibly easy. Whether that's over the internet, through a friend or even an older relative. This is a serious problem. With a rise in the amount of under age drinking in the news, I can't help think who's really to blame for the drinking culture we have in society. Is it the parents for supplying it, exposing it to their offspring? Leaving it out in full reach of small curious hands? For not restricting their children enough? Is in fact the media to blame for advertising it? For showing the public A to Z list celebrities and their relationship with the 'bottle' whilst documenting their fall from grace? In my opinion, both nurture and nature can be factors with alcohol becoming a part of your life before it is legal to drink. Young adults today are influenced by a host of sources including their own naivety, morbid curiosity and even pressure from peers to make bad decisions.
There is no longer an excitement, a thrill, a reward to say 'well done for holding on for those few years!' and so when I do become eighteen, it will sadly feel no different from turning seventeen or even eventually turning nineteen.
Written by Joe Nicholson
A New Truth
March 2011
A quarter. One in four. That's two hundred and twenty five out of the nine hundred people you see on an average weekday. It's a pretty large proportion wouldn't you say? A hard statistic to ignore? And yet, a single mention of the term 'mental health' has people reaching for their rose tinted specs. Well it's a fact, a solid statistic that, in the UK,, one in four of us will experience mental heath difficulties in our lifetime. That's the truth as it stands.
So how does this affect us? Us - the new generation of human beings, thinkers, scientists, teachers, doctors, writers, philosophers… whatever-ers... Well on the surface it would seem that a quarter of us are predestined to suffer some kind of mental distress first hand. It also means that the remaining three quarters of us will experience the effects second hand, as it is inevitable that someone we care about will be affected.
Depression, anorexia, bulimia, schizophrenia, personality 'disorders', self harm... the list could (and does) fill many-a-textbook, but, while many of us recognize the names of these problems, few know (or admit to knowing) the stark truth of living with a mental health disorder. So what can we do? How can we make something positive out of such a dismal truth?
The first thing we need to conquer is the stigma attached to mental health. The important thing to realise is that, like most illnesses, most mental health conditions can be treated. Just as you would take antibiotics for an infection or take vitamins for a deficiency, there is a vast spectrum of treatments for mental illnesses. People can and do recover. People are not tainted for life. They are not 'weird', or 'freaks', or 'contagious' or indeed any other insulting label society gives to those who make it uncomfortable. We need to learn to reject the media's portrayal of mental health: being a psychopath doesn't make you an axe wielding maniac. It makes you unwell. We need to talk about the issues, banish the taboos and bring a new openness to the subject so that people are not judged or condemned to suffer in silence.
The second thing we need to do is: ACCEPT. This is a big one. All too often, especially in youth culture, people who are suffering are alienated further or dismissed as attention seekers by those who don’t want to accept that mental illness is a real problem. As someone who works with young people who self harm, and as an ex-self harmer myself, I know how devastating this attitude can be. Labeling someone as 'emo' or 'attention seeking' because they display symptoms of depression is horribly damaging. It belittles a person's suffering and increases feelings of isolation and self-loathing. It is also dangerous because it can encourage a 'fashion' for self-mutilation, creating a culture that potentially vulnerable people identify with, so increasing cases of self harm.
Finally we need to care. We need to make a new truth whereby we acknowledge and accept mental health problems. Perhaps, if we could create a society in which people care openly for one another, then depression would not be the most common illness treated by GPs. Instead of dismissing someone as attention seeking, we should ask the questions 'why might this person be attention seeking?' and 'what can I do to help as a friend/relation/fellow human being?'
It sounds clichéd, but a kind word and a cup of tea can really make the difference to someone's day/week/life.
"Be the change you want to see in the world." (Cheers Gandhi!)
Written by Amy Qureshi
Fees; The True Cost
March 2011
Students up and down the country have been protesting about recent University tuition fee increases. Fees are now reaching as much as £9,000 - but are the increases as bad as first thought?
Students feel strongly on this topic and have a right to feel strongly, a debt will build up and no doubt about it, no-one is looking forward to paying it back, but the facts are that once people start to earn £21,000 a year then, and only then they will have to pay it back, and in affordable payments also. If at any time people start earning below the required amount then no payments will be made until you earn above it once again. Around £150 million will be spent on National Scholarships Programme to get students from disadvantaged backgrounds into top Universities; this amongst many other points is why the dreaded increases will not be so bad. After 30 years, the debts will be written off and the poorest quarter will be paying less than what they currently do in total anyway, 'http://www.factsonfees.com/' makes the questions many have a lot clearer and easier to understand.
I, like most of my friends, aspire to go to University, and the fees will not deter me from this, although the debt I accumulate will be big. Of course I would rather not pay any back but by the looks of it, it seems we have a fairer system in place and that University is still an option to many, if not more people than before. The Government are aware of Students views on this topic all over this Country but I do not think all the Students are aware of how the Government view this topic, not in detail anyway.
Written by Louis Ross
Having no drive-diaries of a Facebook addict
February 2011
Is it just me or was Facebook a seriously bad idea?
Have we become a spineless and somewhat dull
generation and is it now considered acceptable and
legal to be bored?
Now by nature I'm a pessimist and I sometimes have
a tendency to opt for the bad news before the good
(as many who know me very well will tell you) but
for the last few years I have felt somewhat unstimulated,
socially disconnected and down right bored. The reason,
Facebook I whole heartedly blame Facebook.
More specifically Mark Zuckerburg, the creator of
Facebook. For all the ridiculous ideas in the world, I have
decided Facebook to be at the forefront. Which leaves
me with the two questions;
1) How can a “social” networking
site leave me feeling so disconnected from my social life?
2) At what point did I decide that posting my whole personal
life on the web for everyone to view, access and read was
a good idea?
I feel so powerless as a result of putting my hands up
and admitting that I am addicted to facebook, I live it,
I breathe it, I wake up to it, I go to sleep with it. Many
years ago when Facebook would have been a little
tiny foetus, back when I had a life. Now it seems that
the only way to get things done these days is to consult
Facebook. They've thought of everything, with just a few clicks
I can find out absolutely everything. The thing is it goes
beyond our generation, It has become the alternative
to photocopy room romances in the workplace, the answer
to advertising and promotion and potentially the biggest,
most pointless novelty ever created.
One thing's for sure it isn't going anywhere soon.
Can we even remember a world without Facebook. At what point
did I go from a kick around with a few mates in the back lane to
800 odd friends, a majority of which I have never heard of,
seen or spoken to. It seems Facebook is the internet's answer
to heroin, highly addictive, brain numbing and all in all not healthy.
One day I decided to kick the habit. Yes that's right, I decided to
delete Facebook. Bad move. Within minutes of attempting to delete
Facebook I had become submerged into an ocean of reasons and
solutions as to why I shouldn't delete it, how I can limit my
time on the site and ways in which it can improve. It felt
as if I was filing for divorce, or being talked out of a bank robbery
by a Police negotiator. I lasted 3hours before I decided to reclaim
my account, feeling guilty I suspect, that or the overwhelming feeling
that in the past couple of horus of logging off I had missed, several births,
weddings, funerals, war's, break up's, make up's, job oppurtunities etc..
We are all victim of rushing back to the screen and tearing ourselves away
from something far more important, i.e. open heart surgery to find that
“Tom is in an 'open relationship'”.
We have well and truly been caught by surprise, nobody thought that
Facebook would grow this big and in the rush of things didn't actually
realise the consequences and repercussions of posting our address,
phone number and secrets on Facebook. In the grand scheme
it didn't really matter that much. I mean after all it's not like
the government are watching and spying on our every move to monitor
“suspicious activity” duh, we live in a Democracy!
In conclusion Facebook can be measured by the pro's and con's. Even
though as a natural pessimist my con's will greatly outweigh my pro's
albeit i'm sure i'll find myself staring at the blue banner, white background
layout shortly after writing this article with “addict” imprinted on my forehead.
Following this if anyone has found the antidote to self control and
immunity from the evil powers of Dr Facebook, please let me know asap!
'Just wrote an article about Facebook'
'7 people like this and 3 comments'
Written by Theo Watt