Love doesn’t get much of a look-in on Thought Leader. Politics, race and power interest the readers here. But Valentine’s Day is upon us, and the shops are full of heart shaped chocolates and glutinous messages, so I hope you will indulge me. I used to write a lot about love here – the absence […]
Valentine’s Day
Posted inEquality, Gender violence, General, Lifestyle, Media, News/Politics
In 76 countries, love is still a crime
Where are the gay couples in Valentine’s Day advertising? February 14 is another reminder that even the most intimate aspects of our lives continue to be controlled by enduring social, religious and political forces that are reticent to fully embrace sexual and gender diversity. While most criticism is against the commercialisation of love this time […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
My hot date with the prez
The invitation arrived by blue-light brigade in a red envelope. “Will you be my Valentine?” it read. “Well, yes!” I replied. It’s a little early for Valentine’s I thought, but hey, it’s not every day you get a Valentine’s letter with a presidential seal. What to wear? A two-tone shirt will set the wrong tone. […]
Posted inGender violence
Oscar Pistorius and how Valentine’s Day kills
Today is Valentine’s Day — a day when capitalist consumption and heteronormative myth-making are in full swing: red roses (for the women, of course), images of happily-ever-after coupling (mostly of a heterosexual bend), and the coming together of brand “Hetero-Love” in a frenzy of consumerism and schmaltz. This day is yet another consummation of a […]
Posted inGeneral
The Valentine’s Day massacre
When Ernest Rutherford split the atom for the first time in 1917 he raced home to tell his wife Martha the incredible news, as you do, and was surprised to find himself walking into an iceberg colder than the one the Titanic had encountered five years earlier. “Fascinating,” being her only response. The father of […]