Friday, May 9, 2025
Blog Page 362

Don’t knock Wagamama’s anglicised katsu curry

Jade Calder
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Don’t knock Wagamama’s anglicised katsu curry

When I was in sixth form, I auditioned to represent my college at a public speaking competition. As I awkwardly stepped in front of the audience of nonplussed students and teachers, I began my spiel: ‘I am the human equivalent of a Greggs Katsu Curry bake’. The audience continued to look nonplussed. 

What I had been attempting to do was to convey my feelings about being caught between two different identities: my Japanese heritage on the one hand and my Northern English upbringing on the other. The katsu curry bake is sadly no longer available – probably because it had been marketed as a ‘healthier’ pasty – but my awkward attempts to reconcile my dual heritage remain.

For those who are unaware, Japanese curry is a common family dish with chains across the land serving up plates of meat (typically chicken, beef or pork) and vegetables in a brown stew and served with a generous mound of steamed rice. Think of it as the Japanese equivalent spaghetti Bolognese in terms of ubiquity.

Its origins are, as you might have suspected, rooted in colonialism from the Indian subcontinent via British sailors. By the late 19th century, it had begun to take root in a form that had been distinctly transformed from anything which resembled anything Southern Asian and thus, from this perspective, it is funny to see the dish once again be adapted for the British palette.

The katsu curry one can find in Wagamama is not really much like the kare raisu (curry rice) I loved when I lived in Japan, but rather an Anglicised concoction which has more in common with the curry sauce available in a fish and chip shop. Despite the inauthenticity, I appreciate it (arguably perhaps a little too much if you’re looking at my bank balance). Yet it isn’t quite the Katsu on which my Japanese mother raised me, but rather the one I enjoy in public, with my western friends. However, in lieu of having some sort of identity crisis whenever I go to Wagamama, I have decided to appreciate this suspicious sauce for what it is: a delicious intersection of my multiple heritages. 

If you want to make authentic Japanese curry, pick up some roux blocks from an Oriental supermarket (Golden Curry is a popular brand) and melt them into a stew of some meat and vegetables, then serve over rice or udon noodles; the ease of preparation is probably one of the reasons why is it pretty much the most popular dish in the country. As a vegetarian student who tries to make the most out of limited means, I have taken to substituting the deep-fried meat cutlet for Quorn nuggets (I am a classy lady) whenever I am craving my ultimate childhood comfort dish after a day at the library.

There are numerous curry recipes available online for those looking to create the sauce from scratch, but nobody in Japan making the dish at home would bother with the effort; even if one was so inclined it would almost certainly not be much match for the pre-made stuff (as I have found from my own disappointing experimentation). Done right, it is a big bowlful of that ever-mysterious adjective of ‘umami’ – dark and rich, harnessing the perfect mix of salty and sweet with honey and apple being common ingredients in the sauce mix. Unlike traditional South Asian curries, the spice is rather tame so don’t be afraid to give it a try!

Image credit: Triplecaña via Wikimedia Commons.

Students unhappy with college isolation provision

Rachel Muir
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Students unhappy with college isolation provision

A Cherwell survey has found that 57% of respondents were not satisfied with their college’s handling of self-isolation last term. One student commented that they were “treated disrespectfully,” with “little support from the college.”

A key area of complaint was meal provisions, with only 44% of respondents voting that the food they were given was “adequate.”

One student complained that they were given “slabs of boiled unseasoned tofu with peas,” while another, who got sent the same meals four times in a row, said: “I never ever want black bean chicken and rice again!”

Students also complained that their food arrived cold due to it being transported from the main college site to external college accommodation. 

The disdain for self-isolation meals even made it to Oxlove, with one post from November reading: “oxhate to the somerville isolation meals, the only food that makes you wish you had covid so you couldn’t taste it.”

A spokesperson from Somerville responded: “Our catering team worked exceptionally hard during Michaelmas term to deliver three nutritious, affordable meals a day to those in isolation, and many students and staff expressed their gratitude to them for this hard work. We regularly review our provision and will ensure that all comments made are taken into consideration and balanced against our overarching priority to keep our students, staff and the wider community safe during this difficult time.”

As well as the questionable quality of the food, there was also the overwhelming sense that colleges were charging their students an unreasonable amount for their meals whilst in isolation. 

71% of respondents to our survey voted that they did not think that the amount they were charged for food was fair.

A student wrote on Oxfess: “Normally I spend £20 a week on food. In isolation it was £13 a day for food that wasn’t really up to standard. I wasn’t allowed to use my kitchen so was left with no option than to receive the overpriced meals.”

The survey also called into question whether students were receiving adequate support from their college welfare teams whilst self-isolating. 

Oxford University’s Covid-19 Response, published at the start of Michaelmas term, said in regards to self-isolation: “Your College’s Welfare team will already have prepared for this eventuality and will be ready to help and support you where they can.” However, the survey found that 42% of students did not get any communication from their college welfare team whilst they were isolating.

This breaches the guidance produced by Universities UK last October on best practice for supporting students who are required to self-isolate. This guidance stated that universities should stay “in regular, proactive and personal contact throughout the self-isolation period, to encourage them [students] to raise any issues or concerns and to identify those getting into difficulty.”

One student told Cherwell: “After telling me I had to isolate I never heard another word from college during the next 2 weeks.” Another said that their chaplain had promised to check in but this never happened.

As well as the lack of communication, it also seems that there was a lack of clarity in the emails students did receive from their colleges. One student said: “college changed its mind about whether we would have to isolate,” whilst another said that they were not told that someone in their bubble had covid.

Despite generally negative feedback, some respondents did praise the support they received during their self-isolation, particularly from the JCR welfare reps. A student from Somerville said: “The JCR was amazing, always helping and checking in on me”. She added: “The principal also emailed me various times asking if everything was ok and if I needed anything in particular.” Another from Wadham said that the JCR welfare reps “were really good if you reached out but they didn’t initiate it too much.”

With the majority of students remaining at home for at least the first half Hilary term, colleges won’t have to deal with large numbers of students self-isolating for the time being. However, for those in Oxford who do have to isolate, it will be more essential than ever that they are well-supported by their college, since it will be much more difficult to rely on friends.

The University of Oxford and the Oxford SU have been contacted for comment.

Biting the hand that so rarely feeds us?: an honest review of Happiest Season

Nali Simukulwa
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Biting the hand that so rarely feeds us?: an honest review of Happiest Season

*Spoiler alert*

At some point during the festive period, without fail, I curl up on the sofa and binge watch Christmas films. The usual contenders are Love actually (Emma Thompson deserved better), or maybe Elf if I’m after a nostalgic laugh. Year upon year though, the idea of a festive film which offers some meaningful queer representation seemed like a pipe dream too lofty for even Santa to fulfill. So, when I saw Clea Duvall’s Happiest Season being advertised, I couldn’t believe my luck! After all my wishing, it seemed Father Christmas had brought the gays an early gift to assuage the disasters of 2020. But alas, it was too good to be true. From the overly idealistic ending to the shallow characterisation of its lesbian characters, the Happiest Season — much like many a homemade gingerbread house — fell flat.

My issues with the film begin with the storyline itself, the entire plot is centred on coming out.

Albeit, there is certainly an important discussion to be had about the heteronormativity that imposes upon queer people the need to ‘come out’ but these experiences are often triggering – making what should be a light hearted festive viewing experience, a painfully somber reminder of the difficulties of the queer experience.

Abby, played by Kristen Stewart, struggles with the festive period as a result of having lost her parents – a loss made more difficult given that we discover her parents were very enthusiastic about their family holiday traditions. But after being convinced by girlfriend Harper, played by Mackenzie Davis, Abby agrees to accompany Harper to her small-town family home to celebrate Christmas. However, midway through their drive home, Harper admits that she isn’t out to her family and Abby is forced back into the closet and throughout the trip is made to play the role of Harper’s orphaned roommate.

There is a disappointing lack of nuance in the storytelling. Audiences are denied the chance to bond with the two central characters due to their glaring lack of chemistry and the fact that we are scarcely given time to witness the pair interact as a couple before they are forced to put up pretences. Aside from this, the other characters seem cliched as the film plays on many stereotypical tropes, from the close-minded, reputation obsessed, middle-class parents to the backdrop of a claustrophobic small town, the plot could have been lifted from a teenage Wattpad fanfiction. The ending of the film is sweet but very idealistic – even for a rom-com, as we see Abby forgive Harper’s betrayal and the family unite for christmas despite the emotional and physical destruction caused when Harper’s secret is revealed. I can forgive some festive cheesiness, the hallmark channel would have collapsed years ago if we all demanded true cinematic artistry at Christmas-time, but beyond the predictable writing, I fear that by strapping Abby in for a ride of hostility and shame, Happiest Season downplays the trauma of having to repress one’s queerness to be accepted.

Earlier in the film there is a moment of dazzling sincerity where the film burgeons on conveying some real sensitivity; John, Abby’s best friend (played by Dan Levy), comforts Abby; explaining that disparities in upbringing and family reaction lead individuals to accept their sexualities at varying points in life. It would have been great to see more of this nuanced approach to the film’s subject matter but instead, like a flash in the pan, this moment fades to make way for a smiley happy ending that seems incongruous with the rest of the plot.

Kristen Stewart, who plays Abby, won the admiration and respect of many young queer womxn back in 2017 when she confidently claimed her own gayness. It was refreshing to see a celebrity unashamedly and light-heartedly acknowledge their queerness without it being framed as a source of shame or scandal. Following this, it feels like a regression to see Stewart in this role. It does a disservice to LGBT+ audiences if every time we see ourselves represented on-screen, our identity is being problematised. Though it may seem progressive to show this tale of ‘acceptance’, it simply serves as another reminder that so many people find an issue with our existence.

Through its treatment of Riley (played by Aubrey Plaza), Happiest Season managed to undervalue one if its arguably most cherished Lesbian characters. Many fans agree that a more complex and cathartic ending would have been to see Riley and Abby come together, united by their integrity in the face of Harper’s mistreatment. We are sadly denied this. We hear how in high school, Harper shamefully denied her relationship with Riley, choosing to out Riley to their less-than-accepting peers rather than live in her truth. Despite this, years later, warm and likeable Riley is there to guide Harper as she seems set to repeat her mistakes with Abby. Riley is used as a springboard for Harper’s development, a plot move that teeters unsettlingly close to exploitation when we consider that we are told little else about Riley other than her relationship with Harper. Intriguing (and beautiful!) as she is, she remains a mere device, reminding us of the films’ wasted potential.

All of this said, I didn’t hate Happiest Season, perhaps only because of a reluctance to dismiss any new addition to the scarce canon of queer romcoms. Or, perhaps out of gratitude as I couldn’t bear the emotional consequences if the film were to have an unhappy ending. Though, this raises the question, is this it for queer audiences? Are we forever forced into acquiescence over irresponsibly written films – too afraid to offer our honest and valid opinions lest we be accused of biting the hand that so rarely feeds us? I hope not. Ah, well fingers crossed Santa delivers something better next year.

Covid-19 case numbers drop in Oxfordshire

Jonny Yang
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Covid-19 case numbers drop in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire has observed a decrease in new coronavirus cases in the week ending January 14th as compared to the previous week.

Case numbers by local authority are as follows, with statistics from the week prior in brackets:

Oxford – 532.6 (down from 564.1)

Cherwell – 537.5 (down from 901.6)

Vale of White Horse – 289.7 (down from 400.7)

South Oxfordshire – 304.1 (down from 435.7)

West Oxfordshire – 294.6 (down from 385.0)

The total number of cases in Oxfordshire in the week ending January 13th was 2832 with a rolling rate of 409.4.  This constitutes a total decrease of 1113 cases or -28.2% compared to the previous week.  

The Thames Valley Police, the largest non-metropolitan police force in England and Wales serving 2 million people across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, has warned that event organisers “could be given a substantial £10,000 fine and those attending will face enforcement through a fine,” fixed at £200 for a first offence, doubling at further offences up to £6,400.  

Nearly 1,000 fines have been handed out by the police force since the start of restrictions last year for offences ranging in severity from not wearing a mask to mass gatherings.

The Oxfordshire case rate remains above the national average.  On Tuesday, the region reported a further 17 deaths as the country as a whole recorded its largest ever death toll from coronavirus.

Oxford UK’s least survivable city during zombie apocalypse

Jonny Yang
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Oxford UK’s least survivable city during zombie apocalypse

A groundbreaking report published by SaveOnEnergy ranks Oxford last on a list of most survivable places to be in the event of an undead invasion.  

It may distress some of our readers that Cambridge ranks first with a score of 348 out of a possible 700.  However, Cherwell would like to remind any concerned citizens that it would hardly be sporting if Oxford was better at everything.

The paper is the latest in a series of studies conducted by SaveOnEnergy, a UK-based firm that provides consumers with price comparisons for a range of energy, personal finance, insurance and communications services.  

It orders 40 of the UK’s most populated towns and cities based on their self-sustainability and ‘greenness’, awarding points on eight different factors: solar energy produced per year, farming area, the number of farmers per city, air quality, outdoor space, recycling centers, wind farms, and the number of electric vehicle charging points.  Marks were subtracted instead of added for air quality, bringing the total number of available points to 700.

Oxford scored 82 points, separated by a large margin from Preston, which came second last and scored 104 points.  The study notes that “despite having some of the most farmland of all cities studied, Oxford was let down by its lack of onshore wind farms, lack of outdoor space, and clean air.”  The city is one of eight in the UK that house zero wind farms and ranks 38th and 23rd on its proportion of farming land and air quality respectively.

Zombies aside, there is clearly much room for improvement in Oxford on the sustainability front.  Better recycling and more solar energy production are just some other ways we could make the city a more environmentally friendly place to live.

Oxford University has been approached for comment on whether SaveOnEnergy’s reveal about Oxford’s anti-undead security (or lack thereof) might cause prospective candidates this year to choose Cambridge instead. We can only hope the university is hard at work on emergency measures to protect its members and compensate for the city’s overall vulnerability.  Otherwise, a zombie apocalypse might leave Oxford’s survivability dead last, and its inhabitants just dead.

Review: The Social Dilemma

Anna Volk
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Review: The Social Dilemma

The Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, depicts the rise of social media and personalised online services. Deeply unnerving, it shows us not only their power over each and every one of us, but also their damage to society.

Despite being a documentary, truths are revealed through help of a fictional plot. We follow teenager Ben (Skyler Gisondo), who falls under the spell of an algorithm (Vincent Karteiser). We can relate as he tells himself that, if he wanted to, he could give up his phone. Yet instead, and to the worry of his older sister (Kara Hayward), social media gradually helps draw him towards the ‘Extreme Center’.

But the plot is only secondary. The true messengers are Tim Kendall, former president of Pinterest (and Director of Monetization at Facebook), Justin Rosenheimer, inventor of the ‘like’ button, and a whole cast of other really, really big fish. The testimonials of these experts – ranging from the co-creators of Google Drive to the author of ‘You are not a gadget’ – are as personal as they are alarming. 

That big social media and tech companies aren’t actually offering their services for free isn’t news to anyone. After all, “[if] you’re not paying for the product, you are the product”. But it’s not just that they’re selling your data. The creators of the platforms explain that it’s not really about learning about you – your data isn’t actually worth that much – but about changing you. The aims are those little changes that occur within you that make you more likely to keep scrolling, more likely to buy a product. “We want to psychologically figure out how to manipulate you as fast as possible”. 

The most alarming element is not just the facts. It’s seeing the fear in the creators of Facebook, Google and co. – some of which have since left the respective companies. When even the people who have helped build the platforms, who know them and their aims better than any outsider can ever hope to, are worried, how can you not be? 

But the queasy feeling in your stomach after watching The Social Dilemma is not really fear. It’s a much more sober worry about the implication of these massive tools of public manipulation for democracy. It’s a worry about the increasing division in our society, the rapid spread of false news, without our being conscious of it. It’s a worry about the massive power held in the hands of a few powerful, unelected, individuals.

That non-fiction can be dramatic is nothing new to director Jeff Orloski. In 2014, his award-winning documentary Chasing Ice visualised the terrifying effects of the climate crisis. Yet in The Social Dilemma, he didn’t seem quite ready to let the power of facts and narrative speak for themselves. Instead, music, bass and cuts made it less classic documentary and more action film. But instead of increasing the intensity, this forced dramatisation took away the impact of the testimonials themselves. That the short-term joy of a ‘like’ is based on quasi-withdrawal symptoms for the remaining period of time, has much more impact than bombastic music.

Instead, The Social Dilemma could have spent a little more time on presenting possible solutions. Yes, it reminded me to be critical upon my own social media consumption. It reminded me to ask not just if it makes me happy, but also to question if those emotions may be the product of algorithm engineering. And I would definitely recommend The Social Dilemma to anyone looking for the tools to better understand and question their own behavior. 

But, if I’m honest, it doesn’t seem enough to simply give people ten reasons for deleting their social media accounts. So long as start-ups and organisations continue to be run on Facebook, this cannot, and will not, be a viable option for everyone. The Social Dilemma highlights that social media is far from being a purely private phenomenon. It is political. And so long as we live in a democracy, it should be us, and not a few individuals in Silicon valley, deciding how we want to use these powerful tools. 

Image credit: Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Current UK lockdown has ⅓ less impact on population movement than March lockdown, Oxford study finds

Sasha Mills
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Current UK lockdown has ⅓ less impact on population movement than March lockdown, Oxford study finds

The University’s Covid-19 impact monitor shows that the January lockdown has so far had “one third less impact on movement” than the initial national lockdown last March, and that some areas are still moving at above 50% of pre-pandemic levels. This data is from the 8th of January, 3 days after the national lockdown went into force.

In the March lockdown, population movement fell by 89% on average. During the new lockdown, population movement has fallen by 59% on average. In Oxfordshire, population movement has fallen by 70.13%, a higher decrease than the national average. 

The data shows that the North East is overall the area with the highest population movement, where it has remained above 50% of pre-pandemic levels, with the North West just under 50%. The South East reported the lowest levels of movement, at a third of pre-pandemic movement.

The flow of people outside of their region has only fallen by 22%, whereas in the March lockdown it fell by 65%. Overall, the study classes only 28% of the population as “home stayers,” in comparison to 45% during the first lockdown. 

Nearly 1000 lockdown fines have been handed out by the Thames Valley police since the lockdown started, covering Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire. 771 of these were issued in the first few months of the pandemic, with only 97 linked to the November national lockdown. 

Dr Matthias Qian, co-director of the impact monitor, said: “Our mobility measures show signs of lockdown fatigue among Britons. Despite the overflow of hospitals with COVID-19 patients, the behavioural change and mobility patterns responded less than during the March lockdown.”

Dr Adam Saunders, co-director of the impact monitor, said: “As widely reported in the media, there have been growing concerns over adherence to this third lockdown, with pockets of evidence suggesting that some members of the British public have been moving more despite public health warnings highlighting the increased transmissibility of the virus.”

“This latest data shows what we believe to be the first national picture of the third lockdown’s effectiveness along with better insight into why the spread of the virus has proved so difficult to contain this time around.”

Oxford City Council has been contacted for comment.

Cambridge University launches foundation year program for disadvantaged students

Sasha Mills
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Cambridge University launches foundation year program for disadvantaged students

Cambridge University has announced a new foundation year program for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program has 50 places available across 13 pilot colleges, and will have an offer of BBB rather than the university’s standard A*AA. 

Some of the groups that the Foundation Year aims to reach include “those who have been in care, those estranged from their families, and those who have missed significant periods of learning because of health issues. […] Other possible candidates include students who have been unable to access suitable qualifications, those from low income backgrounds, and those from schools which send few students to university.”

Overall, the program will aim to support those who have faced disrupted education, and would be unable to make a successful application through the standard admissions process. The Foundation Year will be free for students, who will have one-year scholarships funded by a £5 million gift from the philanthropists Christina and Peter Dawson, money which is also being used to launch the program. 

Rather than focusing on a specific subject, students will participate in “an engaging and challenging multi-disciplinary curriculum in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences that will prepare them for further study in these subjects.” Students that successfully complete the program will be able to progress to these subjects at Cambridge without needing to re-apply. 

The foundation program will be assessed with a CertHE certificate, which is equivalent to the first year of a Bachelor’s degree. Students that fail to attain the certificate, or wish to apply to other universities, will be supported by the program in doing so. The University states that they anticipate that more subjects could be added in the future, including STEM subjects. 

Currently Lady Margaret Hall is the only Oxford college to offer a foundation year, which it launched in 2016. They offer admission to 9 subjects with offers ranging from AAB-BBB, including STEM, Social Sciences, and Humanities courses. The University of Oxford is currently in the process of developing a university-wide program. 

Professor Graham Virgo, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at The University of Cambridge, said: 

“The University’s work to explore new ways of widening access and closing the attainment gap caused by inequality is absolutely vital at a time when those the Foundation Year is aimed at – who already face exceptional disadvantage – are likely to have felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately.”

“Cambridge is committed to further diversifying its student body and welcoming all those who have the ability to achieve here, regardless of background.”

Alan Rusbridger, Principal at Lady Margaret Hall, has been contacted for comment.

Introducing the UK Emissions Trading System

Gabriel Ng
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Introducing the UK Emissions Trading System

As part of the UK government’s “Energy White Paper” released in December, the UK has unveiled its own Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which has been in effect since the start of the new year, replacing its participation in the EU ETS.

How does an Emissions Trading System work?
The ETS, also known as the cap-and-trade system, is a mechanism used to reduce CO2 (or equivalent) emissions. The government sets an emissions target called a ‘cap’, which is the maximum total amount of emissions to be released per year. This maximum is then reduced over time, in line with the UK’s 2050 net-zero emissions target. The government divides the cap into permits, which are allowances to emit a fixed amount of emissions. It then allocates or auctions these allowances to businesses, who can trade them amongst themselves in the market. 

Emissions Trading System vs Carbon Tax
Economists love discussing the pros and cons of a carbon tax versus the cap-and-trade system. Both the carbon tax and the ETS reduce emissions by putting a cost on carbon emissions. However, they do it in slightly different ways. Essentially, a carbon tax sets a fixed price for carbon emissions, while the ETS sets a fixed quantity of emissions instead. A cap-and-trade system is attractive for environmental reasons, because the risk of emissions exceeding the cap is low. However, in cap-and-trade the price for permits fluctuates according to market demand, making it harder for firms to budget in advance. Currently, it would seem that cap-and-trade has won favour in the UK. Many other countries are also adopting a similar policy, including China, which will be launching its own ETS system in February this year.

What does the UK ETS cover?
The UK ETS applies to energy intensive industries, the power generation sector and aviation, as was the case under the EU ETS. Around a thousand UK-based businesses are affected. However, the UK government has stated in the Energy White Paper that they are “committed to exploring expanding the UK ETS to the two thirds of uncovered emissions”. This policy is now possible with the UK having its own ETS. In addition, the UK ETS will continue to use auctions as a means of introducing allowances into the market. However, certain sectors such as operators of installations and aircraft operators will be eligible for free allocation of allowances.

The UK ETS is in many ways a continuation from the EU ETS system, but is stricter and slightly more ambitious. A tighter annual cap is proposed, which is around 5% lower than the UK’s notional share of the EU cap it held before. In addition, the fines that are imposed for emissions that exceed allowances will be increased from EUR 100 per tonne to GBP 100 per tonne. Compensation to energy-intensive industries will also be lower under the UK ETS. This is all in the hope that the UK ETS will be the “world’s first net-zero emissions trading scheme”.

Avoiding carbon leakage
In any discussion of climate policy, it is important to take a global perspective. Especially now that the UK has more ambitious targets than the EU, it is likely that the market price of carbon emissions will be higher in the UK than the EU. This increases the risk of carbon leakage, which is when businesses relocate their operations to countries with laxer emission constraints and a lower carbon price. This has the potential to defeat the whole purpose of the ETS which is to reduce global emissions to fight climate change.

At present, carbon leakage is partly mitigated by the free allocation of allowances and compensation to businesses. These allowances can also potentially be used as part of industrial policy, to incentivize certain industries. Another way to address carbon leakage is to align national policies through an international climate agreement, or through a policy similar to the EU carbon border adjustment mechanism recently announced in Europe’s Green Deal. A carbon border adjustment mechanism works by imposing a tax on imported goods based on their carbon content. 

By having similar policies like these in place, coupled with making the UK an attractive place to invest and do business, the UK can effectively mitigate the effects of carbon leakage. It can then take the lead in setting its own tougher environmental policies, and be the example for others to follow. 

Image credit: Photo by Paul Fiedler on Unsplash

Becoming Hir

Cosima Tiffou
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Becoming Hir

My belief in the wide scope of family dramas drew me to see Hir in London’s Bush Theatre in 2017. I was surprised by such an innovative approach and felt it would be a great play to write about (particularly in the current global climate) in relation to necessary change. Hir is a subversive and radical take on the dysfunctional family drama. For one, it is a comedy on queer theory and gender fluidity in which potentially over-theorised concepts, which do not necessarily enhance the visibility and representation of transgender people, are brought to life in a chaotic family context.

All that should probably not be said or done, is eventually said or done. The play’s cathartic nature hinges on New York playwright Taylor Mac’s darkly playful approach to gender issues. Mac introduces the setting as ‘the kind of home that, no matter how hard you clean, will always seem dirty… a starter home that never really got started and can’t seem to end.’ Hir takes place in a ‘house built by a first-time builder in the early ‘70s’ during a particularly hot summer in rural California. The play begins with a homecoming: Isaac, a marine, returns to find the home he grew up in completely transformed.

While Isaac’s sibling Maxine now identifies as ‘hir’ and is injecting testosterone, the home’s previously abusive patriarch is being fed oestrogen and dressed as a woman by Paige (the mother). Paige’s actions reflect her rejection of subjugation by a violent masculine force; she refuses to clean anything (so the house is an absolute tip). In the opening scene, Paige wastes no time in shocking her son Isaac, as soon as he returns, with her repudiation of gender norms, roles and social practices. Full of joyful rage, she proclaims: ‘We’re getting rid of things and stopped caring’.

Hir is a striking family tragicomedy.

Image credit: David Hubelbank/Montclair Film.

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