A Global Injustice

Living in a world filled with hundreds of different cultures and traditions, it is inevitable that they are both shared and enjoyed by many. However, in the fashion industry, cultural patterns, items, and designs have often been utilized and profited off without understanding the sometimes offensive and inappropriate nature of doing so. Recently, the online fast-fashion store Shein has faced immense backlash for selling clothing and jewelry items that were extremely culturally and religiously insensitive.  History The fashion industry is no stranger to cultural appropriation and the marketing of the products as their own. Traditional cultural patterns, designs, cuts and items have been used for many years and sold as high fashion statement pieces. While it is natural for designers and stylists to take inspiration from particular cultures and incorporate that into their clothes as a means of appreciating it, more often than not, traditional cultural expressions are reused out of con...

Credit: Bloomberg Coronavirus has captivated all the news media outlets and headlines, with almost 240,000 reported cases and nearing 10,000 deaths as a result . It is not only imperative to monitor the implications and casualties of this biological disaster, but to understand why such an event occurred in the first place. The outbreak, of which the epicenter was in Wuhan (China), is thought to have originated in a wildlife market in Wuhan, which boasted an array of exotic and expansive wildlife to sell for consumption, such as monkeys, dogs, bats, etc. Many have criticized mainland China's weak attempts to regulate this market as the cause for the outbreak. The History   Having caused a similar outbreak in 2002 that killed nearly 800 people , China is not new to the epidemic front. Coronavirus is a general term given to viruses that infect animals, and it is very rare for these viruses to infect humans. However, close proximity markets such as the one in Wuhan, allows fo...

Credit: France24  It has been nearly 19 whole years since the USA first intervened in Afghanistan, but the impacts and damages caused by the intervention will undoubtedly continue for years to come. This has caused many, if not all, to label this as one of the worst humanitarian issues and conflicts in the region.  With the recent implementation of a peace deal, the global community is in the midst of a possible conclusion to a decade long war. However, to examine the effectiveness and determine the success of the solution, it is crucial to understand the history and roots of this war, and fully understand the stakeholders and their part in this issue.  The History   Since the end of Soviet Union occupation in 1989, Afghanistan has been a battleground for power and control. The lack of foundations for a proper government following 1989 led Taliban to rise to power in the region, who imposed a stern military rule over the country and gave a base to anothe...

Credit: BusinessWorld While India and Pakistan have had ongoing border disputes for the last 73 years, India versus China has slowly been evolving to be an even-bigger sovereignty crisis. In May of 2020, Chinese and Indian troops engaged in aggressive face-offs and skirmishes along the Sino-Indian border at the disputed Pangong Lake in Ladakh and Tibet Autonomous Regions along with additional clashes at eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which began since the 1962 Sino-Indian war. The Chinese LAC claims areas of the Ladakh region as well as parts of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. It is believed that at this time of vulnerability due to COVID-19, China is trying to establish their power through their persistent land grabbing not only internally (Hong Kong and Taiwan) but externally as well. History The Sino-Indian border dispute dates back to 1914 when a treaty was negotiated between representatives from Britain, the Republic of China and in Tibet in Simla, Ind...

Credit: Huffington post While the United States examines the role of race in their society, and how it impacts their brutal policing system, the world often ignores the underlying factors behind excessive police force and corruption in their own states. Gratuitous police brutality, custodial deaths and the evident indifference of politicians to blatant state enforced violence is not an uncommon occurrence in India. In recent times, heightened during the COVID-19 lockdown, countless instances of police violence against citizens have been filmed and circulated. They invoke outrage on social media — but this outrage is often limited. Police torture has become quite routine and there is a level of acceptance. In the US we see structural inequalities and systemic racism affect black Americans disproportionately. The same structural inequalities affect Indians based on their caste, religion and gender. Yet the reactions are vastly different; vicious police brutality is not enough to get ci...

Credit: The Indian Express The recent demise of famous bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, of which many consider depression to be the leading cause, has placed the current media imperative on nepotism in bollywood. Nepotism is defined as showing partiality or favor to family relatives or friends, especially for jobs or position of power, and is not only a common aspect in star-studded bollywood, but especially in corporate and political India.  Yet, what makes nepotism in Bollywood especially worrying isn’t just its impact on upcoming actors, but how it is slowly paving the way for corruption and injustice in Indian society - especially at the higher, more powerful levels. And therefore, not only is Sushant’s suicide an indicator of inequality in the bollywood industry, but of a much, much larger issue: corruption in India.  The Facts The media has been drowned in controversy for the past few weeks, and the narrative has begun to expose the deep roots of corruption and nepo...

Credit: CTV According to the United Nations, 24 Million people in Yemen are facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. The Yemeni people have been suffering for decades due to a long-lasting civil war, which has hindered access to basic human needs such as food, water and healthcare. As millions die daily, there seems to be a lack of coverage in widespread media. The History The roots of the war started with the Arab Spring in 2010 - which created a movement that involved pro-democracy protests that wanted to force the President at the time, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to end his 33 year presidency. Moreover, as the protests continued, many protestors started dying in the capital Sana’a at the hands of the military, where Ali Abdullah unleashed a harsh crackdown on protestors. By 2015, the Houthis (an extremist group who rose to power with the civil war between Saleh and the protestors), were determined to create a caliphate within Yemen. By toppling the government, they were able ...