Article 1 - Protests in Iran (in relation to Jina Amini)
Written by Kathryn Kwon
Edited by Kathryn Lee
TW: death, police violence
Image credit: https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/.../mahsa-amini.../
Disclaimer: Although Mahsa Amini is her legal name, Jina Amini is her birth name. As a Kurdish woman, she was forced to change her name due to Iran’s strict naming policy. For this reason, we refer to her as Jina Amini in our article.
On September 13, 2022, 22-year-old Jina Amini was apprehended in Tehran, Iran by the Guidance Patrol, locally known as the “morality police,” for wearing her headscarf too loosely. Three days later, she was pronounced dead in a hospital. The official cause of death was reported as a heart attack despite Amini having no previous health conditions.
Following Amini’s death, citizens voiced their discontent with the Iranian government in protests unlike any in the past, including the 2009 Green Movement, the 2017 protests, and 2019 Bloody Aban. At the forefront of these demonstrations, women have taken to the streets, some going as far as publicly burning their head scarves.
The situation in Iran has even extended into social media as many women have cut their hair short to both spread awareness and show support for Amini. Users in Iran have shared their stories of both Amini’s death and the deaths of other protestors, calling and called for the rest of the world to “Say her name. Be our voice.”
In response to these protests, police have used lethal force against citizens, bringing the death toll to 244. Almost 12,500 people have been arrested.
Since 1983, women in Iran have been required to wear head scarvess, regardless of nationality or religion, and loose fitted pants under their coats. These rules and others like them have since been enforced by the “morality police,” a unit of the larger Iranian police force. Although men must also adhere to modest dressing, it is mostly women who are targeted by the “morality police.”
This is a fight for women’s rights. Condemning those who voluntarily wear headscarves is not the goal of this movement. To wear or not wear a head scarf is a decision that should be left up to each individual, and the ability to make that choice is what the people of Iran are fighting for.
Article 2 - Constance Wu
Written by Kayla Maharani
Edited by Kathryn Lee
*TW FOR ATTEMPTED SUICIDE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SEXUAL ASSAULT / HARASSMENT
Image credit: https://www.vulture.com/.../constance-wu-making-a-scene...
Constance Wu is a Taiwanese-American actress famous for her roles in “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Crazy Rich Asians.” She is also known as a major advocate for Asian-American representation and often aims for her movies to make a significant cultural impact. After her recent successes and career breakthrough, she has used her platform to shed light on some of the appalling experiences that have drastically affected her mental health and well-being. In her newly released memoir “Making a Scene,” she discusses the sexual harrasment she endured from a producer of “Fresh Off the Boat,” and details the story of her attempted suicide.
As the face of Asian American representation in numerous films and shows, Wu explains in her memoir a desperate desire to pursue the image of a “perfect” person-of-color activist. This pressure prevented her from sharing her unfiltered experience as a cast member on “Fresh Off the Boat.” Despite feeling intimidated, threatened and subjected to derogatory comments, she refused to go public with sexual harassment claims, wanting the reputation of the show to remain unsoiled.
However, other issues with the show arose after it was unexpectedly renewed for two additional seasons; Wu reveals in her memoir that her hasty tweet after the news broke — “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. Fuck.” — was a result of the renewal disrupting her plans to explore outside projects. The public backlash was sudden and dramatic, with many users accusing her of being ungrateful and privileged. Comments made by a fellow Asian American actress, who labeled her a “blight” on the community, drove Wu to attempt suicide. Although her friend successfully intervened, Wu continued to suffer from emotional distress, and eventually counseled with a psychiatrist to recover.
Wu’s experiences shed light on how mental health and diversity are addressed in Hollywood. The struggles of actors and actresses of color are amplified due to a lack of institutional support, and details of their suffering are often buried beneath the desire to be a good representative for the community.
Article 3 - S. Korea’s Itaewon Halloween Tragedy
Written by Kathryn Kwon
Edited by Kathryn Lee
TW - death & tragedy, links may contain graphic content
Photograph: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
On Saturday evening, October 29, over 150 people were killed in a stampede in Seoul, South Korea while at least 100 others were left injured. Around 100,000 people were present.
In a Halloween celebration in Itaewon, an area known for its nightlife, a crowd surge crushed partygoers in an alley. Club owners along the alleyway opened their doors to help lessen the mass, but were overwhelmed by the amount of people.
First responders worked on rescuing those who were at the bottom of the crowd first, many of whom were unconscious or delirious. Disaster medical aid has been issued from the Health Ministry as per the order of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
At least two of the dead were identified as American citizens. The identification of other victims are still ongoing, as youths under 17 remain unnamed and many ID cards are missing.
Videos from the point of view of those stuck in the crowd have gone viral on social media. Other videos of people desperately performing CPR on victims have also circulated.
The Yongsan district, where Itaewon is located, has been declared a “special disaster area.” Per this declaration, the government has agreed to pay for funeral processions for the dead, additional consolation compensation for their families and any medical fees for the injured.
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