Sunday, August 3, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

BBC nominates man for list of inspiring women

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 6 December 2024
– By Editorial Staff
The BBC named Colombian biologist Brigitte Baptiste, whose research “explores the connection between biodiversity and gender identity through a queer perspective”, one of the most inspiring women of the year.
2 minute read

The BBC’s decision to include a biological male in its prestigious list of the year’s most influential women is facing fierce criticism. Opposition to the nomination is based on the accelerating trend that the definition of femininity no longer has to do with biology but more with what individuals feel like identifying themselves as.

The BBC’s taxpayer-funded 100 Women list aims to recognize women of significant influence around the world. However, this year’s edition has provoked strong reactions.

Among the names included is Colombian biologist Brigitte Baptiste (born Luis Guillermo Baptiste), a biological man who now identifies as a lesbian.

The BBC describes Baptiste as a “trans woman” whose research “explores the connection between biodiversity and gender identity through a queer perspective”.

Baptiste’s research has been criticized in the past, including for claims of “transsexual palms”. A theory Baptiste presented in 2018 that questions the concept of “naturalness” in nature.

BBC: “We pride ourselves”

The BBC has faced criticism for its decisions in the past. Earlier this year, the corporation awarded Zambian professional footballer Barbra Banda the Footballer of the Year award, despite organizers excluding Banda from the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations due to borderline testosterone levels.

BBC Barbra Banda
Barbra Banda. Photo: facsimile/BBC

Fiona Crack, founder of the BBC’s 100 Women initiative, defends the choice of Baptiste and other controversial nominations.

– We pride ourselves on shining a spotlight on exceptional women – from celebrities to those whose remarkable contributions often go unrecognised, she says.

Critics say decisions like this undermine the purpose of the list, which is to highlight the achievements of biological women. Some observers also see it as an attempt to change established definitions and social norms, which they say could threaten the recognition and protection of women’s rights.

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Jeans advertising campaign sparks outrage in woke circles

Cultural revolution in the West

Published today 14:03
– By Editorial Staff
American Eagle fights back and rises on the stock market after "racist" jeans advertisement featuring blonde, blue-eyed model Sydney Sweeney.
2 minute read

A jeans advertising campaign has drawn strong criticism for its wording in left-liberal circles in the US. Critics claim the campaign plays on “racist undertones”. The company behind it, American Eagle, is fighting back and the stock has risen this week.

Jeans company American Eagle released a new advertising campaign this week featuring actress Sydney Sweeney as the frontwoman.

The actress has also helped design a jeans model called the “Sydney Jean”, where part of the revenue from these jeans, according to the manufacturer, goes to the organization Crisis Text Line – a non-profit organization that offers free mental health support around the clock for issues related to domestic violence.

– Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue, Sweeney reportedly said in a now-removed commercial.

The campaign slogan reads: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”. Woke activists claim the wordplay has “racist undertones” because ‘jeans’ sounds like ‘genes’, which makes the message potentially interpreted as “Sydney Sweeney has great genes”.

American Eagle fights back

After several days of silence, American Eagle responded to the criticism via Instagram on Friday. In a statement, the company emphasized that the campaign was always about clothing:

“‘Sydney Sweeney has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone”.

Despite – or perhaps thanks to – the controversy, the campaign has been an economic success. American Eagle’s stock rose by over 10 percent immediately after the launch on July 23, representing a value increase of approximately 200 million dollars.

According to the company’s marketing director, Craig Brommers, the collaboration with Sweeney is the largest in the brand’s history.

Bizarre children’s series described as “digital drug”

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 10 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The characters of the children's series Cocomelon with its abnormal proportions.
3 minute read

The children’s series Cocomelon attracts young children around the world with its colorful animations and catchy songs. Despite its enormous popularity, criticism of the series is growing, with some warnings that its extreme editing could have a very negative effect on children’s brains.

More and more parents and experts are questioning the extremely fast pace of Cocomelon and whether the mass-produced style is really good for young minds, or whether it risks overstimulating children and making them restless.

One of the major objections to Cocomelon is its rapid editing technique, where camera angles change every two to three seconds. This is a hectic and exaggerated pace that is unfortunately all too common in modern children’s entertainment, but here it is taken to a new level.

According to a study by PubMed Central (PMC), the executive functions of 4-year-olds, such as self-control and working memory, are at risk of being severely impaired after being exposed to fast-paced clips for too long.

Many parents also report that their children become agitated after watching children’s series such as Cocomelon, and there is plenty of criticism on social media platforms such as X.

Mass-produced aesthetics

Other research also indicates that rapid camera and clip changes can negatively affect young children’s concentration. The fast pace is no accident either. Cocomelon is designed to capture children’s attention, but some argue that it now goes too far.

According to Findmykids.org, the constant impressions can trigger dopamine release, causing children to seek the same quick rewards even outside the screen – something that can make it harder for them to focus on calmer activities such as reading or playing.

In addition to the pace, the series’ aesthetics have also been criticized. Like most animated productions today, the characters have disproportionately large heads and overly cheerful expressions, which some find unpleasant.

For many parents and viewers, it feels like the series is made on an assembly line where quantity takes precedence over quality, resulting in an aesthetic that is more frightening than charming.

Opinions are divided

Unlike traditional cartoons such as Scooby-Doo, Cocomelon is animated in a way that prioritizes quantity over quality, which is evident in the disproportionate characters and the assembly line feel.

Opinions about Cocomelon are divided. Some experts, such as Rebecca Cowan at Walden University, argue that there is insufficient evidence to single out Cocomelon as the problem – instead, it is total screen time that may be harmful.

– Without empirical research on the show Cocomelon, there is no data to substantiate claims that this show is overstimulating due to the pace of the scenes, she says.

But others warn that the series’ pace and overstimulating elements can have a very negative impact on children’s development, especially in terms of concentration and calmness.

Cocomelon may seem like an easy solution for entertaining young children, but it is worth considering what the fast pace and mass-produced style do to young viewers.

Shakespeare museum “decolonizes” – allegedly promoting “white supremacy”

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 18 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
William Shakespeare
2 minute read

In William Shakespeare’s birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, England, a much-criticized reassessment of the world-famous playwright’s cultural heritage is underway.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has decided to “decolonize its substantial and extensive collection of Shakespeare-related material, among other things, on the grounds that this allegedly risks promoting “white supremacy”.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon has decided to “decolonize” its collections in a bid to create a more “inclusive museum experience”, according to The Telegraph.

It says the decision involves exploring the impact of empire and colonialism on the museum’s collections, and how Shakespeare’s works have contributed to these narratives.

The foundation believes that some items in the collections may contain “language or depictions that are racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise harmful”, reports The Standard.

The initiative is a result of a study conducted with Dr Helen Hopkins of the University of Birmingham in 2022. The study criticized the foundation’s attractions in Stratford for portraying Shakespeare as a “universal genius” – an idea that allegedly “benefits the ideology of white European supremacy”.

As part of the initiative, the Shakespeare Foundation plans to diversify its focus by celebrating global cultural contributions, such as Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore and Bollywood dance inspired by “Romeo and Juliet”.

Dismantling history

However, critics say the decision is part of a broader trend to decolonize cultural institutions. Concerns are expressed that such a reappraisal of historical figures like William Shakespeare could lead to the dismantling of influential white figures in the West, rather than promoting a true understanding of the complex cultural heritage.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust stresses that the project should not be seen as a critique of Shakespeare’s work, but aims to reassess the historical context of the museum’s collections and artifacts.

However, “decolonizing” Shakespeare’s legacy risks not only losing the historical context of the world-famous poet’s work, according to analysts. It also risks distorting the cultural significance of one of the most influential writers of all time.

Apple phones suggest “racist” as an alternative to “Trump”

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 28 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
An iPhone suggests “racist” when the word “Trump” is spoken. In the background, the Apple headquarters in California.
2 minute read

Apple’s voice-to-text system has caused a stir among iPhone users. When the word “racist” is dictated, “Trump” briefly appears before it is corrected something Apple now says it is looking into.

Tech and globalist giant Apple says it is working feverishly to fix the suspicious bug in its dictation feature. The bug, which first came to light on Tuesday, results in the iPhone temporarily displaying the word “Trump” when users utter “racist” via voice input, reports American CNN, among others.

Watch the video above to see how an iPhone behaves when the TNT journalist speaks the word “Trump”.

Several iPhone owners have reported and confirmed the strange event on social media. Videos demonstrating the bug have quickly spread, raising questions about the reliability of the technology and possible political implications.

Apple admits the bug

Apple has confirmed the problem in a statement, claiming that it is all due to an incorrect interpretation in the speech recognition model.

– We are aware of an issue with the speech recognition model that powers Dictation and we are rolling out a fix today, said a company spokesperson.

According to Apple, the bug is caused by the system incorrectly suggesting words with phonetic overlap. The company claims that the Dictation feature sometimes shows an incorrect word before quickly correcting it to the user’s intended word

Coincidentally, the bug came to light the day after Apple announced a massive $500 billion investment in US facilities and infrastructure. Donald Trump has stated that he sees the investment as a result of his tariff policy.

The company remains positive about “Woke”

Meanwhile, Apple shareholders voted down a proposal to end the company’s so-called DEI (“diversity, equity and inclusion”) initiative which is often linked to left-wing radicalism.

The incident marks another problem for Apple since the launch of their new AI system Apple Intelligence. The company was recently forced to disable a feature that summarized news headlines due to inaccuracies.

John Burkey, founder of AI startup Wonderrush.ai and former member of Apple’s Siri team, expresses skepticism about the company’s explanation.

– This feels like a significant prank. The pressing question is whether this was introduced into the data or embedded in the code.

Other experts question Apple’s explanation about phonetic similarity between words. Peter Bell, a professor of speech technology at the University of Edinburgh, says it’s more likely that the underlying software was modified by one or more Apple employees.

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