Right Now’s Most Read Stories in 2020
Our three most-read stories this year encapsulate the adage ‘the personal is political,’ exploring wider issues in the world through lived experiences. Look out for these writers in 2021.
Disability
I don’t dance like the other cats
“Who is that child not dancing like the other cats?” one of the other parents asked. Katy’s mother was stuck between embarrassment and intense pride. This is a story of courage, perseverance and overcoming adversity. Katy Barnett is a Professor at Melbourne Law School with extensive publications in private law and remedies law.
Helping Hands: a review
What are the consequences of help? A_tistic’s new performance Helping Hands explores the ways in which ‘help’ can leave scars on those with disabilities.
A Veteran’s New Home
Joe Patterson’s journey to Vietnam summons up a country still marked with the ravages of war, as told through the stories of Australian veterans who now call the place home.
Violence and Disability: Will a Royal Commission help?
Anna Arstein-Kerslake and Claire Spivakovsky discuss the draft Terms of Reference recently released by the Disability Royal Commission, and whether it will address the issues of violence experienced by persons with disabilities.
A search for justice and truth: a review of Waiting for Elijah
Kate Wild explores the horrific and questionable events of one day in Armidale, New South Wales.
David
Poet Andy Jackson writes about bodily difference and in his latest collection he explores Marfan Syndrome through a series of portraits.
‘I, Daniel Blake’ is an honest portrait of the British welfare system
Ken Loach’s new film I, Daniel Blake reminds us that the so-called bludgers, cheaters and leaners of this world have their own stories that are worthy of our attention.
Oppression Olympics: a game nobody wins
Right Now columnist Adolfo Aranjuez discusses the limitations of identity-based labels as bases for discourse on oppression and disadvantage.
Telling stories that could never be spoken
Sam Ryan reviews ‘Siblings’ by Kate Strohm.
Discriminating differently
Adolfo Aranjuez interrogates the notion of privilege and explains why “equality” and “discrimination” are more complex than you think.