Politoblog

We are obsessed with opinion polls. Wikipedia lists 331 polls comparing Trump and Biden’s chances in the election this fall. 331 and counting. Research companies have existed since the 1930s – in fact, George Gallup founded the first one, the American Institute of Public Opinion. This is the same pollster who has since stated that “the Institute is in a good position to know how ill-informed, how prejudiced, how stupid are some voters.” But this isn’t how polls are used. They don’t serve to remind us how unformed the general population’s views are on many topics, they are used as political ammunition. We hold polls up as shining examples of “what the public thinks”, when in reality, we often don’t think at all. The US isn’t the only country whose politicians rely on polls to gauge public opinion. France is one of the biggest consumers of polls in the world – during the 2017 French presidential campaign, spanning just one month, 560 polls were published. So what? So we’re obsessed with ...

Although I am not a fashion expert, I am someone who recently made the decision to buy exclusively ethically and sustainably-made clothing. I made this decision after discovering that one in five cotton products sold worldwide is tainted by human rights atrocities against the Uighur minority in Xinjiang. Uighur Muslims are being tortured, sterilised, shackled and blindfolded - these are crimes against humanity, and by buying cheap clothing, I am complicit in them. Fashion historian  Karolina Żebrowska  recently brought to my attention a trend sweeping social media in the form of a strawberry-patterned midi dress designed by  Lirika Matoshi . Influencers are going crazy for it, but the dress has also been the subject of some controversy, notably regarding its $490 price-tag. Unsurprisingly, many high street fashion brands have jumped on the trend, creating their own, cheaper versions of the dress. TikTok users have been quick to point out the flaws of such dresse...