If you haven’t managed to catch up with the award winning Documentary Drama The Silent Child aired on BBC 1 recently, I suggest you do while still available on Catch Up.
The Silent Child won best short film at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in August 2017. This made it eligible for entry to the Oscars. In December 2017 the film was selected as one of the final ten films in the category for the 90th Academy Awards. On 23 January 2018, it was announced that The Silent Child was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for the 90th Academy Awards, which it then won.
We observe an over-achieving Mother and emotionally detached step-father from a well-heeled British middle class family, who put their children’s education and piano lessons above the needs of their socially challenged daughter Libby who has hearing difficulties.
As we follow the progress of this young girl from her isolation within a large family, to her progress with a ‘one to one’ specialist carer, whose love and commitment gradually brings her into the real world, we feel outraged as the narcissistic parents deprive her of all hope by cutting her off in her prime, through their own refusal to listen to their child or the expert caring for her, even stopping her sign language as they feel it is better for her to lip read.
It is heart wrenching as the carer secretly visits Libby at her new school, and they sign ‘I love you’ to each other – with no one to observe the tragic consequence.
It certainly strikes a chord as we are subtly informed of the lack of care and understanding in the Education system with the need of sign language and awareness in schools, in addition to the loneliness of someone who constantly feels excluded.
We also observe that a classroom can be the most isolating place for someone who cannot engage with other kids, through the school’s inability or refusal to educate their own staff into how to improve the situation with these simple communication skills.
We are brilliantly educated into the silent World of the child, and quickly learn that neglect comes in all forms, and is not necessarily restricted to grimy areas of poverty or bad education, but with the absence of love, and with love comes listening, which as we know, is the most important thing of all.
We have heard a lot about men’s superior attack on women recently, whether in the work place or on the casting couch, but what about the recent reporting in the House of Commons where Theresa May called out Jeremy Corbyn for telling her the date of the imminent International Women’s Day. Is this taking the issue of ‘manshaming’ a little bit too far?
I have personally been at the bitter end of sexism in the workplace, as a young actress years ago when propositioned by a well-known Film Director (who shall remain unnamed) when innocently auditioning for him in his office apartment in Kensington. At the time as a naïve hopeful, who had my dreams squashed by his bullying behaviour, I had no option but to escape, literally by the fire exit, and consequently called my agent in floods of tears.
My Agent who was a key partner of one of the better known Managements, told me in no uncertain terms that I should have taken more care about being alone with him in his apartment, (how could I when this was the address I had been given), and to let the matter rest and keep quiet as the damage had already been done. My damage I hasten to add, as she was in fear of her own reputation as I had made a complaint and stood up to a giant in the industry. But that was back the nineties.
It is true I never auditioned for him again, nor did I want to but it was a lesson learnt, and I watched out of interest which actress did actually land the leading role in the movie. This information will also remain confidential.
So, when I talk about ‘mansplaining’, I am coming from a place of empathy for women. But in defence of the ‘unfairer’ sex, have had a lot of ‘mansplaining’ in my time from both males and females.
First those of you who do not know what the word means, and I am not about to act as the perpetrator. But It is the act of a man explaining to a female who they feel is less intelligent or who needs information spelt out.
I think we have all been at the other end of this type of ‘put down’ as it certainly feels like that. It has happened to acquaintances and friends a number of times.
A close friend recently told a group of us how he was talked down to by an employee who happens to be female, yes it can happen the other way round too.
My friend is a highly motivated entrepreneur, but is single and hopeless at the intricacies of technology and keeping house. His PA who is a smart middle aged woman constantly ‘mansplain’s’ to him irrelevant information, forgetting that the person in question prefers to spend his time carrying out more urgent tasks, which is why the PA has been employed in the first place.
So where ‘mansplaining’ is concerned, it can happen in all walks of life and by both male and female. So from now on I will call it ‘peoplesplaining’ and although it does not have such a delicious ring – it is certainly more honest – and may loosen the noose around our male counterparts necks for a while at least, and call a truce on the subject of ‘mansplaining’.
Low cost Indian airline SpiceJet is conducting a special drive to recruit women pilots this International Women’s Day. The airline is hiring women pilots for its Boeing 737 and Bombardier Q400 fleet and aims to increase “the strength of its women cockpit crew to one-third of the total number of pilots at SpiceJet.”
“The airline has extended an open invite to women pilots across the country as part of the recruitment program which is scheduled for March 7 and 8, 2018 and is open for both captains and first officers, having a valid commercial pilot license,” the airline said.
An all-women selection board consisting of the airline’s management lady pilots will conduct the interviews and selected candidates will be given offer letter same day with “due diligence towards the airline’s esteemed selection standards.”
They are following the path of many female pilots, Amelia Mary Earhart who was an American aviation pioneer and Amy Johnson CBE who was an English aviator who was the first female pilot to fly alone from Britain to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set numerous long-distance records during the 1930s. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, but they were not alone.
Amy Johnson
Then who could forget the FABulous Angels from Captain Scarlet created by Sylvia Anderson.
Five fearless jet fighter pilots, Silvia’s vision was way ahead of any other television program, she certainly pushed the boundaries in 60s and 70s television. In fact many female pilots wrote to Sylvia over the years saying that’s what inspired them to be pilots or to be in the aviation industry as Air traffic controllers or mechanics.
The Angels
Times are finally changing for the better and airlines are catching up.
July 12, 2026 100 BC Julius Caesar 1854 George Eastman 1895 Oscar Hammerstein II 1927 Frank Windsor 1928 Kathy Staff 1935 Roy Barraclough 1937 Bill Cosby 1943 Christine McVie 1947 Gareth Edwards
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