Although they tend to both spend their time sleeping, eating, and looking for a good lap to sit on (please don’t tell Oscar he’s too big, it’ll break his heart) Fred and Oscar spend a lot of their time also encouraging positive mental attitudes. Pests Production works with artists to develop new work, but also to create an environment where this can be achieved whilst considering the challenges mental health presents. As a company, we believe that the mental well-being of those we work with is a top priority, and Oscar and Fred are here to make sure that this approach is properly managed and enforced.
International Women’s Day is fast approaching and The Morale Officers know that all hoomans were made equal (even Vets, despite their nasty needles). But these temporary celebrations of women aren't enough to create real change.
International Women’s Day is a wonderful first step towards gaining a recognised platform from which we can discuss women’s issues and achievements. However, one day of the year simply isn’t enough. The conversations which crop up in March around the 8
th are nothing to turn your nose (or snoot) up at, but these conversations shouldn’t need a marked date in order to occur. These conversations about equal rights, gender pay gaps, female erasure from history, and so much more should be things we continue to discuss every day. We owe it to those who have fought, and are still fighting, for the basic rights of women.
Being a woman is not a one-day event, it’s not a single programming of theatre, it’s not a specialist exhibition in a gallery. Being a woman is an everyday fight, that has come so far, and still has far to go. We’re privileged enough that we live in a country where we can speak out for the rights of women, where we can hold rallies and marches and protests. So why would we limit this privilege to just one day a year? Women are not oppressed one day a year; so the actions to progress equality does not belong as a single day on the calendar. Everyday, we can make movements, great or small, to push forward the fight for equality.
Go to rallies, start petitions, create artworks, burn your bras (or don’t, it’s not very green of you, and despite the nostalgic wave hitting Netflix, this isn’t the 80s.) There's a
great list of events happening all year round in the UK which is definitely worth checking out. Or do smaller gestures. Support local female artists. Expand your bookshelf with more
female writers. Get involved with women's charities, be they local or global. Educate yourself on not just female, but male issues as well. Talk to others, especially younger people, about the inequalities you’re fighting against. Become aware of the world around you and speak out. Your voice is your greatest weapon, don’t be afraid to use it. As you can see above, Oscar doesn’t believe in staying silent when he feels something is unfair. Be like Oscar. Raise your voice, speak out, make others aware that the time for change is now.
Do not be complicit with a single day. It’s been 110 years since the first basic idea of a women’s day started. 24 hours isn’t enough time to change the world, but it’s enough time to make a start. Go out there, fight a good fight, and pick up some treats on your way home; fighting for equality gets our Morale officers hungry.
We hope you enjoy good naps, good belly rubs, and good mental health this month.
Love, Oscar and Fred