Being rebellious

I don't know about anyone else, but to me 'rebellion' has quite negative connotations. We talk about rebellious children, refusing to accept guidance or discipline from those around them - but with a historical view, rebels are often instrumental in forging positive change. From the Martin Luther King, or the most famous suffragettes to Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg, it's sometimes those who have spoken up about the injustices and discrimination in society and refused to be silenced who have been catalysts for action. Othertimes, of course, quiet persistence can be the start or change, or can bring about a turning point. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg obviously didn't start her career as a high-profile trailblazer, pushing for equality, but later became known as a pioneering lawyer and judge with a keen interest in women's rights.

For the Rebel History badge I looked at another pioneering woman who refused to accept the restrictions placed on her due to her sex: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson - the first woman to qualify as a physician in England, in 1865. Determined to become a physician, she exploited a loophole in the regulations which enabled her to sit the necessary exams; unfortunately the male physicians around her were very unhappy with this, so the Society of Apothecaries amended the regulations to close down this loophole for future women by only permitting men to take the exams.

After qualifying, she was unable to find employment as a female physician, so set up a dispensary for women. Still determined to gain a medical degree, she taught herself French so that she could attend the University of Sorbonne in Paris, as they were known to be less opposed to the admission of women. Finally in 1870 she achieved this aim, and was later that year elected to the London School Board, and was also made visiting physician to the East London Hospital for Children. In 1872, her dispensary became the New Hospital for Women and Children, and the following year was finally granted membership of the Britich Medical Association. In 1874 she and her contemporary trailblazer, Sophia Jex-Blake, founded the London School of Medicine for Women, which became the only teaching hospital in Britain to offer courses for women.

Her work towards equality was not restricted to the field of medicine; as well as showing incredible determination to pursue her vocation as a doctor (as well as being a wife and mother), she was active in the movement for women's suffrage. She campaigned in 1866 for female heads of households to be given the vote, and joined the Central Committee for the National Society for Women's Suffrage in 1889.

She continued teaching at the medical school which she had founded through the rest of her career, and was Dean of the school from 1883 until her retirement in 1902. Her legacy is visible in the number of medical units which still bear her name - but more than that, in the vital role she played in opening the field of medical practice to women.

It is hard in some ways to point to specific 'acts of rebellion' which she carried out - but it is essential not to underestimate the strength of character she showed in persisting with her training and medical work in the face of strong and vocal opposition from her fellow students, lecturers, and undoubtedly many around her in society. The fact that both the Society of Apothecaries and the British Medical Association changed their regulations after she was able to join shows just how unwelcome women were in medical practice.

These were perhaps quiet, personal acts of rebellion, but there are of course more obvious acts of rebellion. Protest marches such as the Jarrow March of 1937 or the Brexit protest in 2019 are very obvious ways for groups of people to register their dissatisfaction with Governmental decisions and actions - or the lack thereof. Strike action, whether taken by teachers, emergency workers, miners, or air traffic controllers aims to cause significant disruption to gain attention for the cause, and to highlight the essential nature of the work which the strikers usually undertake. Other forms of non-violent public disruption might include vandalism, such as the (in)famous Van Gogh/tomato soup incident, or protestors supergluing themselves to various items, or occupying a public space. Craftivism such as yarn bombing is another way of gaining attention for a cause - but may raise concern about the environmental impact of this.

More violent acts of rebellion run the gamut from a physical attack (throwing eggs, milkshake, or rotton produce at politicians), through to rioting, political coup, or assassination.

The advent of social media has opened up new forms of rebellion. The immediacy of communication makes it easier to reach out to allies, to share information, and to publicise the issues at hand. Hashtags make it easy to find and share messages, and online fora provide a gathering place for like-minded people. However, the flip side of this is that it can be all too easy to demonise those on the other side of the issue, and to forget that there is a person behind the screen at the other end. And of course there's the danger of social media becoming too much of an echo-chamber, so that each person's views and sympathies are encouraged and further entrenched by the additional information they're presented with by the algorithms, rather than being a more moderate and balanced arena.

While many of the media channels seem to feel that strike action by teachers, doctors, nurses or emergency services is utterly unreasonable, for me it's not about the action, but about the reason for it. I can very much sympathise with the fury and despair that many NHS workers have expressed over the past few decades, particularly in light of the govnernment's inexplicable decision to award themselves yet another large payrise while denying the same to medical staff during the height of the COVID pandemic! Year on year paycuts in real terms are in no way compensated for by a few rounds of applause and further public disrespect and criticism. My own experiences of receiving ongoing medical care have shown me beyond doubt (as if I needed telling!) the comittment to excellent patient care which those on the front line of services demonstrate daily, and for them to even contemplate disrupting services - well, that shows their depth of feeling and desperation to be heard.

Looking at rebellion for this badge, I decided to read more about Guy Fawkes as a very famous rebel, but one around whom there is a certain amount of controversy and who can certainly be seen as problematic. Most of us are aware of the Gunpowder Plot, although nowadays it's very little more than a footnote in Bonfire Night and numerous chilly November firework displays. In brief, in 1605 Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators planned to assasinate the Protestant King James I and his parliament, so that he would be succeeded by his Catholic daughter Elizabeth. Their plot - to blow up the Houses of Parliament by igniting barrels of gunpowder which they had stored in a room beneath its floors - was discovered before they could carry it out. Guy Fawkes was tortured, and later hung, drawn, and quartered for his treason. Some Catholics today are uncomfortable with the way his death is celebrated, although through the years he has become something of a folk hero. Famously described as 'the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions', his image has been romanticised and sanitised, to the extent that 'guys' is now a standard word to mean 'people', and there is even a popular policical (gossip) commentator using the name 'Guido Fawkes'. We may well 'remember remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot' - but have completely forgotten that this action was planned as retaliation for the oppression of Roman Catholics in England which had begun under Queen Elizabeth I and worsened during the reign of King James, and came after decades of increasing tension and quarrels between Catholics and the newly emerging Protestant church.

For a contemporary rebel, I've chosen to look at someone whose name is not well known. Laith Abu-Taleb is a gender equality activist from Jordan, and is a co-founder of Arabic HeForShe. Working particularly to stop exclusion of women from technolgy and innovation, he has developed an app called WeRise which has gender equality-related games, quizzes and other interactive content. Through this, he is working to help men learn about the importance and benefits to everyone of gender equality. The very 'traditional' gender roles expected in many arabic societies make it very difficult for proponents of equality to speak out; many were reluctant to speak out publicly for fear of the ramifications within their families and neighbourhoods. However, persistence and the beginnings of change mean that more people are speaking out in support of equality and women's rights.

Arabic HeForShe runs campaigns around women in the workplace, early marriage, period stigma, and ending sexual violence in conflict, using social media to get their messages to people who might otherwise be difficult to reach. The WeRise app provides a safe space for users to talk and to learn more about the issues.

While I haven't found any criticism of either Abu-Taleb or the HeForShe movement, it's not hard to imagine how unpopular both will be in many places. For those who feel that women should not be allowed freedom or independence to develop their own careers, make choices about when (or if) to marry, and to have a say over fundamental aspects of their own life and being, other men advocating for these rights are a threat to the stability of society as they know it. This in itself demonstrates the importance of the allyship which is at the heart of the HeForShe movement: that those who have more power use it to support and advocate for those without.

And that's a key thing for us all to remember - to use our own privilege where we have it to help those in need. That's what I take away from some of the rebels I've learned about. As I try to follow in their footsteps, I'm helping to make the path clearer for others to follow.