Do you really know?

What are LGBT-free zones? Thanks for asking! Last month, the European Parliament declared the E.U. to be an LGBTIQ Freedom zone. That was in reaction to the increasing number of LGBT-free zones in Poland, which have been making headlines for the last two years. Poland has gained a reputation as the worst EU country for LGBT rights. If we look back to early 2019, the liberal mayor of Warsaw had ann...

What are NFTs? Thanks for asking! It’s one of the latest crazes in the world of blockchain. Non-fungible tokens are digital certificates of ownership, which state who owns a piece of virtual crypto-art. That’s right, you can now buy collectible digital art, like memes, GIFs, videos and even tweets, all thanks to NFTs. NFTs emerged in 2017, as part of the Ethereum cryptocurrency blockchain. You’ve...

What is pansexuality? Thanks for asking! More and more celebrities are talking about their sexuality. Just two weeks ago, Demi Lovato talked about being pansexual during an interview with Joe Rogan. According to Kim Rice, who wrote the Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality in 2015, pansexuality can be defined as sexual, emotional, romantic or spiritual attraction for other people, regardless of their bi...

What is soft power? Thanks for asking! There was a time where the only way to impose power was through violence and war. But for a few decades now, the power of a country or group is also affected by its soft power. By that we mean its ability to influence other parts of the world by spreading its cultural model. Soft power can be held by states, but also by international institutions, NGOs, busin...

What is Covax? Thanks for asking! Described as the “biggest worldwide rollout of vaccines in the history of humanity”. the Covax scheme is part of the international battle against Covid-19, with the aim of ensuring people all around the world have access to vaccines, especially in poorer countries. This global initiative is led by the World Health Organisation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the C...

What is the Suez Canal? Thanks for asking!   On March 23rd, the Ever Given container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking traffic in both directions. Such a blockage had never occurred before and it took six days for salvage crews to free the 220,000-ton cargo ship.  Over 400 ships were forced to queue, waiting for Ever Given to be moved. Shipping data suggested the obstruction was holding...

What is a ghost kitchen? Thanks for asking! For many of us, it’s been a long time since we last set foot in a pub or restaurant. We’ve become more accustomed than ever before to navigating our favourite food delivery apps until we find something that catches our fancy. But do we actually know how and where our meals are prepared? Ghost kitchens, or dark kitchens as they are also known, have really...

What is the precautionary principle? Thanks for asking!  While over 50% of people in the UK have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, the EU is lagging far behind at 16%. Just two days ago, the World Health Organisation described the rollout in Europe as being “unacceptably slow”. The delays are down to several factors, one of which is the precautionary principle. In mid-March, 18 count...

What is poverty porn? Thanks for asking! Poverty porn is a provocative term of criticism which looks at how poor people and their living situations are portrayed in films, on television or on social media. The term became more widespread after the release of Slumdog Millionaire in the late 2000s. The Oscar-winning film tells the story of a young boy who grew up in the slums of Mumbai and is close...

What is Stop Asian Hate? Thanks for asking! On March 16th, a series of shootings in Atlanta caused eight deaths. The murders took place at three different spas, and six of the deceased victims were Asian women.  The 21-year-old perpetrator claims to have been motivated by shame at his own sexual addiction, rather than specifically targeting the Asian community. But some believe the killings should...

Who is Ousmane Sonko? Thanks for asking!   Since early March, Senegal has seen a series of violent protests, a rare event in a country known for its political stability. Behind it all is the arrest of one man - Ousmane Sonko. The 46 year old MP is the main opponent of President Macky Sall and came third in 2019’s presidential election. Sonko is the leader of the PASTEF political party, and identif...

What is Generation Covid? Thanks for asking!  In social sciences, a generation refers to a group of the population whose members are around the same age and have hence lived through the same era. Think the baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials… and now Generation Covid! While they may be significantly less at risk of serious illness from Covid-19, young people are bearing the brunt of the pandem...

What are HFCs? Thanks for asking! Fridges, freezers and air conditioning. In cooling our individual homes, humans are heating up our collective home - planet earth. That’s partly down to hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs for short. These industrial chemicals are mainly used for cooling and refrigeration, but they generate a huge amount of pollution. The adoption of HFCs is relatively recent as until the...

What is eye yoga? Thanks for asking! In the last 12 months, we’ve all spent more time at home than we expected. As a result, our use of computers or smartphones has increased to the point where many of us spend almost all day gazing into a screen.  This can lead to eye strain and dry eyes, as well as other disorders or diseases. OK, so in this day and age it’s difficult to totally go without all t...

What is a test concert? Thanks for asking!  Living through a pandemic has seen many of our favourite pastimes turn from harmless fun to high-risk activity! Think of going for a beer with your colleagues after work, taking your grandma to the cinema or dancing the night away in a club for example. The whole culture sector has suffered and the music business is among the industries which have been a...

What is euthanasia? Thanks for asking! Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a person’s life in order to relieve their suffering. The practice is often confused with assisted suicide but there is a key difference. When it comes to euthanasia, medical practictioners carry out the final deed, whereas with assisted suicide it’s the patient who commits the act.  Laws on euthanasia and assisted...

What is the baby bust? Thanks for asking!   You’ve almost certainly heard of the baby boom, which saw birth rates soar in many countries following the end of the Second World War. Well, we’re currently experiencing the opposite of that thanks in part to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many observers have labelled this a baby bust. Are you saying there’s been a significant drop in the number of births? What...

What is period poverty? Thanks for asking! Menstrual hygiene products are an essential expense, but many women on low incomes find that the cost is out of their reach. This is known as period poverty and it affects more people than you might think, even in developed countries. A survey in the UK found that over 40% of 14-21 year olds had used items like socks, tissues or paper as a makeshift repla...

What is newspeak? Thanks for asking! Lockdown, patient zero, social distancing and PCR tests - the last year has seen the emergence of many new terms due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some have labelled this vocabulary Coronaspeak. At Do You Really Know, we’ve covered several such topics to decipher their meaning. But today we will be discussing a different type of newspeak. The idea of newspeak didn’...

What is the three-finger salute? Thanks for asking! Since the start of February, protesters in Myanmar have been pictured making a three-finger gesture as a symbol of opposition to the country’s recent coup d’état. They’ve taken to the streets to protest against what they see as an attack on democracy.  So why are the protesters using the three-finger salute? Well it might look like a scout salute...

What is class-passing? Thanks for asking! Everybody loves a rags-to-riches story, but the reality is social mobility is far from easy. Class-passers are those who manage to successfully improve their status and navigate their new life as part of a higher socioeconomic group. To understand class-passing, let’s first discuss the idea of social classes. Within our societies, people are divided accord...

What is the Matilda Effect? Thanks for asking! Imagine humanity only using half the brains at its disposal to solve the many scientific challenges it faces in the present and future. While such an idea might seem crazy, it’s not so far from reality. In recognition of International Women’s Day, which took place on Monday, let’s discuss a form of bias known as the Matilda Effect. Over the years, ver...

What is cyclothymia? Thanks for asking! The term cyclothymia was coined in the late 19th century by German psychiatrist Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum. It describes a clinical situation which has many similarities with bipolar disorder, although its symptoms are less severe. It affects 6% of people but to get diagnosed takes 10-12 years on average and seeing several different doctors. We talk about somethin...

What is long COVID? Thanks for asking! Even months after infection, some Covid-19 patients have continued to suffer from symptoms such as extreme fatigue, lack of sleep or breathing problems. And these are mostly people who have long been discharged from hospital, or never even went there in the first place. This form of the virus is generally multi-symptomatic and protean. The term long Covid was...

What is Clubhouse? Thanks for asking! Clubhouse is a 100% audio social networking app. It’s suddenly everywhere, having accrued 2 million users despite being created less than a year ago in March 2020. Its current valuation is over $1bn. In the era of lockdowns, social distancing and an increased need to communicate with the outside world, you could say Clubhouse came along at just the right time....