Spotlight - 13.2019

8 Spotlight 13/2019 IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Fotos: mgkaya/iStock.com; Pete Helme; Mattel

English philosopher and writer Roger Scruton has often made head-

lines with his conservative and controversial ideas. In April this

year, Scruton was in the headlines again after giving an inter-

view with George Eaton of the New Statesman magazine.

Eaton posted comments Scruton had made online that

sounded racist and anti-Semitic. Hours later, Scruton was

dismissed as a government adviser. In July, however, the

New Statesman admitted that the comments had been taken

out of context. It apologized to Scruton, who told The Times:

“If people apologize, either you accept or you don’t. I accept-

ed and you move on.”

Raised in Manchester, Scruton studied philosophy at Cam-

bridge before starting his academic career. He has taught at univer-

sities in France, England and the US, and written dozens of books on philosophy, art,

music, literature, politics, culture and religion, as well as two novels and two operas.

Regarding his controversial comments on topics such as homosexuality and the Ko-

ran, Scruton told The Times that he never wanted to offend anyone, but that a culture

in which people are afraid to speak openly is “very dangerous because there are things

we need to discuss”.

WHO EXACTLY IS

Roger Scruton?

EASY

Back in 1969, a boy wrote a letter, put it

in a bottle and dropped it into the Indi-

an Ocean. Fifty years later, another boy

found that letter and answered it. Paul

Gilmore, who wrote the original note, on

17 November 1969, was 13 years old at the

time and sailing with his family from the

UK to Melbourne, Australia. He told the

BBC that he wrote a number of letters on

the trip and “was always hoping that a let-

ter would come back... They were impor-

tant to me — part of the adventure to the

other side of the world.” Gilmore’s mes-

sage was found on Talia Beach, in South

Australia, this summer by nine -year- old

Jyah Elliott while fishing with his father.

Now, Gilmore and Jyah are planning to

write to each other.

doll [dQl]

, Puppe

oddity [(QdEti]

, Seltsamkeit,

Ku r i o s i t ä t

release [ri(li:s]

, veröffentlichen

AUSTRALIA

Message in a bottle

EASY

adviser [ədˈvaɪzə]

, Berater(in)

dismiss [(dɪsˈmɪs]

, entlassen

novel [(nQv&l]

, Roman

offend [E(fend]

, beleidigen, verletzen

BRITAIN

Space toy

EASY

The toy company Mattel is now

selling a Barbie doll dressed as sing-

er David Bowie’s alter ego: Ziggy

Stardust. Mattel said the doll, which

costs about $50, is to mark the 50th

anniversary of Bowie’s famous song

“Space Oddity”, o r i g i n a l l y released

in 1969. The song, which is about

the space travel of a fictional as-

tronaut called Major Tom, was re-

released after Bowie died in January

2016 at the age of 69.

Texts by Talitha Linehan and Claudine Weber-Hof