Page 14 - The Malvernian - December 2023

THE MALVERNIAN
Wheeler-Bennett Society
On Tuesday 19 Sept we held the first meeting of the Wheeler- Bennett Society of the term. Two very engaging talks were given. Marietta Preissl’s talk on “Are Lifestyle Brands in Danger?” offered an informative and refreshing insight into the world of branding and how marketing subconsciously influences the choices we make every day. Packed with real-world examples that audience members could relate to, this talk offered a unique perspective into how world-renowned companies obtain their loyal customer bases as well as the controversy behind the use of lifestyle marketing.
The second set of talks this term included a well-written, witty and most definitely worth your time talk by Aarya Chiripal on the “Finance and Economics behind the Wolf of Wall Street” delved into the basic concepts presented in the famous DiCaprio movie and explains why it is still the most highly recommended film for young, aspiring economists. It was followed by Vincent Wang’s talk entitled “The Future Lasts Forever: A Psychoanalysis on a philosopher” was a well-researched and intriguing presentation. Unlike most other presentations, where the presenter just delivers the talk’s content, Vincent decided to actually play the role of a psychoanalyst, with Louis Althusser (a French Marxist philosopher) as his client. In his talk Vincent dived into the complexities of Althusser’s life and the theories of other philosophers such as Jacques Lacan, making his talk incredibly insightful for all those who are interested in philosophy and psychology.
James Gagen’s lecture on the intricacies of tax evasion and offshore accounts provided the audience with a comprehensive insight into the nature of tax evasion, its underlying principles, and the overarching issues associated with it. The presentation delved specifically into a prevalent method employed for tax evasion— namely, offshore accounts. James explained the mechanisms and motivations behind the utilization of offshore accounts for tax evasion, supplementing his talk with interesting real-world instances involving celebrities who faced legal consequences due to tax evasion charges.
Alexander Green’s talk ‘How Biden Won - An analysis of the 2020 US Presidential election’ gave a well informed and engaging summary of the events leading up to Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential race against Donald Trump. The talk discussed both the causes and the consequences of the outcome of this historical election, as well as an outlook on the next election cycle in 2024. Finding just the right balance between a broad overview and close detail, Alexander provided an entertaining and thought-provoking talk that concluded in an animated question round.
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THE MALVERNIAN