Absynthe September 2014

FREE

September 2014

Caitlin P. Jones

Bakhtawar Riaz

Emma Labelle

Treasurer TBA

Sobia Riaz

Candace Ellison Amanda Ferreira Zafer Izer Jack Smye

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TBA

TBA

4 Editor’s Letter 5 Our Mandate 6 The Good Stuff 8 Prologue: Pines in the Park 9 Horoscopes 10 Lemony Goodness 12 Am I Not Muslim Enough?

13 Submission Dates 14 This is a Message to Canada 16 Social Media’s Role in the Ferguson Protests 18 100 Things to do in First Year

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editor’s letter

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bsynthe Magazine was created in 1999 by a few Champlainers who wanted, like many other Trent students, to do things for themselves. There’s a tradition at Trent University of students creating/maintaining/governing the institutions that they are most passionate about; Absynthe Magazine is proud to have been created in that same tradition.

Here at Absynthe we are going through a transition year where we will be coming to the Trent student-body as a mainly web-based publication. Though we will be printing a small run of issues each month, we are trying to change as the needs of students change. Regardless of these changes, I hope that students will still use Absynthe as a place to submit their work.

Remember that we are what you make us, and Absynthe could not exist without the always -inspiring work created by students. We are always willing to accept artwork, poetry, nonfiction, fiction, photographs, etc.

Student groups receive free adverstising, so if we can promise that our issue will be out in time for your event, we’d love to advertise for it.

I hope that this year you find something in Absynthe magazine that suits your fancy.

Caitlin Jones Editor-in-Chief

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The mandate of Absynthe Magazine is to encourage constructive dialogue and critical thinking within the Trent community. As an on-campus publication, Absynthe shall strive to represent as many people of the community as possible by presenting varying views on all matters that are of importance to the community and especially the student body. In the spirit of free and independent press, Absynthe shall strive for the highest degree of journalistic integrity and excellence while providing a medium for creative and alternative expression. It will actively stimulate and encourage discussion through itself or any other means available to members of the Trent community.

Submission Guidlines: Absynthe is a submissions-based magazine. Any Trent student who wishes to be published can send their work to us at trentbasynthe@gmail.com. Submissions can be any length, and can be written in any style.

Submissions will be subject to editing for spelling and grammar as well as verified for appropriate content. Please include your name for publication, as well as a word count, and title.

Please submit filenames as LastName_MonthYear. Photos and images are encouraged, but are required to have a minimum resolution of 300dpi. Articles may be held for publication at a later date.

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This is a message to Canada. We are coming and we will destroy you.

young man to throw away his Canadian lifestyle and join ISIS in a fight that would ultimately result in his death?

Before we get to that, it needs to be noted that Canadian media, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, and CSIS (the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service) would have you believe that this is a significant problem in Canada. It's estimated

by CSIS that over 130 Canadians are currently fighting in the Middle East for Islamic extremist groups, with some agencies estimating that the number is closer to 500. Several others have died, including another Calgarian named Alman Ashrafi, who took his own life and the lives of 40 others in a suicide bombing. Although it seems to be hyperbolic to suggest that this is a serious problem for Canada, sometimes smoke means there is a fire.

The Canadian government seems to be Jack Smye looking at it this way, at least. The 2014 Public hese words came from the mouth of a Report on the Terrorist Threat to Canada directly young man who used to be Canadian. I addresses young people 'becoming radicalized' choose to define him as someone who and heading overseas to take part in jihadi movewas, rather than is, for two significant ments. The fear is that these individuals will come reasons. First off, he's dead. This young back to Canada and adhere to the training they man died about a month ago fighting for a militant received overseas. CSIS is currently aware of at and radicalized Muslim group in Syria. Second, least 80 Canadians who have taken part in exalthough he grew up as a Canadian, what he later tremism, only to return to Canada afterwards. The grew into holds no place in the loose definition of report goes on to say that young individuals who Canadian identity. have not yet crossed the threshold into violent ac Farah Mohamed Shirdon gained notoriety tivities will be paired up with community mentors about five months ago, when he participated in in an intervention-type scenario as an attempt to a propaganda video for the group ISIS. In this keep them from “radicalizing.” video, not only does Shirdon threaten to destroy However, this is not a strictly Canadian isCanada, but he also threatens America and states sue. The U.K. government has recently raised its that they are coming for terror alert to severe, “It was this call that motivated him to leave Barack Obama, much to and it is estimated the delight of his masked his post-secondary education in Calgary that more than 7000 brothers who are also in foreign militants are and travel to Syria.” the video. The young man fighting in Syria for then solidifies his commitment by ripping up and ISIS. burning his Canadian passport, cheering wildly as The threat of westerners joining the jihad the man he used to be turns into smoke and van- cause is apparently real, and this leaves very little ishes. The young Canadian is gone forever. doubt that ISIS is an effective propaganda ma We must remember, however, that this chine. You can find their videos all over the Internow-dead Canadian was once one of us. He went net and social media. The have an incredibly loud to the same schools we did and was raised in the voice and are calling all Muslims to join the cause. prominent Canadian city of Calgary. He heard It was this voice that convinced Farah Mothe national anthem every morning and knew all hamed Shirdon to leave his country behind and the words. What could possibly have caused this sacrifice his life. It was this call that motivated him

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to leave his post-secondary education in Calgary wondering why we are getting involved and why and travel to Syria. It was this voice that brain- they hate us. Thus, this reasonable image must washed him into absolute extremism, fighting to be covered. his last breath.

Unfortunately for Farah Mohamed Shirdon,

But how extreme he never had a chance was he really? Accord- “He seems rather ordinary, even quoting to realize that it is his ing to the video men- the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song in own rhetoric, whether tioned earlier, one would a tweet. He doesn't seem that extreme. He it was done simply for believe he's about as far ISIS propaganda or not, doesn't seem that radical.” as it goes. An interview that allows the Canadian he conducted with Motherboard, however, paints government to enter into Muslim countries. It is a different picture. (It must be said that although the propaganda that works for both sides. It is rehis identity was never independently confirmed, cruitment videos for ISIS that serve as recruitment all reasoning shows it to be him.) The interview videos for Canada to get involved, and it is Canshows this man as an intelligent, though clearly ada's involvement that gives ISIS ammunition for misguided, individual who can justify his position recruitment videos. It is a perfect and paradoxical and his reasoning for leaving a comfortable life in storm, where opposing sides feed off each other Canada taking up arms for ISIS. He's casual as to grow bigger, stronger, and deadlier. well as humorous, apparently using terms such as How deadly this storm will become is yet “homie” and “no problemo.” He's deliberate and to be seen, but as of last week, Canada has comconcise, and his logic, while flawed, isn't psycho- mitted to fighting ISIS. The propaganda seems to pathic. He seems rather ordinary, even quoting have worked. ■ the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song in a tweet.

He doesn't seem that extreme. He doesn't seem http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/farah-mohamedthat radical. shirdon-of-calgary-fighting-for-isis-dead-in-iraq It's unfortunate that people will no longer reports-say-1.2737749 --- Article on the death of be able to judge this for themselves. The video of Farah Mohamed Shirdon the interview has since been removed from You- http://globalnews.ca/news/1534004/calgary-brothTube and the account that uploaded it has been ers-join-canadians-fighting-for-isis-report/ --- Article deleted. I can only speculate as to why, but the on Canadians fighting for ISIS fact is that this video would paint this radical Mus- http://globalnews.ca/news/1534729/how-the-fedslim as not-so-extreme – but we're bordering on plan-to-stop-canadians-from-joining-extremistgroups/ --- Article on Canada's plan to stop Canaditinfoil hat territory now. ans from joining ISIS

This extremist and vicious image of Farah http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/ Mohamed Shirdon is a useful image. I'm in no way pblctns/2014-pblc-rpr-trrrst-thrt/index-eng. justifying what was said or what has been done, aspx#a04 --- Official Government of Canada docubut it does create an enemy and it does justify ac- ment on Terrorist activity in Canada tions against him. This is simple propaganda and http://globalnews.ca/news/1542146/canadians-miliit has been used many times before. There is a tants-reportedly-involved-in-capture-of-u-s-journalstatement made in the pacifistic interview, how- ists/ --- Article on Canadian's involvement with ISIS ever, that I believe deserves as much credit and http://motherboard.vice.com/en_ca/read/a-chatas much attention as the extremist statements. with-the-canadian-isis-member-who-burned-hisAlthough Shirdon once claimed he will destroy passport-on-youtube --- Interview with Farah MoCanada, in the second interview he illustrates that hamed Shirdon http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/isis-in-iraq-whathe does not hate Canada at all. “I have no anger canada-could-offer-if-west-decides-on-militaryagainst any Canadian. I have anger against the action-1.2753616 --- Article on Canada's decision to Canadian government entering Muslim countries enter Iraq on false pretences,” he insists. There is nothing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOGzeePQ4U8 useful in this statement, however, at least not for --- Video of Farah Mohamed Shirdon burning his the Canadian government. We can't have people passport. absynthe magazine

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Prologue:

Pines in the Park

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Zafer Izer

ugust 26, 4:00 AM. It’s been a pretty dicked up summer knowing I’ll get shipped off to Europe as soon as my four months living in a Whitby basement are up, and trying the whole time to commute daily between two jobs on scanty meals and a bicycle.

This is what I was thinking to myself as I wandered through West Lynde Park. Dark, clumped trees flanking either side of the path. As I approached, one of the greasy black tree-forms suddenly lumbered forward. Whatever it was he yelled at me didn’t register because I was in shock, or zoned out, or whatever, I don’t know.

I guess it had something to do with money because I instinctively felt for my wallet as I sprang back out of his grasp. A splash of moonlight was briefly visible.

“I said, gimme your money, asshole!”

The tree-form slashed his knife out again and I hopped back again. A lighter in one pocket, a phone in the other. My wallet was at home. Unable to sleep because of my imminent study term at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, during which I would spend two semesters away from everything I loved, I had popped out for a cigarette and a walk in the park.

“No worries, man.” I stretched out my palms in a vaguely defensive way. “I don’t have any cash.”

I knew then that I needed to somehow knock out his knife-arm before he could attempt a third slice. He was fumbling like a fool in the dark, just like I was, after all. When it came to the blade, he was almost certainly incompetent, if not

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completely inexperienced. I could make out the tree-form’s shape better already: his shoulders were round, semi-hunched in a distinctly suburban rage. He was pissed because he had nothing and had given himself nothing. To put it another way, he was pissed because he had no justifiable reason to be pissed.

Yes, he must have thought himself a complete card – probably patted himself on the back every night over a bottle of Patron in a backyard shed for having had the hilariously original idea to flip off his future and ditch the fatigued teacher’s cynical cloud of cigarette smoke. Now the illusion of a journey, of progress, is pissed away and the tree-form sees that all is cyclical, seasonal, deciduous, eternal. The suburbs are an endless, empty field with you standing in the middle. The suburbs are a cement cube around you at the bottom of the ocean. The suburbs are Death.

Come to think of it, this whole act of uprooting myself is really my own attempt to break the demonic cycle, to choose gut-wrenching fear over jaw-clenching boredom. Having seen his world for what it is, this unoriginal ass seeks relevance by dealing out petty Death in the park. Well, can he blame me for —

“OW, FUCK!”

The knife sliced through my outstretched palm. Lunging out with my left forearm, I knocked away his blade-arm, grabbing his shoulder with my good hand and delivering a knee to his gut. I saw him crumple to the ground. Then I split.

He would get up again, and fall again, then get up once more, and so on, like the passing of the seasons, just the way Nature demanded of him. I hope for a different fate. If this year abroad goes according to plan, I’ll keep growing. I’ll be evergreen, I’ll pine on. And while I’m in Lyon, I’ll pine for Peterborough. ■

Zafer Izer is currently participating in the Study Abroad Program. He will be writing about his time in France each month in absynthe.

Horoscopes There's a white girl out there who thinks that you're the pumpkin spice to her latte. So, make sure you're wearing your Sunday best every time you leave the house.

Virgo

(August 23-September 22)

Capricorn (December

of “you can't arrest me, my (July 23- August 22) You daddy's a lawyer” (ie. dockers, will sleep with three men who January 19) You are searching deck shoes, and polos/button share the same name this year. for true love this month. I can downs) and that hot girl's anaassure that does not come in conda WON'T. (September 23-October the form of your professor, so stop embarrassing yourself.

(April 20-May 20) 22) Watch out for falling textEarth is really prominent for books around the middle of the (January 20- Febyou this month. You're defi- month. Avoid the library for at nitely going to end up under- least three weeks, and maybe, ruary 18th) You're very conground. It's either in a coffin, just maybe, you’ll make it to cerned with aspects of your or in your parent's basement. October. health this season. But don't One of them has considerably be that person. It's the first more privacy.

(October 21-Nomonth of school, no one wants to hear about CrossFit and how vember 21) The road to success (May 21-June 20) you only drink vodka waters. is paved with regular attenThe stars are definitely not in dance. You should go to class.

(February 19-March your favour this month. Neither Now! Go! are the odds. You should in20) You've had a shitty attitude crease your web security. But (November recently, but a look into the don't stop taking those photos, recent past shows that some- girl, selfies for self-care!

22- December 21) In a world of thing you did six months ago is Iggy Azaleas, you're a Beyondefinitely affecting positive as(June 21- July 22) cé. Conduct yourself accordpects of your life.

You're not going to find the An- ingly this month, even if it's a gel Haze to your Ireland Bald- struggle.

(March 21st-April 19) My win by spending the school anaconda don't...my anaconda year in seedy clubs. Try Tindr/ don't—keep wearing the inter- Grindr/Brenda and you may nationally recognized uniform have better luck.

Leo

22-

Taurus

Libra

Aquarius

Scorpio

Gemini

Pisces

Sagittarius

Cancer

Aries

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Lemony Goodness

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Emma Labelle

wo myths: one, that introversion is synonymous with misanthropy, and two, that fanfiction is the hormone-fuelled scribblings of obsessive teenage girls. As an introverted and fanfiction-obsessed teenager who became an introverted and fanfiction-obsessed semi-adult, I flatter myself that I know something of the subjects. In my case, they were a match made in heaven.

Imagine for a moment a young girl who must spend time alone in order to regain energy after being with friends, and as a result reads a lot of books to keep her company. Suppose that the young girl then makes the extraordinary discovery that reading a book is almost like being with other people, but without the drain that comes from actual interaction. Do not suppose that interaction is hateful or torturous to her – simply that it is fatiguing and difficult to maintain for extended periods of time. It is logical to presume that the young girl would wish to remain with the world and the characters created by the books

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for longer than the length of the books would actually allow.

This is how I came to discover fanfiction.

I was thirteen years old when the final Harry Potter book came out. I devoured the novel in less than a day and experienced a minor crisis when

knowing at the time what it was called or that thousands of others were already doing it. It was just a story featuring my mostloved characters; I have only vague recollections of what it was about, but I do remember growing embarrassed of it later and throwing it out. The dam, however, had broken; I found fanfiction.net soon after. There began the most complicated love-hate relationship I had ever experienced in my barely-morethan-a-decade of life.

Fanfiction was everything I had dreamed of and more. After school I would go straight to the computer, exhausted after a day of constant company, and delve back into my favourite book series and its never-ending stream of new stories to read.

Not only that, but other authors

“Fanfiction was everything I had dreamed of and more. After school I would go straight to the computer, exhausted after a day of constant company, and delve back into my favourite book series and its never-ending stream of new stories to read.” the realisation hit that no more books would be forthcoming.

I drew some comfort from the knowledge that movies still remained to be filmed, but, like any snobby nerd, I professed the books to be superior in every way. And, just like millions of other corny fans, Harry Potter had reached me in a way no other book could. I refused to let it go.

Like any aspiring thirteen-year-old writer, I kept a poorly-maintained and badlywritten journal. It was here that I first scribbled my first piece of Harry Potter fanfiction, without

rewrote things I had disagreed with (AU, or alternate universe), explored relationships (“ships”) I wished had occurred, and shared details they had invented that had taken up permanent residence in their Harry Potter store of knowledge (“headcanons”). It didn’t take long before I was writing my own stories and publishing them online. I was bewitched.

Fanfiction also, I like to believe, improved my writing skills. With reviewers and beta-readers (basically editors), I had constant feedback on my grammar, plot construction,

and characterizations. Writing fanfiction is easier than writing original fiction, in my opinion: everything you need has already been created. There is no need to establish a character’s physical appearance, their personality, their friends, their setting, their life – simply borrow, play, and return. In this way, I could focus on other, more specific

ful secret I shared with no one.

Those jokes about boys having to clear their browsing history were ones I understood all too well. My friends in high school seemed far too “normal” to be able to understand the depth of my love for this strange world.

This only worsened when I discovered slash – fanfiction about two male characters in a rela-

“In the early days, young authors would post warnings about “lemons” in their stories, scenes containing any sexual content that I could skip if I felt uncomfortable (which admittedly I rarely did).” areas of my writing that needed improvement. Not only that, but those reviewers and betas provided the encouragement every insecure young girl needs.

Even looking back on my early fics now and knowing how simplistic and ridiculous they are, there were always readers who begged me to continue. Fanfiction was fun, helpful, and emotionally fulfilling: everything I needed to supplement my life.

At the same time, however, shame crept over me. I do not know whether the stigma I sensed was real or imaginary at the time – certainly today I feel

tionship, entirely regardless of their sexual orientation in the books (or movies, or TV shows, or any other medium I came to read fanfiction about). Not because slash itself was shameful – it was just another thing to add to the list of things my friends and family would not understand.

I do now believe that reading and writing slash was a way for me to explore and express my sexuality in a way and a place I felt safe, as I imagine it is for the countless of young girls (and occasionally boys) who do. With slash I could read

to women’s bodies. I learned about those things later, but as a sexual debut I could not have asked for a safer one. In the early days, young authors would post warnings about “lemons” in their stories, scenes containing any sexual content that I could skip if I felt uncomfortable (which admittedly I rarely did). The language has since changed, and I no longer need those warnings, but at the time they ensured that I never felt uneasy.

The first thing that helped me move away from the embarrassment I felt was the discovery that another friend loved fanfiction like I did; the second was coming to university and finding a whole group of people who embraced the culture and would never even think of shaming anyone for it. I am not embarrassed to admit that reading fanfiction is still one of my favourite things to do. There are other fandoms and other websites that I frequent now, but I hold Harry Potter and the hundreds of thousands of fics about it very dear, as the things that helped save my young, introverted self from six years of high school misery. ■

“The first thing that helped me move away from the embarrassment I felt was the discovery that another friend loved fanfiction like I did; the second was coming to university and finding a whole group of people who embraced the culture and would never even think of shaming anyone for it.” minimal embarrassment telling a friend about a fantastic fic I’ve just finished – but whatever the case, fanfiction became an embarrassing and deeply shame-

and write about two people falling in love or having sex or being together without experiencing the objectification of women or the violence of male entitlement absynthe magazine 11

t i s nts

n e a m r T mand

m o C

Don't jump the line, push through people, or engage in any other assholery. It can be scary when there's a lot of people, but busses are frequent. You will make it home. Try to do it without pissing everyone off.

Have your bus pass ready! Peterborough gets very cold in the winter, especially for weak people like myself. You know what makes things slightly less cold? Not having to wait for five minutes while you fumble around looking for your bus pass with your gloves still on. Thanks buddy!

Move to the back of the bus. I'm sure your friend sitting at the front has many, very interesting things to say to you about this weekend's latest conquest. However, it is rude of you to block the rest of us from reaching the back. In the past I've seen people stop and talk and just never move, while the rest of the passengers cram in behind them like some sick clown car, with some people not even making it on. You can talk to your friend later. The rest of us need to get home to beat the bar rush!

I hate that this even has to be said, but if last year is any indication of the year to come it really, really, does. DON'T CUT YOUR TOE NAILS ON THE BUS! DON'T CUT YOUR FINGER NAILS ON THE BUS! Are you some kind of sick fuck?! Honestly. It's not okay. It's gross when I can see your stank-ass nails flying all over the place. Frankly, it makes me want to vomit. Please just be courteous. This is a bus, not your bathroom. If you wouldn't brush your teeth on the bus (at least I hope you wouldn't) then it absolutely is not okay to engage in any other activity that spreads parts of your body to places where other people have to sit.

Take your backpack off! I repeat; take your backpack off! Only someone who has been hit in the face many times by backpacks really appreciates the need for this item. It hurts. A lot. And it makes it hard cram people on the bus like sardines in a damn can.

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Don't throw up on the bus. It depresses me that this even needs to be said. We've all felt sick on the pub bus, but keep the vomit to yourself. Wait until you get off the bus, or at least wait until you can throw up out the door. Also, if your friend is throwing up on the bus, be considerate and help them out

SHUT UP. This is an important rule, which is why it's capitalized. No one cares about how drunk you got this weekend. At all. So, you had sex? Good for you! I don't want to hear about it in the least. Unless your story somehow involves honey, an orgy, and a horde of angry wasps, no one is interested. I don't ask that everyone on the bus sits in silence, just that you keep your boring and pretentious conversations to a low volume.

Don't take up more seats than you need to. Oh? Are your feet tired?

Here, let me stand while you put them up on the seat. How inconsiderate I was about to be. Also, if you are at the back and a seat empties between two unattractive people take the seat anyway.You sitting down equals more room for the rest of us.

Don't be a lazy fuck. Sometimes you don't need a seat at all. Like you people who live at University Heights. Just stand! Those of us who live downtown would get a lot more use out of these seats than you will. Sometimes it's better for all of us if people don't even take the bus. This goes double at the beginning of the semester when lazy people take the bus to Blackburn or the AC. Come on. If you can't even walk from the library to the gym why are you even working out?! (This rule does not apply to anyone with mobility issues.)

Be polite to your bus driver. This one should explain itself. There are few people at Trent who put up with more bullshit than the bus drivers (with maybe the exception of cleaning staff) and you being surly and loud certainly doesn't make their job any better.

Say “Thanks!� when you get off the bus. Manners go a long way. absynthe magazine 13

THE GOOD STUFF

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Amanda Ferreira

ll types of art come in two kinds: the proverbial ‘good stuff’ and the universally acknowledged ‘bad stuff.’ While some people can recognize that these categories are incredibly subjective, there nevertheless remains this sense that, yes, there is just some art out there that has been ‘officially recognized’ as being ‘the best.’

Whether or not you understand the technical details of the Mona Lisa, you can still intuitively understand that Leonardo Da Vinci is a prime example of ‘good art’; whether or not you love Harry Potter, you can readily acknowledge that J. K. Rowling introduced an entire generation of children to the magic of reading. In the same breath, however, ‘bad art’ makes a similar claim: you can like Twilight, but ‘everyone knows they’re terrible books’; you can like C-list actors, but ‘everyone knows they’re not very good’; and you can like pop music, but ‘everyone knows the lyrics are shit.’

Maybe that’s oversimplifying things, but in essence, that’s roughly the truth. There has always been ‘better’ art, art that makes a person smart, or educated, or worldly; in turn, there is ‘art that is hardly art at

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all,’ art that identifies a person’s taste as being of poor quality.

For literature, this is the difference between liking The Colour Purple and Harlequins; in movies, it’s between Twelve Years a Slave and Grown Ups; in music, it’s the difference between The Beatles and One Direction.

Personally, I don’t think such a distinction is fair – to hell with it, I don’t think such a distinction is even credible. Take One Direction, for example: the stigma that comes liking them and not being a fifteen year old teenage girl is downright humiliating. Yes, I’ll admit, it’s true that they sing of nothing but pretty girls and kissing and romantic dates and love, but I must know: why does that make my taste ‘bad’ and their music ‘worthless?’

The answer should be that it doesn’t, but if you’re a music enthusiast, or you know a music enthusiast, you’ll be aware that there is a reason why, even if no one can explicitly say what that reason might be.

The real answer, I think, is that it’s not about the music—it’s about the artists. One Direction isn’t shunned by music ‘connoisseurs’ because singing about love is stupid (every genre sings about love,

after all), they’re shunned because teenage girls like them, because teenage girls faint at the sight of them, make signs that proclaim undying love, buy their garbage for thousands of dollars, and scream themselves hoarse while chasing their cars down the street. The same can be said of any pop artist: Taylor Swift is mocked for ‘dating lots of famous guys only to break up with them and write songs about them,’ Miley Cyrus is despised for ‘being a slut’ (slut shaming is a whole other can of worms I can’t get into here), Nicki Minaj is criticized for being ‘too sexual,’ and Justin Bieber is hated because ‘his fans are insane’ and ‘he’s a douchebag.’ It doesn’t matter that Nicki Minaj sings about empowering women, it doesn’t matter that you can sing along to all the words of ‘Wrecking Ball,’ what matters is that these artists have received negative labels by pop culture, and now, by admitting you like them, you reveal to the world that you have a ‘poor taste’ in music.

The disregard of pop music as ‘not real music’ is hardly new. Top 40 charts are shot down by music purists everywhere, and it’s well recognized that ‘selling out’ basically means releasing hit singles (oftentimes ‘pop-y’ in nature) on the radio.

Those who oppose mainstream music argue that it has terrible lyrics about liking big butts and wiggling, and that being able to gyrate and grind to the rhythm of a song does not make it worth anything more in the eyes of society. What this implies is that ‘good music’ only has lyrics about things that matter, and

also, apparently, that ‘good music’ is hard to dance to; I can’t vouch for the latter statement, but the former is completely bogus.

Don’t misunderstand; yes, Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ is about lynching, but does that really make it more important than Five Seconds of Summer’s ‘Heartbreak Girl?’ Like all things, it’s a matter of perspective.

If you know anything about the history of lynching, you’ll recognize the importance of a song like ‘Strange Fruit’; in the same breath, if you know anything about the negative implications of the friendzone, you’ll understand why ‘Heartbreak Girl’ would make a feminist shake their fist. Whether or not one of these two things is worth more than the other, I can’t say—what I’m trying to argue is that both songs can trigger an emotional response in people who connect to it, that both songs have lyrics that mean something to people who

‘understand.’

I could argue this kind of point all day. Is classical music worth more than screamo? It is if you like classical music. But what if you like screamo? You would defend the difficulty of the genre, the depth of the emotions behind the lyrics, the intensity of the sound; I mean, come on, classical music doesn’t even have words in it. But what about the masterpieces of Bach, or Mozart? They’re meaningless, if listening to a flute does nothing for you.

The difference between classical and screamo is not the actual music (assuming, of course, that most people can accept everyone’s differing tastes, even if they don’t agree)—the difference is that Mozart was a prodigy of a young man with frilly sleeves who played piano in rich people’s houses, while screamo, at worst, brings to mind a disturbed young man in skintight leather pants and black eye make-up on a dark stage in a warehouse singing about Satan.

Hello, It’s you we’re looking for.

Someone, somewhere, decided that the piano meant class, that Mozart meant talent, so classical music became indicative of ‘good taste’; screamo, as the average person will tell you, is ‘nothing but screaming,’ and thus has no value except to its dedicated fans that no one can understand.

This can be a hard thing to wrap your head around, if you’ve never looked at music this way, but the bottom line is, you don’t have to. It’s okay to regard classical music as good music, it’s okay to not appreciate screamo—I’m not trying to say that anyone is a bad person for not believing that all kinds of music is ‘good music.’ All I want to try and explain is how there can be value in every kind of music, and although everyone is entitled to their own tastes and their own opinions, neither is enough to justify labelling someone else’s taste as inferior. Simply put: there is no such thing as ‘the good stuff’—there is only ‘the stuff that someone loves.’ ■

We are always looking for student submissions. absynthe magazine 15

Hands Up Dont Shoot I The Role of Social Media in the Ferguson Protests

Caitlin P. Jones

n the age of the #icebucketchallenge, shar- dom. Although the facts of this case are still coming on Facebook, and the online petition, we ing to light as more and more witnesses come as a generation are quick to dismiss any sort forward, we do know that Mike Brown was just of web-based political action as irrelevant. a kid walking down the street with his friend, that Though I will admit to getting annoyed when he was bound for college this fall, that his murder “friends” on Facebook – when I had it about took less than three minutes to complete from the two years ago – shared countless online articles initial interaction, and that he was shot at least six about meat being murder and how dairy was akin times while he had his hands up. Mike Brown's to rape (a viewpoint that, despite being a vegetar- last words were, “I don't have a gun, stop shootian since childhood, I absolutely cannot believe ing!” exists), I have recently begun to sing a new tune.

Mike Brown wasn't the first victim of poBetween lynching and police brutality, random lice brutality in the United States this summer. acts of violence on black Mike Brown wasn't even men and women are, “...Black Twitter is responsible for the the last victim of police sadly, not out of the or- hashtags #DontShoot, #IfTheyGunned- brutality in Ferguson this dinary. These acts of vi- MeDown, #PaulasBestDishes, #Black- summer. These two facts olence often go unpunshould say more than Buzzfeed, #JusticeforTrayvon, and ished, but thanks to the enough about the state #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen...” recent developments of of policing and racial poltechnology, documentitics in America, but there ing these instances and sharing them with people is still a common assumption that we are living in who may never have known about them other- a post-racial world. wise has become incredibly easy.

In activist communities, specifically the

Black people are being gunned down like black community, platforms like Twitter and Tumit's 1949 – the only difference is that this time, we blr have become significant. Black Twitter and have smartphones.

Black Tumblr have become so well known that

On August 9th, 2014, 18 year old Michael media outlets and scholars alike have begun to Brown was murdered by Officer Darren Wilson in discuss the ways in which black users interact Ferguson, Missouri. In the hours, days, and weeks with social media. In a Salon article entitled “Is after his murder, the Ferguson Police Department Twitter the Underground Railroad of Activism?” performed a large-scale cover-up, one that is still Feminista Jones defined Black Twitter as "a colbeing exposed. As a result of this cover-up, Dar- lective of active, primarily African-American Twitren Wilson kept (and so far, is keeping) his free- ter users who have created a virtual community

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... [and are] proving adept at bringing about a conversation and just happened to record the wide range of sociopolitical changes. For exam- shots in the background. This audioclip was aired ple, Black Twitter is responsible for the hashtags for the first time on CNN, in which you can hear #DontShoot, #IfTheyGunnedMeDown, #Paulas- six shots, a pause, and then four more shots. In BestDishes, #BlackBuzzfeed, #JusticeforTray- an interview with CNN the man's lawyer, Lopa von, and #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen, to name a Blumenthal, told Don Lemon that "[he] was very few. These two thriving online communities have concerned about that pause ... because it's not made people re-examine their understanding of just the number of gunshots, it's how they're fired. online activism – which has been, for obvious rea- And that has a huge relevance on how this case sons, a crucial factor in the Ferguson case. might finally end up.” These two instances were

Throughout the initial stages of the investi- pivotal in creating a timeline of the event, despite gation, the Ferguson Police Department left Mike coming weeks apart: one in real time and the othBrown's body on the street for four hours. They ini- er released weeks after the shooting. By the time tially released a video to “prove” that Mike Brown the audioclip was released, Ferguson had already stole from a convenience store and was a suspect imploded. when he was shot – as if stealing from a conve- In between the release of these two piecnience store means he deserved to die. These es of evidence, Ferguson had already become claims were later refuted by the store owners. In international news. Protestors in Ferguson who addition, a video was were being shot at by Ferlater released that “More importantly, the real time cover- guson PD, and then St. showed Brown pay- age by citizens and journalists on the Louis County PD, were reing for his items. The ground prevented the media from vil- ceiving support and advice Ferguson PD tried to from citizens of Gaza, who lainizing Mike Brown in the way that falsify timelines and tweeted how to handle bewithheld Darren Wil- many other unarmed black men and ing tear-gassed, how to women have been.” son's name so he avoid the police using tear could shut down all of gas at all, and simply their his social media and skip town. It was the Internet support. Twitter user @gazawia tweeted, “Where that allowed people to debunk various rumours, I come from, what some call "rioting" we call an including a widely-circulated photo that was of an uprising #Ferguson #Gaza #Palestine #intifada,” injury Darren Wilson had apparently suffered. which seemed to be one of the most powerful.

It was through Twitter that individuals were Social media has been undeniably instruable to begin creating their own timeline of events. mental in organizing Ferguson from the ground. In

A young man with the Twitter handle @ the early days of the Ferguson protests the police TheePharoah live-tweeted Mike Brown's mur- mandated a no-fly zone, and were not allowing der. His first tweet of the event was “I JUST SAW anyone in or out of the city. Without the activists on SOMEONE DIE OMFG” at 1:03pm. Within ten the ground using Vine, Twitter, Instagram, Snapminutes his Twitter followers began to question chat, and (to a lesser degree) Facebook, it would him about what happened, and he responded have been possible for the authorities in Ferguson that “dude was running and the cops just shot. to use force to silence the protestors. Within the him. [sic] I saw him die bruh.” Using his tweets, first five days there were 6 million tweets about media outlets were able to determine that Brown Ferguson, Missouri. In the last 30 days #Ferguson had been shot at least seven times, and that the has been used 2.7 million times, according to figfirst two shots were fired while he had his back to ures found on Topsy.com. More importantly, the Darren Wilson. This was all while the Ferguson PD real time coverage by citizens and journalists on were denying almost every single fact of the case, the ground prevented the media from villainizing and hiding the identity of the shooter.

Mike Brown in the way that many other unarmed

In a similar situation, a resident who had black men and women have been. Just like Traybeen recording a video chat caught a 12 second von Martin in 2012... clip of the shooting. He was having an unrelated (continued on pg. 22) absynthe magazine 17

0 0 1

o D o t s Thing

t s r i F r in You

r a e Y ) t (or Las

@ 1. Leave your door open if you live in residence (of course, only when you are there).

2. Eat at every cafeteria – including the delightful Seasoned Spoon.

3. Join something! A group, a team, a Frisbee circle.

4. Participate in College events.

5. Go downtown.

6. Meet your professors.

7. Go to class (from time to time at least).

8. Check out every residence.

9. Don’t be a residence snob. There are hotties in EVERY residence.

10. Learn to play poker.

11. Learn how to take multiple choice tests.

12. Keep fruit stocked in your mini fridge.

13. Go dancing, and by “dancing” I mean drinking…if you are of age, of course.

14. Go hiking on the drumlin behind LEC. 15. Find out what LEC stands for.

16. Go to the basement of Bata.

17. Dip your feet into the Otonabee River.

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18. Wander through the DNA building.

19. Participate in a study.

20. Check out the tipi behind Gzowski.

21. Find out who Peter Gzowski was.

22. Figure out how to pronounce Gzowski .

23. Talk to strangers.

24. Don’t go home every single weekend.

25. Sit beside someone new every lecture.

26. Check out the local eateries.

27. Check out the local museums.

28. Ride a bus other than the Trent Express.

29. Go to HOTT .

30. Find out what HOTT stands for.

31. Go to a Ceilie night.

32. Rock a toga.

33. Have a snowball fight.

34. Party with your Don. 35. Party without your Don knowing.

36. Get caught partying by your Don. 37. Change your sheets weekly…okay, at least monthly…seriously…that’s sick!

38. Clean your toilet too!

39. Call your mom…she misses you.

40. Get familiar with the freshman 15.

41. Then get familiar with the AC. 42. Make a budget.

43. Enjoy splurging.

44. Be nice to the food service staff.

45. Grow your hair.

46. Shave your head.

47. Submit an article to Absynthe.

48. Stand up for yourself.

49. Speak at your seminar.

50. Share your books and movies.

51. Make a list to keep track of who has your books and movies.

52. Fall in love.

53. Fall in lust.

54. Meet your Best Man/Maid of Honour.

55. Don’t forget about your friends back home.

56. Pull an all-nighter.

57. Get an essay in early.

58. I would throw something funny in about the bookstore, but the truth is, there’s nothing funny about it…you’ll see what I mean.

59. Drop a class.

60. Take a class JUST because you are interested in it.

61. Change your mind, often…you are allowed to!

62. Try not to stress too much; we’ve all made it past 1st year, and you will too!

63. Take pictures…lots of them…you will cherish these memories forever.

64. Try to spend less than an hour on Facebook a day…good luck!

65. Toboggan/Snowboard down Armour Hill.

66. Go to a kegger off campus.

67. Go to a kegger on campus…and if you find one, let me know, ‘cause that’s crazy.

68. Open your mind to new ideas and experiences.

69. Um, I think this number is cool on its own for suggestions.

70. Find out what makes you laugh.

71. Discover what makes you cry.

72. Read a book that is not assigned to you.

73. Check out the intramural program…it’s pretty rad.

74. Blur the lines between Arts and Science.

75. Wait in line at the library for a computer… to check your Facebook.

76. Try not to lose your ID card in a drunken rampage downtown.

77. If you are on OSAP, research it meticulously; they are tricky!

78. VOTE when the TCSA offers it…believe me, it’s in your best interest.

79. Keep a spare roll of change on hand for laundry and you’ll get popular quick!

80. Walk across the bridge in mid-winter and try not to shiver.

81. Walk across the bridge in mid-winter and try not to fall.

82. Walk anywhere on campus in mid-winter and try not to fall.

83. Forget all the high school drama…University isn’t like that.

84. Go on a lift-lock tour.

85. Check out the parks around the city.

86. Learn how to play Frisbee golf.

87. Feed the ducks in the river.

88. Try to figure out what that white foamy stuff in the river is.

89. Get lost in your thoughts staring at the river from the library window when you should be studying.

90. Take your iPod off from time to time.

91. Talk to people waiting for the bus.

92. Check out some live bands.

93. Go to Pingo at least once a month.

94. Find out what Pingo is.

95. Support our teams, come out and watch them kick ass.

96. Check out Sadleir House and Trent Radio.

97. Find out how to use Blackboard. Quickly.

98. Write a PSYCH 101 exam in under 20 minutes, and score at least an 85%.

99. Make out with someone in Wenjack Theatre during a huge 300+ person lecture.

100. Remember you only get one shot at first year - make it rock! absynthe magazine 19

Transported to Another World

Transported to Another World Cultural Exchange in the Ecuadorian Amazon Community of Santo Domingo, Archidona, Napo, Ecuador

T

Candace Ellison

hey say that you can learn something new from everyone you meet. So why not from an 8-year-old boy from a rural community in the Ecuadorian Amazon? During the 2013-2014 academic year, I had the privilege of completing my third year of university in Ecuador through the Trentin-Ecuador (TiE) program. Since my first year at Trent I had been dreaming of cultural exchange in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and so I decided to spend the second semester placement compo-

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nent of the program living with an Indigenous family from the community of Santo Domingo in the Amazonian province of Napo. The experience was so enriching; I must have learned two new things every day, and a big part of the reason is the vast number of unique teachers I had. One such unique teacher, and certainly the most unexpected, was my 8-year-old host-brother, Quindy (pronounced keen-dee).

The afternoon I settled into his family’s indoor-outdoor home and finca (the Spanish term for a rural agricultural plot of land), I remember struggling to appear comfortable and approachable despite my nerves and concerns about finding a niche in the new, predominately male Indigenous household.

Before I could get too anxious, however, Quindy sat down across from me at the kitchen table and began telling me about the natural teas he had learned to brew with the numerous aromatic leaves growing on trees and plants in the finca. Now, I can’t speak for everyone, but I can assure that at eight years old I did not have a working botanical knowledge of aromatic plants and did not appreciate the taste of tea, let alone have permission to boil water on the stove. Need-

less to say, I was both impressed and intrigued.

My curiosity and his eagerness to teach me a skill informed by the Indigenous Knowledge (IK) passed down to him by his parents led us on a walk through the finca to collect the necessary ingredients for his favourite tea. He climbed high heights (without fear I might add) to pick cinnamon leaves from the tall tree in front of the house, and later showed me the way to a cluster of pimiento dulce plants (a Spanish term that directly translates to “sweet pepper”) out back, from which we also harvested. When we returned to the house, pot of aromatic leaves in hand, he instructed me to wash them in the rainwater collected outside, while he began boiling the water.

Little did I know he had to climb onto the counter to reach the stovetop. About halfway through the brewing process the air in and around the kitchen began to smell deliciously spicy, and when it was time to taste the tea, I was amazed at the result.

The best part was that the whole leaves could stand to be boiled twice, which yielded twice the amount of homemade cinnamon tea – yum!

From then on, it didn’t take long to realize Quindy’s passion for nature and his botanical knowledge. In addition to teaching me the ins and outs of brewing natural tea, he also shared with me the locations of all of his favourite fruit trees in the finca, taught me which plants and insects to avoid due to their dangerous properties, and even helped his older brother Jimmi show me how to tie-dye fabric with natural pigments extracted from seeds and fruits. A second curiosity and passion Quindy had that I didn’t anticipate, however, was fostered by the constant presence of my digital camera, capturing the memories we were making during each and every one of these and many other unique experiences I had during placement.

It began with an interest in how the camera worked, as he had only ever seen his father operate a digital camera a few times. He wanted to know how the camera took the photos and then how photos in the memory of the camera became the tangible, glossy photos I had brought from Canada of my friends and family. Once he understood how the device worked, there wasn’t an inch of the house that wasn't captured and stored in my camera. His interest in photography didn't wane throughout my semester’s stay, but

once he discovered me listening to music on my iPod Shuffle and shared my earbuds, his attention became divided between the two devices. The genres of music stored on my iPod at the time included everything from classical to electronic music, none of which were the types of music he had ever been exposed to. A fond memory of the first time he experienced the music was when he turned to me, absorbed in the melody of something slow and relaxing, and said that listening to that song was like being transported to another world.

That was the beauty of Quindy, and, in my opinion, the most significant difference between his Ecuadorian Kichwa culture and my own: he always appreciated the little things. He took the time to come to know the flora surrounding him and appreciated the aesthetics and uses of innumerable plant species. He appreciated my camera for the process of capturing moments and seeing them transformed to a printed memory, and heard music and allowed it to take him away rather than distract him. As far as I understood, the purpose of cultural exchange is predominately to learn. That being said, the most important thing I got out of my exchange in the Ecuadorian Amazon was more than a learning experience, but also a change of perspective, and all because 8-year-old Quindy had the drive and patience to share his knowledge with a 21-year-old foreigner.

The moral of this story is that knowledge knows no single definition, no age limits, no geographical boundaries, and no medium. Knowledge takes on many forms and deserves appreciation. ■ absynthe magazine 21

(continued from pg.17) ...Renisha McBride in 2013, Oscar Grant in 2009, and even Emmett Till in 1955, there was a risk that, instead of investigating what gives white people the idea that they are the only humans who are actually human, Mike Brown (as well as other murdered men and women) would instead be criticized in the media. In the New York Times retrospective about Michael Brown, they chose to describe Brown as “no angel,” while the piece on Darren Wilson talked about what an upstanding citizen he was. (You know, even though he shot an unarmed kid for no reason.) Once again, Twitter played a role in exposing this incredibly tasteless article by creating the hashtag #NoAngel, where people wrote things they had done as teenagers and questioned whether that meant that they too should be shot.

Arguably, these protests would have made

October Issue (Horror Themed) September 24th November Issue (Short Story Contest) October 17th December Issue November 21st

the news eventually. However, it was due to the fast-paced nature of social media that citizens in Ferguson have been able to expose the militarization of local PDs, that we are able to see the corruption of authorities, structuralized violence, and the blatant disregard for black life. If any social media has ever served a purpose greater than creeping childhood friends, Black Twitter may have figured it out. ■ New facts in this case are being released daily.

To stay up-to-date via Twitter: @ShaunKing, @ AntonioFrench, @MariaChappelleNadal, @Awkward_Duck, @WesleyLowery, @DreamDefenders, @Nettaaaaaaaa, @deray, as well as celebrities @ JesseWilliams, @TracieThoms, and @TalibKweli.

On Tumblr: justice4mikebrown is incredibly comprehensive.

January Issue (Photography Contest) January 5th February Issue (Love and Sex) January 16th March Issue March 1st April Issue (Absynthe Awards) March 20th

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Am I not Muslim enough for you?

enough? Are my black abaya and hijab not oppressive enough? Does it not look like I may be hiding something under that thing on my head?

Do I not look hot enough this summer in this outfit for you to leave a comment? What can I do to really get under your skin? Clearly, my choice of clothing is not doing enough. I’m sorry, PeterborBahktawar Riaz ough society, I will try harder not to assimilate and to look more like a target for you to hurl your s a visible religious minority in Peter- abuse at me. I’ll do my part and you do your part, borough, I often get asked a myriad and we’ll both be happy. Deal? of questions. Of course, I don’t mind But on a less satirical note (and YES, this is answering them, strange though they satire), Peterborough is not so bad. Personally, I may be. But on more than one occa- think I have received more positivity than negativsion, I have been asked this golden question: “So, ity. However, I try my best to avoid areas where have you experienced any sort of racism living in racism may be more prevalent. This includes limPeterborough?” iting my trips to downtown Peterborough, not

Have I, a young Muslim woman who wears making eye contact with groups of youth, trying hijab, ever experienced racism whilst living in Pe- to look as non-threatening as possible by smiling, terborough? Of course not! And let me be the first and always mumbling/reciting prayers of protecto say that it kind of sucks. A huge thank you to tion. Blame the rise of Islamophobia, blame the the super polite, accepting Peterborough soci- crazy extremist Muslims who put us on the radar ety that has made conversations with my fellow in the first place, blame the government, or the minority friends a huge bore. I meet people from media - the sad truth is that racism exists. The “multicultural” Toronto who suffer more racism sadder part is that some of us allow it to interfere than I do! How embarrassing is it to stand by the with our daily lives. Personally, I can testify that I water cooler at my mosque and not have a sto- tend to stereotype a group of young Caucasian ry about personal racism to share? While others males walking my way, automatically assuming are having a laugh at the ignorance of racists and they harbour some prejudice against me and will sympathizing with each send a negative comother, I stand there racking “Is it me? Am I not dressed mozlamic ment in my direction. my brain trying to think of enough? Are my black abaya and hijab So I walk briskly past the slightest racist remark not oppressive enough? Does it not them, making sure to I may have received. But avoid eye contact. That look like I may be hiding something unno! All I have are plenty leaves the question der that thing on my head?” of strangers smiling at me then, what is the differand yelling “you’re beautience between me and ful!” at me across the street. As if I didn’t know prejudiced Joe over there? There is no difference; that. What am I supposed to do with that? Twist we are both stereotyping and assuming the worst it into a story where said commenter could not about each other. bear my oppression and absolutely had to make Sadly, some of us live in fear of those who a positive comment about my hijab, thus making may abuse us, and during this protect-thyselfhim/her a racist? That’s quite a stretch, and, to from-harm venture, we may become the perpebe honest, it does not have the “SAY WALLAHI- trators ourselves by allowing this cycle of prejuOH-NO-THEY-DIDN’T” factor. Compared to my dice to continue. So when does this cycle end? I friends who have received comments such as have no idea. So let’s just agree to end it, both you “terrorist,” “Osama,” “Paki,” “go back to where and I. ■ you came from,” and the ever-so-clever, “towelhead,” I live in utopia. How sad.

Is it me? Am I not dressed mozlamic

A

absynthe magazine 23

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