The Bull & Bear | Fall 2018 - Don’t Burst My Bubble by The Bull & Bear

INTRODUCTION

Photo (previous page): Trevor Cross

(don’t)

urst my

The Bull & Bear Fall 2018

ubble

Additional Table of Contents: CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S NOTE

Featuring: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE BUBBLY by Sarah Farb & Zach Lanys SAYING YES, WITHOUT THE STRESS by Morgan Davis & Adil Mosthamed

7 PRACTICE SAFE SCROLLING by Sam Shepherd

LIFE LESSONS FROM UP THE HILL by Ella Corkum

BREAK ME INTO THIS BUBBLE by Liane Faingold

UNPACKING JOE BEEF by Evelyne Eng

CLEARING A SPACE FOR CALDER by Celia Farrow

88RISING: A SONIC MOSAIC by Jacob Klemmer

SAY LA VIE by Maya Abramson

THE LEGACY OF RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS by Madison Brek

McLEGALIZATION by Gilli Cohen

“OK GOOGLE, WHAT IS PRIVACY?” by Sean McNally

DEBACLE IN THE DESERT by Moses Milchberg

FREEMIUM FRENZY by Yong Yoo

17s

DON’T SUGARCOAT IT by Ryan London & Patricia Sibal

TICK TOCK: THE DEATH OF THE STOCK by Leo Gelfand & Guy Miller

Opinion Editors Zachary Lanys Sarah Farb Executive Editor Dan Schechner Managing Editor (Editorial) Quinn Halman Managing Editor (Operations) Ali Schwenk Business Manager William Horwitz Creative Director Patrick Timmer Web Editor Archit Gupta

Arts & Culture Editors Adil Dostmohamed Morgan Davis News Editors Ryan London Patricia Sibal Business & Tech Editors Leo Gelfand Guy Miller

Graphic Designers Melle Dumas Beichen Li Emmy Wang

Copy Editors Nora Duffy Sophie Booth Clariza-Isabel Castro Sruthi Sudhir Evan Luxenbourg Writers Sergio Rodriguez Tereza Michalkova Hilly Katz Danielle Nisker Hannah Mirsky Sam Shepherd Liane Faingold Teddy Neuman Ella Corkum Aryan Gupta Linnea Vidger Maya Abramson Erica Sheffres Madison Brek Mackenna Woodward-Crackower Gilli Cohen Andie Habert Rose Bostwick Jacob Creskoff Andrew Yang Jenna Benchetrit Evelyne Eng Noah Ciubotaru Jacob Klemmer Minh Berger Celia Farrow Sophia Quinn Anna Buskowicz Zoe Peterson Cheyenne Cranston Moses Milchberg Sean McNally Emma Slack-Jørgensen Rohan Roychoudhury Yong Yoo Jesse Wu

Illustrators Julia Enright Audrey Normand Senior Photographer Zeyna Benbrahim Marketing Officers Demi Assimacopoulos Gabrielle Martz Syd Palter Vanessa Wong Ee Shan Sales Managers Ksenia Shulyarenko Sabrina Barkhouse Ben Spilg Sales Coordinator Hana Gill Finance Officer Abigail Mackenzie-Armes

Photographers Trevor Cross Sascha Fawaz Frédéric Lam Cherlyne Mok Ruby Mouhanna Derah Onuorah Marie Picard May Sarfati Trevor Pan Videographer Venus Vafa

Dear Reader,

Photo: Trevor Cross

When Joan Didion wrote her infamous opener for The White Album, I wonder if she had any inclination about how relevant and impactful her words would be decades later. The quote, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” is one I often remind myself of in class, speaking with friends, or sitting around the table at an editorial board meeting. What her words mean to me is that we understand and rationalize our world by convincing ourselves of meanings and truths through anecdotes, imaginary or true. Equal parts delusional and necessary, this explanation method, if you will, helps us recognize what is familiar to us in those who are different from us. But Joan and I will tell you, imposing a narrative on life is detrimental and, quite simply, not how it works. Life often gets in our way; taking a different turn on the path one maps out for their existence is unfamiliar and unplanned. I came to McGill thinking I’d be boasting about my international development degree in my law school applications by now; a failed econ course in the first semester of first year turned that plan on its head. Luckily, I got lost in the right direction. Eventually, our narratives fall apart. They stop holding up over time, and with that walls come down. This notion played a big part of choosing the theme of this print issue: Bubbles. We’ve all heard of the McGill bubble –the one that reduces Montreal to the area between Peel to Parc– and within that exist so many more. Our (Don’t) Burst my Bubble issue seeks to explore both the good and the bad that comes with the concept of bubbles. These little enclaves can give us a feeling of safety and belonging, but they can leave us completely blinded to, well, everything else. Guided by the alliteration of isolate, integrate, and investigate, our editors and writers have unpacked the nuances of our world divided into bubbles. We hope you’ll enjoy it.

Yours, Quinn Halman

OPINION

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Imagine yourself cloistered in a

25-person classroom in the Educa-

tion Building on a rainy Monday morn-

ing. The Teaching Assistant, in a valiant but

fledgling effort to stimulate a modicum of con-

versation, encourages those in the class to share their

politically charged views. As is typical, the most vocal

individuals in the class launch into a battle of non-sequiturs;

oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rant about the shortcomings of communism spills over into

anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about the ongoing nature of colonialism. In hopes of pre-

venting the classroom from getting any stuffier, most of your peers take the

path of least resistance, opting to serve as spectators (and online shoppers) instead. With your attention still fixed on the few debaters, you wonder whether they have ever 8

OPINION spoken to one another before; if they could ever navigate through

tury Russian literature as much as you do. Whomever they are,

er they could ever forsake the sass and ad hominem attacks in fa-

new friends over those chaotic first weeks and months of school-

the non-sequiturs and identify points of agreement; and wheth-

vour of productive debate. You look to your neighbours as well and note their unique combinations of laptop stickers and knapsack buttons, trying to identify the faces of those whom you’ve

seen on campus before. Just as the TA articulates an, “alright, al-

and for whatever reasons you connect, you grow close with those -if not for the remainder of your time at McGill. They become your people, and from the bubble they create comes a much-need-

ed feeling of comfort and support at a time of great change.

right...that’s enough,” you arrive at an unmistakable and ambig-

As that very first McGill September drags on, it is suddenly SSMU

with, what we study, and what we believe. For better or worse, the

na fide crew, you stare into the sea of clubs, looking for extracurric-

uous conclusion: we have all built walls around who we associate

resulting bubbles come to dominate our university experiences. Though this conclusion is striking, it is in no way fresh. Indeed, seasoned columnists have lamented the presence of bub-

bles on campuses before, raging that they are impediments to

the free exchange of ideas that the University is supposed to

activities night. Swaggering into the Fieldhouse with your now-bo-

ulars in which to plant yourself for the coming semesters. Keeping a not-so-subtle eye on the resume-building that will pay dividends two summers down the road, maybe you even set your sights on

an executive position. The important thing, your older friends keep

reminding you, is to pick one or two activities and run with them.

foster. Other academics and students have regularly retaliat-

In the Fieldhouse, just as in the dorm room, we benefit from

es are necessities, conducive to healthy learning environments.

ly materializes around us as a series of overlapping organiza-

ed, however, with arguments that institutions such as safe spac-

But, the ways in which we isolate ourselves at school go far beyond the political culture wars depicted in the news. They extend to our social relationships, extracurricular interests, and academic courses too. Sus-

pending for a moment the viewpoints of vocal writers, what can we as

McGill’s student population say about the circles in which we immerse ourselves over our four years here? Should we embrace our existence

within different bubbles of campus life, or reject and disparage them? The oft-overlooked reality is that neither extreme is healthy, either

for our schools or ourselves. Special communities of people are important; finding “your people” is a famous and crucial feature of the university experience. However, so is engaging with those views that

are opposed to one’s own. The challenge for students today is not to cultivate more bubbles, nor burst them all; it is to create a semiperme-

able membrane through which new ideas can pass and be considered, but within which we still feel like ourselves. One in which our own

identities and preferences are represented and allowed to flourish. You enter McGill as a wide-eyed first year. Your parents wish

you well, and before you know it, it’s just you and your McCon-

nell-provided mini fridge humming together. What’s your first

instinct? In Rez, it is immediately to gravitate towards something,

this pigeonholing of ourselves. Student life at university quick-

tions, and embedding oneself in a couple often proves to be the

source of friendship, experiences, and perspectives on university affairs that will shape the person you are during the time spent

there. In this sense, we gain by inserting ourselves into particu-

lar spheres of school and existing--even growing--within them. First year finally ends, which means it’s time to select a major. This

decision blows yet another bubble into one’s McGill life, acting as

a funnel into a more specialized education and perhaps, an eventual career. For the person who knew they wanted to be a doctor

at the age of eight, perhaps the chance to finally become an anat-

omy major was simply a natural step toward achieving a life goal. For many of us lacking such a clear end, however, this process

may not be as seamless. Declaring a major requires you to sequester yourself among a particular group of students and faculty, no

longer permitted by the parameters of your course load to take the broadest array of classes. In this context, the elective courses that

one manages to squeeze into one’s schedule are crucial, puncturing

the barrier of a particular diploma and allowing one to engage, even just briefly, with different forms of work and thought. Perhaps all Physics majors (who might be able to study literal bubbles for years

on end) should break one by taking a Shakespeare course or two.

someone, anyone you’re familiar with. Perhaps that means track-

Were all these bubbles detrimental? Of course not. The first days

grouping up, or finding that one other dude who likes 19th Cen-

a central part of university -- it was precisely what you longed for

ing down the people from your hometown or home country and

of Rez gave you a firm social foundation. Finding your people is

OPINION

STRIVE STRIVE TO TO FIND FIND THE THE BALANCE BALANCE in high school, when no one understood you and your teen angst!

pressed on account of their potential to trigger some attendees often

experiences and amazing friends (one Opinion editor even got to

correct, liberal “snowflakes” too delicate to confront the opposition.

Those clubs you stuck with during first year gave you unforgettable

meet the Prime Minister for free). Those executive positions that

feeds into a scrutiny of university students as obsessively politically

you so hopefully staked out gave you tactical training, improved

Safe spaces serve a valuable function, though. They offer neces-

communication skills, all while providing a service to the broader

ising them that the things that remind them of their past ex-

your organization and time management, and helped boost your McGill community. Your major concentration gave you intensive knowledge in one area of study in which you had interest, and be-

yond that, taught you exactly what hard work feels and looks like. Let’s digress from discussion of these more institutional bub-

bles for a moment, since they’re not the ones that seem to provoke all the contentious commentary from outside the Roddick Gates. Instead, scrutiny of university campus culture focuses on

sary support to individuals who have experienced trauma, prom-

periences will not surface and aggravate. They provide a refuge

for those individuals who feel marginalized, and can introduce

students encountering similar challenges to each other, fostering mutual support. Safe spaces are good, with the caveat that they are meant to energize and strengthen all people on campus

to share opposing ideas respectfully and civilly with one anoth-

er--not shield them from hearing those perspectives altogether.

those intra-student political realms that clash in your 25-person

The key to bubbles, therefore, is balance. You should keep your first-

dent opinion. What often begins as a series of shared ideas be-

pursue your interests through clubs and activities, while also preserv-

conferences and prevent dialogue between different poles of stu-

tween you and your circle of friends, the people in your program, or amongst those you follow on social media, quickly becomes a self-reinforcing echo-chamber. It seems both natural and commonplace on campus today to limit our interactions to those who

can preach our opinions back to us, be they further left or right.

year crew close, without being afraid to make new friends. You should ing the free time necessary to discover other passions. Balance means

majoring in something you love, while taking electives that expand

your intellectual breadth. It means joining groups and spaces that

reflect your identity, while also challenging yourself to internalize

new ideas and new norms, and to confront debate with enthusiasm.

The visibility of these ideological bubbles makes them easy targets

Bubbles can shape who you are, but they can inhibit you as well.

ment of “Safe Spaces” for those with particular social sensitivities.

broaden your McGill experience. Oh, and stop shopping in class!

for vitriol. Much has been written, for instance, about the developDeveloping an environment in which certain opinions cannot be ex-

Strive to find the balance between this dichotomy and use it to

PRACTICE SAFE SCROLLING

friends who scroll together stay together <3

Photo and Text: Sam Shepherd

OPINION It’s the first thing you reach for

adolescent girls. The supermodels

resilience, their relationships with

ster, despite the foreboding tone

when you wake up in the morning.

we idolize are no longer Hollywood

friends and family—anything but

teachers used when discussing

It’s the reflexive urge you get when-

celebrities in some glossy grocery

the number on the scale. Similar

it in class. It can connect us with

ever you have a pocket of free time.

store magazine, but now just reg-

accounts like @bodypositiveme-

friends from across the world, and

It’s the instinct so deeply drilled

ular folks who took thirty shots in

mes deconstruct popular notions

it can keep us up-to-date on the

into your subconscious that you

portrait mode and shared the best

surrounding beauty standards,

lives of people we care about. It can

have to put your phone on airplane

one. The impossible standard of a

parodying memes that promote

be a tool for activism, for celebra-

mode just to finish a reading. It’s...

picture-perfect life is perpetuated

self-loathing or shame. Of course,

tion, and for self-expression. To

The Scroll.

by friends—people you know—who inspirational quotes and photos of

paint social media platforms as

rake in hundreds of digital ‘likes’

smiling plus-size models are not

inherently dangerous is to ignore

We all know that feeling of being

on every post. But If Instagram is

going to erase body image issues

their nuance and more positive

tethered to social media, so at-

purely detrimental, why don’t we all

from social media. Still, it can be

effects. What is dangerous is using

tuned to the rhythm of scroll tap-

just delete this app for good?

sobering to interrupt your regularly

social media without any con-

tap that it becomes muscle memo-

scheduled programming of hamster sciousness or control, sharing the

ry. We are university students, after

Well, it’s because Instagram is not

videos and trendy ice cream treats

highlights of our own lives without

all. We all want to be in the know,

the problem. The problem is the

with a dose of positive thinking.

being aware that everyone else is

aware of how one friend spent their

mindlessness of The Scroll. Today,

weekend clubbing, the other at an

our education on how to consume

More important than who you add

indie concert...and is that a picture

social media in a way conducive to

to your feed, however, is who you

When we consume news, we also

of Kyle in Old Port? Good for him for

our own well-being is rudimentary

drop. Recently, I have been talking

learn tools to recognize bias. When

venturing outside the McGill bubble at best. Instead of preaching how

to friends about tailoring our

we watch television, we teach

during midterm season. Instagram

Instagram is the end of civiliza-

social media accounts to better

children not to accept everything

seems tailor-made for our com-

tion—a tactic most young people

reflect the type of content we want

they see as fact. Where are the

petitive, always-on-the-go campus

find didactic and will simply filter

to see. These conversations led

public service announcements for

atmosphere.

out—adults and educators should

into thorough Follower-cleanses.

social media literacy? The ones

doing the same thing.

instead advocate for a higher sense Walking through our Follower lists

that promote self-acceptance and

And while these apps offer us

of social media literacy. We should

on Instagram, we ask ourselves,

exhort teenagers to unsubscribe

constant social stimulation, they

scroll actively, not passively, and

if each person’s posts ever made

from accounts that corrode their

also seem to exacerbate our

we should do so with a constant

me feel bad about the way I look,

confidence?

school’s problems concerning

awareness of the calculations and

or about any other aspects of my

mental health and well-being. Just

artifice that goes into forming our

lifestyle? Is this feeling of inad-

No such campaigns exist, but I

as McGill students destructively

feeds.

equacy something that occurs

think we can lead one through our

chronically or just occasionally?

own actions. Many of us at McGill—

compare themselves to those at the upper end of the bell curve, social

The rise of social media influencers

Tapping the ‘unfollow’ button on

whether as camp counsellors or

media too can cause some serious

who emphasize self-acceptance

an account that makes you feel

older siblings—are role-models to

feelings of inadequacy. Much has

reflects the beginnings of this

unworthy can be liberating, and it is young people in some way. By prac-

been said about the correlation

change of awareness. Accounts

a great reminder that we can assert ticing safe scrolling and asserting

between social media use and the

like @iweigh challenge women

control over what appears on our

control over the type of content we

meteoric rise of anxiety disorders

(and men!) to share photos of

news-feeds.

consume, we can set a precedent

amongst teenagers. Similar com-

themselves annotated with the

for future generations. This will

mentary has been made about body

intangible traits that compose their Besides, social media isn’t some

help us all see the hollowness of

image issues, especially among

“weight”: their experiences, their

portrait-mode perfection. #nofilter.

one-dimensional, B-movie mon-

Text: Ella Corkum Photo: Maya Abramson

Life Lessons from Up the Hill

OPINION To the average McGill student, Upper Rez is the stuff of legend.

There are also times when you have to embrace your inner

Though some may occasionally glance upon Mount Royal and pon-

grumpy old lady and tell the people singing in the washroom at 3am

the hill, the walk is too treacherous and the destination too under-

certainly toughened me up, lessened my doormat-ish tendencies,

der the existence of the almost 1000 students secluded at the top of whelming to justify hiking up to witness this mysterious community first hand. However, to those of us who were assigned to McCo-

nnell, Molson, or Gardner Hall (sorry Douglas, you don’t count),

to be quiet if you want a modicum of sleep that night. Upper Rez and prepared me for some long, repetitive conversations with my landlord in the hopes of finally getting my toilet fixed.

Upper Rez is all too real.

BEING SOCIAL EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO BE

healthy distance from the library, or wake up in tears at the thought

before class, trudge to campus half asleep, pretend to take notes in

tell you that Upper Rez is more than a collection of carbon-copy

yourself to a single human interaction. However, the McConnell

Whether you enjoy the normalcy of weekday clubbing and the

of once again tumbling down the hill to your 8:30 class, I’m here to dormitories. It is a goldmine of valuable life lessons. As a McConnell Hall alumnus now living in the McGill Ghetto, I am happy to

Without a roommate, it would be easy to wake up 10 minutes

the back row, and return to your soft, warm bed without subjecting porter, Mike, never let me succumb to those anti-social urges.

No matter the darkness of the bags under my eyes or the loud-

say that my year of geographical isolation in a soulless dorm room

ness of the music pumping through my headphones, Mike’s usual

the real world. My time in Upper Rez taught me how to survive my

of the day. I learned how to pull myself out of my morning funk in

prepared me well for what awaits us all at the bottom of the hill — impending adulthood.

EMBRACING A LITTLE CRAZY Despite what the ridiculously high rent may imply, Upper

Rez is in no way prime real estate. Last year, some of my friends

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” was almost always my first interaction

preparation for our chats in the foyer. Now that I’ve improved my irritability in the morning, I’m a far more pleasant roommate than I

would have been had Mike not conditioned me to both expect and welcome early morning conversations.

were enjoying flat land and flat screens in LaCite or pretending they

DON’T BE SNOBBY

inhabiting the perpetually beer-scented and vomit-stained halls of

quickly learn that there’s no point in snobbishness when you regu-

our messy first year experience. Cramped pre-drinks in tiny dorm

to fixate on the little unpleasantries of rez life is important practice

were at Hogwarts in Douglas. Meanwhile, I and many others were Upper Rez - a beige, overly-carpeted canvas upon which we painted rooms that lasted the whole night because it wasn’t worth the effort of sliding down the hill to actually go to a club could have never

Upper Rez isn’t upper crust, and it doesn’t pretend to be. You

larly see yesterday’s hot meal in the salad bar at BMH. Learning not for surviving the many undesirable aspects of adult life.

I am no longer squeamish about public washrooms, because

happened in the same way anywhere else. Upper Rez tacitly em-

for eight months I shared toilet stalls with my 18 floormates and

assuming we are above that lifestyle, because Upper Rez is as much

apartment is a luxury suite where the stove top actually turns on ev-

braces its reputation of trashiness, and discourages its residents from of a mess as we are.

STANDING UP FOR YOURSELF In some ways, Upper Rez is a big, happy family, bonded for

life by the shared experience of BMH shawarma, dysfunctional pool

showered in flip flops. Now, to my jaded eyes, my run-down Ghetto ery time and I am always the only person within a one meter radius taking a shower.

SOME CLOSING THOUGHTS To those of you currently residing in Upper Rez: stay strong.

tables, and being woken at 6am by yells from the lacrosse team on

Though there may be days when you long for the artsy Solin lifestyle

community of students can create a vicious environment, where only

you face in Upper Rez set you up for success in the adulthood loom-

Forbes Field. However, despite all that pulled us together, a secluded

the ruthless survive. When there are only four sets of washers and dryers (at least one of which is broken at any given time) to serve the clothes-washing needs of 250 people, taking other people’s clothes out and dumping them on top of the machine is a necessary evil.

or the convenience of RVC, remember that the unique experiences

ing ahead of you. And even if none of these lessons rub off on you like they did for me, I can at the very least guarantee that after eight months of climbing up and down the hill, you are totally going to leave Upper Rez with calves of steel!

O T N I E M K A BRE E L B B U B S I TH

ge: Creative Commons Text: Liane Faingold Ima

OPINION I remember the moment I got accepted to McGill Universi-

eyes at the beauty--or the frustration--of this city.

ty, how I anxiously logged onto Minerva for the thirtieth time that week and called my mom right when I received

Having McGill in my backyard but not having access to this

the news. What remains most vivid are the feelings of joy

particular facet of student life creates a strange dichot-

and relief that rushed upon me; the joy because of the

omy. It is bizarre to feel as though I am on the outside

school’s prestigious reputation, and the relief because

looking in, as if the very thing that made McGill so familiar

I had practically grown up on McGill’s campus, right

to me is also what prevents me from fully participating.

beside the Mclntyre Medical Building. Going to McGill was, without a doubt, the easiest decision I have ever

For ﬁrst-year students, living in rez seems like a rite

had to make. It just felt right to attend the universi-

of passage. I cannot help but feel jealous when I hear

ty that my parents graduated from and that I had won-

my friends talk about their dorm experiences. For one

drously watched from a distance for so long.

thing, my friends from Montreal and I don’t get their rez jokes simply due to the fact that it is not our re-

extremely

ality. Just as they isolate themselves in Upper Rez,

hopeful, waiting for that big change – the

Solin, or Doug, Montrealer-McGillians also live in an

“real

every-

insular world of sorts, revealing that there is much more

one kept talking about. However, I quickly

to the university experience than ﬁrst meets the eye.

entered

ﬁrst-year

university

feeling

experience”

that

realized that it was never going to come. McGill University feels like home, literally, and I must Quebec students enter the Cégep system for a

admit that my life has remained pretty similar to be-

minimum of two years before applying to uni-

fore. There are certainly some perks to being a Mon-

versity. We graduate high school in grade 11

trealer: most of my best friends go to McGill, and the

and then enter, where we are granted freedom

ones who don’t are always up for an easy study date in

and independence for the ﬁrst time. Similar

McLennan. But since I have kept the friends that I made

to university, at Cégep one applies to their

during high school and Cégep, I don’t feel the need to

program of choice and makes a schedule based

put myself out there as much. I have yet to ﬁnd a bal-

on the core classes and electives that one

ance between these two parts of my life; I’m learning

ﬁnds interesting. Although I am grateful for

how to push my own limits and make new friends while

having gone through the Cégep system, as it

also staying true to my Montreal roots and comforts.

suﬃciently prepared me for McGill, I admit that it took away from the novelty of uni-

So there is a challenge before us locals: we need to work

versity. My life has not changed dramatical-

a little harder to enter the McGill bubble, and to some-

ly; perhaps the only thing that has really

how ﬁnd a way to merge it with our own. Unlike everyone

changed is the number of readings I have

who newly arrives to the city and is faced with abrupt

to do. One of my friends said it best when

change, Montrealers need to ﬁnd novelty in the less ob-

he remarked, “McGill is like Cegep 2.0.”

vious and immediate elements of university. Attending faculty parties, joining diﬀerent clubs and even partic-

out-of-prov-

ipating in the intramural sports program are small but

ince students get the excitement of dis-

impactful ways to feel like part of the school’s student

covering a new city, hearing French in cafés for

life. McGill’s vast internship and exchange programs are

the ﬁrst time, and walking the streets of the Plateau,

also great opportunities for Montrealers who truly want

Montrealers are already used to all that. We already

to get out of their comfort zones. I, for one, chose

know about the terrible winters, the construction that

to move out with my friends in the Plateau in order to

plagues the streets, and the excitement that comes with

challenge myself and to gain a sense of independence.

the summer months. Montrealers cannot join with new stu-

Montrealers, jaded as we are, should also be able to

dents and tourists because we cannot marvel with fresh

recreate any entrance into something exciting and new.

While

international

and

Saying Oui Yes Without The Stresse Stress TexT: Morgan Davis anD aDil DosTMohaMeD graphic: Beichen li & FréDéric laM

ARTS & CULTURE

larm goes off at 8:00 AM - you check your phone and respond to texts. You get out of bed, and get ready for the

day. You eat your regular breakfast and head off to class. You get home from class, you cook dinner. You study, and

if you’re lucky, you watch some Netflix before heading to bed. This is your routine, and it’s quite comfortable.

It’s all too easy to fall into the cycle of a university student. While I’m not suggesting anyone waves away their academic responsibilities, are these the kind of days you’ll remember years from now? Aren’t these supposed to be the days we’re

going to fondly remember when we’ve settled into careers and families, and everything else as the times when we had no real responsibilities?

While discomfort is generally perceived to be negative, there’s a lot to be gained from it. The aforementioned routines

keep our lives in a loop, where we do the same things with the same people, and reinforce the same knowledge we had

before. This loop is like a comfort zone - we’re comfortable within our routines. We like spending that two hour gap be-

tween classes at McLennan, so why go anywhere else? We like getting our coffee from Tim Horton’s, so why try another coffee shop? As we repeat these routines, we become increasingly comfortable with them, and simultaneously less likely

to break free of them. The problem is that there is so much going on beyond our routines, and our commitment to stay-

ing comfortable causes tunnel vision. We become numb and oblivious to everything beyond our routines, and as a result, we remain stagnant.

This doesn’t have to be the case. Instead of settling for a static lifestyle, we can look to break free from these loops - at

least for a moment. By disrupting this cycle, we can emerge from our comfort zones, enjoying new experiences, potentially with new people, where we can learn new things.

Seeking discomfort is the motto for Yes Theory, a group of four former McGill students who have embraced an adventurous lifestyle. Ammar, Thomas, Matt, and Derin met in Montreal and bonded over the common understanding that life is best lived outside of their respective comfort zones. With only $500 between the four of them, they moved into a one bedroom apartment and started tackling their greatest fears. They sought experiences which would make them

uncomfortable, and filmed them to inspire others to do the same. For Yes Theory, life can be as fulfilling and authentic as you wish, so long as you’re willing to seek discomfort.

The first time we ever saw a video by Yes Theory, was during an Organizational Behaviour lecture, as our professor

explained that she’s still in contact with the four former McGill students. They held up a sign that changed my outlook: “Are you living a life you’d relive?” Seven words arranged into a simple sentence, and yet it struck us. Next thing we

knew, we were calling Matt Dojer on a Wednesday afternoon to discuss how ‘seeking discomfort’ has truly altered his life.

Initially, Matt remembers having an enormous amount of doubt. Not about seeking discomfort and the adventures it would bring, but the thoughts of his friends and family that would watch: “A huge part of the discomfort was putting the product out there.” It all started in the summer of 2015: a bootcamp in discomfort. The premise was to “live an

entire life in 30 days.” They all saw first-hand how it would have an impact in their lives, allowing them to fast-forward

ARTS & CULTURE

through life rather than coasting day-to-day. Like any big project, it took time and a tremendous amount of content before Yes Theory began to truly gain traction. No one had really noticed the first twenty videos.

You may be sitting there asking yourself, “How can someone embrace the Yes Theory without sacrificing their long-

term goals? How can someone embrace the Yes Theory with limited time and/or money?” Matt provided many examples and suggestions for how a college student can embrace Yes Theory. The thing about Yes Theory is about making a

habit of seeing the fear and then adapting. To continuously explore into new experiences, your brain actually increases

its synapses and connections . This can be accomplished by something as simple as watching a Korean movie, you need to constantly look for new things and new experiences and “do it for the sake of doing it. Don’t wait.”

A surprise that Matt didn’t expect to realize from Yes Theory was that “the smaller things are more meaningful.” Dis-

comforts such as walking to a stranger and introducing yourself or handing out flowers or other simple things that aren’t a daily occurence can completely alter someone’s day.

When asked how Yes Theory has left an impact on his life, Matt describes himself as more open. He explained that

before Yes Theory, he was a plan-oriented person, scheduled, and against any disruption from his life plan. But after

discovering the joy of discomfort and taking that ‘leap’ towards his fears, he claims that he’s a much nicer person to be

around. Now, three-years since those four boys in Montreal decided to change their lives into something unprecedented

from their life plan, I asked Matt how they still find themselves in places of discomfort and excitement. You’d think that going skydiving over the Grand Canyon with Will Smith would make the rest of your days pale in comparison, but

Matt explains that “you never really get over it. We still get really nervous, fear never really goes away, you just learn to deal with it.”

Among the many takeaways from our interview with Matt, we understood that this is the time of our lives where it

matters most to seek discomfort. If we won’t do it now, then when? With that being said, we challenged ourselves to buy in to the Yes Theory motto, and seek discomfort. There were no conditions beyond that - we didn’t have skydiving, we simply needed to embrace a new experience which was uncomfortable to us, and that experience was karaoke.

Les Trois Minots is in a non-assuming building on St. Laurent Boulevard, and has a cult-following of karaoke-fanatics. Let me tell you, this isn’t one of those pretty spots with private

rooms - the kind of place where you would go for a friend’s birthday. Rather, this is karaoke

in its most raw form - a crammed bar with a nerve wracking stage in its centre, and an audience

which surrounds the performer. Neither of us can sing (sing well, at least), so we thought that hav-

ing a crowd stare at us while we tried to remember the verses in Bennie and The Jets, would be perfect for our cha llenge. If attempting to sing Someone Like You in front of a bunch of strangers isn’t uncomfortable, I don’t know what is. Our experience was exhilarating, and it took less than 15 minutes.

If all goes as (un)planned, we should be confident in responding to the question on

the sign - yes, my life is one I would relive.

Thomas Brag, one of the founding members of Yes Theory.

to go

UNPACKING By: Evelyne Eng

JOE BEEF.

At one point, Mathias was asked to take a week off because he

come to globally define Montreal quite like the bite-sized, dimly

debunked any conception of “a nasty den of snakes where people

It is a hook in and of itself.

Nothing – not McGill Uni-

versity, nor Mount Royal, nor even the Montreal Canadiens – has lit restaurant in Little Burgundy. Joe Beef is a thousand things to the world: the epicenter of the epicurious, the paradigm of the

seemed “slow.” By ‘World’s Top 50 Restaurants’ standards, this must mean blurred-motion-quick. While it’s a tipping industry, Mathias are sniping and undercutting each other.”

shape-shifting chalkboard menu, the obnoxiously small toque hat on owner David McMillan’s head. To university students, it may

be a superb way to gobble up and crap out $50, not that you’d get a table until next term anyways. It’s a waxing and squirming and glutinous, somewhat unsolvable riddle.

Tony Mathias1 is a current McGill student and former Joe Beef

busser. He tends “to be particularly afraid of fucking stuff up.” So

"IT HAS YET TO RECEIVE A NEGATIVE REVIEW BY ANY INFLUENTIAL FOOD CRITIC. AND ANTHONY BOURDAIN, THE DEFINITION OF COOL, FOUND THE JOE BEEF MASTERMINDS COOLER⚜"

his job, which entailed knowing who needs the spoon and lobster

Yet an entire night sky, replete with star sightings, foggy mornings,

when to clear the setting for the next course, and everything in ev-

negative review by any influential food critic. And Anthony Bour-

fork for the lobster spaghetti versus who needs the steak knife,

ery dish in case the waiter needs a set of extra hands, was difficult. Still following?

“The whole time I worked there, I never really felt like I was on top of everything,” Mathias said. “The whole day before a shift, I was sort of like, ‘Oh God, what am I gonna fuck up tonight?’” 1

Name has been changed for anonymity

and undiscovered galaxies, shrouds Joe Beef. It has yet to receive a

dain, the definition of “cool,” found the Joe Beef masterminds even cooler, each “a strange and wonderful kind of mutant” whom you

discuss Montreal strip clubs with over endless foie gras and shaved truffles that are eaten off vintage cutlery in the middle of a snowscape while ice fishing.

But so what? Really. You can fulfill your foie gras fantasies at Au

ARTS & CULTURE Pied de Cochon, drink yourself silly at Le Vin Papillon ( Joe Beef ’s

blowout of tips that are literally called pour boire, and you go across

oysters at Le Bremner. Montreal is bubbling over with seductive

high life.”

sister wine bar), or get slapped by a dildo while slurping down

joints, and they’re not all just checks off a Plateau renter’s bucket

the street and dish it out, calming down and living this kind of

list. Chuck Hughes, Danny Smiles, Martin Picard… they’re not

Mathias hasn’t quite come down, although he now works at a much

Cunningham. They are all winners in Canada’s fine dining arena,

absorbed at Joe Beef often leaves him disenchanted by his new

so different from David McMillan, Frédéric Morin, and Allison

and bottomless grand openings of promising restaurant buffets feed Montreal. Chef-entrepreneurs are the architects of their restau-

rants, of course, but fame often weakens their status as the wizard behind the curtain.

On working with Joe Beef ’s owners, Mathias was adamant: “Around. Not with.”

Joe Beef is in a Restaurant Hall of Fame of its own construction, shooting out successful sibling restaurants like plates of duck

terrine. These restos are generating tremendous applause from din-

quieter food establishment. The adrenaline-fueled work ethic he coworkers’ half-hearted habits. Joe Beef employees are recherché,

more so than the food they author and the aura they shroud their workplace in.

"JOE BEEF IS IN A RESTAURANT HALL OF FAME OF ITS OWN CONSTRUCTION, SHOOTING OUT SUCCESSFUL SIBLING RESTAURANTS LIKE PLATES OF DUCK TERRINE⚜"

ers and critics, but Joe Beef ’s spotlight seems singularly bestowed

“It is a place full of Type As, but not at all to the extent that they

Le Vin Papillon for a bit, a period he described as “chill,” reported

ent kind of Type A, perhaps a more ‘European’ one, who recognizes

upon it by the angels of fatty meats. Mathias actually bussed at

like a remark on the weather – notable, but distracting from the headliner.

A-listers are frequent clients. While no one wants to bring Aziz

Ansari South Lake oysters when he ordered the ones from Sawmill

lack real humanity and groundedness,” Mathias said. “It is a differthe indispensability of deep connections. I resist how much I'm

speaking of ‘types’ though, since the restaurant is far from typical… Maybe something about Montreal, as opposed to more ‘American places’.”

Bay, the staff is largely undazzled by stars. For many, the job is their

Maybe something about Montreal…

salt next to personal admonishment. Despite its renown, Joe Beef

What about Montreal? Mathias fluently listed off the ingredients

Mathias said, come for the food, not any sort of scene. If diners do

food, the customers, the owners, the close quarters. But if all those

all-consuming life endeavour; a celebrity’s criticism is a flake of sea is part of the restaurant industry, not showbiz. Most customers,

expect a performance, they usually come to realize that it is of the participatory variety .

“You’re there until like three in the morning: the customers are

dancing on the table and ordering shots for the whole staff, and

necessary for Joe Beef ’s growth into an empire: the colleagues, the elements could be plopped into a colossal pastry bag and exquisitely piped onto any other city, what would be the result? Only

a Montreal resident could know that there is no point to such an experiment.

that’s just another Friday,” Mathias said.

Joe Beef could not have been born in any place but Montreal, and

To work in such an exhilarating, overbearing environment full-time

cozy city of 1.7 million anglophones, francophones, and allophones.

is a real roughhouse of a lifestyle. Working in that environment, as

a McGill student who has yet to hit his 20s, is inconceivable. In the deviantly stimulated world of haute restaurants, there is no end to

the evening, regardless of how fueled it was by customer-sponsored

drinks. McMillan himself reported in June that he had been dry for just five months.

“It’s kind of a vacuum of alcoholism,” Mathias said. “You have this

Joe Beef has come to embody everything that Montreal is. We are a We are exclusive in our inclusivity. We are awake at the periwinkle hour. We are unobservant of that hour’s end and the next’s beginning. We are tireless workers for the sake of self-pleasure to share with others. We are not fully definable, however. We do not want to be.

At one point, Mathias called Joe Beef a “microcosm.” He did not specify what of. I believe he meant of Montreal.

ARTS & CULTURE

Clearing A Space For Calder By Celia Farrow

I'm not a fan of early 20th-century avant-garde art. Blasphemy, I know.

The exhibit celebrates Calder’s ability to fuse art and life, and

through this fusion, to break down artistic hierarchies. Trained as

an engineer, he used everyday materials – sheet metal, wire, glass, cloth, string, paint – to create his unconventional sculptures. In

1931, Marcel Duchamp christened Calder’s moving sculpture the

“mobile,” though Duchamp was by no means the first of the French avant-garde to recognize Calder’s work: Fernand Léger, Jean Coc-

I’m not saying I see no value in it – simply that I’d rather look at a Doré than a Duchamp. If I’ve betrayed my lack of sophistication and aesthetic sense, it’s only to give new meaning to my takeaway from the “Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor” exhibit: Calder’s work is brilliant. This is no big revelation. Most people familiar with his art, including philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, have said the same. Still, given my

artistic proclivities, I was not expecting to enjoy the Montreal Mu-

seum of Fine Arts’ retrospective on the American artist. But I did – immensely. So, for what it’s worth, I’d like to share my thoughts. 23

teau, and Piet Mondrian had been interested in his work for some time.

Calder first drew the general public’s fancy with his mini-circus, the “Cirque Calder,” which he began to perform in the late 1920s. It was

a production small enough to fit in a suitcase, and involved circus performers made of wood and metal who performed with the help of wire mechanisms. To watch a video of Calder performing his cir-

cus is to witness the pleasure it brought him, and it’s clear that the

audience shares this pleasure. The whimsy of the circus, for Calder,

lies in its endless possibilities for movement within time and space. His desire to capture these possibilities by creating art that meets

motion – that meets life – seems to inform all his work, be it his

ARTS & CULTURE

the exhibit felt like walking through a toy shop – a storybook emporium owned by the ageless gentleman with wispy hair, filled to the

brim with marvelous trinkets. Calder achieves this same magic with his clean lines and simple movements.

So, why is this appealing, and what makes his art as radical now as

it was then? Perhaps it’s as simple as this: the “transparent, objective, exact” nature of his art, as Léger puts it, breathes fresh air onto our

cluttered, confusing, over-stimulated lives. It certainly felt like the most wonderful kind of indulgence to stand before his mobile “Red

Disc and Gong” waiting for that inevitable – yet still surprising – moment when the baton was to hit the gong as each part moved in relation to the other. And then waiting for it to happen all over again. single-line drawings, wire sculptures, or mobiles.

But maybe it’s a little bit more. Maybe it’s that Calder doesn’t seek to

I may be an undiscerning viewer, but I keep returning to the playful-

half chance. He crafts his mobiles with an undeniable mastery of

ness of his art. Sartre seems to have agreed. In a short essay written for the artist’s 1947 exhibit, the philosopher praises the life which

Calder’s creations take on, saying that, “[a]t times their movements seem to have a purpose and at times they seem to have lost their

train of thought along the way and lapsed into a silly swaying.” The effect is truly mesmerizing. His bold blocks of colour, each of differ-

ent shape and weight, move in harmony with each other, and yet still surprise us in the unexpected turns of their trajectories.

That his art is spirited is not always immediately apparent. Many of

manipulate. As Sartre points out, his creations are half mechanism, shape, balance, colour, and motion, but then lets them encounter time and space – elements beyond his control. I relish this unwill-

ingness to manipulate and his apparent lack of ego. I have no wish to

discuss the polarization that seems to dominate the political and social spheres, yet I will say,and I think I’m in good company,that I’m tired of being pulled this way and that way at the whims of hostile parties with conflicting agendas. To experience Calder’s art is to go beyond human machinations and false imitation, and to experience the beauty of a pure “absolute.”

his pieces require us first to be drawn softly in; while contemplating,

So, there you have it. Perhaps not very elegantly put, but I hope it

pattern; a pattern which is then broken by an unexpected turn. The

art. In my mind, at least, he has not displaced Doré, but he has cer-

we observe movement; in observing this movement, we discern a

honesty of his work and its demand on our stillness of spirit refreshes the mind, clearing from it the clutter of a thousand meaningless

words and movements. To stand before one of his mobiles, is to engage in an act of almost childlike wonder. Indeed, walking through

does persuade you to spend a few hours in the company of Calder’s tainly joined him. And beyond the few hours of quiet enchantment he has provided, he has forbidden me from making the lamentable

claim that I don’t like the avant-garde. And so, I redeemed some of my credibility among my art-loving friends.

88RISING A Sonic Mosaic Written Written Writtenby by byJacob Jacob JacobKlemmer Klemmer Klemmer

Rich Brian stands only 5’8”, but onstage, he performs in front of a massive projection of his own face. At first, it appears that he’s clowning his own larger-than-life persona, amplifying the fact that this guy is making this type of music. But, after six other 88rising members have finished their acts, the concept of conventional hip hop and R&B performers doesn’t matter anymore. Outsider art becomes insider art as preconceptions dissolve, and everyone on stage appears a complete natural. It’s not a traditional show; there is no opener and headliner, just an assembly of many distinct parts, each artist performing for about a half hour,adding up to approximately three hours of music. It’s not as exhausting as it sounds, primarily because of how well the acts are ordered. The noisy, glitchy hip-hop of KOHH,is followed by the lovestruck R&B of Niki. Sandwiched in-between the star-powered trap of Rich Brian and the bombastic hip-hop of Higher Bros are the depressive soundscapes of Joji. Viewing each act in isolation would miss the true pleasure of

ARTS & CULTURE

the concert. ln seeing all of 88rising’s members compliment and accent one another, going into each new act with the memory of the one prior. For instance, Joji’s heartbroken ‘Will He’ sounds incredibly despairing contrasted with Niki’s upbeat breakup banger ‘Vintage’ (Joji’s strained vocals grind against Niki’s pristine coo), and Rich Brian’s hip hop is almost relaxing after the Higher Bros push the genre to its energetic limit. In fact, this mashup approach is the business model of 88rising itself: amalgamating a video production house, a record label, and a marketing agency into a ‘mass media company’. Speaking of which, I’ve never seen better use of a video projection screen. The stage is frequently dominated by colourful, kaleidoscopic images or glitch-art, making it appear that either the computer, or your eyes, are failing. Sometimes it’s a projection of a music video, sometimes home movie footage, and, during a sing-along, it sometimes reads, word by word, “I don’t give a fuck about a motha-fuckin’ po.” Oftentimes, the performer will walk up to a platform halfway up the screen and become a black silhouette, surrounded by psychedelia – KOHH does this frequently, and it’s part of what makes his act so disorienting. I’ll confess to my preconceptions: I knew Rich Brian by his old name and assumed he was some kind of Lil Dicky-esque joke. I also knew Joji from his old music and assumed something similar about a clown going straight. This has been a landmark year for edgy internet rappers morphing into serious artists, albeit with varying levels of success. But, at the 88rising show, my preconception was revealed to be more of a prejudice, and I realized that all music, even funny music, is worth taking seriously. Rich Brian is at ease with the intersection between self-deprecation and braggadocio, and, when he raps, it is clear that, regardless of the discussion about cultural interaction surrounding him, he belongs onstage. In the show’s final act, 88rising all join forces on stage, singing collective numbers from their new album. It’s the climax of nearly three hours of musical buildup; after seeing the individual personalities complement each other one after another, we finally see the parts become a whole. A melody becomes a harmony. ‘Midsummer Madness’ has a wistful tune that borders on the twee, transforming the words ‘fuck the rules’ from an ordinary hip hop boast into an expression of pure adolescent joy, and ‘you were fucked up, I was wasted’ into a strangely innocent sentiment. ‘Head in the Clouds’ might describe the joyful experience of seeing a collective come together, but it makes this group seem more naive than they truly are: after heartbreak, depression, and lots of tough days, we finally get to feel blissful. Joji’s ‘Slow Dancing in the Dark’ becomes the show’s unofficial refrain. The haunting ballad begins in typical Joji fashion: depressive, atmospheric instrumentation glides over a slowly propulsive drumbeat, while Joji’s weary lyrics and voice evoke heartbreak. But, as the song continues, it morphs into a declarative chorus, hitting a monumental crescendo with the word ‘dark’. This song closes both Joji’s set and the encore, in which every member of 88rising belts this word acapella, and, in this moment, the music transcends its context and becomes an operatic expression of pure emotion, transforming sadness into celebration.

NEWS

don’t sugar coat it:

The Sweet n’ Low Down: What’s A Sugar Baby? “Sugaring” involves an individual, the sugar “baby”, entering a relationship in exchange for some sort of material pay-off provided by the sugar “parent.” In contrast to escorting or other forms of sex work, sugaring often involves establishing a regular relationship that includes both physical and emotional intimacy. Payment is not just limited to hard cash; sugar parents offer their babies expensive gifts, vacations, and even mentoring and career advice.

Sugaring has been made popular across the country by individuals looking for an easy way to make a quick, and often substantial, amount of money. While there are no definitive statistics, sugaring is prevalent on university campuses, and it’s no surprise as to why. In recent years, Seeking Arrangement, the world’s largest sugar dating website, has shifted their advertising campaigns toward students, namely young women, emphasizing that sugaring can alleviate student debt. The company’s spokesperson, Kimberly De La Cruz, told The Bull & Bear in an email correspondence: “This campaign was launched as a relief to those who are impacted by rising tuition costs. College students are a large demographic of our Sugar Baby members, and the benefits for those who are successful are countless.” One page on the site offers a ranking of the growing number of “Sugar Baby Universities.” McGill ranked 7th in Canada with a total of 611 sugar babies, 88 of whom signed up in 2017 alone. According to Seeking Arrangement’s numbers, there are thousands of sugar babies in Canada alone, not even accounting for the number of babies who sign up without declaring their university affiliation.

Image: May Sarfati & Trevor Cross

One page on the site invites students to sign up, stating, “With SeekingArrangement.com’s Sugar Baby University, students from all backgrounds and income levels are welcome. No minimum GPA required. Join today and get your education paid for by a generous sponsor.” The site offers “sugaring” to students who are “looking for new ways to pursue a degree while maintaining their quality of life.” 28

NEWS

Climbing Sugar Mountain: Undercover on Seeking Arrangement

In an effort to get in touch with this community of student sex workers, The Bull & Bear News team made a profile on Seeking Arrangement. Though it’s free to sign up as a baby, Sugar Mama and Daddy profiles cost money, ensuring that only those who can afford it sign up to the site. Profiles of “sugar parents” include annual income, net worth, and several “tags” to describe what kind of arrangement the individual is seeking, including, “friends with benefits,” “life of luxury,” “no strings attached,” “discretion,” and “romance,” to name a few. Pictures and self-descriptions must be approved by the site before they are made public, however the News team’s profile, which indicated only age and occupation, received dozens of messages even without a profile picture.

“Hello! I think you’re beautiful and would love to get to know you better.

What’s your price?”

“Hey gorgeous, do you like to travel? I could take you anywhere you like. I’m interested in something with mutual benefits. I can offter gifts, nice diners, vacations...”

“I don’t want to scare you off, but I want to be up front with you. I want a discreet relationship with no strings attached and physical intimacy... Weekly allowance included. We can discuss details but I can offer something in the $500 range. Message me if this is something you are interested in.”

NEWS

The Sugar Rush: Beginning and Motivations

A McGill student and occasional sugar baby named “Georgina” uses What’s Your Price to meet and date wealthy men in return for money. “I definitely met some really interesting people, people who were very influential. I never met anyone who I was creeped out by. I always would talk to someone first [on the phone or by text] to make sure that they weren’t a weirdo. I would be clear that I wasn’t in it for sex, and I wasn’t doing it with people who were in relationships. So those were my two rules at first.” Though Georgina’s primary means of earning money were sugar dates, she sometimes engaged in escorting. “There was one guy who offered me two thousand dollars to give him a hand job, and I was like, ‘I can’t say no...because that’s just so much money and it’s [only] a hand job, so I can just close my eyes and pretend it’s not happening.’” Georgina has slept with two other men she met on the site, both of whom she had been on several dates with and felt comfortable around. Another McGill student and sugar baby, “Michelle,” stated that she started sugaring out of financial necessity. After three dates, she had made $1000, and said that this amount “would be able to keep me afloat until my mom would send me more money.” Michelle never engaged in physical intimacy with patrons, and primarily involved going out to restaurants with the men she met. Despite this lack of engagement in physical intimacy, she was still “disgusted at some of the messages I received or things these guys said to me. But I had to keep a straight face so they would still pay me. Overall, I would never do it again just because of how it made me feel, and I felt like I was adding to the patriarchal culture.” An American citizen, “Georgina” remarked that one of the biggest barriers to successful sugaring in Montreal is that sex is worth a lot less here than in bigger cities. “People give less money [in Montreal]. At home or in bigger cities that are wealthier, people are willing to give a lot more. If I had sex with someone here I’d make probably $700 Canadian, but if I had sex with someone at home, I wouldn’t take less than $2000.” Both women emphasized that their identities as sugar babies were kept completely separate from the rest of their lives. Georgina said, “I disassociate during [sex]. I don’t remember really having sex with these guys. But yeah, I made a ton of money and that was what I was doing it for and they knew that. And that was fine with them.” Michelle echoed the sentiment, claiming: “I think I tried to separate the two lives as much as I could and put on my student cap and then a different hat for the dates.”

But this strict work-life separation isn’t a universal experience. For Montreal-based camgirl Burr Suicide, her work is her life. “I see [my chat room] more as online friends. I couldn’t keep up a facade, I couldn’t lead them on and suck them dry making them think I’m single and helpless. … I want to be an example and transparency is key. I have never and likely will never separate myself from my job.” Georgina’s experience reflects the realities of the modern sex work industry. In the past, the work itself is what built a sense of community and collegiality amongst sex workers. Nowadays, online sites like Seeking Arrangement cater to the individual, allowing people to seek sugar partners without going through an agency or middle-man. While this allows sugar babies a degree of independence and privacy, it also contributes to the secretive, isolationist nature of sugaring. The discreteness inherent to these sites make it difficult for any sort of broader community to form. Georgina told The Bull & Bear that she’s never met another baby, but rather that sugaring and escorting are activities she does alone, and sugaring sites provide no avenues through which babies can meet one another. Undoubtedly, a key reason for the lack of viable social networks amongst babies is the shame associated with sugaring, which dissuades many babies from going out of their way to find others. Michelle remarked, “I keep it as private as possible. I was even hesitant about answering these questions for a publication.” Similarly, Georgina said “I don’t want there to be a reputation, or [for] guys my age to expect things from me. If I’m close with someone or someone talks about it, I’ll bring it up, but I usually won’t bring up the fact that I’ve hooked up with guys. I’m really selective with who I tell.”

NEWS

The Bitter Behind the Sweet: Initial Fears Going In

Michelle described how her need for money motivated her to overcome fears related to sugaring: “When I first started out, I was very scared [that] I’d get caught, [or] scared they’d harm me in some way, but ultimately my need for the money provided outweighed those fears. I didn’t have time to get a job, so this was an extremely easy way to make money.” Though some people sugar out of necessity, for others it has more to do with being able to afford a certain lifestyle. will talk about. It’s always on my mind. To truly disconnect, I find entirely impossible. I have not had a real day off in two to three years now.” Unlike Georgina and Michelle, Burr was much more public about her work. “I didn’t really hold back. When I did an interview for MTL blog, I posted it to my Facebook… And now it’s not a secret and I’m quite comfortable talking about it.” When asked about students in the Montreal sex work industry, Burr said, “I understand the appeal of it. It’s good money and something that comes natural to humans. So I 31

can assume a small percentage [of students] has or is doing some form of sex work. Even I, being a cam model, plan on going back to school with the money I’ve made from camming.”

conclusion

A SACoMSS volunteer who wishes to remain anonymous told The Bull & Bear that the organization’s sex-positive, prosex worker mandate is especially important because, “[it] means you believe in and commit to respecting and protecting your community members who decide to, or have to, do sex work. It means you commit to listening to their voices and needs, to empowering them and respecting their autonomy all while offering support and education-based services that minimize risk and maximize respect.” Organizations with this type of mandate are rare, and sugar babies and other sex workers on campus continue to lack an outlet through which they can support one another. This, coupled with the isolating nature of an online space that prohibits their interaction, means sugar babies continue to lack the means to find a community. Ultimately, the life of a sugar baby isn’t always sweet. While it can be an easy way to make a quick buck, it can also come with some significant emotional and psychological costs. These costs are exacerbated by the difficulty of finding a solid support network due to the inherent discretion and secretiveness the job demands.

Some interviews and messages have been editted for clarity. by Ryan London & Patricia Sibal

lv i ae S t u d h a v e a E n g l s p e a k

e n t s l o n g d i v i d i s h a e r s o

a t M c G i l l d i s c u s s e d e b e t w e e n n d F r e n c h n c a m p u s . 32

NEWS

It’s clear that there are both Anglophone and Francophone groups within the university, but how do these divisions affect students? As an English magazine at an English university within the French-speaking city of Montreal, The Bull & Bear is in a unique position to investigate this issue. The McGill e-Calendar notes that the official language of instruction for the university is English, yet simultaneously, McGill International Student Services issues a disclaimer to newcomers that the official language of Montreal is French, with over 56 percent of the population speaking French at home. Béatrice Langevin, a Francophone and U1 student in the Faculty of Arts, notices a language divide at McGill, “I don’t think that it’s intentional, but there are definitely separate bubbles,” she told The Bull & Bear. Langevin stated that for students who have grown up in Quebec speaking French, it can be disorienting to suddenly feel like a minority. She explained: “I’m the one that was born here, but because I’m going to an English [university] I feel like the Anglophones belong there more than I do.” This issue is not new for McGill students. A 2009 demographic survey of students conducted by the administration indicated frustration from both the English and French speaking spheres on campus. The report stated that many respondents found an Anglophone-Francophone schism amongst students, with “Francophones stating that professors and staff should be more accommodating of and/or knowledgeable about French, and Anglophones indicating that they should not be expected to learn French.” One prominent organization working within this divide today is L’Organisation de la Francophonie à McGill (OFM), The Francophone Organization of McGill. This year’s OFM president and U4 political science student, Christophe Savoie-Côté, noted that the language split at McGill does not affect all French-speaking groups in the same ways. “I feel like the divide is maybe more palpable for certain groups of Francophones,” he said. “For instance, we notice that people who come from France are really tightly knit together.” Aside from bringing Francophone students together, the OFM also aims to reach across language barriers and help other students learn more about French. “We’re trying to integrate people who are interested in learning French, practicing French or just discovering the Francophone culture,” explained Savoie-Côté. Antoine Milette-Gagnon, a U2 science student and a News Editor at Le Délit, expressed his expectation is not for Anglophone students to become fluent in French. “I will not ask international or Anglophone students to learn French in three or four years,” he said. “But … I will encourage people who are not familiar with the culture … just to immerse themselves.” 33

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Milette-Gagnon went on to describe how students at McGill effortlessly settle into social groups based on language. He offered: “It’s really easy to choose what you want to see, or what you want to hear, or people you want to connect with … to choose to be in a certain bubble.” Lucile Jourde Moalic, a U2 arts student and Social Media Coordinator at Le Délit echoed this sentiment: “I am, of course, less comfortable in English than in French, so I just tend to be more easy, be more myself, feel better with French people and Francophone people.” Lucas Bird, a U2 Faculty of Arts student, wrote an article for the McGill Tribune in September, claiming that healthcare in Quebec is made less accessible through the government’s desire for the French language to prevail. This article attracted some controversy, as well as a letter to the editor challenging its main assumptions, penned by two editors at Le Délit and the OFM President. “I think my article and the response to it … is a really great example of how polarizing this issue can be,” Bird told The Bull & Bear. In the aftermath of Bird’s controversial piece, he explained that he used the debate that followed as a learning experience, as he was able to gain a more nuanced perspective through dialogue with the Quebecois students who had pointed out flaws in his argument. Still, Bird voiced concerns about access for Anglophone students. “One of my main concerns is making sure that international students … feel welcomed and like they have the capacity … to access everything that McGill has to offer,” he said. Students across campus have different ideas for how to mend this division. The Chief Editor at Le Délit, Lara Benattar, proposed that in order to reduce polarization between Anglophone and Francophone groups, English-speaking students should try to understand the roots of the Quebecois’ desire to speak French. “I think [it is] important is to be curious about Quebec history,” she said, suggesting that it would help Anglophone students to better understand “how relevant are the demands of the Francophone community.” No matter which side of the gap they find themselves on, McGill students seem to share a desire to bridge the Anglo-Franco divide. According to Lucas Bird, the language groups within campus are an impediment to the students’ ability to fight issues facing the school as a whole. “We’re not able to attack communal issues if we’re already divided,” he asserted. Savoie-Côté similarly expressed that breaking down language barriers must start with admitting that each side can be “afraid of what they don’t know,” and that “a very good first step is to actually discuss these issues, and not to cling on our side of the debate.” by Maya Abramson

the legacy of residential schools at mcGill 35

September 30 was Orange Shirt Day, and the following week, The Indigenous Student Alliance set up a table in the Arts building to raise awareness about the effects of residential schools, and to honour their survivors. This day signifies the time of year when Indigenous children were stolen from their homes and taken to residential schools. While the last of these schools may have closed in 1996, their oppressive legacy continues to affect Indigenous people today. Observers wear orange to pay tribute to survivors as well as

my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us “The colour orange little children were crying and no one has always reminded cared.” me of that and how

to raise awareness about the oft-forgotten and ignored legacy of these institutions. Orange Shirt Day originated from Phyllis Webstad’s story of her first day at a residential school, when her orange shirt was taken from her and replaced with a uniform. In her own words, Webstad recalls;

NEWS

While residential schools may be a thing of the past, their effects reverberate to this day and continue to affect the lives of many Indigenous people, including many of the 385 indigenous students enrolled at McGill, according to the university’s website. These schools sought to “assimilate” Indigenous children into Canadian culture and denied them the ability to celebrate and learn about their own identities. On the legacy of residential schools, Ella Martindale, Co-Chair of the Indigenous Student Alliance at McGill and member of the Cowichan First Nation, said; “The number one thing people need to know about the ongoing and continuous effects of residential schools on Indigenous communities, is that [they were] a tactic to assimilate, erase, and destroy Indigenous peoples on their own land.” While residential schools may be a thing of the past, their effects reverberate to this day and continue to affect the lives of many Indigenous people, including many of the 385 indigenous students enrolled at McGill, according to the university’s website. These schools sought to “assimilate” Indigenous children into Canadian culture and denied them the ability to celebrate and learn about their own identities. On the legacy of residential schools, Ella Martindale, Co-Chair of the Indigenous Student Alliance at McGill and member of the Cowichan First Nation, said; “The number one thing people need to know about the ongoing and continuous effects of residential schools on Indigenous communities, is that [they were] a tactic to assimilate, erase, and destroy Indigenous peoples on their own land.” This loss of culture, coupled with the lifelong and intergenerational trauma that can result from physical and sexual abuse -which

is widely reported to have occurred at many residential schools- has had devastating effects on Indigenous communities. “There are many accounts from survivors documenting horrific physical and mental abuse. It is one of the most evident periods in the history of Canada as a settler colonial state that we can point to that demonstrates the way that colonial power works to kill the colonized,” remarked Martindale. Notably, this trauma is not just limited to Indigenous people that actually attended residential schools themselves. Research has shown that the trauma of residential schools is frequently passed on intergenerationally. In 2010, a study led by researcher Gwen Reimer, illustrates that trauma can be historic; “cumulative stress and grief experienced by Aboriginal communities is translated into a collective experience of cultural disruption and a collective memory of powerlessness and loss.” A simple signifier of these generational effects is the small number of Indigenous students currently attending university. As previously mentioned, McGill has approximately 400 indigenous students enrolled, out of a student body of roughly 40,000. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was published in 2015, laid out guidelines for universities to help increase enrollment and assist Indigenous students during their time at university. However, Martindale believes that most schools, including McGill, still have lots of work to do. According to her: “The university's top priority should be making their spaces more inviting to Indigenous peoples before they attempt to welcome more in. We –Indigenous people– will keep coming to university, but there is work, such as decolonizing, renaming, de-erasing and making space that needs

to be done outside of recruitment that I think is just as important right now.” McGill has recently been the subject of controversy when it comes to Indigenous issues, with many calling upon the school to change the name of McGill’s men’s sports teams, which are currently known as the Redmen. While McGill has taken action to incorporate administrative changes laid out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Redmen name controversy serves as a reminder that increased social awareness on Indigenous issues and history are just as important when it comes to long-overdue reconciliation efforts. text by Madison Brek photo by Wikimedia Commons

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McLEG ALIZ ATION a peripheral culture, centralizing on campus.

To protect the names of individuals who are involved in the production and sale of marijuana, as well as those who are uncomfortable with releasing their identity, certain names will be changed to uphold anonymity.

unique case

As of October 17, Prime Minister Trudeau declared cannabis to be “legalized and strictly regulated” across Canada. In this address, the Trudeau government emphasized that legalization would

“keep cannabis away from the hands of our kids, and keep profits away from organized crime.”

However, with provincial autonomy regarding implementation of the federal Cannabis Act, regions like Quebec have put forth policy platforms that may conflict with the ends of federal legislation.

Quebec’s Cannabis Regulation Act currently prohibits both the growth and sale of marijuana outside of government distribution, resulting in a government monopoly over the entire legal market.

On October 2, Quebec elected the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) to a majority government in the National Assembly, and the party has expressed its commitment to preserve Quebecois uniqueness in the handling of legalization. The CAQ is not only enforcing the current prohibition of non-governmental production, but also intends to raise the legal age of cannabis consumption to 21. Since McGill is subject to this jurisdiction, changes regarding cannabis policy on campus will evolve alongside provincial guidelines. In an effort to determine how this will affect the McGill community, The Bull & Bear sat down with students and vendors whose consumption and distribution will be affected by the province’s unique approach to legalization.

student perspectives: a shift in campus culture Frequent cannabis user and McGill student, “Sylvia”, was asked how she thought campus culture was going to change in the wake of legalisation. She stated, “I think the stigma around it will definitely change. Once the government normalizes something as pivotal as this, the stigma is definitely suppressed, and cannabis culture becomes more central”.

Alternatively, Arts and Sciences student Hailey White believes that, “the people who are going to be walking around campus high before legalization, are the same people walking around campus high today.” U1 student, Noah Givertz, stated that “at least in [the] short term, there will not be complete acceptance of marijuana.” Givertz went on to compare cannabis legalization to the eventual societal acceptance of alcohol after prohibition.

“Alcohol has influenced history, it has been a part of history... cannabis has unfortunately not done so. There will never be an OAP where you can buy a joint, and we will probably not see any weed-themed apartment crawls.”

NEWS

Despite the wide variance of testimonies regarding the role that cannabis culture may have on campus going forward, a common sentiment nonetheless exists. All three students interviewed believe cannabis to be a safe and positive stress reducer. Sylvia stated, “I have anxiety, and weed is something I’ve learnt really helps, especially around exam time.” Givertz feels cannabis is a much safer alternative to alcohol, remarking: “I’ve had friends [who have had] to go to the hospital to get their stomach pumped. Weed has never done that to anyone I know. It’s always just felt safer.” When White was asked how the legal sale of marijuana will affect students who have never tried cannabis before, she stated: “maybe it will [even] open up a new avenue of [stress] relief for students who have been opposed to weed in the past.” Despite differing stances given by Sylvia, Givertz and White surrounding the integration of cannabis, there remains a prevailing sentiment that the substance has stress relieving properties.

mcGill administration: an evolving mandate McGill’s Associate Dean of Students, Glenn Zabowsky, is still skeptical about whether or not marijuana will provide the benefits that students seem to agree it has. He stated to The Bull & Bear,

Until McGill’s official release of a policy platform for the substance, these interim guidelines act as the current enforceable framework for regulation on campus.

The cannabis black market and its relevance post legalization “Mike the Vendor” was himself a distributor of cannabis prior to legalization and was described by former Gardner hall resident, “Jared”, as “Upper Residence’s favourite distributor”. When asked how he thought legalization was going to affect the jobs of vendors, growers, and distributors who had been previously part of the illegal cannabis market, “Mike” responded that these jobs “remain very much present and important.” He continued, “Even if governments do not admit it, they have quietly been seeking information and education from these people in order to figure out how to implement legislation. The government is aware that there is a community of people who have been in this domain for a long time who possess an important amount of expertise and knowledge. This is knowledge that is not necessarily conventionally recognized, but valuable nonetheless.” After considering the importance of distributor expertise for government purposes, “Mike” spoke of how the cannabis black market does not constitute an immoral practice. He stated,

“people often confuse morality and legality, forgetting that things like slavery or domestic violence were once legal.”

With Quebec’s legal cannabis market remaining a gov“We are going to monitor the situation on campus and ernment monopoly, demand for an alternative illegal see how things go. market still exists. The CBC has reported on the Quebec government’s constant shortages of cannabis inventory in provincial stores. In their article regarding Quebecois However we don’t yet know if cannabis will be a suffilegalization, it’s clear that the government has not adecient stress reliever.” quately prepared to meet the demands of their citizens. With no legal alternative, vendors like Mike meet the Zabowsky spoke of his experience at the Cannabis on left-over demand not met by government supply shortagCampus conference in Toronto, an event attended by representatives from many Canadian schools and canna- es. bis experts showcasing cannabis’ potential role on campus. Zabowsky spoke of how this issue is “much more complex than cigarettes or alcohol.” To deal with these complexities, McGill’s Provost, Christopher Manfredi, released various interim guidelines regarding consumpDespite differing perspectives from across the student tion on campus. These guidelines were made public on body, it seems that many share a common sentiment: October 12 and prohibit vaping, smoking, and consumcannabis is an effective stress reducer. Whether or not ing edible cannabis on campus. The first two specificathe substance will be completely accepted into campus tions are in line with provincial legislation, while the culture is a question that remains unanswered. While third is an exclusive McGill initiative. interim guidelines are in the process of becoming ratified as school policy, the official stance regarding cannabis on Zabowsky disclosed that the eventual policy, to be pubcampus will evolve accordingly. Currently however, Quelished in accordance with these interim guidelines, will address drugs, alcohol, and overall mental fitness regard- bec and the country as a whole continue to tweak existing ing substance use. It is not going to be a cannabis specific policies on cannabis, and the fate of vendors like Mike policy. These statements and guidelines demonstrate that may change. For now, due to Quebec’s uniquely strict regulations, there remains a demand for black market the administration is aware of the unique circumstances distribution both on and off campus. surrounding cannabis despite its proposed eventual implementation of non cannabis-specific regulations. text by Gilli Cohen Zabowsky sees actions like the interim guidelines as a means of graphic by proactively addressing the complexities of legalization Ryan London and its place on campus. He explained, with images from Creative Commons “parents are going to be calling, the media will be calling, and we need an official line to point to.”

cannabis constantlyculture: in flux

The Death of the Stock Text: Leo Gelfand & Guy Miller Illustration: Julia Enright

2008 was, to say the least, not a great year for the global economy. With

that, it should come as no surprise that it was also not a great year for

the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest marketplace

for publicly traded companies. In fact, it was the worst year for initial public offerings (IPOs) in the history of the PricewaterhouseCoopers

(PwC) annual survey of Canadian Equity. With only ten IPOs, none of which came about in the final six months of the year, the

total value of the stocks issued on the TSX plunged 80 percent

from $3.0 billion in 2007, to a mere 547 million. At the yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end,

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY there were 1,232 company stocks listed on the TSX. Fast forward a

that comes with managing a private company.

is predicted to be a “blockbuster year” by experts at PwC. Yet, as of

No level of fatigue is capable of slowing down public investment

traded on Canada’s principal exchange, a 34 percent drop from 2008.

management teams - access to private financing, in the form of

decade, and Canadian markets are nearing the end of 2018, which last month’s TSX report, there are only 811 company stocks publicly

Since its nadir in 2009, the Canadian economy has enjoyed a healthy recovery: national GDP has climbed by 36 percent,

without a viable alternative. Conveniently - at least for IPO-averse both private

equity and venture capital, has exploded over the past decade.

the unemployment rate has plummeted from a post-

to the Canadian

millennium high of 8.3 percent to a four-decade decade low of 5.8 percent, and Canada has emerged as a thriving startup ecosystem, ranking third on StartupBlink’s annual report in 2017. What is shocking, is that despite this upward economic

trajectory, the number of publicly traded

companies continues to decline. Although this

phenomenon lacks a single root cause, it is being

driven by two principal factors: disillusionment

with the hassle of public markets coupled with a surge in the availability of private investment.

The Economist describes the process of going public as “an immediate nightmare, which is a cross between an

election campaign, a show trial and an Ironman event.”

According

Venture

an immediate nightmare, which is a cross between an election campaign, a show trial and an Ironman event

During this time, founders must determine a strategy,

prepare the requisite legal documents, and assemble

a board of directors in a mere couple of months. Once

the nightmare is over and the flotation process is complete,

further hardships lie ahead.. One of the biggest surprises is the

Capital and Private Equity

Association (CVCA), in 2009, Canadian

private equity deals totalled just over 5 billion, less than an

founder’s complete and unconditional accountability to thousands of

eighth of the 42.2 billion of private equity activity completed in a

emails and think you aren’t worth your paycheck.” Shareholders

private equity, highlighted by the 12.5 billion Tim Hortons mega-

newly minted shareholders, who, as told by Forbes, will [send] nasty

care about nothing but the short-term stock price. The pressure to maximize the share price at the end of each quarter puts immense stress on founders to maximize the company’s value in the immediate term.

In an interview with Maclean’s Magazine, Ari Pandes, an associate

professor at the University of Calgary, explains the stark difference

frenzied 2014. While 2014 seems like a banner year for Canadian

merger with Burger King, the market looks to have settled at a

relatively high watermark, with 26.3 billion of deals in 2017 and 14.5 billion in the first half of this year. Venture capital has experienced

a similar rise, increasing from 993 million in 2009 to 3.5 billion in

2017. 2018 is poised to be a record year, with 1.9 billion in venture capital funding raised in the first half alone.

between guiding a public vs. a private company: “All of these people

While stocks have been vanishing from the TSX, Exchange Traded

before you might have had people who were more long-

bundle of stocks, bonds, and other assets (similar to a mutual fund)

are on you if you don’t produce a result within a quarter, whereas

term oriented. This short-term chase really makes it more onerous on management teams.” Pandes refers to this as a “fatigue” with public markets, where many executive teams would prefer the flexibility and comfort

Funds (ETFs) have sprouted in their place. An ETF is a diversified traded on an exchange like a corporate stock. Compared to mutual

funds, ETFs are characterized by lower fees and superior liquidity. In Canada, ETFs are issued by a wide range of firms including the

Bank of Montreal, BlackRock (the world’s largest asset manager),

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY and First Asset, a subsidiary of Canadian investment giant CI

of corporate consolidation has contributed to the oligopolization of

decade. In 2008, there were under 100 ETFs listed on the TSX and

and retail. Maybe most frighteningly, the consolidation of large

Financial. ETFs have experienced staggering growth over the past

600 by the end of September 2018. Despite their rapid growth, ETFs only constitute 160 billion of the Toronto Stock Exchange’s 2.29 trillion market cap, good for just under seven percent.

Canadian industries such as financial services, telecommunications, corporations creates a positive feedback loop.. As companies grow

through acquisitions, they have greater access to capital, which provides funding for even more acquisitions in the future.

While ETFs improve market liquidity and provide some opportunity

The dwindling numbers of publicly traded companies is not a

that of a public company. And as more and more companies remain

occurred south of the border, where the number of publicly traded

to shareholders, their broader economic impact cannot compare to

private, relying on funding from private equity and venture capital, their earnings are reaped by only the wealthiest financiers, excluding

average investors from some of the most lucrative offerings. Specifically, with 421 fewer publicly traded companies than

there were in 2008, Canadian investors have far less selection

than they did a decade ago. Further, the decline in selection

has affected the asset mix of the Canadian Pension Plan; Canadian equities constituted 25 percent of the fund

uniquely Canadian predicament. A similar phenomenon has companies in the United States was 3600 in 2017, less than half of

what it was two decades prior. In the US, opinions differ wildly on the threat of corporate consolidation and the disappearing IPOs. In his article Private Inequity, Frank Partnoy of The Atlantic argues that

the decline of IPOs is harming smaller investors, citing testimonies

from SEC Chair Jay Clayton and Jay Ritter of University of Florida,, a

evidence that the changing corporate

landscape is a threat to average

in 2008 compared to a mere 3.3

Americans. The Bloomberg Opinion Editorial Board counters Partnoy’s

access to private financing, in the form of both private equity and venture capital, has exploded over the past decade. percent in 2017. The decline of Canadian IPOs has led

to another troubling economic trend; the

consolidation of Canada’s largest companies.

position, referencing a recent study conducted at the University of

Virginia that concluded public

index funds yield similar returns to

more exclusive private investment opportunities. Board for

The

Editorial

continues, “adjusted risk,

investments vintage

private-equity of

have

recent

actually

lagged public markets.”

None of this is to say the

IPO is completely dead. This

past summer, PwC’s national

survey dubbed the first half of 2018

“slow and steady”, with a total of nine TSX

issues over the year’s first six months. Nonetheless,

the severely stunted IPO climate reflects underlying shifts in

Some headline-grabbing deals include the 28 billion acquisition

social attitudes and paradigms. Akin to individuals seeking refuge

and Metro’s creation of a 16 billion retail empire following the 4.5

comfort and control of staying private, shielding themselves from

of Spectra Energy by Enbridge, Canada’s fourth largest company, billion acquisition of Jean Coutu. Since 2015 , the average market

capitalization of companies in the S&P/TSX 60 -- an index of 60

from the incessant pressures of social media, businesses favour the the scrutiny of the public sphere.

large public Canadian corporations, has increased by 14 percent, compared to only 10 percent growth in the national economy. The rise

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

“OK Google, ” What is Privacy? by Sean McNally

photo Creative Commons

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

How the Khashoggi murder shook up Saudiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Future Investment Initiative

Text: Moses Milchberg

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY A Saudi Arabia without oil dependence? That’s exactly what

Over the past weeks, Khashoggi’s murder and the ensuing fallout

bia, plans to do through his Saudi Vision 2030 initiative. In a de-

countries; earlier this week, Germany halted arms exports to Saudi

Mohammad bin Salman (MbS), Crown Prince of Saudi Ara-

tailed plan to establish the Kingdom as a vibrant hub connecting three continents, the 33-year old Crown Prince aims to further

develop Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry and diversify its econ-

omy while ostensibly implementing progressive social reforms. Through this initiative, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia

(PIF) has organized an annual investment forum -- the Future In-

vestment Initiative (FII). Dubbed the “Davos in the Desert”, Saudi Arabia hopes to use the forum to portray itself as a global power

and entice many of the conference’s influential attendees to invest in the Kingdom’s burgeoning economy, exemplified by Neom, a

$500 billion smart-city unveiled at the 2017 conference. Last year’s forum also included discussions about the future of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and climate change, hosting the likes of

International Monetary Fund (IMF) director Christine Lagarde,

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son.

devastated Saudi Arabia’s public image and relations with other

Arabia in a direct response to their involvement in the journalist’s death. But most strikingly, the debacle has put the entire FII at risk of failure. Weeks before Khashoggi walked through the doors of the

Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the FII had a star-studded cast of at-

tendees, including Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, London Stock Exchange CEO David Schwimmer, and US Treasury Secretary Ste-

ven Mnuchin, all of whom have since backed out. The case of Uber is especially intriguing, as Saudi Arabia owns a 5% ($3.5 billion) stake

in the ride-sharing giant, with Yasir Al Rumayyan, the Managing

Director of the PIF, sitting on Uber’s Board of Directors. In addition, Mastercard CEO and FII advisory board member Ajaypal Singh

Banga, SoftBank’s CEO Masayoshi Son, who entered a $45 billion partnership with Saudi Arabia at last year’s FII, and Blackstone CEO

Stephen A Schwarzman, who pledged $20 billion towards Saudi

infrastructure developments, have all withdrawn from the forum.

Striving to build upon last year’s momentum, the 2018 FII is cur-

Despite the mass exodus of attendees, a plethora of high-sta-

mous for being used as a jail for over 200 Saudi businessmen and

them are PepsiCo Vice Chairman Mehmood Khan, McKinsey &

rently being hosted in Riyadh’s lavish Ritz-Carlton Hotel, infaprinces charged with corruption in 2017. The conference’s second

installment was expected to be a roaring success, attracting hun-

dreds of politicians, diplomats, and CEOs from around the globe. All that changed on October 2nd, when Saudi dissident and fre-

quent Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, hoping to obtain documents required to marry his fiancée. His fiancée waited outside

the consulate for 11 hours, but Khashoggi never exited. A few

days later, speculation arose that he may have been killed within

the consulate. At first, representatives of Saudi Arabia maintained

tus individuals have joined MbS in the desert this week. Among

Company senior partner Hans-Martin Stockmeier, and HSBC Global Banking & Markets CEO Samir Assaf. Assaf is enthusiastic at the prospect of investing in Saudi Arabia, stating that

“banks will be….find[ing] sources of financing and investments

[in capital markets] including in Saudi Arabia.” Another prominent attendee is American banking behemoth Ken Moelis, whose

firm, Moelis & Company, is advising Saudi Aramco on their upcoming IPO. A nationally owned and operated petroleum and

natural gas company, Saudi Aramco is thought by many, includ-

ing Bloomberg News, to be the world’s most profitable company.

that Khashoggi left the consulate alive on October 2nd. But after

On Wednesday, MbS took the stage, leading a panel titled, “How

secured an audio recording of Khashoggi being beheaded and dis-

al economic powerhouse?”, in which he discussed the ongoing

mounting pressure, leaks from the Turkish press claiming to have

membered, and failure to provide proof of Khashoggi’s life, Saudi officials changed their position, claiming that Khashoggi was

accidentally killed inside the consulate during a fight. Referred to as the “worst cover up ever” by US President Donald Trump, the

Saudi response concerning Khashoggi’s murder sent the world into

shock. Many, including Turkish President Recep Erdogan, have suggested that Khashoggi’s murder was premeditated by high-ranking

Saudi officials, possibly by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

will visionary leadership transform the Arab world into a globprogress of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative. While the mur-

der of Jamal Khashoggi strained relations with many federal and

corporate partners, there is no sign that the world will cease do-

ing business with the Kingdom; the US and Saudi Arabia remain locked in a $6 billion arms deal, and many companies are

sending other top executives to the FII in place of their CEOs. At some point, the world will have to decide between money

and morals. And, despite the optics, money remains undefeated. 46

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

In the summer of 2018, developers from Electronic Arts and

selves playing Fornite with the streaming app Ninja, while

DICE released the trailer for their most anticipated new game

French soccer star Antoine Griezmann celebrated his goal in

of the year -- Battlefield V. Since 2002, the Battlefield franchise

the World Cup final with a dance that originated in the game.

has been a staple for gamers, amassing over 66 million copies sold across seven games. And yet, despite the title’s enduring

While Fortnite’s swift market penetration was due to a plethora of

success, there is a unique buzz surrounding its newest launch.

factors, much of the game’s success is predicated on its unique and innovative business model. Fortnite has sustained a free-to-play plat-

Battlefield V is highlighted by the inception of Firestorm. This is

form, monetizing entirely through in-game transactions that allow

Battlefield’s take on the rising trend of the battle royale game

players to customize their characters with “skins” (outfits), celebra-

mode in which players compete individually, or in groups, to elim-

tions, and more. Although this may sound like little more than a gim-

inate all other players within a constrained space. The mode

mick, these skins have become signifiers of a player’s status and are a

gained traction with the release of Player Unknown’s Battle-

startlingly effective tool for revenue generation. Nearly 70 percent of

grounds (PUBG) in March 2017, and was further popularized

Fornite’s 78.3 million monthly players have paid for in-game purchas-

that same July with the release of Epic’s hit game, Fortnite.

es, spending an average of $84.67 each. As a result of this extensive spending, Fornite is on track to generate $2 billion in 2018, skyrock-

Fortnite’s cartoon-like gameplay, colourful backgrounds and

eting the value of Epic Games, Fortnite’s developer, to $8.5 billion.

references to pop culture powered its rapid ascent to mainstream sensation. Drake and Travis Scott streamed them-

At its core, the meteoric rise of battle royale games is driven by their

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

FREEMIUM FRENZY

Battle Royale and Fortnite’s Growing Influence on the Gaming Industry “stickiness” -- their ability to retain players and have them come

troduced cross-console play, starting with the ability to play Fort-

back for more. This is through the nature of the game play itself;

nite alongside users on a different gaming system. Although

since the game is designed to be decided by a few bullets, it gives

this change may appear insignificant, major console manufac-

the impression that losses are unlucky, leaving the player feeling

turers such as Microsoft and Sony have a reputation for locking

as if they were only one shot away from winning. Additionally, the

in their customers through safeguarded features and exclusive

randomness of gameplay, from changes in drop zones to the open-

games. The advent of cross-console play marks a pivotal change

ing of loot chests, has an effect similar to that of slot machines or

in their business models, and a watershed moment in the industry.

poker hands: they constantly rejuvenate the interest of users. Like a well-written cliff-hanger, this phenomenon, referred to by psychol-

In an ever-changing landscape, developers and manufacturers

ogists as a variable-ratio schedule continues to pique the interest

are fiercely competing to ride the wave of battle royale. The val-

of the player, bringing them back to the game time and time again.

ue of the games within the genre has exploded from $1.7 billion in 2017 to a projected $20 billion in 2019. Hours streamed for battle

The lucrative psychology of battle royale and the ensuing success

royale games has risen from one million hours in mid 2017 to over

of PUBG and Fortnite continues to have a significant impact on

700 million hours this year, dwarfing the second-most streamed

the gaming industry. As players join in droves, video game devel-

genre, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games. It is yet to

opers have taken advantage of the burgeoning genre to implement

be seen whether EA will find success with Battlefield’s foray into

new strategies and revolutionize the video gaming landscape.

battle royale, but the storm is closing in and they might be bet-

After years of isolation, console manufacturers have finally in-

ter off to look out from the safe zone than to look in from outside.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Text: Yong Yoo

Photo: Ruby Mouhanna