VOLUME 75 • ISSUE 22 • JANUARY 19, 2021
MLK's legacy p. 8–9
NEWS PSU’s financial woes P. 4–5
ARTS & CULTURE Pixar’s Soul is unapologetically Black P. 12
OPINION A report from the Daily Bugle P. 14
CONTENTS
COVER BY SAM PERSON
NEWS HILL TO HALL
P. 3
INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
P. 10
DESPITE $30 MILLION IN ONE-TIME STATE FUNDING, PSU STILL IN DIRE STRAITS
P. 4-5
INTERNATIONAL COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD WORK TO MAKE COVID-19 VACCINES AVAILABLE
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PARLER FACES INTERNET EXILE FOLLOWING AMAZON DELISTING AND MAJOR HACK
P. 6
ARTS & CULTURE UNAPOLOGETICALLY BLACK
P. 12
POST ELECTION FIGHTING ESCALATES IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
P. 7
BEYOND HOUSELESSNESS
P. 13
CHILEAN STUDENTS OCCUPY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, CALL FOR EDUCATION REFORM
P. 7
OPINION AFTER “SNAP,” DIVISION AND CALLS FOR UNITY
P. 14
SERIOUSLY, GET A HOBBY
P. 15
VIRTUAL EVENTS CALENDAR
P. 16
COVER THE LEGACY OF MLK, TODAY
STAFF
EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Justin Grinnell MANAGING EDITOR Nick Townsend NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Dylan Jefferies INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Karisa Yuasa SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Béla Kurzenhauser
P. 8–9
ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon CONTRIBUTORS Aineias Engstrom Mary Joaquin Kat Leon Claire Plaster Luis Ramos Marshall Scheider Mackenzie Streissguth Sierra Still
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Morgan Troper
PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Annie Schutz
OPINION EDITOR Nick Gatlin
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Olivia Lee
PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sam Person
A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood
DESIGNERS Farah Alkayed Sam Garcia Shannon Steed
STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher
DIS T RIBU TION DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dylan Jefferies T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow Kahela Fickle George Olson John Rojas
STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com
MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market. A BOU T Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent
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the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Tuesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.
JANUARY 15–16
DYLAN JEFFERIES
JANUARY 15: GOVERNOR BROWN TO CLOSE THREE OREGON PRISONS
In an effort to reallocate funds, Governor Kate Brown has decided to shut down three Oregon prisons. The closure of the prisons will save the state roughly $44 million, according to Associated Press. According to Brown, the money saved will be invested elsewhere, such as in early childhood education programs. Brown plans to have the prisons closed by July 2022, according to OPB. All three prisons are minimumsecurity, and all inmates are within four years of release. Altogether the prisons house 749 inmates and employ 237 people, according to AP News. Plans are currently being drawn up to relocate the inmates, a spokesperson told OPB.
JANUARY 15: VACCINE ROLLOUT DELAYED
Brown accused the Trump administration of breaking a promise to supply 100,000 additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to AP News. Now, Oregon’s vaccine rollout is behind schedule, and residents over 65 will not be vaccinated next week per Brown’s initial rollout plans. “I am shocked and appalled that the federal government would set an expectation with the American people, on which they knew they could not deliver with such grave consequences,” Brown said at a press conference. President-elect Joe Biden said he plans to release stockpiled vaccines in order to expedite the vaccination process nationwide after his inauguration, according to OPB.
JANUARY 16: MAYOR WHEELER DEMANDS QUICK IMPLEMENTATION OF PORTLAND STREET RESPONSE The Portland Street Response, a new program which passed last year which will dispatch a non-police response to non-violent 911 calls, is set to launch early this year. However, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is now calling for Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who’s heading the program, to speed things up, according to OPB. “I ask that in your continued role as Commissioner-in-Charge of Portland Fire & Rescue, and chief sponsor of the new program, you find ways to move more quickly toward implementation,” Wheeler wrote to Hardesty. In a statement, Hardesty expressed how she doesn’t see how speeding up the process is possible due to the amount of time it will take to properly hire, train and build infrastructure for the program. The program will likely launch in the spring, after the pilot program is completed in February, according to OPB.
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
NEWS
3
DESPITE $30 MILLION IN ONE-TIME STATE FUNDING,
SAM GARCIA
4
NEWS
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
DYLAN JEFFERIES Despite roughly $30 million being allocated to Portland State in federal funding, the university is still experiencing significant financial strain due to low enrollment caused by the pandemic. At the Academic and Student Affairs and Finance and Administration committee meetings held on Jan. 11 and 13 respectively, Board of Trustees members discussed how lower than anticipated enrollment for fall term
PSU STILL IN DIRE STRAITS is straining PSU financially. Even with $30 million being allocated to the university through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) act, the administration is still trying to find a financially viable way forward. “The enrollment for fall 2021 for schools like PSU does not look as if it is recovering in a way that we would have hoped for,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Chuck Knepfle in his presentation to both committees. At this time, there is a 28% decrease in first year applicants—freshmen who typically come to PSU straight out of high school—for fall term compared to last year. Knepfle cited a recent report from The Community College Research Center at Teachers College at Columbia University, which states colleges serving low-income students are facing steeper enrollment declines than larger four-year institutions. “The big powerhouse schools are doing fine, and schools serving low-income students are not,” Knepfle said. “Across the board, schools like PSU are not doing well when it comes to admission applications for the fall.” According to Knepfle, initial projections for fall term looked even worse, but thanks to the work of advisors, the number was brought up. “This isn’t the best picture, and it isn’t a picture that I was hoping we would share at this point,” Knepfle said. “However, months ago, this looked a whole lot worse, and there was a whole lot of work to happen, from about the middle of December to last week, to bring these numbers to where they are, so that’s a great sign.” While PSU is experiencing enrollment decline, larger institutions like Oregon State University and University of Oregon are seeing increased enrollment. “It seems as if the students are flocking to the large schools to apply, and we’re going to work really hard to try to reverse that,” Knepfle said. Plans are in motion to help bring enrollment up, including working diligently with high schools to bring in more first-year applicants, as well as putting efforts in place to bring in more transfer students who are already enrolled at other institutions. While PSU has been experiencing declining enrollment over the past few years, the pandemic is exacerbating the issue, and will continue to do so until it is under control. “Our biggest challenge is that the vaccine hasn’t gone in everyone’s arm yet,” Knepfle said. “Until we can be definitive with our students about fall term, I don’t think we’re going to have interest go back up.” “It’s hard to sell PSU remotely, it’s a lot harder to do via email, and that has put us at a disadvantage,” Knepfle concluded. Due to low enrollment and other financial challenges caused by the pandemic, PSU faces dim prospects for the future. “There isn’t a viable scenario that management can present in which we can simply grow out of our financial issues in the next several years,” said Finance and Administration Committee Chair Irving Levin. “We have an enrollment decline that—forecast over a 10-year window—is steepening. We expect to have up to 25% fewer students than at our peak a few years
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
ago, but at the same time, the employee headcount has been pretty stable. It’s going to take several years to stabilize enrollment.” The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, enacted on Dec. 27, provided $22.7 billion for institutions of higher education. Through this act, PSU will be allocated roughly $30 million on a one-time basis. According to Vice President of Finance and Administration Kevin Reynolds, guidance has not yet been given to PSU on how the funds can be used. However, Reynolds stated that a minimum of $8.3 million is required to go to students—the same amount allocated to students by the CARES act passed in March of 2020. Moving forward, how the rest of that money will be allocated will be discussed by President Stephen Percy, AAUP, ASPSU and other groups before a final plan is presented to the full Board of Trustees. Despite the large sum, the stimulus will not save the university from its financial woes, according to multiple board members, as well as Percy and Provost Susan Jeffords. “Much of the stimulus could be washed out depending on the enrollment this year,” Reynolds said. “[Because it is] one-time and non-recurring, it obviously doesn’t fix an ongoing, structural deficit problem we have.” Reynolds said that the stimulus will likely be used to offset revenue losses caused by the pandemic, such as expenses accrued by moving to remote work. “[The stimulus] is going to be extremely helpful this year, but it really doesn’t change the outlook for the institution going forward,” Levin said. “We have been spending our reserves, and this year, we expect to continue that process, which is something that is not sustainable.” In his remarks to the Finance and Administration committee, Percy outlined the challenges the university faces going forward, as well as some of his plans to help remedy them. “We worked hard to get the stimulus dollars, and, as [Levin] said, that $30 million is one-time dollars,” Percy said. “[The stimulus] is very important to us because [it’ll] help us dig out of this hole that’s pandemic related.” Some of Percy’s initiatives to provide long term support to the university include creating more online-only degree programs and non-credit professional programs, as well as offering more classes during the summer term. However, Percy acknowledged that these kinds of initiatives alone won’t remedy the issue. In order to fix the situation, more drastic measures will need to be taken, such as eliminating and restructuring academic programs, participating in federal and state level advocacy and committing resources to growing enrollment. In terms of having to potentially eliminate programs, Jeffords said, “These are serious matters, but these are serious times.” She continued, “We are committed to having complete transparency and engagement throughout this process, and to sharing the work as we proceed so that we can be sure everyone understands the process, the methods, and the outcomes. We will of course be guided by the faculty senate outlines and any stipulations outlined in the AAUP contract.” “The idea of perhaps eliminating academic programs or combining programs or significantly reorganizing programs is some of the toughest work in a university,” Percy said. “If it’s done poorly, or if it’s not done transparently, it can get a campus involved in unrest and unhappiness that can tear a place apart for decades. This is tough work.” “We’re dedicated to it, but we’re trying to do it in a way that is thoughtful and transparent so that when we make decisions that are tough, they’re much more likely to be accepted and appreciated by our campus community,” Percy oncluded. Towards the end of the Finance and Administration committee meeting, Reynolds presented a five-year projection for the universities financial future. When looking at the projection, committee member Wally Van Valkenburg commented, “I don’t think a scenario in which we plan to have zero reserves in five years is responsible.” Board Chair Greg Hinkley responded, “if enrollment continues to fall nationally...this is a really dangerous outlook. We need to also have some programs that are targeted at increasing revenues in the near future, because I don’t think we can react fast enough.” Van Valkenburg said he remains optimistic, especially because of the enrollment work being done by Knepfle and his team. “If you take anything away from this conversation, take [these projections] and the import of it and the comments made about it to heart, because it paints a dire picture,” Levin concluded.
NEWS
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COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD WORK TO MAKE COVID-19 VACCINES AVAILABLE MARY JOAQUIN A year into COVID-19, countries race to secure vaccines and begin inoculations to help stem the pandemic. According to NPR, a disparity exists between countries that could afford to wager on then-experimental vaccines and those that were not able to. In doing so, rich countries secured doses for even their low-risk populations, leaving poorer countries with high-risk populations still uninoculated. “Part of the reason is that rich countries are hoarding the vaccine supply," said Nicholas Lusiani, senior advisor of Oxfam America. "It's understandable, to a certain extent that you want to protect your own people. That being said, it's leaving a lot of people out.” However, the World Health Organization (WHO) had made it possible to speed up the approval processes for vaccines, allowing poorer countries to secure their own doses. On Dec. 31, 2020, WHO listed the Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech for emergency use. “This is a very positive step towards ensuring global access to COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products. “But I want to emphasize the need for an even greater global effort to achieve enough vaccine supply to meet the needs of priority populations everywhere.” Several countries have secured deals with Pfizer and procured additional doses from other manufacturers. Some have also begun their own vaccination programs while others remain waiting for approvals and further testing. According to BBC, in Europe, vaccinations have reached nearly two million people—though not without accompanying political and social issues. Though Germany has low rates of vaccine hesitancy and, according to Deutsche Welle, more than 600,000 have been given the shot, the government has been criticized for the insufficient number of doses secured. Germany is also in discussion about delaying its second dose, which Denmark and Britain have approved, while the manufacturers themselves claim the data is insufficient to back the notion. In France, not only are citizens more averse to receiving the vaccine, they have criticized the government’s slow rollout, which includes a 45-page dossier and a consultation five days prior to injection. According to France 24, health minister Olivier Véran said the process was purposely delayed to prove its benefits to the public. President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the issue in his New Year’s Eve address, saying it was to appeal to the public’s hesitancy to a vaccine, but that he would also “not allow [the] unjustified tardiness to continue.”
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INTERNATIONAL
PEOPLE WAIT AT THE ENTRANCE OF A NEW OPEN COVID-19 VACCINATION CENTER IN BERLIN, GERMANY. MICHAEL SOHN/AP PHOTO According to Oxford University’s Our World in Data tracker, France currently has over 300,000 people vaccinated, a significant improvement from its 45,000 the week before. The Swedish government also has its share of criticisms— from officials traveling for vacations to reduced public support after increased COVID-19 cases. BBC reported while most Swedes would take a shot, some skepticism could be derived from the country’s experience with the Pandemrix vaccine—which could cause narcolepsy in some recipients of the vaccine—during the swine flu outbreak in 2009 which developed the side effect narcolepsy. To the south, African countries have pooled together their vaccine supplies, according to AP News. After securing deals with various manufacturers, the continent is expecting nearly a billion vaccines. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also serving as the African Union (AU) chair, called the feat a product of “intensive engagement” from the AU’s African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team. “Given the massive global demand for vaccines and the vastly greater purchasing power of wealthier countries, we are exploring all avenues to get as many vaccine doses as soon as possible,” Ramaphosa said. Only a few Asian countries have begun distributing vaccines so far, leaving a majority still waiting for vaccines to be approved, according to CNN. In India, the government has approved two vaccines: one by Oxford University and AstraZeneca as well as locally manufactured Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research. According to The Independent, health experts in the country have expressed reservations about the approval of Covaxin. The move prompted statements from the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), an independent health network in the country.
“We ask that the regulator (to) make publicly available all the data and analyses that were the basis of these decisions, in the interest of transparency and the public’s welfare before these vaccines are rolled out,” said Malini Aisola, co-convenor of AIDAN in talks with Arab News. According to BBC, top officials from both the government and Bharat Biotech assure that Covaxin is safe and did not undergo a rushed approval. China had also approved a locally manufactured vaccine by Sinopharm, with four others pending. According to the South China Morning Post, China plans to inoculate 50 million of its population before the Lunar New Year, then proceed with a nationwide immunization program. Li Tao, deputy director of the National Healthcare Security Administration, confirmed in a press conference that the free vaccines will be paid for through the health insurance fund and the national budget. Japan, on the other hand, faces both a high vaccine hesitancy while remaining without an approved vaccine. According to the Japan Times, the setbacks in approval are due to the country’s local clinical trial requirements of which Pfizer-BioNTech’s dose is the sole vaccine going under regulatory review. The Moderna, Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccines continue to undergo trials, but while Moderna’s approval is expected around May, AstraZeneca’s timeline remains unclear. Southeast Asian countries have mostly only secured deals for vaccines, with Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna’s doses being the majority choices, according to Reuters. Singapore alone has an undergoing vaccination program with the Pfizer-BioNTech dose, according to The Straits Times. “History will not judge us kindly if we fail the low and middle-income countries in their hour of need,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, at the member states briefing on Jan 7. “We can only recover faster as a global community by sharing.”
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
POST-ELECTION FIGHTING ESCALATES IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC AINEIAS ENGSTROM
A POLLING STATION IN THE CAPITAL BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. COURTESY OF AP PHOTO
In the Central African Republic (CAR), severe fighting erupted in the aftermath of the presidential election that was held on Dec. 27, 2020. In what the government has called an “attempted coup,” a coalition of armed rebel groups launched numerous attacks, including on the capital city of Bangui. Violence continues ahead of the announcement of the official election results. On Jan. 18, 2021, CAR’s Constitutional Court is expected to rule on the validity of the election results. It could confirm incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadéra as the winner of the election. Provisional results showed him with 54% of the vote and thus avoiding a Feb. 14 run-off that would be triggered if no candidate obtained an absolute majority. The most serious challenge to Touadéra’s power seems to come from armed insurgents, not his electoral opposition. Rebel groups severely disrupted the election process in CAR, preventing citizens in 29 of the country’s 71 sub-prefectures—administrative regions similar to counties—from casting their vote, according to Al Jazeera. Mankeur Ndiaye, head of the United Nations’ mission in CAR, said there was “no doubt that all these attacks take place in a context of disruption of the elections—before, during and after the polls.” The violence primarily stemmed from an insurgent rebel coalition consisting of once rivaling groups that support former President François Bozizé, who held power in CAR between 2003–13. The 74-year-old general was barred by the Constitutional Court from running for the country’s highest office again due to an outstanding international arrest warrant for crimes against humanity and incitement of genocide. Even prior to the election, Touadéra accused Bozizé of attempting a coup and opened an official investigation into his conduct. Although Bozizé denied these accusations, the violence has escalated since the election, leading Touadéra to declare, “We are at war. The Republic is at war. Its survival is threatened.”
Abakar Sabone, a spokesperson for the rebels, countered the president. “We must protect our country, defend the interests of this country,” Sabone said according to AP News. “If it is about war, we have weapons. Touadéra has abused the confidence of the people.” According to U.N. reports, rebels attacked the cities of Damara and Bangassou on Jan. 2 and 3 respectively. Government forces defended the cities, but at least 13 people died as a result of the fighting. U.N. peacekeepers stationed in CAR announced they “intervened to protect civilians, secure the local authorities and continue the robust patrols.” On Jan. 13, government troops also thwarted an assault on the country’s capital city Bangui. According to government sources, this confrontation took the life of at least 30 rebel fighters. The U.N. also confirmed the death of a U.N. peacekeeper from Rwanda. The attack on the capital marks the high point of what Richard Moncrieff from the International Crisis Group characterized as “an ongoing coup attempt,” speaking to AP News. He suspects “that [the rebels’] intention is to cause trouble and to push the United Nations to defend Bangui, therefore leaving provincial towns vulnerable.” The current escalation is only the latest in a series of violent conflicts in CAR. In 2003, Bozizé seized power in a coup d’état and ruled for 10 years before being overthrown himself by a coalition of Muslim rebel groups. Since 2013, the country has been marred by interreligious fighting between various Muslim and Christian groups. More than 14,000 U.N. peacekeepers and hundreds of Russian troops are stationed in the country with the goal of aiding the government in stabilizing CAR. Meanwhile, the various conflicts have taken a severe toll on the civilian population. The U.N. estimates that 2.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection in CAR, which is considered to be one of the poorest countries in the world.
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
CHILEAN STUDENTS OCCUPY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, CALL FOR EDUCATION REFORM NATIONAL POLICE DETAIN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DURING A PROTEST IN FRONT OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION. ESTEBAN FELIX/AP PHOTO MARSHALL SCHEIDER Secondary students in Chile occupied the Ministry of Education on Jan. 4, a continuation of the ongoing struggle for education reform in the country. Opposing a new university entrance exam system, members of the Coordinating Assembly of Secondary Students (ACES) chained themselves to the doors of the Ministry of Education as student-led protests broke out elsewhere in Santiago. Nine people were arrested at the protests, including a news cameraman, as reported by TeleSur. Demonstrators say the new entrance exam, that was slated to begin Jan. 4, would exacerbate inequality in Chile’s already stratified education system. Some argue the country’s public school system is failing and won’t prepare students for the exam, which critics fear will funnel public school students into trade schools or bar them from university altogether. Meanwhile, wealthy students from Chile’s elite private schools would enjoy access to university education, a valuable resource in the highly stratified country. The new test was intended to replace an older entrance exam, which drew similar criticisms from student groups and public education advocates. Last Jan., students protested the exams by blocking testing sites, vandalizing classrooms and burning tests, Reuters reported. In 2018, only 30% of public school students received high enough exam scores to attend university in Chile, while 79% of private school students were granted access. Economist Richard Davies called the ensuing stratification “staggering,” in an op-ed for The Guardian. Exam scores in Chile “have become a kind of equity value,” Davies wrote. “The result is aggressive selection to weed out poor performers, rather than help them. [Santiago] is a city in which performance can be bought,” Davies added, where “educational results and incomes fall in perfect unison.” Florencia Torche, professor of sociology at Stanford University, dates the failure of Chile’s public education system to the implementation of a voucher system under the U.S.-backed military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in the 1980s. Vouchers are intended to increase
education quality while decreasing cost by encouraging competition between private and public institutions. Yet private education remains out of reach for most Chileans, according to Davies, while public subsidies given to for-profit secondary schools drain funding from the public education system, driving quality down. In recent years, advocates of public education in Chile have repeatedly criticized sitting president Sebastián Piñera’s administration. Following Piñera’s re-election in March 2018, student protests erupted in response to increased voucher-based privatization and underfunding of public education. In Nov. 2020, Piñera’s approval rating stood at just 16%, according to Reuters. Last month, Chilean polling service Criteria reported his approval rating at just 7%. A wave of protests has rocked Chile since Oct. 2019, with demands to reform public pensions, transport and healthcare systems, in addition to education. Piñera’s low approval follows from his administration’s failure to appreciate “the symbolic dimension of the conflict between citizens and the elite,” Criteria’s report indicates. Piñera, a billionaire, previously served as Chile’s president from 2010–14. During this time, the country saw ongoing mass student demonstrations, dubbed the “Chilean Winter” by some commentators. Demonstrations targeted what protesters saw as an uptick in educational inequality and the retrenchment of public school funding. Beyond specific demands for education reform, earlier protests reflected general discontent with stratification in Chilean society, BBC reported. Today, the fate of Chile’s public education system remains uncertain. Significant changes may be imminent, as the country prepares to rewrite its constitution in the wake of recent protests. Yet it is unclear if university entrance exam protocols will proceed unaltered. In November, Chileans who have been calling for Piñera’s resignation will instead elect his replacement, Piñera’s term limit having been reached.
INTERNATIONAL
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The legacy of MLK, today “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
PSU hosts first of three events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. HANNA ANDERSON On Jan. 15, Portland State hosted “The Silence of Our Friends: The Anti Racist Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.,” the first of a three-part series of events celebrating the legacy of MLK. The event invited Lasana Hotep, an antiracist educator and the first director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at UC Berkeley, to give a keynote speech, on how MLK’s legacy can help address racism now, and in the future. Through the department of Global Diversity and Inclusion (GDI), PSU has hosted a series of events to honor MLK annually, and 2021 is no different, despite making the move to a virtual space. “The annual MLK events provide an opportunity to pause, reflect and take stock of the journey to justice, equity and full citizenship; of the call to, and the joys and costs of, leadership and service; and of the power of vision, persistence, courage, community and intentionality in supporting extraordinary impact,” stated Dr. Ame Lambert, vice president for GDI, on the events’ website. Two more events are to come: “From Resilience to Black Liberation: Uprooting Systems of Inequity,” a virtual teach in, on Saturday, Jan. 23, and “In Conversation: A Conversation through Portland’s Black Life,” a Black Studies faculty panel, on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Friday’s event was hosted through Zoom for registered participants, livestreamed on YouTube, and moderated by Dr. Julius McGee, an assistant professor for Urban Studies and
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Planning and Black Studies. Before the keynote speech, the event featured performances by singing group The Brown Sisters and the Sebé Kan Youth African Dance Troupe. With additional time at the end of the event, a short Q&A session was hosted, for Hotep to answer participants’ questions. PSU President Stephen Percy gave a short welcoming speech to open Friday’s event, and those to come. “PSU is Oregon’s most diverse university, and our actions, our teaching, our research [and] our community engagement all must honor, appreciate and build upon that diversity, promoting equity and justice at Portland State,and in so many varied ways, be informed by the wisdom, the teachings and the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and all the things he has given us,” Percy said. “Anti-blackness and white supremacy are all too alive, and in all elements of our lives and our community, it’s time to eliminate that. It’s time for equity, it’s time for justice.” Hotep’s speech was introduced by Elijah Roach, a Cultural Anthropology student and ASPSU Senator. “Honoring MLK’s legacy means to lean into uncomfortability, to recognize how we are intimately connected to historical and contemporary trauma,” Roach said. “Honoring MLK’s legacy means to break the cycle to [these] old structures of thought and action based in white supremacy. In honoring the legacy of those who came before us, and MLK, we must recognize diversity in its entirety, non-fragmented.”
In his speech, Hotep focused on one quote from MLK in particular: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” With this quote, Hotep addressed and stressed the danger of benign neutrality, or those who, while they aren’t committing obvious acts of racism, aren’t acting against racism, either. “If you understand and you know that these issues are disproportionately impacting certain communities, it’s time for you to stand up,” Hotep said. “It’s time for you to embrace the legacy of Martin Luther King, because some people are making it quite clear that this silence is equally deadly.” 2021 also marks the first MLK day since the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020 and the protests for racial justice across the country that followed. According to numerous polls, the Black Lives Matter movement behind the protests is the largest in United States history. In discussing MLK’s legacy, it couldn’t go unmentioned. “It’s not what he did in his time, but us taking the time to learn the lessons from his time, reflect on his organizing skills, reflect on his courage, reflect on his ability to mobilize human beings, and put themselves at risk for a cause that they may not benefit from,” Hotep said. “We don’t have to wonder what we would have done. We have to look at what we’re doing.” Benign neutrality, according to Hotep, is most egregious when people observe MLK day and wonder what they could have done themselves during the Civil Rights movement—
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
“There is no benign neutrality. It’s either racist, or it’s anti-racist.”
ABOVE: LASANA HOTEP IN A VIRTUAL Q&A. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD BELOW: THE BROWN SISTERS SINGING “LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING.” ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD
–Lasana Hotep
without taking any action to end racism today. ”This imagination...that everybody had the same values as Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States of America, that is a falsity. That was not reality. He was despised. He was hated.” Working actively to end racism, instead—antiracism—is the only way to end racism, Hotep stressed, as well as the key to honoring, celebrating and furthering MLK’s legacy. “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable,” Hotep said. “Every step towards the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggling, and tireless exertions and passionately concerned and dedicated individuals. When you think about anti-racism, the reason why this is so complicated, is because people have made it complicated. It is not that difficult.” Towards the end of his speech, Hotep said MLK’s legacy doesn’t end with an acknowledgement of his works in the past, but instead, with what he worked for during his life. “If you want to know Dr. King’s legacy, If you want to embody what he stood for, read the words that he wrote—because Dr. King’s legacy can only live through us. Dr. King’s legacy can only live through our efforts. Dr. King’s legacy can only live through our commitments to see it through. Dr. King’s legacy only means something when we stand up to injustice collectively, and no longer are governed by these horrible rationals that provide some type of justification for the dehumanization, the exclusion and exploitation of human beings.” “There is no benign neutrality,” Hotep said. “It’s either racist, or it’s anti-racist.”
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
COVER
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THIS WEEK
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January 10
KAZAKHSTAN
Despite an election boycott by the only registered political opposition party, Kazakhstan held nationwide elections. The elections have been criticized as uncompetitive. “The campaign was not competitive, and contestants did not substantially challenge their rivals on their political platforms,” the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a statement. The only registered opposition party—the Nationwide Social Democratic Party—pulled out of the election in a form of protest against a rigged election system. According to preliminary data, the current ruling party, Nur Otan, won the election with 71.09% of the vote. In addition to being uncompetitive, the election has been criticized for in person voting in regards to freezing temperatures and the COVID-19 pandemic. 2
January 12
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
A new lockdown, announced the day before by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, went into effect in eight states and federal territories following a surge in COVID-19 cases. Opposition leaders have criticized the lockdown—which included a shut-
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INTERNATIONAL
down of the national parliament, state legislatures and a delay of elections—as being politically motivated. “Let me assure you, the civilian government will continue to function. The emergency proclaimed by the king is not a military coup and curfew will not be enforced,” Muhyiddin said. 3
January 13
SUDAN
The Sudanese government alleged that an Ethiopian military aircraft entered Sudanese airspace, adding to a recent border dispute. “In a dangerous and unjustified escalation, an Ethiopian military aircraft penetrated the SudaneseEthiopian borders,” Sudan’s foreign ministry stated, according to Al Jazeera. The Ethiopian government has denied the allegations. “The claim that our planes crossed the border is fabricated,” said Berhanu Jula, army chief of staff, according to Reuters. The border dispute in the Al-Fashaqa region erupted in violent clashes last November. 4
January 13
ITALY
Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced the resignation of two cabinet ministers and a junior minister from
his Italia Viva party which changed the majority in Italy’s coalition-run government. In order to remain in power, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is working to gain support from independent lawmakers to maintain majority power. Renzi and Conte’s disagreements came to a peak when Renzi did not approve of the way Conte planned to spend 200 billion euros of EU funds. “Opening a government crisis was an unprecedented act of irresponsibility,” said Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri, according to Reuters. 5
January 15
CORINTO, GUATEMALA
According to spokesperson Ruben Tellez, the Guatemalan military detained 600 Honduran migrants at the border crossing point. Approximately 250 people were a part of the migrant caravan when it left Honduras on Jan. 13. According to Reuters, the Red Cross estimates up to 4000 people could join the caravan. In addition, Guatemalan authorities also sent 102 migrants back to Honduras on Jan. 14. “We are leaving because we have lost everything, one because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the other because of the hurricanes Iota and Eta that have passed in November,” said a person from El Cajón, according to Deutsche Welle.
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
PARLER FACES INTERNET
EXILE FOLLOWING AMAZON DELISTING AND MAJOR HACK
SHANNON STEED
BÉLA KURZENHAUSER Conservative social media app Parler has been delisted from all major internet platforms following their role in organizing and preparing for the United States Capitol riots on January 6. Parler—a platform that has been described as a conservative-friendly alternative to Twitter and was founded on the basis of free speech—was an important tool used by rioters prior to the storming of the Capitol. Individual extremists used Parler to coordinate travel on the ground in order to avoid the police, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hatewatch blog. Parler launched in August 2018 following moderation policies instated by Facebook and Twitter that drove many alt-right extremists off their platform. The network’s history remains mysterious, but was co-founded by John Matze Jr., Jared Thomson and Breitbart investor Rebekah Mercer—daughter of Cambridge Analytica co-founder Robert Mercer. Notable Parler users include President Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, conservative pundits Laura Loomer and Milo Yiannopoulos, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the altright extremist group known as the Proud Boys. The Trump administration’s campaign also has an account on Parler. Google was the first tech giant to take action against Parler, delisting the app from the
Google Play Store on January 8 according to CNN. “We’re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the U.S.,” said Google in a press release. “In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app’s listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.” Apple followed a day later, removing the app from the App Store until they have “demonstrated [their] ability to effectively moderate and filter the dangerous and harmful content” on the app, as reported by USA Today. “We looked at the incitement to violence that was on [Parler],” added Apple CEO Tim Cook in an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace on January 17. “We don’t consider that free speech and incitement to violence have an intersection.” Amazon Web Services (AWS) additionally pulled hosting support for Parler, effectively removing the network from the internet until it finds a new hosting service. Parler, in response, issued a lawsuit against Amazon. The lawsuit asks a federal court for a temporary restraining order against Amazon, according to CNN. Parler claimed Amazon breached their contract by not providing a 30-day notice of termination, and that the withdrawal of AWS hosting violates anti-practice laws. Parler additionally lost support from its database partner Scylla Enterprise, as well as its cloud communications platform Twilio, according to Parler CEO Matze in an interview
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
with Reuters on January 13. Contracts with workplace communication service Slack and financial service American Express were also terminated. The loss of Twilio support unveiled extreme security vulnerabilities within Parler’s code, plunging the company into even deeper trouble than before. Parler was left exposed following Twilio’s departure, as online users realized that the site’s poor code and infrastructure contained no authentication, allowing users to create fake accounts and increment over data and posts on the site. Twitter user @donk_enby united with internet data hoarders to scrape the entire network’s data using a publicly-accessible Lua script that created dummy accounts en masse to slowly grab data from Parler’s database. It only took the team a few days to grab all 70 TB of the site’s data, according to cybersecurity site CyberNews. “Everything we grabbed was publicly available on the web, we just made a permanent public snapshot of it,” @donk_enby said in an interview with Vice. “only things that were available publicly via the web were archived,” @donk_enby tweeted. “i don’t have you [sic] e-mail address, phone or credit card number. unless you posted it yourself on Parler.” The release of Parler’s data to the public has gleaned a light on the site’s extreme lack of moderation and severe amount of content advocating for
violence against politicians. A data scientist who goes by the handle @anonymousdata_ revealed to CyberNews that hashtags such as #bringbackpublicexecutions and #pelosi4gallows trended in the days surrounding the Capitol riots. One of the more glaring security vulnerabilities within Parler was its failure to scrub posts and media such as videos or images of metadata—small pieces of data that accompany larger pieces of data containing information about the data itself, such as the time and date a photo was taken or the location it was taken at. By failing to scrub metadata from their posts, Parler inadvertently exposed location data for videos and images posted on the platform. Some of this location data was traced back to police stations and military bases, according to Gizmodo. The decision to delist Parler by Google, Apple and Amazon, follows recent attempts by big tech to remove alt-right extremism from their platforms. Such decisions have been met with polarizing reactions, but many argue taking accountability for online hate speech and extremism is more important than having unmoderated spaces. “I hope that [the data] can be used to hold people accountable and to prevent more death,” @ donk_enby said, according to Vice. “I think people should be allowed to have their own opinion as long as they can act civilized, on [January 6] we saw what can happen if they don’t.”
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
11
DISNEY AND PIXAR’S SOUL. COURTESY OF FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS
SOUL IS THE SIGN OF PROGRESS, BUT IT ISN’T PERFECT LUIS RAMOS Fabled animation studio Pixar’s newest adventure depicts Black culture like no other Disney film before it. Soul, raved by critics, is Pixar’s first film with a Black protagonist, and it’s been a long time coming. Black stereotypes have plagued the medium for decades, which begs the question: Has Pixar single handedly solved the problem, or is Soul yet another film that falls prey to pernicious racial tropes? We’ve come a long way since the days of Shakespeare’s Othello and The Tempest, since the times of Lope de Vega’s El Santo Negro Rosambuco, or any of those 16th-century playwrights who were writing about “exotic moors.” Cinematic storytelling has improved and become more nuanced with regards to depictions of people of color. Still, many films from the ’80s and ’90s were still reveling in these tropes, where the selfless and flawless Black character is destined to help solve the white character’s problems. The Legend of Bagger Vance, for example, portrays Will Smith as a mystical caddie who serves no purpose but to help Matt Damon’s golf game. Sadly, most of Morgan Freeman’s career has been cursed with such typecasting: The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Almighty, Shawshank Redemption— the list goes on. The problem lies in a lack of meaningful character development, and in the depiction of Black characters who magically disappear into the distance and are often not meant for us to care about. So, could the same thing be said about Soul?
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ARTS & CULTURE
The film’s protagonist, Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), is a music teacher and jazz pianist in New York who dies early in the movie after excitedly tripping and falling into a manhole. Gardner is tasked with helping a snarky, disembodied spirit named 22 (Tina Fey) find her purpose once arriving in an incorporeal realm known as the Great Before. A good portion of the movie occurs in this neon-hued netherworld, where the Black character’s ghost needs to help the white character’s ghost. It’s no secret that this veil of transfiguration is a reliable strategy of Disney’s as well, placing characters in colorful alternate realities only to give more screen time to animals and creatures than to any actual people of color. One cannot help but raise a brow at films like Coco, Princess and the Frog, The Emperor’s New Groove and The Spies In Disguise—which all have tactics to divert eyes away from skin color and towards frogs, llamas, skeletons, seagulls and ghosts. Half of Soul’s plot is centered on events occurring in a magical world rather than New York City, suggesting that Hollywood is still fettered to regressive tradition and concerned about going “full Black.” Yes, Pixar has undoubtedly put out an incredible adventure that is most certainly Black, but it is not without some myopic lapses in artistic judgment. Pixar stalwart Pete Docter headed Soul’s production, but the project also had a Black co-director, Kemp Powers. With jazz as a driving inspiration for the movie, the team brought
in Black artists and consultants to get it right, including such luminaries as Herbie Hancock and Terri Lyne Carrington. In a Variety article about the film from last year, Docter explained, “We wanted to be as correct as we could [and] as authentic as we could.” Clearly, the team didn’t want to half-ass the film—on the contrary, they wanted Soul to be a giant leap for Black culture and work to desegregate Hollywood animation. And, in a small way, Soul is indeed the sign of progress. Some believe that it has achieved all of its goals, through dispelling racial stereotypes, subverting long standing tropes and placing Black people and culture front and center. Soul, above all, is Gardner’s story and not 22’s. No selfless or flawless Black character exists, and no Mary Poppins-esque character magically floats away at the end of the movie. Gardner arrives on-screen fully-formed, with baggage and a defined arc. Both Gardner and 22 learn of themselves by way of each other. And, although there is the semblance of the magical mentor appearing out of nowhere and of people of color turning into de-anthropomorphized beings, Soul, as Jamie Foxx states in the aforementioned Variety piece, is unapologetically Black. Sure, it would have been nice if it spent less time in the Great Before and more time in a diverse urban landscape—but Soul is, nonetheless, contemporary animation’s first step towards eradicating the soulless tropes of past storytelling.
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
BEYOND HOUSELESSNESS:
P:EAR FROM THE OUTSIDE. KAT LEON/PSU VANGUARD KAT LEON According to research compiled by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Oregon had an estimated 1,590 people aged 18–24 experiencing houselessness as of January 2019. This is troubling, considering one hopes that most 18–24-year-olds are going to college or getting their first jobs and transitioning into adulthood. Instead, houseless youth are worried about surviving and having space to live. P:ear aims to tackle this issue head on. p:ear is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by three women: Beth Burns, Pippa Arend and Joy Cartier. According to Safe Space Coordinator Antonio Camacho Martinez, p:ear’s founders used to work for another organization which helped houseless youth, but recognized a need for an organization that could offer a safe space for houseless youth to discover their
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
identity. As a result, Burns, Arend and Cartier formed p:ear in the hopes of creating a space geared toward, as Camacho Martinez put it, “connecting with youth in a way that is anchored deeply in relationships.” At first, p:ear’s primary focus was education and helping youth get their GED or go to college. As time went on, the services p:ear provided grew to include art and recreation services. That is when p:ear’s name was born—p:ear is an acronym for Project: Education, Art, and Recreation. Its name alludes to the arts and recreational services p:ear provides to houseless youth, but the organization’s scope is much larger than just that. Prior to the pandemic, people could come in and access services most drop-in centers provide, such as food, water, clothing and a clean bathroom.
P:EAR CREATES A SAFE AND CREATIVE SPACE FOR PORTLAND’S HOUSELESS YOUTH Beyond that, p:ear aims to meet peoples’ individual needs and provide a place for them to learn, create, and exist. During p:ear’s intake process, the staff sit down and get to know people with the goal of creating an enduring relationship. After a relationship is formed, staff will gauge what a person’s interests are and help them explore those interests, whether they’re related to education, art, recreation or something else entirely. P:ear emphasizes the importance of education. Camacho Martinez went as far as to say he thinks “everything is a teachable moment.” P:ear also provides mentoring and life skills through the programs they provide directly, such as paid training programs where people can learn to be a coffee barista or a bike mechanic. P:ear also has outside educators come in to teach or lead workshops on a range of different topics, such as parenting classes for new or expecting parents. Art is a significant aspect of the culture of p:ear. Whether someone has never explored art or is already an avid creator, p:ear provides the tools that allow people to express themselves in any medium. The first thing one notices when stepping into p:ear are the enormous shelves of art supplies. From canvases to buckets of paint, p:ear has pretty much any foundational art supply onhand. A houseless person using p:ear’s services has access to all these supplies. They don’t need to ask or pay; they just get to create. Art can also provide a source of income for youth involved in p:ear’s services. If someone creates something they want to sell, p:ear will help facilitate that process. Before the pandemic, p:ear would open its gallery for youth to sell their artwork. The artist was typically allowed to price their art how they wanted, help set their art up in the gallery and be at the gallery opening to talk to attendees about their work. P:ear would only take a 10% commission with the goal of replenishing supplies. This process is educational, inventive and allows youth to forge an identity since, as Camacho Martinez stated, “it allows them to see themselves beyond [houselessness].” As far as recreation is concerned, p:ear promotes the outdoors as a choice and not a necessity. Instructors lead hikes and teach people how to rock-climb. Camacho Martinez discusses how p:ear also teaches youth about “the land and the history of colonization.” Camacho Martinez’s personal hope is that people can then “reflect on the spaces they are occupying, regardless of where they are and when they find themselves there.” As with most things this last year, COVID-19 had a significant impact on how p:ear serves its community. P:ear moved from normal operation to just providing essentials. It has served anywhere from 100–600 meals a day, as need from the community increased. “There was a month when we tripled the amount of food we were handing out, compared to preCOVID times,” Camacho Martinez said. Every service p:ear provides supports the self-esteem and confidence of the people it serves. The organization’s services strive to be low-barrier, meaning houseless youth can access them without feeling like they are being handled. P:ear strives to honor every young person’s agency in a world that is continuously trying to strip that from them. P:ear goes out of its way to foster an environment which helps youth find their identity beyond houselessness.
ARTS & CULTURE
13
AFTER “SNAP,”
DIVISION AND CALLS FOR UNITY DAILY BUGLE STAFF After using the Infinity Gauntlet to erase half of all life in the universe, in what some are calling the “Snap,” galactic Titan Thanos has called on his detractors to back off from “inflamed rhetoric,” calling for “unity in this troubled time.” Some critics, like the group of superhumans known as The Avengers, have criticized Mr. Thanos’ decision to kill 50% of all living things, calling it “inhumane” and “unprecedented.” Mr. Thanos gave a universally televised speech late Wednesday night where he praised his lieutenant Ebony Maw and others, saying to them, “You’re very special…we love you.” He also called for “violence on both sides” to end, noting there were “very fine people” on each side of the conflict. Mr. Thanos dismissed fears that he aims to become galactic dictator, saying to a reporter, “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Honestly, you people are fake news. I can’t believe you.” Mr. Thanos also responded to allegations that he had worked with Red Skull, former Nazi commander of the terrorist group Hydra, calling the charges “totally false” and claiming their relationship was “coincidental.” Reactions to the speech were mixed, with members of the Wakandan royal family vowing to pursue all legal means to undo Thanos’ actions. The scene was eerily quiet in Times Square immediately after the incident, largely owing to the national state of emergency declared shortly after the
Snap and the absence of half of the usual residents. Fires continued to smolder on Fifth Avenue Thursday, as a demonstrator held a sign that read, “Bring Balance to the Universe Again!” Daily Bugle reporters interviewed one man, Mr. J. Jameson. “Look, I was never a die-hard Thanos supporter. I mean, sure, I thought he had some good ideas, just like a lot of people did. Maybe he had a point with his whole ‘kill half of all life in the universe thing,’ you know? We’ve got a lot of people who don’t necessarily belong here, if you know what I’m saying,” Jameson said. “But I don’t think we need the Avengers trying to undo the Snap and hold him accountable for his actions. I consider myself a moderate on this issue, but that would just divide the universe even more, frankly.” Members of the radical group “AntiTha’’ organized a demonstration against Mr. Thanos on Thursday afternoon, demanding the immediate return of all people erased in the Snap and the removal of Thanos from power. The demonstration quickly turned violent; Counter-protesters from a pro-Thanos group—The Balancers—assaulted the demonstrators and a street brawl broke out. Police arrived shortly and fired tear gas at both groups, and the demonstrators dispersed soon after. Representatives from the group S.H.I.E.L.D. denounced the protest, calling for a more realistic goal, such as the return of 50% of one’s family members if one enrolls in a small-family exemption program, adding that AntiTha’s demands are “simply not prudent at this time.” The Avengers, previously at the frontline of anti-Thanos activism, have retreated from their role as Thanos’ main opposition in recent days. Sources close to Tony Stark cite the Avengers’ loss of political capital in the wake of the Snap, saying the group will “re-examine its biases” toward Thanos supporters and try to provide a robust anti-Thanos alternative for the next battle. The League of Super-Villainy, of which Mr.
Thanos became the leader after obtaining the Infinity Gauntlet, has experienced bouts of dissent from its rank and file. One member of the League, who recently resigned due to Mr. Thanos’ takeover of the organization, said, “I always knew it would come to this. I said that Thanos would destroy our organization, and I meant it. Can’t we go back to the days of Loki and Ultron? You might disagree with them, but at least they had style. They had respect for super-villain institutions. But this Thanos guy comes in like a wrecking ball, saying the quiet part out loud and ruining our plans for a gradual reduction of the universal population. Maybe I could get behind him if he just had a little more grace, a little more style.” The pro-Thanos news channel, Vulpine Broadcasting, has been the subject of backlash after one of its opinion hosts, Mucker Marlson, defended the Snap in one of his afternoon segments. “What the pro-Avengers media doesn’t understand is that millions of people across the country, and, in fact, across the universe, agree with what Thanos did,” Marlson said. “We’ve needed balance in the universe for quite some time now, and we should consider ourselves lucky someone finally stood up to do the job.” One of Mr. Marlson’s staff writers was recently fired after it was discovered that he had posted in numerous extremist pro-Thanos forums, calling for the balancing of the population “by any means necessary.” Mr. Thanos himself called into the popular morning show Thanos and Friends to defend his norm-breaking actions, saying, “Look, I just did what had to be done, right? Sometimes you’ve got these great big problems like overpopulation and you’ve just got to take a... really, you’ve got to do a tremendous number on those problems any way you can. That’s all I did, okay? I’m a super-villain. I do super-villain things.”
SAM GARCIA
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OPINION
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
SERIOUSLY, NICK GATLIN As the pandemic drags on, time may start to feel like it’s slowing down or speeding up. Days might begin to warp into weeks and months. And unless you’ve got something to keep yourself occupied, that spiral will likely continue to get worse until one day, you wake up and find yourself wondering what month it is. At least, that was my experience. What’s the cure for this malaise? What can we do to tether ourselves to the material plane while so much of our lives seems to exist in the same rote cycle of cancelled events, closed buildings, work, school, home and sleep? It’s simple; get a hobby. Maybe you’ve already got a hobby. Great! No, binge-watching reruns of The Office doesn’t count. I mean a hobby where you do something, where you make something tangible or meaningful to yourself, or where you do something really enjoyable and fulfilling that takes some amount of effort to do. What that hobby or activity looks like will be different for everyone. I can’t tell you what you’ll enjoy doing—you’ve got to figure that out for yourself. For example, lots of people find enjoyment in gardening. I mostly find hay fever and dirt in places where it shouldn’t be. All I can do is share my experience finding hobbies during the pandemic, and hopefully inspire you to seek one out yourself. Back in March, when things started to get real in the United States, I didn’t have much of a plan for how to occupy my time. I mostly treated it like a stay-at-home vacation, and I played lots of video games and did schoolwork when I felt like it. That was fine for the first two weeks—not so much for the next few months. I quickly became used to pandemic life, which for me meant sleeping in until noon or later, doing the bare minimum for class and melting into my chair to absentmindedly play through
my Steam library until I either had to eat or go to sleep. Not great. I knew pretty early on that I had to make a change, lest I fully succumb to the pandemic time-warp and wake up a year later with no recollection of the past 12 months. So, I picked up photography. One of my friends is an avid photographer, and we had been talking since the pandemic started about indoor photography, artsy photo techniques and other stuff of that nature. I had been scoping out the best entry-level camera I could find for a few months—the Sony A6000—and when the right time came and it went on sale for 20% off, I pulled the trigger. Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how it works, and how to take photos that actually look decent. I haven’t done a great job at it, but to be honest, taking good photos isn’t really what I’m concerned about—the fact that I’m taking photos at all is a step in the right direction. I’ve taken portraits of my cats, captured landscape shots of my neighborhood, shot dramatic action scenes with little 2-inchtall figurines and filmed stupid home videos of one of my cats trying and failing to catch a bug through the window. screened at any film festivals. They do give me something to do, however, and I get a tangible feeling of accomplishment every time I take a shot that looks, you know, good. I’ve also started to cook a lot more in the past few months. At the start of the pandemic, I was ordering takeout and eating processed food out of boxes and bags a lot more than I should have. Slowly, though, I started to cook most of my meals, just because I needed something to do. To my surprise, instead of being annoyed at all the cooking I was doing, I started to enjoy it. Even though I usually only the have the energy to cook basic food—oatmeal gang
rise up— some times I go all-out for dinner and make a three-course meal of homemade bread, pasta and chickpea stew, or braid a chocolate-cinnamon babka that takes 30 minutes to get just right. This newfound love of cooking comes through in drinks, too. Before the pandemic, I used to make all my coffee in a french press, because it was by far the easiest method. Now, I have a whole routine in the morning where I heat my kettle to 95°C, rinse my Chemex filter, grind my coffee just shy of espressofine and carefully swirl 500ml of water in a dime-sized circle through the coffee grounds. It’s more complicated than my previous routine, sure; but I have the time, don’t I? I also bought a SodaStream with an Amazon gift card I got for Christmas, and as far as impulse purchases go, I’d say it was a good choice. I make sparkling water all the time now just to watch the little CO2 jet go brrblrrrrblrr, and I actually started making my own soda syrups to pretend I was a 1920s soda jerk. I made homemade ginger ale the other day, and it was incredible. All I need now is a white coat and a little paper hat and I’m golden. (Am I an old person now?) What I’m trying to say, by way of a long exposition about my pandemic life, is this: please, for the sake of your own health, get a hobby. While nothing can make this pandemic lockdown limbo good, you can make it better. If only to have something to occupy your time other than work, school, sleep and video games, a hobby can work wonders making the 10-month pandemic slump just a little bit more bearable.
GET A HOBBY SHANNON STEED
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
OPINION
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VIRTUAL
EVENTS CALENDAR TUE JAN
19 WED JAN
20 THU JAN
21 FRI JAN
SOME KIND OF HEAVEN
Streaming via Hollywood Theatre Streaming availability is ongoing; no specific time $12 A documentary from director Lance Oppenheim about Central Florida’s The Villages, the largest retirement community in America.
VIRTUAL OMSI SCIENCE PUB: THE BALANCING ACT: PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT TO SURVIVE IN MONGOLIA
POWELL’S BOOKS PRESENTS ANDRÉ ACIMAN IN CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN BURNHAM
Portland Audubon COO and Spirit Mongolia co-founder Tumko Davaakhuu offers a live talk on the devastating impact climate change and industrialization has had on the Snake River region of Arkhangai, Mongolia. The latest installment in OMSI’s semi-regular Science Pub series.
A live conversation with Proust scholar and author of best-seller Call Me By Your Name, André Aciman.
Streaming live via OMSI’s YouTube and Facebook pages 6:30 p.m. $5
Live via Powell’s Books 5 p.m. Free; RSVP required
PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. BIDEN’S INAUGURATION, CELEBRATING AMERICA INAUGURAL SPECIAL
Streaming via CNN, MSNBC, et al. 9 a.m.; Celebrating America, 5:30 p.m. Free President-elect Joe Biden’s official swearing-in ceremony will occur at 9 a.m. PST, and is poised to air pretty much everywhere. In lieu of any traditional in-person inaugural activities is that evening’s Oscars-ish junket “Celebrating America,” which aims to specifically honor frontline workers and will feature appearances from SNL stalwarts and gnarled showbiz liberals like Tom Hanks, Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga.
THE HIVES LIVE VIRTUAL TOUR Online event Ongoing through January 30; many different times $15
One of the greatest, most kinetic and perhaps most misunderstood bands of the early ‘00s real-rock revival, Sweden’s The Hives have leapt on the virtual world tour bandwagon. Technically, there are no performances in our time zone, although every show is able to be replayed up to 24 hours after each livestream.
PHOEBE BRIDGERS LIVE PERFORMANCE AND Q&A FROM LOS ANGELES Streaming via Bandsintown Plus 6 p.m. $9.99
2020 was a lot of things, but it was also the year Phoebe Bridgers graduated from indie-dom and became a bona fide musical sensation. Bridgers will be playing songs off her latest album, last year’s Punisher, in addition to conducting a live Q&A.
ADRIANNE LENKER Streaming via Bandsintown Plus 6 p.m. $9.99
Adrianne Lenker, the solo artist and songwriter behind the band Big Thief, plays songs off her brilliant 2020 release, Songs.
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EVENTS
PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 19, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
