VOLUME 75 • ISSUE 20 • DECEMBER 1, 2020
D I A S S E N I S U B L L SMA Y R D S N U R M A R G O P. 8–9 PR
NEWS Hunger and homelessness awareness week P. 5
ARTS & CULTURE Two Portland DJs challenge music scene norms P. 12
OPINION Santa as a capitalist icon P. 15
CONTENTS
COVER BY SHANNON STEED
NEWS COVID-19 UPDATE
P. 3
PLANS FOR A MORE LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY PORTLAND
P. 4
SCEC HOLDS A DISCUSSION ON HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS
P. 5
INTERNATIONAL PROTESTS IN THAILAND TURN VIOLENT FOLLOWING PARLIAMENT DECISION PROPOSED FRENCH BILL PROVOKES CONTROVERSY OVER REPRESSION OF FREEDOMS
P. 6
PARANORMAL WILL MAKE YOU SLEEP WITH THE LIGHT ON
P. 13
P. 7
OPINION WORKING FROM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
P. 14
CHRISTMAS GARBAGE COOKIES
P. 15
JOLLY OL’ ST. NICK-EL AND DIME
P. 15
VIRTUAL EVENTS CALENDAR
P. 16
INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
P. 10
MANAGING EDITOR Nick Townsend NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Dylan Jefferies INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Karisa Yuasa SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Béla Kurzenhauser ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Morgan Troper OPINION EDITOR AJ Earl
ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Nick Gatlin
COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon
PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sam Person
CONTRIBUTORS Rhian Beam Juliana Bigelow Sofie Brandt Ida Ayu Karina Dwijayanti Melody Field Kat Leon Claire Plaster Sierra Still Meghan Utzman PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Annie Schutz
ARTS & CULTURE WE GOT NEXT CHALLENGES HOMOGENEITY IN THE PORTLAND MUSIC SCENE P. 12 P. 13
P. 8–9
EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Justin Grinnell
P. 11
BROS AND BOVINES ON THE OREGON FRONTIER
COVER WHAT’S NEXT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AS OREGON AID PROGRAM ENDS
STAFF
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY A CLOSER LOOK AT TWO COVID-19 VACCINES
DESIGNERS Farah Alkayed Sam Garcia Shannon Steed 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
A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher 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.
contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Tuesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.
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,
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.
COVID-19 UPDATE HANNA ANDERSON
TOTAL AT PSU AS OF NOV. 23: 18 CASES
12 November cases The number of cases at Portland State tripled this month, bringing the total number of cases from six in October to 18 now. Four more resident students have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in residence halls to six for the month of November. Three non-resident students and three employees have also tested positive for the virus. Out of the November cases, potential on campus exposures were identified and are being tested and quarantined.
TOTAL IN OREGON AS OF NOV. 29: 74,120 CASES, 905 DEATHS
Oregon’s two week freeze is slated to end on Dec. 3, but counties that are deemed “extreme risk” will continue to see strict restrictions. According to a chart released by Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s office, the majority of Oregon counties are considered extreme risk counties, including Multnomah County. In extreme risk counties, social gathering will continue to be restricted to six people and only two households. Outdoor dining will be allowed, but at 50% of a restaurant’s capacity, with a maximum of six people and two households per table. While grocery and retail stores are currently limited to 75% of their capacity under the freeze, after it ends, they will instead be capped at half their original capacity. Churches and religious organizations will see their restrictions loosened—they’re currently limited to 25 people indoors, but that rule will change to allow 25% of their capacity, or 100 people, whichever ends up being smaller.
TOTAL IN THE U.S. AS OF NOV. 30: 13,447,300 CASES, 266,758 DEATHS
For PSU community members and others who have visited PSU, who have been exposed to, tested positive for or diagnosed with COVID-19, PSU strongly recommends filling out the self reporting form, which can be found on the Student Health and Counseling website.
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
NEWS
3
PLANS FOR A MORE LGBTQ+FRIENDLY PORTLAND LGBTQ+ LIAISON DISCUSSES HOW PORTLAND CAN BETTER SERVE THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY PORTLAND MAYOR TED WHEELER. CRAIG MITCHELLDYER/AP PHOTO
RHIAN BEAM City council members and other employees of the city government come, go, and are succeeded by new members every few years—and while these new members would have plans for LGBTQ+ initiatives, they would be starting from scratch every time. In response, a new position was created: the LGBTQ+ analyst position, housed within the Office of Equity and Human Rights Bureau. “We realized that we needed a position that is dedicated to LGBTQ+ initiatives that wouldn’t necessarily change over four years,” said Seraphie Allen, the LGBTQ+ liaison for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office. “Then the issues would be more institutionalized than just being whatever policy priority of the day.” This is where the LGBTQ+ analyst position came into play. The city needed a city position dedicated to LGBTQ+ issues for the long term so more projects and initiatives could become a reality. “As a new city employee, I realized right off the bat that our equity 101 training didn’t have trans 101 or pronouns or any of that,” they said. “We know that equity issues are really intersectional, and the city has been continuing the lead with a race-first lens...but that with other Portland affinity groups, we noticed we were missing some identities.” The analyst position was created through the work of LGBTQ+ affinity groups, as well as the work of Wheeler himself, who wanted to make sure his office had an ‘Employer of Choice’ method, meaning when intersectional groups work with the city they feel confident in expressing their identities in the workplace. The position will work with other equity manag-
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NEWS
ers to implement LGBTQ+ related policy, advise on LGBTQ+ related training and be a standing city employee, so that they can be consulted by changing leadership. In addition to the new position, Allen shared upcoming plans for Portland to become an even more LGBTQ+ friendly city.
LGBTQ+ HOUSELESSNESS PLANS
Two years ago, in what would become a Transgender Day of Visibility event, Wheeler made a proclamation and dedicated $250,000 towards helping the houseless LGBTQ+ community. This money would come from both the county and the city contributing funding into the joint fund of the office of homelessness. Currently, the funds are now available, and how to use the funds to help the LGBTQ+ houseless community is being decided in Multnomah County. Allen said about current plans that have been implemented during the COVID-19 crisis, “What I was hearing was that queer people don’t feel safe in our traditional shelters, they need their own space so we needed to dedicate that funding....so Raven Drake, who works with Street Roots, and I had developed a friendship over time so I said, ‘Can we make one of these Covid-19 shelter spaces LGBTQ+ specific?’ So even in the emergency, [we’re] trying to create some culturally specific responses.” “That is all being currently funded by the CARES ACT given during the emergency, so we’ll have to figure out what are the next steps for these spaces.” The general consensus around LGBTQ+ houselessness in Portland is that there is no one organization that does outreach or provides resources to the LGBTQ+ houseless. It is spread out, and not intersectional.
“There’s a difference between taking government funding and having to run a program that knows how to support people versus giving funding to an organization like JOIN, an organization that isn’t LGBTQ+ specific, but that many LGBTQ+ homeless access for resources because they do such a great job at it,” Allen said. They continued to describe the need for an LGBTQ+ specific organization to do this work, as it’s important to have an organization that “looks like you and identifies like you” doing this outreach.
POLICE AND COMMUNITY PLANS
Portland’s police equity training has been lacking in inclusivity over the years. Allen acknowledged the Portland queer community’s hesitant and tense relationship with the police. “One of the hardest things being a queer person working in our office is because we oversee the [Portland] Police Bureau, anytime I have a conversation within the activist community there’s a lot of immediate distrust, which makes a lot of sense and it’s hard. but I get it,” Allen said. “I understand there’s a lot of change that needs to happen within this bureau, and I understand why people don’t trust wanting to work with them.” Allen mentioned there is a new LGBTQ+ equity curriculum being fleshed out, and that it includes gender identities, sexuality, pronoun usage and more. The curriculum is using input from Basic Rights Oregon, city affinity groups and Allen themself as Wheeler’s liaison. This is also going to be part of the LGBTQ+ analyst’s job to update and advise on the training in the future. The important part is that it is a curriculum made by and for queer people, so that officers can get a diverse understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
SCEC HOLDS A DISCUSSION ON HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS MEGHAN UTZMAN
PANELISTS TALK TERMS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO DEFINE
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
In honor and recognition of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, the Student Community Engagement Center at Portland State held an online educational panel with local educators and professional activists to address concerns of those experiencing houselessness and food insecurity last week. “Folks facing houselessness and food insecurity are not some anonymous other.” said Ari Vazquez, a graduate assistant at the Student Community Engagement Center. “They’re our peers and community members, therefore we have a responsibility to learn about these issues and be aware of the resources that exist to help,” she said during the discussion. A topic of immediate concern among the panel was the significance of consistently defining food insecurity and homelessness. “It’s really important that we use standardized measures, because these do very much impact funding and services,” said Dr. Greg Townley, research director for the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative (HRAC) at PSU. He also said that there are discrepancies among the definitions of food insecurity and homelessness that are used by researchers and educators, as well as federal, state and local employees. “Food security...means all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life,” according to the International Food Policy Research Institute. On the other hand, “A person is food insecure when they lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life. This may be due to unavailability of food and/or lack of resources to obtain food. Food insecurity can be experienced at different levels of severity,” according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In 2006, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) “introduced new language to describe ranges of severity of food insecurity.” This time choosing to define both food security and insecurity on a spectrum from “high food security, marginal food security, low food security and very low security.” Additionally, in response to a follow-up question about water security, Townley said the topic “often doesn’t get the same level of attention [as] food and housing insecurity, even though it’s critically important.”
PSU ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR GREG TOWNLEY. COURTESY OF PSU
“Unhoused people face many barriers to finding good clean water both for drinking and for hygiene reasons,” Townley said. Similar to definitions surrounding food security, the federal definitions regarding homelessness aren’t easily understood. Townley explained the definition of homelessness used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) “is most often discussed, [because it] controls a significant portion of the federal funding for homelessness, which really focuses on people who are literally homeless—people who are in shelters and emergency housing.” “It doesn’t include people who are in double upped situations, such as people who may be sleeping with a roof over their head, but it’s not a fixed or stable location,” Townley said. “So we at the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative use this expanded definition—which is the same as the [Joint Office of Homeless Services],” who “oversee the delivery of services to people experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County.” Marisa Zapata, the director of the HRAC, and her colleagues published a report last year titled “Governance, Costs, and Revenue Raising to Address and Prevent Homelessness in the Portland Tri-County Region.” Their report included a detailed description of the significant roles that regional governance, political advocacy and multi-stake holder processes play in combating homelessness in the tri-county region. With that being said, “the funding is still tied to the federal definition,” Townley said. “Federal funding is still dictated by the HUD rates and these come from the point and time count, which is a one night count of people who are sleeping unsheltered in emergency shelters or transitional housing.” “On a single night in January 2019, state and local planning agencies...reported 567,715 people were homeless,” stated a HUD press release from December in the 2019 Annual Homelessness Report to Congress—which included 37,085 veterans and 53,692 families with children. PSU’s Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative provides many direct resources in order to locate housing and free meals; as well as the availability of financial funding available to members of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, and those struggling with substance abuse due to COVID-19 or needing financial assistance.
NEWS
5
PROTESTS IN THAILAND TURN VIOLENT FOLLOWING PARLIAMENT DECISION
RIOT POLICE STAND GUARD AS A PROTESTER ATTEMPTS TO GET THROUGH BARBED WIRE. SAKCHAI LALIT/AP PHOTO
IDA AYU KARINA DWIJAYANTI Thailand’s recent parliament vote on possible reforms to the constitution resulted in major protests across the country, according to CNN. Parliament voted on seven motions that would create constitutional reform to varying degrees, including one that could potentially lead to reform of the monarchy. Only two motions passed that allowed for discussion of constitutional reform that would not affect the monarchy. These decisions led to what was considered the most violent night in five months of protests where 55 people were reportedly injured. Police used tear gas and water cannons in an attempt to disperse rallies in front of Bangkok’s parliament building on Nov. 17. Previous rallies have also included tensions between demonstrators and pro-monarchy supporters CNN reported two severely injured protesters were allegedly shot with live rounds, but police spokesman Maj. Gen. Piya Tawichai denied using live rounds or rubber bullets. “We didn’t apply measures deemed unnecessary. Measures used were matching with the protesters’ behaviors,” Tawichai said. “The Metropolitan Police Bureau would like to reiterate that there were no rubber bullets. Rubber bullets were not used during our operation last night. And live ammunitions were certainly not used during our operation.” BBC News reported after dozens were
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injured in the “violent protests,” protesters marched to the Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok and threw glass bottles over the walls of the police headquarters. As some demonstrators hurled buckets of colorful paint and sprayed graffiti on the police headquarters’ building facade, others sprayed anti-royal slogans on walls and defaced a pedestal which bore a picture of Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit. Demonstrators do not seek to abolish the monarchy, but possible reform would ensure the accountability of and limits to the king’s power. The movement continues to see huge challenges, considering the long-held taboos and prison lengths for speaking against the monarchy in the country. Thailand is known to be one of the strictest countries regarding criticizing the government. The country’s lese-majeste law, according to BBC News, forbids offense or insult towards the monarchy. Critics argue that the law is a suppression of free speech. After seizing power in a military coup in 2014, the dissolution of parliament and the entrenchment of the military’s power in the constitution prompted a youth-led organization to hold regular demonstrations against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The Guardian reported inflatable dinosaurs were held during the protests as a symbol of the Thai government. “We will talk about all the
topics that the dinosaurs don’t want to hear,” said one of the protest organizers. “We will act as a meteorite and hit the outdated ways of the older generations in this country.” Saturday’s rally by Bad Students—a group that embodies school pupils and protesters—also represented untouched aspects of the movement that are not only related to monarchy and government reforms, such as the flaws of the educational system in the country. Janjira Sombatpoonsiri, assistant professor of political science at Thammasat University, said “authoritarianism doesn’t only manifest through the manipulation of elections, it is exercised in everyday life.” Some argue that freedom of thought in the country is needed, especially when it comes to the educational system. A speaker in the rally said, “history always mentions the good side of Thailand—changing the story, framing others, admiring someone in the sky.” The country has a historic tradition where Thai people are not only taught to love and respect their king, but they should fear the consequences of their actions and words that are against him. “My father taught me that criticising our king was a sin. A taboo,” said 19-year-old law student Danai, one of the protesters demanding reform of the monarchy. “If we talk about it, we’ll have a row and it will ruin our day.”
“Once we had an argument in our car after I criticized the king. For my father the king is untouchable. I asked, why? He said that I am too young to understand. He got very angry, then he went quiet and wouldn’t speak to me.” According to BBC News, the disagreements about the role of an institution with sacrosanct status in the country happens often within different households, not just Danai’s. “In Thai society there are groups of hard-core people who are anti-royalists. Also the internet and social media keep pouring out misleading information and fake news. Young people absorb quickly without filtering,” Danai’s father, Pakorn, said. Families don’t just disagree face to face—some people express their distinctive perceptions on social media, where it could be perceived as extreme. When a university student in the northern city of Chiang Mai shared a post on Facebook last month about her father wanting to sue her because of her anti-monarchy sentiments, he responded by posting that she was no longer allowed to use his family name. At rallies, protesters held signs that mocked King Maha Vajiralongkorn recent comment about referring Thailand as “the land of compromise.” A 17-year-old protester said, “How dare he lie about that. The system is not like that at all. They don’t listen to our voices. They didn’t listen to us because it is not to their benefit.”
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
A PROTESTER HOLDS A POSTER READING "LAND OF RIGHTS FOR THE POLICE." FRANCOIS MORI/AP PHOTO
KARISA YUASA
PROPOSED FRENCH BILL PROVOKES CONTROVERSY OVER REPRESSION OF FREEDOMS PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
France’s new global security bill—passed by the National Assembly on Nov. 24—sparked nationwide protests for the controversial Act 24 that would create a new criminal offense for publishing images of police officers. If implemented, the new law would make it a crime to publish images of onduty officers “with the aim of damaging their physical or psychological integrity” and offenders could face up to one year in prison and/or a maximum of a €45,000, or $53,000, fine. According to AP News, French President Emmanuel Macron’s government stated the law is necessary “to protect police amid threats and attacks by a violent fringe.” Critics argue that the bill would only be used to suppress freedoms. “There are already laws that exist to protect civil servants, including police forces when they’re targeted, and it’s legitimate—the police do a very important job,” said Luc Bronner, the chief editor of French newspaper Le Monde. “But that’s not what this is about. It’s about limiting the capacity of citizens and along with them, journalists, to document police violence when they happen.” 133,000 people reportedly took to the streets of France—including 46,000 in Paris—on Nov. 28 after a video surfaced showing police officers beating Black music producer Michel Zeclar. The incident, which is currently under investigation, provoked more critiques on the bill due to the fact that some say it will make it more difficult for journalists to report on police brutality and racial violence. In a Facebook post, Macron denounced the actions seen in the video, stating, “France should never let hate or racism prosper.” “There were all those protests in the summer against police violence, and this law shows the government didn’t hear us... It’s the impunity,” protest participant Kenza Berkane said. “That’s what makes us so angry.” According to BBC, some protesters threw stones and fireworks at police cars while others set cars and newspaper kiosks on fire that led to arrests. Police were seen deploying teargas at protesters. “Thirty-seven police officers and gendarmes were injured during the demonstrations, according to provisional figures. I once again condemn the unacceptable violence against the security forces,” Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on Twitter. Photojournalist Ameer Alhalbi was allegedly injured by police while covering the Saturday protests in Paris, adding to critiques from journalists. In response to criticisms and protests, Prime Minister Jean Castex said that the measure would be amended as to specifically not “impede the freedom of information.” “The bill will not jeopardise in any way the rights of journalists or ordinary citizens to inform the public,” said Alice Thourot, an MP for Macron’s La République En Marche (LREM) party and the co-author of the clause, to French daily Le Figaro. Article 24 would “outlaw any calls for violence or reprisals against police officers on social media—and that only,” Thourot said. Even with clarifications and possible changes, some critics contend that it is not enough. “If people cannot film anything in the streets when the police may sometimes have an illegal use of force it’s a very worrying message to send,” said Cecile Coudriou, president of Amnesty International France, according to CNN. “On one hand, citizens are asked to accept the possibility of being filmed under the pretext that they have nothing to fear if they have done nothing wrong. And at the same time the police refuse to be filmed, which is a right in every democracy in the world.” According to AP News, Emmanuel Poupard, secretary general of the National Journalists Union, argued the bill “has only one goal: to boost the sense of impunity of law enforcement officers and make invisible police brutality.” The UN Human Rights Council stated the proposed bill “could discourage, even punish those who could supply elements of potential human rights violations by law enforcement, and provide a sort of immunity.” The group, Stop Loi Sécurité Globale or Stop Global Security Law, is “composed of journalists’ unions, human rights NGOs and other groups,” according to CNN. The group is pushing for the removal of articles 21 and 22 of the bill, which “organize mass surveillance,” in addition to article 24. They also are speaking against the “New National Policing Scheme,” announced in September by Minister of Interior Gerald Darmanin, that would require journalists to disperse when ordered to by the police which could inhibit their ability to cover the aftermath of protests. “We are not here to defend a privilege of our profession, press freedom and journalists’ freedom,” Edwy Plenel, co-founder of Mediapart, said. “We are here to defend fundamental rights, the rights of all people.” Other critics of the law worry that the new bill is just another step toward more repressive tactics such as Macron’s plan to crack down on radical Islam. “An authoritarian regime is installing itself,” said Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing France Unbowed party, before Parliament. “The first liberty the citizen should benefit from is the control of those who exercise authority.”
INTERNATIONAL
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
MEGHAN UTZMAN The Paycheck Protection Program helped save local businesses in the spring and summer. This fall, as COVID-19 cases surge, the small business aid-program has dried up. Many companies continue to struggle running their businesses with normalcy since the ramifications of quarantine—especially small businesses and those owned and operated by families. The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was designed with the intention to provide employee payroll and rent relief to companies during the COVID-19 crisis. However, questions regarding future availability of funds leave many small businesses still needing help from the federal government. The Fakih family has been in the doughnut business for over 30 years. Since immigrating from Lebanon and starting out with a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise in California, they established Sesame Donuts in 1999 and currently operate six locations around Portland, Beaverton and Tigard. “The support we’ve received so far from the [PPP] loan has definitely been helpful and appreciated, but it would be nice to see that support open up again,” said Yussef Fakih, owner and manager of Sesame Donuts’ downtown location near the Portland State campus. The PPP describes itself as “a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll.”
Loans received through the PPP have an interest rate of 1%. Additionally, Loan Details states “loans issued prior to June 5 have a maturity of 2 years, [and] loans issued after June 5 have a maturity of 5 years.” Applications for the PPP opened up in March around the time Oregon Governor Kate Brown “declared an emergency due to the public health threat posed by [COVID-19],” according to her executive order. However, the loan program was closed in August, leaving many businesses without essential financial resources for over three months now. Yussef had to close the doughnut shop’s downtown location during the end of March due to the low foot traffic of students and people working from home. However, with the support from the PPP loan, his and his family’s shops have been able to reopen safely as they look forward to seeing Portland and all other businesses come back from the effects of quarantine. According to the SBA’s website for the PPP, “current law dictates that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) closed at the end of August 8, 2020. As such, SBA is no longer accepting PPP applications from participating lenders.” While companies small and large look forward to the SBA reopening their PPP loan, borrowers who have taken advantage of the program are eligible to apply for loan forgiveness if they meet the following criteria:
1. If the funds were used for eligible payroll costs, payments on business mortgage interest payments, rent, or utilities during either the 8—or 24—week period after disbursement. 2. A borrower can apply for forgiveness once it has used all loan proceeds for which the borrower is requesting forgiveness. 3. Borrowers can apply for forgiveness any time up to the maturity date of the loan. “If borrowers do not apply for forgiveness within 10 months after the last day of the covered period, then PPP loan payments are no longer deferred and borrowers will begin making loan payments to their PPP lender,” the program states. However, given that the first round of PPP application opened in March, companies are available to apply for deferment and loan forgiveness between January–June 2021. Meanwhile, as Oregonians look toward the end of Brown’s statewide two-week freeze on December 2, the External Relations Division of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported “a record number of new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Oregon,” last week. However, Brown’s website states “the OHA will reexamine county data to determine which counties qualify for each risk level on December 3, following the end of the 2-Week Freeze. In each subsequent two-week period, the OHA will examine and publish county data weekly, but county risk levels will not change until the end of the second week. More detailed information will be posted before December 3.”
SESAME DONUTS. SOFIE BRANDT/PSU VANGUARD
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COVER
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
COVER
9
THIS WEEK
around the
WORLD
Nov. 23–27
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November 23,
WARSAW, POLAND
Police clashed with protesters outside of the Education Ministry during a women-led protest focusing on reproductive rights and education reform. A large poster was unveiled outside of the ministry building reading: “Free Abortion, Free Education” as reported by Reuters. Protests began in Poland in October when a court decision almost created a near total ban on abortions. Several people were detained—including a photojournalist—for assault of a police officer. On Nov. 28, police blocked another protest in Warsaw, resulting in the backup of traffic and the shouting of “we are sorry for the inconvenience, we have a government to overthrow” by protesters, as reported by AP News. 2
November 25
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
The government declared three days of national mourning following the death of soccer star Diego Maradona, according to The New York Times. According to his spokesperson, Sebastián Sanchi, Maradona died from a
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heart attack at the age of 60 just weeks after undergoing brain surgery. Thousands of fans gathered outside the presidential palace for a chance to pay their final respects. BBC News reported some clashes broke out when some fans were unable to enter the palace. “Thanks for having existed, Diego. We will miss you for life,” Argentinian President Alberto Fernández, wrote in a tweet. 3
November 26
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Following the release of a report that showed Australian troops were responsible for the unlawful murders of Afghan civilians, the military has started the process of dismissing 13 troops. The report found that in 2009–13, 25 special forces soldiers took part in the 39 killings during 23 separate incidents. “These findings allege the most serious breaches of military conduct and professional values,” said General Angus Campbell, chief of the Defence Force, as reported by Al Jazeera. “The unlawful killing of civilians and prisoners is never acceptable.” In addition to the 13 soldiers that
received notices, 19 current and former soldiers are facing criminal charges. 4
November 26
BURKINA FASO
Incumbent President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was announced as the preliminary winner of Burkina Faso’s presidential election after receiving 57.87% of the first round votes. “I will deploy all my efforts so that through continuous consultation, through dialogue … we can work together for peace and development,” Kaboré said, according to Al Jazeera. The election took place amid threats from jihadists. According to BBC, campaigning was forced to stop for 48 hours the week prior to the election due to a “deadly ambush on soldiers.” No votes were expected from approx. 20% of the country due to it being out of government control. “One-fifth of the country is not going to be able to vote, so on one side they will continue to feel alienated from the mainstream government,” said Chukwuemeka Eze, executive director of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding. “On the other side is the perception of the extremists that they have
actually succeeded because if [citizens] are not able to vote, it means they are winning the war because the state machinery is not well to allow the citizens to vote, which is what actually [fighters] have been aiming at.” 5
November 27
NEW DELHI, INDIA
Thousands of farmworkers entered the country’s capital to protest new laws that would make it easier for farmers to sell products to and enter into contracts with buyers and companies. Protestors faced teargas, water cannons and baton charges from police who tried to stop them from entering the city earlier in the day, according to AP News. Proponents of the bill believe it will help farmers gain the freedom to market their produce and boost production through private investment— however, critics argue it could lead towards easier exploitation by the private sector. “Our slogan was, ‘Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer,’ but today PM Modi’s arrogance made the soldier stand against the farmer,” said Opposition Party Leader, Rahul Gandhi, as reported by Reuters. “This is very dangerous.”
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
A CLOSER LOOK AT TWO COVID-19 VACCINES BÉLA KURZENHAUSER Amid the ever-increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the United States throughout the month of November, two new, effective vaccines have sparked hope into a pandemic that previously seemed like it would never end. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies Pfizer and Moderna have both announced promising success with their preliminary phase three vaccines. Both vaccines pose unique challenges and benefits over the other, including effectiveness, long-term scalability and distribution and financial cost to world governments. The first of the two vaccines is the BNT162b2 vaccine developed by German biotech company BioNTech and tested by NYC-based pharmaceutical titan Pfizer Inc. BioNTech and Pfizer have been dedicated to developing a vaccine for COVID-19 since the early months of the pandemic. Pfizer was offered joint funding by the U.S. Government’s Operation Warp Speed program—a partnership between the HHS and DOD whose aim is to accelerate the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines—however, it chose to decline in favor of self-funding. “The reason why I [declined funding] was because I wanted to liberate our scientists from any bureaucracy that comes with having to give reports and agree with how we are going to spend the money in parallel or together,” said Dr. Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer in an interview with Axios. Current Phase three trials of BNT162b2 show an efficacy rate of above 90%. Pfizer has chosen not to release a specific percentage for the rate because “the number could change,” according to Bourla. Even so, an efficacy rate of 90% goes far beyond previous expectations. “This is a really spectacular number,” said Yale immunologist Akiko Iwasaki in a New York Times report on Nov. 9. I wasn’t expecting it to be this high, I was preparing myself for something like 55%.” The high efficacy also means that Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine passes the minimum 50% efficacy threshold required to be FDA-certified. On the scientific side, BNT162b2 is an mRNA vaccine. At a basic abstract level, an mRNA vaccine functions by having encoded messenger RNA sealed in an oil bubble latch onto the spike proteins of the virus, which causes the immune system to “fight back” against the virus. mRNA vaccines are still relatively new to the field of immunology, so it’s possible that these new vaccines could result in using mRNA vaccines to treat future diseases and pathogens. Bourla said that he hopes to have 50 million doses out by the end of 2020. “I believe [we can distribute] immediately because we already have a few million [vaccines] produced and we hope that we will be able to make sure that all these batches are cleared by the FDA,” said Bourla when asked by Axios how soon Pfizer could distribute the vaccines after obtaining emergency use authorization from the FDA. The U.S. government
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
announced plans in July to pay $2 billion to acquire 100 million doses, enough to inoculate 50 million people, from Pfizer and BioNTech once the supply of the vaccine is sufficient. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company Moderna has also announced successful results from their preliminary phase three trials. Their vaccine, mRNA-1273, has shown a promising efficacy rate of 94.5% drawn from a trial with 30,000 participants. Moderna’s vaccine is also mRNAbased, as the company’s focus since their inception has been in mRNA technology and immunology. mRNA-1273 also requires two doses, similar to BNT162b2. Even among the five vaccinated patients in which the vaccine was not successful, Moderna reported none of the patients developed severe or threatening symptoms, according to a Nov. 16 report from CNN. Side effects of the vaccine remain minor, with trial participants reporting body aches and headaches, both of which are typical side effects of vaccines. Moderna’s trials are not set to conclude until the end of 2022, so there remain many unknowns in how effective the vaccine will be in the long term. The company has not stated whether the vaccine will require boosters or how it performs in individual demographics. The vaccine trials did not include participants under the age of 18, so it is unclear how the vaccine will perform in teenagers and children under the age of 12. Moderna announced on Nov. 21 it will charge between $25– 37 per dose of mRNA-1273, as reported by The Guardian. The cost per dose will depend on how many doses governments intend to order. Despite this, Moderna’s vaccine has considerable logistical advantages over Pfizer and BioNTech’s. The Moderna vaccine can be stored at 36–46 degrees Fahrenheit for up to a month, which means that families and medical facilities can easily store the vaccine, as reported by CNBC. Pfizer’s vaccine requires a storage temperature of negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit, which most medical facilities are incapable of storing at. This poses a unique challenge in distributing the vaccine. Regardless of which vaccine is chosen and distributed by governments, the HHS has made it clear that they intend for COVID-19 vaccinations to be free. It is possible that healthcare providers will be charged for vaccinations, and potential small fees might be shifted onto patients, but these will be small fees, according to MSN. The Oregon Health Authority announced in October that healthcare workers, medical practitioners and long-term care residents will have first access to any vaccine, followed by marginalized and at-risk populations. “It was a great relief...but I was nervous,” Bourla said to Axios. “If we’re not successful, the world is losing hope.”
SAM GARCIA
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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WE GOT NEXT CHALLENGES HOMOGENEITY IN THE PORTLAND MUSIC SCENE
DJS BLACK DARIA AND SHI SHI. COURTESY OF WE GOT NEXT
JULIANA BIGELOW Over the summer, a free six-week-long DJ workshop guided participants into a world of music that isn’t always inviting. We Got Next— headed by organizers and DJs Jené Etheridge and Shira Dennis—is a valuable platform which aims to challenge Portland’s otherwise relatively homogeneous music scene, Etheridge and Dennis have an active history in the Portland music scene. They began hosting a radio show on XRAY.FM almost four years ago. That show, Everyday Mixtapes, gained traction and landed them DJ gigs around town. A few years later, the duo—now both established DJs in the area who perform under the names DJ Black Daria (Etheridge) and DJ Shi Shi (Dennis)—noticed that women, femmes, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people were asking them for DJ tips. After initial meetings, Etheridge and Dennis applied and received a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) and planned a weekend event that included a hands-on workshop. However, when COVID-19 struck the United States in March, Dennis and Etheridge, with support from RACC, turned the canceled event into the six-week digital workshop instead.
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Etheridge and Dennis feel like their platform is critical for promoting diversity within the local music scene. They’re not alone in this feeling; Women, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people do not take up the same amount of space in the music industry as white men. In 2019, the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative concluded only 2.6% of popular music producers and 22.4% of artists in the industry were women. The study also found that out of 871 producers, only four were women of color. Those numbers suggest building community in these spaces is imperative. Dennis said it was pivotal for her and Etheridge to have each other when they were learning. “I found it really helpful to have Jené to talk to if there was a mixer at a gig I’d never seen before,” she said. Both Ethridge and Dennis spoke about situations where they felt undermined when working. Dennis recalled a situation where she was playing a gig and refused a drink offer because she was working, which resulted in her being reprimanded by an industry colleague a few weeks later. Etheridge men-
tioned how an intoxicated man tried to get behind her controller and began physically intimidating her before his friend pulled him away. “Creating a space like We Got Next, for not only learning but preparing for situations like that, was very important,” Etheridge said. “We covered that in the workshop, and it was nice having DJs who were more experienced than us, and who were Black women, addressing situations like that.” Beyond creating community, the workshops were able to reach a broad audience due to their virtual nature. Not all participants were from Portland, and they were able to have instructors from Philadelphia and Oakland share their experiences. Dennis also theorizes that the virtual space may have allowed people to feel more comfortable with beginning to learn the craft, as students didn’t have to worry about the tactile aspect of navigating DJ equipment or having their presence emphasized in a physical space. Since the program ended in September, Etheridge and Dennis have already observed positive effects. “A handful of people in
Portland who have taken the class told clubs they completed the program and they got a gig,” Dennis said, excited. The program’s future goals include expanding through networking, collaboration and branching out to other areas of the U.S. Dennis said she’d love to turn We Got Next into an agency of sorts, helping participants find gigs and collaborative opportunities. She also wants booking agents in Portland to know that participants of the program “will come with either a mixer or a controller,” and that clubs “will not have to worry about [the DJ], because they have a network, the education and an understanding.” To aspiring DJs in the community, Etheridge recommends setting time aside every week to start learning. “If you don’t know anything, then start looking up YouTube videos of how to be DJ, and build that into your routine two days a week,” she said. Dennis followed up by saying that crafting playlists, sending them to a friend, and getting feedback is a great way to build track sequencing skills. And, maybe more importantly, both recommended finding a buddy to learn with.
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
PARANORMAL
WILL MAKE YOU SLEEP WITH THE LIGHT ON
KAT LEON
PARANORMAL POSTER. COURTESY OF MAMASGEEKY
FIRST COW POSTER. COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
With COVID-19 forcing Americans to stay at home for the majority of 2020, Netflix and other streaming services have been a lifeline during this dumpster fire of a year. Netflix, in particular, did not disappoint with its new horror releases this Halloween season. While many people are obsessed with The Haunting of Bly Manor, I’ve been catching up on the slightly less mainstream horror show, Paranormal. Paranormal is based on the popular Ma Wara’ al-Tabi’a book series by the late Egyptian author Ahmed Khaled Tawfik. It’s the first Egyptian show produced by Netflix and only the third Netflix-produced show from the Middle East. Tawfik is widely considered the first Arabic horror writer, and his Egyptian fans affectionately refer to him as their godfather. Somewhat unusually for a foreign live-action series, Paranormal features an English dub rather than just subtitles. It takes a moment to get used to the actors’ mouths not quite lining up with their words. That’s ultimately a barrier worth getting past, though—Paranormal is an amazing and terrifying series. Over the course of his career, Tawfik wrote over 500 books, all while working as a tenured professor. Paranormal’s main character, Dr. Reffat Ismail, is also a professor, making it easy to draw parallels between Ismail and Tawfik himself. In the show, Ismail’s musings are often self-deprecating, and the character has an overall apathy for life. In one scene, Tawfik narrates his thoughts: “I don’t know what is more pathetic: a mouse stuck in a maze, those miserable students or me.” This excerpt is emblematic of the series’ unique tone— dry comedy balancing out more conventional horror. Tawfik charted a new path as the first horror writer in the Arab world. It took several attempts to get his books pub-
FIRST COW IS AN ILLUSTRIOUS PORTRAIT OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
BROS AND BOVINES ON THE OREGON FRONTIER BÉLA KURZENHAUSER 1820, The Oregon Territory. Two men, Cookie (John Magaro) and KingLu (Orion Lee)—who are struggling to survive in the burgeoning world of the Pacific Northwest—build a business off of fried buttermilk biscuits made with the stolen milk of a English landowner (Toby Jones). Each night, they swiftly and silently sneak onto his settlement to milk his cow, which is the first in the territory. Such is the premise of writer-director Kelly Reichardt’s newest film First Cow, a gentle, minimalist tale of triumph and serenity based on Jonathan Raymond’s 2004 novel, The Half-Life. First Cow is the fifth of Reichardt’s eight features to be set in Oregon, following her indie dramas, Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff and Night Moves. Her last film, 2016’s Certain Women, spirited viewers away to a trio of stories set in Livingston, Montana. First Cow is not just a return to Reichardt’s classic style of Oregon filmmaking, but also her first film since 2006’s
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
lished, as Egyptian publishers did not believe that an Egyptian audience would be interested in reading books in the genre. However, Tawfik thought that Egypt’s youth would be interested in his books—and this was the audience for whom he was writing. According to Tawfik, “older readers tend to prefer facts or truths rather than imagination, because this is part of the Arab culture.” Paranormal captures this aspect of Arab culture. For example, Ismail has been haunted by a ghost for 30 years, but refuses to accept the existence of the paranormal. He convinces himself that all supernatural sightings have logical explanations or are just his imagination. “Why pretend there is a spirit moving the curtains when we know it is just the wind?” he wonders. When a friend of Ismail’s young son starts seeing the ghost that has haunted Ismail for 30 years, he attempts to convince the young boy that it is just his imagination, but the young boy can’t deny the entity’s existence. This could be interpreted as symbolism for Tawfik’s career as a horror writer: while there might not be a huge appetite for horror novels among Egyptian adults, young readers embraced Tawfik’s books with open arms, devouring the terrifying worlds and yarns he crafted. One of Paranormal’s more unsettling aspects is the idea that even when you’re staring it in the face, the supernatural must adhere to some logical, alternative explanation. While Paranormal is terrifying in many respects, it’s subtler elements tend to linger. Paranormal looks to introduce an entirely new generation of horror buffs to Tawfik’s disturbing and enduring vision. Just remember to sleep with the lights on.
Old Joy to heavily involve themes of male friendship and bonding. The story of Cookie and Lu is simultaneously triumphant and elegiac, reminiscent of a campfire story on the side of the river banks of Oregon. Reichardt’s style specializes in a specific kind of minimalist and humanist filmmaking, and it’s more present than ever in First Cow. Everyday objects and industrial minutiae of past and present are photographed and presented with an aesthetic that feels simultaneously naturalistic and nostalgic—producing feelings of memory for an era two centuries past. Plucky guitars and banjos drift across a frontier otherwise drowned out by sounds of flowing rivers, waterfalls and the inand-out machinations of the territory’s inhabitants. All forms of life pass through the flora of Oregon, adorned with dew and saturated by deep shades of chlorophyll. Every composition is delicate and each piece of the artistic whole crafted with an individual sense of gentleness. Even in its most tenuous and fragile moments, First Cow never feels like it loses its sincerity. Moments of genuity
are tinged with a sense of textural memory; every element of the natural world is lovingly committed to digital, cementing and defining each scene and moment with a sense of permanence in a world that feels so ephemeral. The dreariness of the Pacific Northwest is juxtaposed with the small victories of life on the frontier—a successful heist, a pan of delicious biscuits and a roasted squirrel after weeks of foraged mushrooms and empty stomachs all illustrate scarce moments of respite and serenity. Amidst the deluge of struggle, a bright, unfettered light shines on Cookie and Lu. The titular cow represents not just a fountain of fortune for the scruffy duo, but a beacon in the dark—a savior to guide the two towards a better life. While the rich landowners of the frontier debate over the viability of the fashion industry in France, a region so alien to 19th-century Oregon, the diasporic settlers of this new land are forced to stay afloat, struggling to find meaning, purpose and possibility. “It’s the getting started that’s the puzzle,” Lu says. “No way for a poor man to start.”
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WORKING FROM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS AJ EARL It used to be the majority of work done during the holidays was in fields that don’t get time off. From emergency medical technicians to truck drivers, the undergird of our economy has always been tilted toward running on a barebone-staffing level when it comes time for holly jollies. Now that COVID-19 has swept in like an unwanted Christmas sweater, the number of jobs that are work-from-home has increased the likelihood of people working when once they would have time off. Seemingly the only people without work this holiday season are those who have seen their jobs evaporate during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the number of people working from home is now up to one out of every five workers. Where the office was once a clearly
demarcated zone of work, there is now a new workplace for Americans: the home. While this can open work opportunities for many, it hastens the rush toward a 52-week-a-year schedule for many workers. What was once an incentive is now a perverse silver lining within the realm of pro-employer propaganda. In other words, if you are lucky enough to have a job, you are probably unlucky enough to have to work during this period. While we will hear an incessant drumbeat of allowing people to be with their families this holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, it is not COVID-19 that is taking people away from their families; it’s work. Nothing could be more conducive to family time than giving workers paid time off during this period.
However, with 25% of workers not getting the benefit of paid time off and the proliferation of so-called blackout days—those when paid time off cannot be taken—it’s increasingly unlikely that any worker will have the freedom to see their family without giving some kind of concessions to their employers. A Christmas Carol was once a parable of greed and the dehumanization of one’s employees during the holidays but now, deliberately, employers have come to see Ebenezer Scrooge as someone to look up to—without the moral turn at the end of the day. If COVID-19 deniers truly thought it was right and just for people to go and see their families during the holidays, they would not be so eager to turn workers over to a peonage that ends
their ability to see family without incurring a hefty financial punishment. Americans should be able to go see their family this year, they say, without asking if these workers actually can. If a worker balks at this proposition, pointing to Black Friday work or limits on their paid time off, these same, mostly conservative, deniers will call work a privilege. Santa cannot win here. Going forward, it is unlikely that employers will cede any ground back to workers struck by COVID-19. New job openings at lower rates and with fewer benefits, like paid time off, will almost guarantee that Americans will continue to lose time with their families during the holidays. Perhaps this truly is the last time most will be able to see their family during the holidays, pandemic or no.
SAM GARCIA
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PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
JOLLY OL’ SAINT NICK-EL AND DIME
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SANTA AS A CAPITALIST ICON
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GARBAGE COOKIES m
AJ EARL
Ingredients
Cookies • 3 cups flour • 1 teaspoon each baking soda, baking powder • 1 cup of sugar • 1 cup of butter • 1 large egg • 1 teaspoon of either orange, vanilla, or other fruit flavor extract Mix together the dry ingredients, beat or melt the butter, then carefully add the dry ingredients to the butter and extract until about one cup remains. Then, add in one cup of “garbage” consisting of assorted candies, nuts or fruits of your choosing. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until all are incorporated into a dough of wet, sandy texture. Roll out the dough and chill it for a few hours in the fridge. Remove, cut into shapes, then let set while the oven heats to 375°F. Bake for 8-ish minutes until they’re golden brown and with little evidence of darkening on the edges. You can use a dense gluten alternative for the flour and vegan egg substitute, pre-beaten to a fluffy, airy consistency along with a vegan margarine substitute to make these cookies vegan and gluten-free.
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The tradition of Santa Claus has been cherished in the U.S. since the late 18th century. In American culture, Santa Claus is known to bring good children gifts on Christmas night. There are songs, movies, radio and television specials that celebrate the story of Santa Claus. Most of all, people celebrate Santa Claus because of the gifts he brings us. Santa Claus brings in an innumerable amount of dollars to businesses across the U.S. every year. Take for example, the Coca Cola company, which is one of the first businesses to use Santa Claus in their marketing during the holiday season starting in the 1920s. The company has shaped the way Americans view Santa Claus in significant ways, down to the color of the attire he wears. Coca Cola was the first to use Santa Claus to push sales during the holiday season. Several companies followed in Coca Cola’s path. It has become tradition for many to enjoy Coca Cola with their dinner on Christmas, to watch a movie at Regal Cinemas or to buy a car during the “Happy Honda Days.” Santa Claus has created an expectation for people to buy extra gifts during the holiday season. It’s not all good, though. Santa Claus is a nightmare for practically any parent who is not in the wealthy class. The message that pop culture tells children is that if you’re a good kid, Santa will bring you presents, and not just something small. Recall “Santa Baby,” famously performed by Eartha Kitt. Throughout the entire song, she lists
expensive gifts that she wants from Santa. Eartha is clearly only interested in Santa Claus as a lover because he is wealthy. This song has negative implications because it sets the expectation for children that Santa can provide expensive gifts. Instead of teaching children to be good or else Santa won’t get you Christmas presents, children should be taught to be good as a moral lesson—especially considering the fact that many parents cannot afford to keep up the lie. Santa Claus doesn’t exist forever for anyone, so why teach your children about Santa Claus, anyway? In fact, technology has made it easier and easier for children to figure out that he’s not real. Using Santa Claus’ favor as a threat is a lazy and irresponsible way to teach morality because it enables kids to think that they should be rewarded for good behavior all the time. This plays a role in consumerism because if you teach your kids this concept, it is a very expensive way to teach them about morality. It implies children who receive less presents or less expensive presents are therefore not as good of people. It’s difficult enough to expect children to conceptualize a class divide between their gifts, but on top of that, wealthier kids think because they got a better gift, the impoverished kids are also worse people. The image we know of Santa in American culture has been so deeply associated with capitalism that there is simply no way to go back to the Santa Claus we knew in the 18th century. Perhaps we should move away from the Santa Claus tradition and teach our children about morality in a more perceptible way—one that is not based on a classist lie.
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
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SAM GARCIA
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SHANNON STEED
OPINION
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VIRTUAL
EVENTS CALENDAR TUE DEC
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AMAZON MUSIC ZOOLIGHTS DRIVE Oregon Zoo HOLIDAY PLAYS: MILEY 5 p.m. PST $40–65 CYRUS Ongoing through January 10, 2021 Ace Hotel, Los Angeles; streamable via Amazon 4:55 p.m. PST Free
Watch Miley Cyrus, the most indomitable pop star of her generation, offer an intimate holiday performance from the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, featuring “Old Town Road” star and professional social media personality Lil Nas X as the master of ceremonies.
This year, the Oregon Zoo’s ZooLights event— a longstanding Portland holiday tradition— is being revamped as a drive-through to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions. Tickets can be reserved seven days in advance, and vary in price according to date.
VIRTUAL OMSI SCIENCE PUB: THE 22ND CENTURY SURVIVAL PROJECT OMSI 6:30 p.m. PST $5 suggested donation Geographer Jamon Van Den Hoek and complexity scientist James Watson deliver a virtual lecture on the challenges humanity faces heading into the 22nd century (which, terrifyingly, isn’t that far off). OMSI emphasizes that “no scientific background” is required to enjoy the event—“just bring your curiosity, sense of humor and appetite for knowledge.”
THU
THE HOLD STEADY: MASSIVE NIGHTS
DEC
One of the last great American rock ’n roll bands and Bruce Springsteen fetishists The Hold Steady return to the Brooklyn Bowl in New York for a virtual continuation of their annual, multi-night, sweat-soaked, holiday hullabaloo. Each night’s show features different sets, and attendees have the option of purchasing a single $15 ticket or a $40 pass good for all three performances.
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Brooklyn Bowl 6 p.m. PST $15–40 Ongoing through December 5
DOLLY PARTON & FRIENDS HOLIDAY SPECIAL Streamable via Pandora Live 6 p.m. PST Free
It was recently revealed that Dolly Parton was a major funder of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which practically makes her a saint. Tonight’s free livestream features performances from Parton and friends—Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Carly Pearce and Brett Eldredge—in addition to a virtual photo booth, whatever that means.
CROCK OF GOLD: A FEW ROUNDS WITH SHANE MACGOWAN Hollywood Theatre 12 midnight PST $12
A new documentary on Shane MacGowan, the iconic and notoriously rowdy frontman of the Pogues who synthesized punk fervor with traditional Irish music. Crock of Gold promises previously unseen archival footage and new animation from illustrator Ralph Steadman.
OSO OSO LPR.TV 6 p.m. PST $12
One of the best new “emo” bands, Long Beach, New York’s Oso Oso smartly takes inspiration from early ‘00s indie rock forebears like Grandaddy and the Shins, in addition to that band you heard overhead at Hot Topic in 2009. Their most recent album, 2019’s Basking in the Glow, is one of the best and most tightly-assembled punk records in recent memory, and it remains a favorite of both mine and my dog’s.
PSU Vanguard • DECEMBER 1, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
