VOLUME 75 • ISSUE 24 • FEBRUARY 2, 2020
INSTRUCTION
NEWS The state of state Republicans P. 5
ARTS & CULTURE Movie Madness adapts to pandemic life P. 12
OPINION Game Stocks P. 15
CONTENTS
COVER BY SAM GARCIA
NEWS HILL TO HALL
P. 3
HOW PORTLAND’S BLACK HISTORY IS MADE
P. 4
THE STATE OF STATE REPUBLICANS
P. 5
INTERNATIONAL A DECADE AFTER ARAB SPRING, PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT IN TUNISIA
P. 6
TENS OF THOUSANDS IN RUSSIA CALL FOR RELEASE OF OPPOSITION LEADER
P. 7
COVER IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION WILL RESUME THIS FALL
P. 8–9
INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
P. 10
STAFF
EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Justin Grinnell MANAGING EDITOR Nick Townsend NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Dylan Jefferies INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Karisa Yuasa
ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon CONTRIBUTORS Conor Carroll Mary Joaquin Analisa Landeros Claire Plaster Mackenzie Streissguth Sierra Still
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Béla Kurzenhauser
PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Annie Schutz
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Morgan Troper
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Olivia Lee
OPINION EDITOR Nick Gatlin
PRODUC TION & DE SIGN
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sam Person DESIGNERS Farah Alkayed Sam Garcia Shannon Steed T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow Kahela Fickle George Olson A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY BIDEN’S SUPERSTAR SCIENCE TEAM
P. 11
ARTS & CULTURE A STEP BEYOND STREAMING
P. 12
REMEMBERING SOPHIE THE POP GENIUS
P. 13
OPINION BIDEN SHOULD ROLL BACK TRUMP’S INHUMANE IMMIGRATION POLICY
P. 14
ROBBING THE WALL STREET THUNDERDOME
P. 15
VIRTUAL EVENTS CALENDAR
P. 16
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. 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 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 28– FEBRUARY 1 HANNA ANDERSON
JANUARY 28: FORMER PORTLAND MAYOR JOINS TED WHEELER’S TEAM
Former Portland Mayor Sam Adams has officially rejoined City Hall under current Mayor Ted Wheeler’s administration, Wheeler announced on Thursday. Adams was brought on as the director of strategic innovations for the mayor’s office, according to OPB, and began work Monday. Previously, Adams had served as the chief of staff to another former mayor, Vera Katz, during her administration, before taking office himself in 2009. During his term, Adams was accused of having a sexual relationship with a legislative intern, who was a minor at the time. According to The Oregonian, prosecutors investigated the claim, but found it to be false and didn’t press charges. Adams then declined to run for a second term.
JANUARY 30: OREGON SENATE BILL WOULD ALLOW PRISONERS TO VOTE
A new bill in the Oregon Senate seeks to allow Oregon prisoners to vote while incarcerated. If passed, the bill would make Oregon the third state—not counting Washington D.C., which has also passed a similar law—to do so. According to Willamette Week, the bill allows prisoners to vote in the county that they last lived in. The bill is sponsored by eight state senators, all of whom are Democrats. Oregon was one of the first states to restore voting rights to those with felonies, and is one of 18 states that automatically restore rights to vote after leaving prison.
FEBRUARY 1: OREGON OFFICIALLY BECOMES THE FIRST STATE TO DECRIMINALIZE DRUGS
Measure 110 officially goes into effect Monday, making Oregon the first state to decriminalize hard drugs. Instead of being a criminal offense, the possession of small amounts of drugs—such as meth, heroin, LSD and others—will garner a civil citation and either a $100 fine or a health assessment for addiction counseling. According to AP News, the money for new addiction treatment centers formed under the new measure will come from the money Oregon earns from its legalized marijuana industry, diverting some of that money from other programs.
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
NEWS
3
HOW
PORTLAND’S
IS BLACK HISTORY MADE
PSU CONCLUDES ITS THREE-PART SERIES CELEBRATING MLK BY LOOKING CLOSER TO HOME
WALIDAH IMARISHA, JULIUS MCGEE AND DARRELL MILLNER. COURTESY OF PSU
HANNA ANDERSON Portland State hosted the last of its three-part series of events celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. day on Tues., Jan. 26. The event, “In Conversation: Time Traveling through Portland’s Black Life,” concluded the first MLK series held completely virtually. While other events focused on King’s Legacy and the need for broad racial justice reform, this panel event—featuring faculty members from PSU’s Black Studies department—focused on Black history in Portland and the state of Oregon as a whole. The event was moderated by Ame Lambert, PSU’s vice president of Global Diversity and Inclusion. Before introducing the first panel speaker, Lambert spoke about the recent events surrounding the panel, from a new push for racial justice to the inauguration of the first Black vice president, and how milestones throughout history have been so often followed by backlash. “In addition to joy about these historic firsts, we have fear about more backlash,” Lambert said. “The election of President Barack Obama, as proud a moment as it was for so many, served as further evidence that the advancement of the individual does not always lead to systemic change. And yet, the advancement of one individual was enough to unleash systemic backlash.” “Will [Harris] being the number two on the ticket, with a more familiar and comforting face in the number one spot, provide a buffer this time?...Time will tell.” The discussion of Black history in Oregon started with Darrell Millner, an emeritus professor who has taught Black studies at
4
NEWS
PSU since 1975. His segment started from the very beginning of Oregon’s Black history. Despite Oregon being known for having one of the highest white populations in America, Millner said there has always been a Black population in Oregon. According to Millner, some of the most impactful racial public policies from Oregon’s earliest history include Black exclusion laws, which banned Black people from living in the state, and laws that made it so that only the white population could be given land by the government. “As you look around Oregon today, racially speaking, you notice that populations of color are overrepresented in poverty, they’re underrepresented in political power, and those kinds of realities that we see today, can be traced easily to the kind of political decisions that were made in the Pioneer Generation,” Millner said. “If you give all the land in Oregon to one population, to the exclusion of all other populations, they will use that land to prosper, to gain financial advantage. That financial advantage will be transferred from generation to generation down into the generation that we live in today. So to understand the Oregon of today, you have to understand the public policy of Oregon of yesterday.” To focus on Oregon’s present, the discussion turned to Julius McGee, an assistant professor in both Urban Studies and Planning and Black Studies. McGee’s segment focused on the idea and progress towards sustainability, and how, for many, their idea of true sustainability is skewed.
“This new rendition of colonialism was sparked by this lie of sustainability,” McGee said. ”Come to Portland, and ride your bike to work. You can live close to public transit so you never have to own a car, or you can live in these newly built homes, with energy-efficient appliances [which] rely on renewable energy infrastructure, at the cost of just displacing and dispossessing those who were here before.” McGee explained how some of society’s most pressing issues, from the pandemic and climate change to housing and healthcare, hit the most marginalized communities the worst. Focusing on the future, Walidah Imarisha, the director of the Center for Black Studies, stressed the importance of starting with a better vision for the future; How, without people having a vision in the past, the present wouldn’t be what it is today. “The future will not be different unless we make a difference,” Imarisha said.“These same systems that Dr. Milner showed us are embedded into the foundations of this place that we live, continue to shape the present and will continue to shape the future, unless and until we fundamentally change that.” The event ended with a Q&A session, giving attendees the opportunity to continue the conversation with questions of their own. Although the events celebrating MLK’s legacy are over for this year, his legacy remains vital to racial justice, Black history and the United States as a whole.
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
THE STATE OF STATE REPUBLICANS
CONOR CARROLL
The Oregon Republican Party, a state affiliate of the official United States Republican Party (GOP), issued a resolution on Jan. 19 stating there is “growing evidence” the insurrection attempt in D.C. on Jan. 6 was a “false flag operation designed to discredit Pres. Trump...and conservative Republicans.” There is no evidence to substantiate this claim, according to federal officials. The resolution went on to compare the events of Jan. 6 to “the 1933 Reichstag Fire, which Hitler and the Nazis used to take over Germany.” The Northwest Division of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) delivered an announcement regarding the resolution. The ADL’s statement specifically addressed the portion of the GOP’s resolution which links to a Wikipedia page mentioning the Reichstag fire, an event which helped Hitler consolidate power and begin his invasion of Europe. The actual governing bodies of the Oregon State House of Representatives did not sanction or pass this resolution, according to a Jan. 26 statement from all 23 Republican members. The officials who sit on the Executive Committee of the Oregon Republican Party, with one exception, do not officially write legislation or pass laws. According to party bylaws, “that 22-person group is made up largely of top party officials and chairs and vicechairs from the state’s five congressional districts.” However, the aforementioned executive committee is required to have a sitting Oregon State Representative present
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
on the board, and according to Oregon Public Broadcasting, that member has yet to be identified by the Oregon State GOP. According to The Oregonian, Becky Mitts, the chief of staff for State Rep. Mike Nearman, is part of the GOP executive committee. Nearman has been ridiculed of late for opening the locked Oregon State capitol doors in a Dec. 21 session, an act that had him removed from his official individual committee duties. Nearman signed on to the Oregon State House of Representatives statement, which reads in part, “there is no credible evidence to support false flag claims…Oregon is in crisis…Vaccines are not going to our most vulnerable, our students are still not in a safe classroom setting, main street businesses are in a tailspin, our health data is a mess and here we are, talking about a political party resolution.” The Oregon State GOP has stood by its claims of voter fraud, false flag events at the Jan. 6 insurrection attempt, and comparisons of Democratic President Joe Biden’s electoral victory to Nazi Germany. Reports from Oregon’s KGW News found in the past 4 years, Oregon State GOP members and Republican elected officials have often leaned further and further into conspiracy theories and far right-wing extremism. On the day of the Jan. 6 riot in Washington D.C, Oregon State Senator Dallas Heard (R-Roseburg) was present at the protest outside the Oregon Capitol.
DESPITE TRUMP DEFEAT, GOP IN OREGON AND BEYOND STILL DISPUTES OVER DEMOCRAT VICTORY AND RECENT INSURRECTION A SESSION OF THE OREGON LEGISLATURE IN SALEM. ANDREW SELSKY/AP PHOTO Heard addressed the right-wing crowds at the event. During the speech, according to the Salem Reporter, he proclaimed the Capitol was “occupied by elitists.” He went on to say, “I work with these fools. None of them are half as good as any of you and you need to bring the power to them!” Within an hour of Heard speaking to the crowd, protesters stormed the Capitol building, breaking down the doors and physically assaulting police officers. Heard’s behavior and extreme beliefs line up with more extreme federally-elected officials such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Greene has been in Democratic crosshairs of late, with many past and present assertions coming to light. She has agreed with several conspiracy theories: the Parkland school shooting was a false flag event, 9/11 was an inside job, former President Donald Trump won the election and the QAnon conspiracy is real. While extremism continues to pervade some parts of the Oregon and National Republican party writ large, it is unclear where the GOP will proceed from here. GOP House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy met with Trump last week, and the vast majority of U.S. GOP representatives voted against the impeachment resolution. When the motion to decide whether or not to hold an impeachment trial came before the U.S. Senate, only five Republican senators said they would support it.
NEWS
5
A DECADE AFTER ARAB SPRING, PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT IN TUNISIA HUNDREDS OF TUNISIANS PARTICIPATE IN PROTESTS. HEDI AYARI/AP PHOTO
KARISA YUASA Over the last two weeks, police have arrested over 1000 people in relation to protests against economic inequalities and excessive police force in Tunisia, according to Al Jazeera. According to The Guardian, the Tunisian Human Rights League estimated 1,400 protesters have been arrested so far, including approximately 30% of whom were minors. Protests have turned violent on multiple occasions when protestors have clashed with police. Police have been seen spraying tear gas and have been caught on camera appearing to beat protesters. “The government that only uses police to protect itself from the people—it has no more legitimacy,” said protester Salem Ben Saleh, according to France 24. Amnesty International issued a statement urging police to abstain from using excessive force against protesters. “Even when acts of vandalism and looting occur, law enforcement officers must only use force where absolutely necessary and proportionate,” said Amna Guellali, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “Nothing gives security forces permission to deploy unnecessary and excessive force including when they are responding to acts of sporadic violence.” On the night of Jan. 25, Haykel Rachdi died from his injuries after reportedly being struck in the head by police with a teargas canister during a protest. “The tragic death of Haykal Rachdi, a young man who was seeking a better future, must be promptly, impartially and effectively investigated,” Guellali said. “The investigation should include interviews with witnesses and an independent forensic medical examination, and those responsible for his killing must face justice.” “Security forces must respond to demonstrations that are a genuine expression of social hardship with restraint and re-
6
INTERNATIONAL
spect for freedom of assembly...Police impunity has long been a concern in Tunisia—to break the cycle of violence, judicial authorities should investigate all incidents of unlawful use of force, including tear gas, and ensure that police are held to account.” Protesters have been seen holding signs that read “Police everywhere, justice nowhere” denouncing government corruption and police use of force. “I am aware that successive governments have dealt with you in the same way, which has blocked dialogue with you and prevented us from guaranteeing you a country where you can flourish,” said Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi in a televised message to citizens on Jan. 19. “However, without you, there is no future.” Although appearing to agree to hear out the protesters, Mechichi also clarified his disapproval of the methods being used. According to Al Jazeera, protesters have been seen blocking roadways, burning tires and throwing rocks and other objects at the police and nearby businesses. “This has nothing to do with protest movements that are guaranteed by the law and the constitution,” said Interior Ministry Spokesman Khaled Hayouni. “Protests take place in broad daylight normally... without any criminal acts involved. “These practices come from delinquents who want to establish anarchy and weaken our security,” Mechichi said. Not everyone agreed with the sentiment of the prime minister. “Youth live from day to day, we no longer have hope, neither to work nor to study—and they call us troublemakers,” said Amine, a call center worker, according to France 24.”We must listen to young people, not send police in by the thousands. The whole system is corrupt, a few families and their supporters control Tunisia’s wealth.”
The protests, which broke out in multiple cities on the night of Jan. 15, came after a social media video appeared showing a police officer pushing and yelling at a shepherd whose sheep got into the local government headquarters. Tensions had already been rising in the country due to a major economic crisis and a nationwide lockdown. The unemployment rate in Tunisia has stayed above 15% for the last decade, but for 15–24 year olds, the unemployment rate has jumped to over 34% since 2015. “People are hungry. They want revenge against the state,” said a man who works near the center of Ettadhamen, a district on the outskirts of the Tunisian capital where protests have continued, according to The Guardian. “I won’t lie about it, they want another revolution.” The protests come on the 10-year anniversary of autocratic leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fleeing Tunisia, ground zero of the Arab Spring uprisings. “We can’t accept a police state in Tunisia 10 years after the revolution...it is shameful,” said Mahmoud, a cafe worker in Tunisia, according to Reuters. Chants such as “the people want the fall of the regime” were heard in the streets—the same words said during the country’s revolution a decade ago. Many of the protesters feel that the government has not followed through on the demands made during the Arab Spring uprisings, where the movement’s slogan read “employment, freedom and dignity.” “The whole system must go...we will return to the streets and we will regain our rights and our dignity that a corrupt elite seized after the revolution,” said Maher Abid, an unemployed protester, according to Reuters. “They want to steal the principles won since the revolution,” protester Mohammed Smida said. “Today our right to protest is threatened by the new Ben Ali.”
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
TENS OF THOUSANDS IN RUSSIA CALL FOR RELEASE OF JAILED OPPOSITION LEADER PEOPLE ATTEND A PROTEST AGAINST THE JAILING OF OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI NAVALNY IN ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA. VALENTIN EGORSHIN/AP PHOTO KARISA YUASA Following the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Jan. 17, tens of thousands of his supporters have taken to the streets despite below-freezing temperatures and mass arrests, according to AP News. Navalny was arrested for violating the terms of a suspended jail sentence the day after he returned to Russia after recovering from a nerve agent poisoning last summer. Navalny was ordered to remain in custody for 30 days. “Don’t be afraid, take to the streets,” Navalny said in a video statement. “Don’t come out for me, come out for yourselves and your future.” Videos posted on social media sites such as TikTok, Youtube and Instagram helped spread information and organize protests. Federal media and IT watchdog Roskomnadzor told TikTok to block the videos, saying they incited minors to participate in unauthorized rallies, which is illegal under Russian law. According to Roskomnadzor, TikTok deleted 38% of protest-related content. Additionally, Instagram deleted 17% and YouTube deleted 50% of posts deemed illegal. Despite censoring attempts and temperatures as low as minus 58 degrees, approximately 15,000 people gathered in Pushkin Square in Moscow on Jan. 23. Violence broke out between demonstrators and police who reportedly roughly dragged protesters to police buses and detention buses. “I’m not afraid because we are the majority,”
protester Leonid Martynov said. “We mustn’t be scared by clubs because the truth is on our side.” The OVD-Info protest monitor group announced that as of Jan. 23, at least 3,060 people—including 1,099 in Moscow—had been detained across the country. “Time and time again, Russian authorities have suppressed free speech and peaceful protest through police brutality, violence, and mass arrests and January 23 was no exception,” said Damelya Aitkhozhina, Russia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities understand their obligations to respect fundamental human rights and choose not just to ignore them but to trample all over them.” “The crackdown on dissent in Russia has become increasingly brutal—and desperate—even compared to vicious reprisals in recent years,” said Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Moscow Office Director on Jan. 28. “The authorities appear shamelessly bent on violating human rights by silencing their critics.” On Jan. 31 alone, over 5,100 people were detained during protests in Moscow and other Russian cities. “The Kremlin is waging a war on the human rights of people in Russia, stifling protesters’ calls for freedom and change. This is a desperate attempt to silence criticism, and it needs to stop,” Zviagina said following the occurrences on Jan. 31. “All peaceful protesters and activists detained for peacefully participating in protests are prisoners of conscience and must be released immediately and
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
unconditionally. Police must stop using unlawful force and instead uphold their obligation to protect the human rights of Russian people.” In preparation for Sunday’s protests, riot police and national guard troops shut down seven metro stations and blocked streets in Moscow. The protest in Moscow was originally planned to be held on Moscow’s Lubyanka Square, headquarters of the Federal Security Service—who Navalny blames for the poisoning—however, the police presence forced the protest to other central squares. Despite knowing the potential repercussions of attending protests, people throughout the country still felt it was necessary and worth the risk. “I understand that I live in a totally lawless state. In a police state, with no independent courts. In a country ruled by corruption. I would like to live differently,” said a protester in Moscow, according to Reuters. “I do not want my grandchildren to live in such a country,” said Vyacheslav Vorobyov, who attended a rally in Yekaterinburg, Russia. “I want them to live in a free country.” Other countries have criticized the actions of the Russian government. According to Reuters, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia have asked the European Union foreign ministers to discuss sanctions on Russia for Navalny’s detainment. Swedish Foreign Minister and chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Ann Linde, condemned “the excessive use of force by authorities and mass detention
of peaceful protesters and journalists.” Lind also told Russia “to release all those unjustly detained, including Navalny.” “The [United States] condemns the persistent use of harsh tactics against peaceful protesters and journalists by Russian authorities for a second week straight,” said the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, according to The Guardian. “We renew our call for Russia to release those detained for exercising their human rights, including Alexei Navalny.” Russian Foreign Ministry described Blinken’s statement as “crude interference in Russia’s internal affairs” and accused the US of attempting to worsen the situation, according to AP News. “Navalny’s case has received a foreign policy dimension artificially and without any foundation,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, asserting that Navalny’s detention was a right of Russian law enforcement agencies. “It’s a matter of observing the law.” A Moscow court denied Navalny’s appeal for release and a hearing scheduled for Feb. 2 could change his original three and a half year suspended sentence to one that he must serve in prison. “I want to express my full support to all those who come out in the streets because only they are the last obstacle to complete degradation of our country, the last obstacle for those in power to steal everything,” Navalny said in his closing message at the appeal hearing. “These people are in fact defenders of our country and patriots of our country.”
INTERNATIONAL
7
SAM GARCIA
IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION WILL RESUME THIS FALL 8
COVER
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
PSU ANNOUNCES PLANS TO REOPEN CAMPUS, BOLSTER ENROLLMENT AND INCREASE STUDENT SUCCESS “In close collaboration with our public health partners and union colleagues, we expect to lay out in the coming months how we plan to bring employees—and eventually, students—safely back to campus,” Percy stated. “Our fall 2021 plans will follow public health guidance for social distancing, gathering size, mask-wearing, airflow, and additional safety measures.” The “Open for Fall, Open for All” initiative addresses an ongoing budget crisis the university is experiencing due to the pandemic. Early enrollment numbers are lower than anticipated for incoming freshmen for the fall term, exacerbating the issue. In order to beat the crisis, the university needs to increase enrollment and create new forms of revenue, according to Percy. “Like other universities, we have experienced a decline in enrollment that is forecast to continue next year, posing serious budgetary challenges as we look ahead,” Percy continued. “We will have much more information to share soon about our budget picture, and our intention is to be transparent during this entire process.” Despite the many ongoing challenges wrought by the pandemic, both Percy and Jeffords remain optimistic. “As we emerge from this challenging time, I am encouraged by many of the early executive orders from President Biden’s administration that protect our public health, advance racial equity, preserve and strengthen protections for our Dreamer students, reverse the Muslim ban, and prevent discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation,” Percy stated. “We are on the cusp of recovery—for our nation,
our community, and for our students—and PSU is ready to fuel that recovery, creating a more equitable and sustainable future for everyone.” “As [PSU] marks our 75th anniversary this year, we’re celebrating not only our history of resilience, but our lasting commitment to putting students first,” Jeffords said. “As we work to safely reopen our classrooms for in-person instruction in the fall, we want to make sure that all Oregonians have a chance to join us. We pledge to help students with their mission at PSU, and to give them all the support they need to thrive once they get here.” In addition to reopening in the fall, PSU also intends to become a vaccine distribution site through the Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC), which will be critical in PSU’s reopening plans, according to Percy. “While we do not control the supply of vaccines or decide which groups of Oregonians receive them first, we are strongly advocating for students, staff and faculty in higher education to be included among the groups being prioritized for access to vaccines,” Percy stated. “PSU has not had a single reported case connected to inperson instruction on our campus. As we work to safely reopen, we will build upon the policies, practices and protocols that have allowed residents of student housing, researchers and employees in essential positions to live, learn and work safely on campus the last several months.” Additional information about the “Open for Fall, Open for All” initiative will be provided over the coming months, according to Percy and Jeffords.
DYLAN JEFFERIES Portland State administration announced on Jan. 27 that campus will be reopening for in-person instruction in the fall. Additionally, the administration is making adjustments to enrollment requirements in order to bolster enrollment and student success. The application fee for incoming undergraduate students will be temporarily eliminated and the minimum GPA requirement for incoming students will be lowered starting on Feb. 2. These changes are a part of PSU’s “Open for Fall, Open for All” initiative. “[PSU] is announcing today our COVID relief package,” PSU Provost Susan Jeffords said in a video released on Jan. 26. “PSU is committed to helping by easing these major concerns: getting into college, succeeding on campus, and achieving a college degree. This fall, all of us at [PSU] are looking forward to being safely back on campus, and we’re removing barriers for anyone who wants to make higher education a part of their own personal recovery plan.” “We also understand that a highschool GPA isn’t the only way to measure future success, especially during the pandemic,” Jeffords continued. “For the next three years, we’re pledging to reduce the minimum GPA requirement, making college truly achievable. This is the right thing to do as we work to align our equity goals with PSU’s access mission.” Additionally, “Open for Fall, Open for All” will create a new summer bridge program for selected incoming highschool students to
help acclimate them to the college environment. The initiative will also expand eligibility for the Four Years Free program and create more affordable on-campus housing for selected students. “More than eliminating barriers to entry, PSU wants to make sure that every single student is successful once they’re here,” Jeffords said. “To help with that, we’re offering a free summer bridge program for selected students. It will serve as an introduction to higher-education, and is designed to give students the knowledge and context to do well in their coursework when they get started in the fall.” “This is our COVID relief package,” she stated. The university will continue to operate primarily remotely over the spring and summer, according to PSU President Stephen Percy. “For Spring 2021, we will continue with primarily remote instruction at PSU and anticipate continuing to be mostly remote through the summer term,” Percy wrote in an email. “We have every expectation that widespread vaccinations will cause infection rates to decline significantly over the summer, making it safe for us to resume in-person learning in the fall. Accordingly, PSU is planning for a return to primarily in-person instruction for Fall 2021. We are grateful for the continued partnership with the unions as we prepare for a safe return to campus in the fall. Just as we did prior to the pandemic, we will continue to offer an array of online courses and programs.”
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
COVER
9
THIS WEEK 1
around the
WORLD
Jan. 25–30
3
2
5
4
1
January 25
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
With the government issuing a nationwide curfew to curb the spread of COVID-19, youth rioters took to the streets of the Netherlands, according to AP News. The mass unrest began as protests against the country’s strict lockdown, but a social media frenzy later led to riots, vandalism and looting. The curfew is the country’s first since it was last implemented during World War 2, according to The Guardian. The towns and cities of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Haarlem, The Hague, Den Bosch, Geleen, Goes, North Holland, Eindhoven and Nijmegen have all been affected by the rioting. Some locations had an increased police presence to disperse crowds using teargas and water cannons. “This has nothing to do with protest,” said Prime Minister Mark Rutte. “This is criminal violence.” 2
January 26
NAYPYITAW, MYANMAR
Mounting voting fraud statements prompted the Myanmar military to issue a warning that they will “take action” if the dispute is not settled, according to Reuters. Military spokesperson Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun said the military will keep within the rulings of the constitution to resolve the matter, according to the Myanmar Times. Various political parties have stated issues with the elections ranging from irregular or inconsistently used voter lists to vote-rigging
10
INTERNATIONAL
and outright refusals to acknowledge the results. “We will take all available action including sending [it] to the Supreme Court,” Zaw Min Tun said. “We do this because we want a strong democratic system.” 3
January 27
WARSAW, POLAND
The Polish government implemented a near-absolute ban on abortions which was met with widespread protests, according to Reuters. The protest took place in several Polish cities in a “women’s strike” effort that saw 400,000 people fight for the right to have an abortion on grounds of fetal defects, according to The Guardian. Before the implementation, abortions had only been allowed on ground of rape, incest or if the person’s health would be compromised through childbirth. The country is also home to a largely Catholic population, with a majority of doctors declining to perform abortions because of religious reasons. “For [the Law and Justice Party] it is not about protecting life,” said Donald Tusk, former president of the European Council. “Under their rule more and more Poles are dying, and less are being born.” 4
January 29
BRASÍLIA, BRAZIL
Vaccine advocacy remix “Vacina Butantan” by MC Fioti went
viral, attempting to make the vaccine-hesitant Brazilian populations change their mind, according to The Guardian. The song had been remixed to honor doctors—especially, those who worked in the Butantã research center, thanks to São Paulo’s governor, João Doria, who contacted MC Fioti upon noticing the song’s potential to promote vaccinations. “We are getting the message across,” MC Fioti said. “But more than 2 million people have already died around the world. We’ll only get rid of this virus together and by getting vaccinated.” 5
January 30
SINGAPORE
Singapore temporarily suspends its green lane agreement with Malaysia, South Korea and Germany as COVID-19 cases rise, according to Al Jazeera. The agreement between the four countries had allowed citizens to travel between regions. Though the suspension will last three months, those with approved travel permits will not be kept away. “The government of Singapore regularly reviews its border measures to manage the risk of importation and onward local transmission of COVID-19 from travellers [sic],” the announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. According to The Straits Times, Japan and Indonesia had been part of the agreement but new applications have been postponed. Brunei and select Chinese cities are currently the only ones openly allowed to travel to Singapore.
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
A CLOSER LOOK AT BIDEN’S SCIENCE TEAM
A SUPERSTAR LINEUP OF SCIENTISTS AND POLITICIANS LEAD THE FRAY U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. COURTESY OF FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS.
BÉLA KURZENHAUSER United States President Joe Biden unveiled his remaining nominations for his science team in a press conference last month, finalizing the list that awaits Senate approval. The diverse lineup is filled with accomplished and reputable scientists and politicians, representing the Biden administration’s devotion to science—something that the previous administration was criticized for neglecting. Here’s a closer look at some of the leaders manning science-driven positions in his administration. The highest-profile science role in Biden’s administration is that of the presidential science adviser, or the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Biden has nominated geneticist Eric Lander for this position. Lander is an accomplished geneticist, holding teaching positions at both MIT and Harvard. He was a recipient of the MacArthur Fellows grant in 1987 and is the director and founder of the Broad Institute for biomedical research in Cambridge. Lander will be the first OSTP director to be elevated to a cabinet-level position, succeeding meteorologist Kevin Droegemeier in the position. “The [president] knows that science and technology will be crucial in heeding this moment, and he has tasked us...with answering important questions that ask science and technology how they can best be used to advance our health, economic welfare, and national security,” Lander said during the White House’s Jan 16 press conference. Sociologist and academic Alondra Nelson was nominated to be the deputy director to Lander. Nelson is the former Dean of Social Science at Columbia University and helped spearhead the Afrofuturism movement in the late 1990s. Much of Nelson’s work focuses on the intersection of biomedical research and African-American identity, with her 2016 novel The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation after the Genome garnering acclaim upon release. National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins will stay onto the tenure he has held since being appointed by the Obama administration in 2009. Collins is notable for helping
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
launch the HEAL Initiative in 2018, which aims to mitigate the opioid epidemic in America. Collins has additionally dedicated himself and the NIH to ending sexual harassment within the NIH and the biomedical field as a whole. Geophysicist Maria Zuber and chemical engineer Frances Arnold were named co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Zuber is the Vice President for Research at MIT and has worked on extensive research with the National Air and Space Association (NASA), including the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) project in 2011. Arnold is a nobel laureate, having received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018 and is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, where she researches synthetic biology. “As a pandemic rages, taking so much and threatening all that we love, we look to science and technology for answers,” said Arnold during the press conference. “Technology to stay connected to each other, and science to find vaccines and light our path out of darkness.” As the pandemic persists, former FDA commissioner David Kessler will help head Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government’s initiative to speed up the manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Kessler additionally served on Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board before it was disbanded in January. The Biden Administration has announced their intention to rename Operation Warp Speed but has yet to propose a new title for the program. Moving outside of the OSTP, Biden has named nominees for several other leadership roles in the fields of climate, energy and public health. Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Gina McCarthy was selected for a new role, that of the White House National Climate Advisor. She will be the chief advisor on climate change policy within the U.S., leading the newly-instated Office of Domestic Climate Policy. Former Secretary of State John Kerry will serve alongside her as the inaugural special presidential envoy for climate.
The creation of both roles is indicative of Biden’s climate-forward approach, with the most aggressive climate plan of any U.S. president to date. Physician-scientist Rochelle Walensky was tapped to be the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), succeeding virologist Robert Redfield. Walensky is one of the few members of Biden’s team to be immediately appointed, as the position of CDC director does not require Senate confirmation to take office. Walensky has performed extensive research in the field of AIDS and HIV, and was previously a chair of the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council at the NIH. Former Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm was nominated as Secretary of Energy. Granholm has advocated for a low-carbon future and a more sustainable auto industry, particularly within Michigan. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) secretary Michael Regan was picked to serve as EPA administrator. Under the DEQ, Regan helped excavate extensive amounts of coal ash in North Carolina and treat chemical-contaminated water. Both Granholm and Regan, upon confirmation, will have an important role in delivering Biden’s ambitious climate agenda. Finally, the incumbent Attorney General of California Xavier Becerra was selected to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Despite having little public health background, Becerra is an advocate for the Affordable Care Act and women’s health and, if confirmed, would be the first Latinx person to head the HHS. Alongside his nominations, Biden, whose son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015, reinforced his dedication to cancer research and increasing efforts to stem the disease within the U.S. “We made progress, but there’s so much more that we can do,” Biden said at the press conference. “When I announced I would not run in 2015, at the time I said I only had one regret— that I wouldn’t get to be the president to preside over cancer as we know it. As president, I’m going to do everything I can to get that done.”
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
11
MOVIE MADNESS VIDEO STORE. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD ANALISA LANDEROS In the absence of traditional movie-going and the attendant surge in streaming service memberships, one store is working to stay connected with film lovers through resources online and in-person. Movie Madness—a video store-slash-cinema prop museum owned by Hollywood Theatre—announced its Movie Madness Express service last summer in hopes of maintaining accessibility for their massive film library. “For several months, it was the only operation we had going,” said Zoey Reynolds, the Movie Madness store manager. “[It] was really great to be able to connect people with films they might not otherwise have access to once again. Our collection includes more than 80,000 titles, which far outpaces any of the streaming platforms.” With Movie Madness Express, users are able to rent from a variety of genres in formats ranging from Blu-ray to VHS. Customers can borrow up to six titles at $4 per item—including new releases and box sets. Delivery is designed to be zero-contact and orders are retrieved at the front door at a date and time designated by customers at online checkout. The rental period for all items is five days from the date of pickup, with a late fee of $1.50 per day for new releases and $1 for all other items. Reynolds hopes the service provides a quick and easy way to rent for people who might not yet be comfortable being in a public space. “I think entertainment is more important than ever in times of unusual stress and hardship,” she said. “Watching a good movie can allow someone to escape their troubles, even if it’s just for an hour or two.” Reynolds said the most popular rentals are of films “that evoke fear or hold personal meaning,” but that the most noticeable difference has been how often people are ordering. “Everyone wants that one movie that will really give them the creeps or an old family favorite,” she said. “The one thing I’ve noticed is that people seem to be renting more, both in quantity and frequency. Someone who would normally only get one or two titles is instead heading home with four or five. Then they’re back a few days later for a new batch. I think it means people are staying at home more than they would under normal circumstances. It’s our community doing their best to stop the spread.” The store requires that patrons adhere to social distancing measures and wear masks when retrieving their orders. For those who long for the experience of physically browsing and renting in-person, Movie Madness offers limited store access with a maximum capacity of 10 customers at a time. Patrons can request time slots on the store’s website, and the only requirements—as with the Express service—are wearing a mask and social distancing. In addition to their novel rental service, Movie Madness is aiming to unite film buffs with a new series of virtual film education courses. “Movie Madness University: Online” (MMU), created by Movie Madness and Hollywood Theatre, offers folks the opportunity to discuss beloved films with fellow enthusiasts as well as industry professionals and educators. The program was originally intended to be an in-person gathering, prior to COVID-19 shutdowns. “I’d just put our first round of tickets on sale and sold out most of our initial lineup of classes when the pandemic hit and we were forced to cancel,” says Alison Hallett, Education Director at Hollywood Theater. Their current program is a modified version of the initial program, with prerecorded lectures in lieu of face-to-face conversation. Tickets grant participants access to the lecture as well as a live virtual discussion and Q&A session for the film. Since its inception, MMU has hosted one to two events every month. The upcoming course, on Errol Morris’ The Thin Blue Line, is slated for Feb. 11. According to the MMU course description, The Thin Blue Line chronicles the 1985 case of Randall Dale Adams, who was convicted of murdering a Texas police officer in a trial rife with inconsistencies and ending in a verdict far from definitive. Regarded as one of the most influential documentaries of all time, The Thin Blue Line ushered in a new era of documentary filmmaking and had lasting impacts on the lives of its subjects. In the MMU discussion hosted by filmmaker Matt McCormick, attendees will consider how The Thin Blue Line fits into the history of documentary films, assess Morris’ controversial use of reenactments and consider what the film has to say about the nature of truth. Attendees are asked to view the film on their own prior to the event. Tickets are on sale for $10—with discounts available for Hollywood Theater and Movie Madness members—and fee waivers, if cost is a barrier. Education Director Hallett is pleased with how the program has been able to reach people across the country, saying the potential for virtual and/or hybrid live events beyond the pandemic is a possibility. She hopes audiences will gain a deeper appreciation for the films showcased by MMU, and that it will brighten their quarantine entertainment experience. “I want these classes to be something people look forward to, something that sparks a little bit of intellectual engagement or curiousity, and maybe takes people in some new directions with their movie watching,” she said. “We’re all just bored and lonely and depressed right now. Learning about a movie and talking about it with strangers really is a nice alternative to scraping the bottom of the Netflix barrel night after night.”
12
ARTS & CULTURE
A STEP BEYOND STREAMING MOVIE MADNESS OFFERS CINEPHILES OPPORTUNITIES TO EXTEND QUARANTINE ENTERTAINMENT BEYOND STREAMING MARATHONS PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
Remembering
sophie
the pop genius
One of music’s most striking visionaries has died at 34
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
MORGAN TROPER Music blog Pitchfork reported Scottish pop composer and producer Sophie had died in a tragic accident in Athens, Greece on Jan. 30 at the age of 34. Sophie—whose name is stylized mononymously—was reportedly climbing up an unspecified incline to get a better look at the full moon before slipping and falling. It’s tough to overstate Sophie’s influence on pop music and culture from the past decade. You can hear it in the high-octane, technicolored sheen of contemporary radio pop and TikTokcore; you can sense it in the innumerable eulogies that swept over social media on the day she died, both from exalted publications like The New York Times and indie musicians who spoke of her inclusive spirit and tremendous generosity. Sophie rose to prominence as one of many performers associated with the PC Music collective in London in the early ’10s, alongside producer A.G. Cook—who has been described as something of a modern analog to Motown’s Barry Gordy—and artists such as Planet 1999 and Hannah Diamond. The collective’s aesthetic was a type of modern pop art that repurposed corny millennial ephemera instead of Campbell’s Soup cans. That kawaii and self-reflexive jokes about terrible old word processor fonts are now considered a cornerstone of youth culture is a direct result of PC Music. They walked so we could run—or at least, so we could get away with putting Comic Sans on our album covers. Toward the middle of the ’10s, Sophie’s career reached new heights. She was among the producer credits for “Bitch, I’m Madonna,” a song off Madonna’s 2015 album Rebel Heart. She frequently collaborated with Charli XCX, co-writing and producing the entirety of the artist’s 2016 EP Vroom Vroom. More recently, she worked with Vince Staples on the rapper’s critically acclaimed 2017 album Big Fish Theory. Sophie’s co-writer and producer CV is buttressed by her extremely consistent and impressive solo output, beginning with a collection of singles issued by the Glasgow based label Numbers. Among these are 2013’s “BIPP”—which helped dispel the noxious pall cast on electronic music by Warped Tour adjacent EDM bros like Skrillex at the end of the ’00s—and 2014’s ultra-iconic “LEMONADE,” an unofficial PC Music statement of theme, which was ingeniously scooped up by McDonald’s for some ads. These early singles were neatly repackaged for Sophie’s first proper full-length album, 2015’s Product. She would follow this up with 2018’s Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, one of the catchiest and most sonically jarring pop albums of the decade.
It sounds pretentious and hyperbolic, but Sophie’s penchant for fusing dour and avant-garde euro-electronic headiness with gooey, irresistible hooks really only has one parallel in the pop continuum—and that’s the Beatles, the little rock band from Liverpool whose later recordings made Stockhausen-esque tape loops palatable to the masses. So many artists aim to make music that is both experimental and catchy, yet somehow end up with neither. Sophie, on the other hand, was truly of two musical minds. She was also ahead of her time, a cultural and musical outsider who inadvertently defined a zeitgeist. A Fader article from 2014—which was passed around on Twitter yesterday before being expunged from the publication’s archives—revealed a tepid contemporary response pretty different from the unanimous praise inevitably heaped onto an artist following their death. The article accused Sophie of merely capitalizing on 2014’s biggest electronic music trend: “feminine appropriation.” Grimes made a similar charge in a 2015 interview with The Guardian: “It’s really fucked up to call yourself SOPHIE [sic] and pretend you’re a girl when you’re a male producer.” To be clear, Sophie was a trans woman. Though we’re a few years removed now from the disingenuous, finger-wagging, woke-scolding, virtue signaling, subliminally transphobic bullshit that was so prevalent in pop culture discourse in the middle of last decade, a percentage of the population still seems unwilling to give a trans pop star her due. The New York Times Twitter thread about Sophie’s death, for example, is riddled with countless transphobic replies and predictable “hyperpop—never heard of it” sneers from the classic rock dads scrolling from their deathbeds. We’ve come a long way, but the divisive response to Sophie’s death—revisionist adulation from publications like the Fader and dismissive taunting from old men who only listen to guitar music made by even older men— is proof that we have further still to go. Sophie’s musical chops were matched by her painstaking intent and a shameless intellect. In interviews, she mused at length on music—its role in the world, its perceived boundaries and crucially, its future. “I want to live in that strange, amorphous zone of discomfort, when it’s facilitating exactly what I want to make and achieve with my music,” she told the music publication DJ Mag in 2019, hinting at the sort of creative restlessness that plagues all great artists. She won’t be around to live it, tragically, but when the future of music finally arrives it’ll owe a great deal to Sophie.
ARTS & CULTURE
13
BIDEN SHOULD ROLL BACK TRUMP’S INHUMANE IMMIGRATION POLICY
THE SAN FRANCISCO ICE HEADQUARTERS. COURTESY OF FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS MELODY FIELD Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers have received little to no mainstream media coverage from major news sources during the past year. COVID-19 is rapidly spreading through the crowded jails and detention centers that hold ICE detainees, and the people within are not being cared for. Little to nothing has been done to keep COVID-19 contained within centers, immigration hearings have continued throughout the pandemic and ICE detainees have filed cases against for-profit jails they were held in. Seeing that we have a new president in office who has made promises to fix this inhumane system, Joe Biden should begin to initiate changes, starting with executive orders undoing some of the policies former President Donald Trump set in place. He should also propose solutions to the problems ICE detention centers are facing right now. It’s no question that ICE detention centers are unsanitary, crowded and lack vital supplies. With COVID-19 being in the United States for over a year now, ICE detention centers have made little to no changes regarding their procedures. In fact, concerns regarding the health and safety of individuals in ICE detention centers have persisted for years. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Performance Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) found many disturbing violations in 2019—before the coronavirus existed. According to the Health Affairs journal, “COVID-19 has highlighted underlying problems of how ICE detention facilities inappropriately endanger the health of its individuals.” Although the CDC has set some guidelines for these centers, such as mandating individuals keep a six-foot distance from each
14
OPINION
other and quarantining detainees who have been exposed to the virus, some are near impossible to follow due to tight quarters. It’s hard to imagine these guidelines are being taken seriously when there have been continuous health violations in the past. As well as the general lack of regard toward providing and maintaining the health of ICE detainees, there have been disturbing allegations from a whistleblower, a nurse that worked at an ICE detention center in Georgia, about dozens of women in ICE custody being sterilized without their consent; she also reported a lack of medical care and unsafe work practice at the facility. This means that when detainees are given medical care, not only is it not in their best interest, but their rights are taken away in potentially unsafe conditions. Even if not consciously, these horrific practices are dangerously close to the modern practice of eugenics; these women held in ICE facilities who are sterilized are denied the right to have children and continue to diversify the world population. ICE detention centers are a troubling piece of American society that have been swept under the rug for far too long. These problems did not start during the Trump presidency, although he did contribute to the overpopulation of ICE detention centers by enforcing strict policy which led to the detention of more people than the previous administration. There has been reporting on the poor quality of ICE detention centers since the Obama administration was in power. According to Just Security, “In its 2011 report, the [InterAmerican commission on Human Rights] expressed concerns over ‘persistent complaints of improper medical care for immigration detainees.’ LaSalle has been accused of allowing, or
creating, poor conditions in its facilities and taking inadequate measures to protect the health of detainees, including in the context of COVID-19.” Biden has made several promises to overturn Trump-era policies—especially ones relating to immigration. His website states, “Immigration is essential to who we are as a nation, our core values, and our aspirations for our future.” He clearly points out on his website that Trump’s misguided policy is not only costly for taxpayers, but detrimental to the economy as well. This is because many immigrants contribute to some of the key sectors of the U.S. economy, such as agriculture. Biden quotes “The Hamilton Project,” which states “the total annual contribution of foreignborn workers is roughly $2 trillion.” Now that Biden is president, many immigrants and their families await these promises to be fulfilled. Biden called Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Jan. 23 to outline his new immigration plan, which prioritizes reversing the harsh immigration policies the Trump Administration had put in place. The two leaders plan to work together on this cause, as well as on reducing irregular migration—the illegal movement of migrants. It’s clear that in the first few days of Biden’s presidency, he has already successfully begun to undo much of Trump’s work, starting with signing an executive order that calls on Congress to enact legislation regarding a path toward permanent residency for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and ending the muslim ban. Only time will tell if Biden will roll back the rest of Trump’s immigration agenda, or whether some policies will remain to haunt us in the future.
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
BÉLA KURZENHAUSER I don’t know if anyone’s been reading the news lately, but our good old friend Wall Street has been having a bit of a meltdown. A little over a week ago, the share price of video game retailer GameStop (NYSE:GME) hit a historic high, closing at $65.01 on Jan. 22, higher than it had ever closed in the 21-year history of the store. It only took a few days for the shares to close at a whopping $347.51 on Wednesday, Jan. 27. GameStop and Wall Street as a whole had been hit by a sneak attack from one of the internet’s deadliest financial forums—the retail investment subreddit known as r/wallstreetbets. One particular user, u/DeepFuckingValue— also known as Keith Gill or Roaring Kitty on YouTube—had been hoarding GME shares since June 2019 and was clocking in over a million dollars in gains per day as of a week ago. On Jan. 27, his portfolio value climbed to $44 million dollars, a considerable growth from his initial $55,000 investment. Outsiders to the United States stock market and the investing world may be confused as to why a steadily failing brick-and-mortar video game store has stock currently worth more than Intel and AMD combined. The foundation of this historical event relies on the practice of short selling, where investors will “borrow” an asset, sell it and then buy it back at a lower price, thus making a profit.
Shorting a stock is risky, as it can result in an enormous loss if the stock price goes up. A “naked short” occurs when more than 100% of shares have been shorted, indicating that short sellers were selling shares that didn’t even exist. The U.S. Security and Exchanges Commission (SEC) cracked down on naked shorts in 2008, effectively making them illegal. When r/wallstreetbets users realized GME had been shorted at 138%, making it one of the most shorted stocks in the history of Wall Street, they hatched a plan. When any investor shorts a stock, they must buy back that stock before the short expires. When a stock has been shorted above 100%, there is a much greater demand for the stock then there is a supply. When the share price goes up, the demand increases and there are less shares available for short sellers to cover their position, resulting in a “short squeeze.” As investors scramble to cover their shorts, more and more shares are bought, creating a feedback loop where the stock price skyrockets. Retail investors on r/ wallstreetbets recognized that if users on the subreddit bought and held shares of GME en masse, they could force a short squeeze and beat the hedge funds at their own game. Hedge funds such as Melvin Capital that had poured millions upon millions of dollars into shorting GME were hit hard, with Melvin reporting to WSJ that they had lost 53% of
their value in a single month. Popular brokerage app Robinhood halted investors from buying new shares in stocks such as GME and AMC Theaters, resulting in a class-action lawsuit leveraged against the app. Networks such as CNN and CNBC headed to the morning news to vilify the retail investors behind the scheme, painting them as villains motivated by greed and profit. But the motivation behind this event was much, much different. It only takes a few minutes of browsing through r/wallstreetbets—which describes itself as “if 4chan found a Bloomberg terminal”—to understand the atmosphere of the forum and the motivation of the users. Fervent investors post screenshots of their massive portfolio losses to the jeering of fellow users, slinging around clips from movies like The Big Short, 300 and The Wolf of Wall Street in reference to their refusal to sell their shares. Unanimous cheering echoes throughout the approx. 7.5 million-strong community—mocking news anchors and hedge fund gurus to the tune of slogans and phrases like “DIAMOND HANDS” and “I just like the stock.” As GME skyrockets, a singular chant is heard—“apes together strong.” The front page of Reddit has been overtaken by videos of Times Square billboards that read “$GME GO BRRR” and planes flying over the U.S. carrying banners that read “SUCK MY NUTS ROBINHOOD.” Indeed, the many posts that flood through r/wallstreetbets do not reek of greed or boredom as claimed—instead, they seethe with a cocktail of anger, hope and revenge. Many of the forum’s regulars are millennials who lived through the 2008 market
crash. They saw their families lose their houses, money and jobs. They remember the disenfranchised and disillusioned Occupy protesters filling Wall Street as hedge fund managers and billionaires sat in their buildings drinking champagne, laughing and filling their coffers as the proletariat suffered the worst recession in 80 years. There is undeniably a horde of rookie investors using the GME short squeeze as a get-richquick scheme, but an overwhelming majority of the forum is united in the attack on Wall Street. Many people are holding hundreds of thousands, even millions in shares, but refuse to liquidate. It’s not about the money. It’s about telling Wall Street that they’re not invulnerable. It’s about showing people how fragile the “free” market really is. It’s about exposing brokerages like Robinhood and bleeding out the billionaires that profit off the misfortune of others. The top posts on the subreddit are filled with people using their gains to pay off medical or student debt, donating to charity, or, in the case of one North Texas day trader, donating Nintendo Switches to a children’s hospital. The squeeze is not without risks, and no one can tell what its long-term effects will be. Wall Street oozes with blatant manipulation coming from brokerages and hedge funds alike and there is no possible end to this chapter in investment history where every retail investor comes out with bags of cash in hand. Even as the brouhaha grows louder and the kitchen heats up, one truth persists. The pajama-wearing, basementdwelling, tendie-eating, day-trading and loss-accepting gladiators of r/wallstreetbets will hold and clutch their shares to their last breath; to go out in a burning, radiant flame of dips and crashes is better than to accept defeat from the moneygrubbing hedge funds dominated by the 1%. PORTLAND, OR GAMESTOP ON SE 82ND. SOFIE BRANDT/PSU VANGUARD
ROBBING THE WE LIKE WALL STREET THE THUNDERDOME STOCK PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
OPINION
15
VIRTUAL
EVENTS CALENDAR TUE FEB
NATIONAL TATER TOT DAY McMenamins 7 a.m.–11 p.m. $15
McMenamins and its reliable chain of Portland pubs is honoring “National Tater Tot Day” with discounts on cajun tots and their signature “ranch spice mixes.” Cool!
2
WED FEB
FREE FLU SHOTS AND COVID TESTING PCC Cascade Campus 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Free Ongoing through March 31
THE STRANGER WORLDWIDE SILENT READING PARTY Online events 6 p.m. $5–20
Every Wednesday, Seattle alternative paper The Stranger hosts a “silent reading” livestream, but it isn’t entirely silent—a live piano performance soundtracks your mostly-silent reading.
3
Uninsured and BIPOC folks are prioritized for free flu shots and COVID-19 testing. You have to call in advance to schedule. Walking, driving and biking are all permitted.
THU
JORYU HANGA KYOKAI, 1956–65
FEB
The Portland Art Museum presents an exhibit on Japan’s famous printmaking society, Joryū Hanga Kyōkai—or the Women’s Print Association—with a series of etchings and lithographs from 1956 to 1965.
4
FRI FEB
5
16
EVENTS
Portland Art Museum 10 a.m.–5 p.m. $20 Ongoing through February 7
THE 31ST ANNUAL CASCADE FESTIVAL OF AFRICAN FILMS Online event, via PCC Different showings: free Ongoing through March 10
The Annual Cascade Festival of African Films—which, naturally, will be migrating entirely to the internet this year— features African films by African filmmakers. Among the films showcased this year are Sam Soko’s Softie and You Will Die at Twenty, Sudan’s first Oscar nomination.
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
