ISSUE 6: FRINGE
CAMPUS NEWS & LIFE | ARTS & CULTURE | STYLE & SUSTAINABILITY | REVIEWS | & MORE
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WATSON CALENDAR AUGUST/SEPTEMBER MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
20
FRIDAY
17
18
19
24
25
26
27
31
1
2
3
7
8
9
10
11
14
15
16
17
18
Son of the East @ Hotel Steyne Manly 9pm
CAVE Public Lecture: Gillian Triggs @ MQ Research Centre for Agency, Values & Ethics 5:30pm
21
Aboriginal Astronomy Evening @ Redfern Community Centre 7pm
28
HG does OXJAM @ Goodgod 10pm MQ Law Revue @ Lighthouse Theatre 8pm
4
MULS 40th Anniversary @ MQ Atrium 6:30pm
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
22
23
29
30
5
6
12
13
19
20
Volumes 2015 Oxford St 2pm
Festival of Dangerous Ideas @ Sydney Opera House
I LOVE LIFE Music Night @ Metro Theatre 6pm Tkay Maidza @ OAF 8pm
Small WorldFestival @ Sydney Park
Do you have an upcoming event? Let us know and we’ll do our best to include it in our calendar. Email grapeshot@mq.edu.au
EDITOR’S LETTER
Okay, let’s be honest with ourselves ... Most New Years resolutions are lame and seldom materialise. To be fair, however, our New Years resolution definitely followed in that vein. Our quest was to become the hottest student magazine in North Ryde (because, let’s face it, there are a lot of hot student magazines in the suburb) and we encountered plenty of obstacles, such as how does one write an article that is hot (or at least, lukewarm), and what colours and visuals actually count as ‘hot’? We knew something had to change, but what would it be?
everything. Our old logo went out the door and we even changed the damn size of the magazine, just because we could. We hope you will think ‘noice work’, rather than ‘what on earth have you done to our beloved student rag?! Think of the children!’ Our figurative blood, sweat and tears have gone into making this happen, and after mishaps and misfires, we have finally produced it. So, Fetch, huh? What’s that all about? It seems like an odd title for a fresh new look but actually, it makes a whole lot of sense to us. Macquarie University has gone through a lot of changes in the past few years with 2015 showcasing a big visual change.
EDITORIAL & CREATIVE PRODUCTION EDITOR IN CHIEF Sarah Basford DEPUTY EDITOR Regina Featherstone FEATURES EDITOR Jack CameronStanton NEWS EDITOR Anna Glen REGULARS EDITOR Vanessa Capito COPY EDITOR Amelia van der Rijt WEB EDITOR Raelee-Jordan Lancaster EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Nicholas Wasiliev & Aswathi Neelakandan CREATIVE DIRECTOR Natasha Michels GRAPHIC DESIGNER Samuel Ip MARKETING TEAM ADVERTISING MANAGER Michael Rosser MARKETING MANAGER Joanna Marciniak OUR AWESOME CONTRIBUTORS Andros, Shannon Abberton, Yehuda Aharon, Riahta Grace, Glen Hopper, Emma Jones, Phoebe Kwan, Irene Phan, Kat Robson, Dylan Schneider, Alicia Scott, Charlie Smith, Caitlin Stevens, Rowan Taylor, Eric Tilse, Alexis Worthing, Tony Zhang EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD STUDENT MEMBERS Emma Grimly, Jack Morgan, Jacob Rock, Kris Gilmour, Natalie Morton, Patrick Barkachi, Sarah Cameron, Yi Wong COORDINATOR Melroy Rodriques PUBLISHER Craig Oliver
Grapeshot would like to acknowledge the Darug people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we work, and pay our respects to their elders, past and present.
In the end, we opted to change
Macquarie University Law Society magazine Edition 1, 2015 (Volume 21)
onnolwine ’S BE ST AC CE SS AU ST RA LIA IC AT IO N LAW ST UD EN T PU BL AN YT IM E, AN YW HE RE
Edition 1, 2015 | 1
www.facebook.com/ thebriefmagazine
www.issuu.com/muls
www.muls.org
ISSUE 6: FRINGE
CONTENTS 7 NEWS
15 REGULARS
25 FEATURES
37 CREATIVE
8 NEWS FLASH
16 DOWN IN THE DUMPS
26 HOW I CAME TO MEET
38 THE BEEKEEPER
12 #QANDAGATE
18 THE UNKNOWING
OLIVER MOL
38 DATE (A STORY IN FIVE
14 FRINGE FILMS: SYDNEY
VICTIMS
28 GAME OF LIFE
CIGARETTES)
UNDERGROUND FILM
20 WAIT, BUT WHERE ARE
30 SOVEREIGNTY NEVER
39 REVOLUTIONARIES
FESTIVAL
YOU REALLY FROM?
CEDED
40 THE SWING
22 BANISH THE BINARY
32 #LOVEWINS
41 PASTELS
24 ADVICE FROM FAKE
34 ONCE AGAIN, RACIST
42 YOU MISS HER
ZOOEY
EXTREMISTS PARADE
TERRIBLY, DON’T DENY IT
THEMSELVES AROUND
YOU BASTARD
43 REPEAT OFFENDERS 44 THE STEW 46 REVIEWS 50 HOROSCOPES 51 CROSSWORD
MACWARRIORS GO TO BATTLE AT EUGS
In July this year the MacWarrior and a number of Macquarie’s finest athletes jumped on a bus and headed down to Wagga Wagga for the annual Eastern University Games for 2015. Our teams competed in almost every event including basketball, football, futsal, OzTag, touch football, netball, Ultimate Frisbee, hockey, tennis and squash! The week started on a high with most teams remaining undefeated. However, along with the unwelcome cold snap came the inevitable injuries bringing the number of able bodied competitors down significantly. Overall we placed 8th at the EUGs. An honourable mention goes to the Men’s Basketball team, Men’s OzTag team and Mixed OzTag team who all placed second in their sport, receiving a Silver Medal. As well as Dominique Ratcliffe for winning Silver in Open Squash. The Mixed Netball team, Women’s Futsal team and Women’s Touch team all narrowly missed out on securing medals, claiming fourth place in their category. Make sure you stay across all the activity from the Australian University Games on from 27 September to 2 October. This year our sporting teams will be heading to sunny Queensland to put their training to the test. Follow Macquarie University Sport on Instagram (@mqusport) and Facebook (facebook.com/ mqusport) for all of the latest highlights from the AUGs and other sporting activities and events.
6 || News
NEWS
Features || 7
NEWS FLASH WORDS || ANNA GLEN & REGINA FEATHERSTONE & SARAH BASFORD
8 || NEWS
NEWS FLASH
LABOR NATIONAL CONFERENCE CLARIFIES CLIMATE CHANGE PLANS Climate change has remained a contentious topic between the Liberal Government and Labor party. For a time, it was unclear what policy each party had adopted, only that the Liberal Government cut the Carbon Tax as soon as they could. Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten clarified Labor’s position at the ALP National Conference, stating that Labor plans for Australia to be twenty-three percent renewable by 2020. Mr. Shorten has said this will be achieved by re-introducing an emissions trading scheme that will “do all the heavy lifting” and continued by saying “You do no favours for the people of Australia, no favours to your own families and successive generations by saying we can’t do anything about climate change”. There has been growing pressure for climate change reform following the address by Barack Obama at the UN Climate Change Summit, where he said climate change is the “one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other”. Recently, Denmark made news for becoming one hundred per cent reliant on renewable energy to power the small nation. The target of twenty-three per cent by 2020 aims to create jobs in the renewable energy sector and secure a better environmental future. Australian Solar Council chief executive John Grimes added that the announcement by Labor is “a bold and visionary policy”.
TRANSGENDER DEATHS IN THE US Alarming statistics have come out that state eleven transgender women have been killed in the USA so far this year. These women vary in ages and locations but share common features in that they were transgender, were often but not always women-of-colour and had brutal attacks that led to their deaths. In 2014, there were twelve transgender women killed in the US, meaning that at the rate these deaths are happening, the number could double for 2015. These numbers don’t even account for the suicide rates of transgender Americans. Research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recently found that transgender people are severely at risk of suicide attempts. Further, it is not uncommon for transgender people to become homeless after fleeing violence and discrimination at home. Of those who are transgender and homeless, sixty-nine per cent said they have tried to take their own life. Beyond Blue in Australia stated that in 2013, twenty per cent of the transgender community had suicidal thoughts and up to fifty per cent have attempted suicide in their life. Violence toward the transgender community in Australia became widely known earlier this year when transgender woman, Stephanie McCarthy was allegedly bashed at a pub in Newtown.
NEWS || 9
NEWS FLASH
FALLS FESTIVAL 2015/16 LINEUP ANNOUNCED The 2015/16 Falls Music and Arts Festival lineup has officially been released with a repertoire of acts set to impress many. International acts include Bloc Party, Foals, Weird Al, Disclosure, Mac DeMarco as well as some local favourites such as Birds of Tokyo, Courtney Barnett, Alpine and Hilltop Hoods. Ballot tickets, which account for the majority of ticket sales, are now open and will be released from August 20 to August 24, two days prior to general sale. The Falls Music and Arts Festival is an annual multi-day music festival held over the New Year’s Eve period throughout the country in Lorne, Marion Bay and Byron Bay.
DISRUPTION TO STUDIES RULES SET TO CHANGE: ARE YOU ‘FIT TO SIT’? The University is set to introduce measures that would require students to sign a ‘fit to sit’ statement at the commencement of every exam. If students were not able to sit the exam, they would then be escorted to the medical campus service for assessment. The new policy has been proposed in order to prevent students from sitting exams and applying for disruption to studies claims after the fact. Similar policies have been implemented at the University of Sydney, which saw a reduction in disruption claims, and one study in the UK found that such measures showed a 60% reduction in claims. However concerns have been raised about whether the policy might have a detrimental effect on the number of students sitting examinations. On a similar note, there has been has been a push to accept ‘Professional Authority Forms’ over Medical Certificates as the only form of documentation accepted for disruptions. Professional Authority Forms are preferred because they directly link the illness suffered to the disruption whereas Medical Certificates tend to be vague and nonspecific. If this change goes ahead, students need to ensure they bring the University certified form to any appointments rather than using the forms issued at the doctors. If you have any concerns or recommendations please contact Ian Robertson at ian.robertson@mq.edu.au, who is chairing the working party on this matter.
10 || NEWS
NEWS FLASH
CONCEPTION DAY AXED EXPANSION OF THE GALILEE MINING BASIN It has been announced that the Liberal Government will finance five billion dollars towards mining projects at the Galilee Mining Basin. The Basin, which is on the foot of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland is set to expand, taking up 250,000 square kilometres of land. Professor Tim Flannery of the Climate Council has commented that Australia is responsible for 1.5 per cent of the world’s global emissions and that increasing output is not a good idea. Further, big players like China dropped their coal usage by three per cent in 2014. Flannery says, “Those who have invested in coal have lost a lot of money in recent years, and that’s because renewables are taking increasing share of the energy pie.” Queensland’s Resources Council Chief Executive, Michael Roche says that if Australia does not supply the coal, another country will and that “it’ll probably be coal of poorer quality, resulting in more emissions”. Environmentalists and climate change activists are concerned for the emissions and irreversible damage that can occur to the Great Barrier Reef if this mining goes ahead.
It was announced on social media that Macquarie University’s annual music festival, Conception Day, would be cancelled due to poor student attendance. Student response to the post was overwhelmingly negative with many calling for a reconsideration of its axe. Students blamed high drinks prices and over policing of the event as the two main reasons for its demise. However, in an attempt to revitalise student participation, the university has proposed a new event to take its place. Described as a more inclusive measure for bringing together “food, music and people… in a festival-style atmosphere”, it will be developed in collaboration with the Student Advisory Board, though the board was not consulted prior to the cancellation of the original event. Conception Day was first held in 1969 and is said to commemorate the supposed date of Lachlan Macquarie’s conception. Over its forty-four years, it has hosted some of Australia’s biggest names in music such as The Preatures, Josh Pyke, Flume, Art vs. Science and Birds of Tokyo.
NEWS || 11
#QANDAGATE In June of this year the popular QandA program on the ABC sparked controversy after broadcasting a question from Zaky Mallah, a man who has been convicted of threatening to kill ASIO officers and who also has a history of posting misogynistic tweets. In the wake of the episode the ABC received over 1000 viewer complaints and chastisement from the mainstream media. The ABC admitted it showed an ‘error of judgment’ in allowing Mallah to appear on the show and said it was not aware of the his offensive tweets prior to him appearing on the program. Prime Minister Tony Abbott responded by instructing Coalition frontbenchers to abstain from appearing on the show,
EDWIN NELSON
VICE PRESIDENT OF THE MACQ LIBERAL CLUB Why was it a good idea for the Prime Minister Tony Abbott to refuse go on Q and A? Well to start with it was good politics. Let’s face it – your swing votes in Western Sydney don’t spend their time watching Tony Jones on Q and A. Most people who watch the program have a pretty good idea who they are going to vote for in the next election – so Tony Abbott is hardly going to win many friends by appearing on the program. So what does Tony Abbott gain by introducing a “ban” on Q and A? Well he wins some popularity with the Daily Telegraph readers. There is a perception out in the general public that the ABC is too left wing. People don’t like the inner west latte sipping elites who form the predominant audience of Q and A and this message is re-
12 || News
causing Barnaby Joyce to withdraw from the program last minute. Finally, after the ABC agreed to move the program from its Entertainment subdivision to News and Current Affairs, the ban was lifted. And Twitter deemed the entire saga #QandAgate. It raises important questions – is it appropriate to air the opinions of convicted terrorists? Can they be useful or do they encourage ‘radicalisation’? Was Tony Abbott’s response an overreaction or smart politics? Is the ABC too ‘left wing’ or is the current government bullying it? We asked some student politicians from both sides of the spectrum to respond.
enforced by your commercial television stations who are happy to beat up on their government sponsored competitor. So Tony Abbott wins a few points on Sunrise and 60 minutes. But more than this – there is a principle at stake here. You should not give a microphone on national television to people who have a history of making death threats. The ABC was wrong in allowing a convicted terrorist to appear on the program and so Abbott is right to condemn this. The ABC needs to change how they regulate their program. By taking a tough stance on Q and A – Abbott re-enforces his tough guy stance on terrorism, which is an issue that traditionally plays well for Conservatives. Finally, I don’t expect the ban of Cabinet Ministers going on Q and A to last very long. There has already been an indication by the PM if the ABC changes its management of Q and A so falls under the news and current affairs division, which has a more rigorous screening procedure, then he’s prepared to lift the ban. And if it’s not lifted then who cares? Liberals will still appear on Lateline or the 7.30 report or any other form of news program. It’s not like there aren’t other T.V. shows out there. Politics is the art of the possible and I think Abbott has won more than he’s lost on this issue.
KIEREN ASH
YOUNG LABOR MEMBER (TITLE NEEDS CLARIFICATION) The Zaky Mallah saga was a pathetic beatup of a nonissue. Prime Minister John Howard applauded the participation of David Hicks on the same show just a few short years ago as an example of the greatness of Australia’s commitment to freedom of speech. The idea that the ABC now has engaged in some sort of high treason doesn’t stand up under scrutiny. Abbott’s subsequent overreaction didn’t delegitimise Mallah as a dangerous radical to be ignored, but instead made him a serious topic of discussion for three (!) weeks in national media. That anyone would be persuaded to join ISIS by Mallah’s oratory and ridiculous weed cap is beyond even the most hyperactive right-wing imagination. The frontbench ban is patently ridiculous, but it makes perfect sense once you realise the tenuous situation the government is in. Tony Abbott was elected on the basis of
a promise to do nothing – no cuts to health or education, no changes to pensions or superannuation, no cuts to the ABC or SBS – just repeal a few taxes and turn the middle class welfare spigot back on again. Ostensibly, this government has achieved its core promises, and now finds itself utterly listless on the high seas of public opinion, drifting towards the rocky outcrop of an election. The ABC regularly attracts the ire of Liberal governments because it remains one of the few media organisations that will speak truth to power to any government. For a party that is accustomed to the media carrying the ball for them, this causes more than a few headaches. The government, in trying to flex its muscle against the ABC, reveals who they truly think is the enemy. When LNP MP George Christensen attended a Reclaim Australia rally as a headlining speaker, giving governmental legitimacy to a movement of various rednecks, racists and xenophobes, it didn’t raise Tony Abbott’s ire. Christensen was free to speak and encourage their bigotry. When the ABC refused to shift QandA out of Entertainment and into News & Current Affairs, Barnaby Joyce was pulled from the program at the last minute. Apparently the ABC is more to be scorned than a reactionary fascist movement. So how can anyone defend Abbott’s decision? Only if you believe that you have a right to be a bigot - but not tell the truth about the government.
News || 13
FRINGE FILMS: SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL OPENS ITS DOORS FOR ANOTHER YEAR TO SHOWCASE “FUCKED UP” CINEMA
WORDS || ANNA GLEN INTERVIEW || ADRIAN NGUYEN This September, the Sydney Underground (2009), a documentary from Oliver Stone Film Festival, or ‘SUFF’, will celebrate its that criticised the IMF, WTO and World ninth birthday, showcasing the weird and Bank for enslaving people under the guise wonderful contributions to film. Hosted of helping them, and Unlawful Killing in the Factory Theatre in Marrickville, the (2011), which suggested the royal family event is set to challenge audiences with a was responsible for the death of Princess variety of fringe films that do not appear Dianna. in the major mainstream festivals. Legal boundaries have also been pushed SUFF has grown significantly since its with the inclusion of ultra violent and inauguration in 2007, which aired just 10 sexually perverse film, Life and Death of a screenings over one cinema. This year Porno Gang (2009), as well as The Miscrethe festival will show over 100 features, ants (2011), which included a few seconds documentaries and short films across five of an actual beheading. screens. Clearly, some screenings at the festival The selection criteria for underground are not for the faint hearted. Three people films are not clear-cut. The notion of passed out during the screening of Wet‘underground’ has a rich history in film, lands (2013), a visceral German film about and tends to designate works that are sexual exploration (anal cutting scenes experimental or on the countercultural included), Popescu says people felt ‘as fringe of independent cinema. The term though they were on mushrooms’ while ‘Underground’ was first used by film critic watching Enter the Void (2009), a film Manny Farber in his seminal essay Underabout a psychedelic acid trip in Tokyo, ground Films (1957), to describe films that and finally audience members resorted “played an anti-art role in Hollywood”. to throwing spoons at the screen in the airing of ‘The Room’ (2003), a cult film Co-founder and director of SUFF, Stefan infamous for being ‘so bad it is good’. Popescu, says the Sydney festival “operates in the wake of a historical tradition of Despite this, Popescu encourages newexperimental and underground cinema, comers to the festival and said SUFF is a and our ethos is to search out films that “friendly and fun film festival, so when are pushing the boundaries in some way first-time festival goers get through any – whether that would be spectator, legal, fear of the unknown, they end up loving narrative, aesthetic boundaries”. our festival and always return. Remember – it’s only a film and it can’t hurt you”. “Basically we watch them and if they are artistic, unique, twisted or fucked up The Sydney Underground Film Festival enough we program them. These days an will be run from Thursday through to underground film is what you say it is”, Sunday, September 17 to 20. Popescu says. More information can be found at suff. In the past SUFF has screened controcom.au versial films such as South of the Border
14 || News
REGULARS
THE CHALLENGE:
DOWN IN THE DUMPS WORDS || VANESSA CAPITO
When my editor in chief came to me with this months challenge, my initial reaction was “Yeah totally, sounds fab” etc. But when it came to actually getting up doing it, it was way more of an “ugh, kinda gross/why did agree to do another challenge/ when will I learn.” But I’ll be frank, dumpster diving is fun if you plan ahead, know where to look, and know when to go. Surprisingly there is a large diving community within Sydney whom share blogs and websites with updated info on which bins are the best and at what particular times. They also shed a new light on the taboo and really educate and try to reaffirm that dumpster diving isn’t necessarily about jumping around in the trash, but rather repurposing perfectly good products and produce which would otherwise have been thrown out for good. I have to admit I did cheat a little with this challenge, and instead of surviving off dumpster diving for three days, I only did it once, mainly because it’s kind of risky if you’re not super familiar with it, and admittedly I’m a bit of a princess and I was scared I was going to rip into a trash bag full of proper garage like fish guts or something. I promise never to bitch out again.
THE EXPERIENCE MORNING So this morning began with me calling a lifeline, because hell no I wasn’t going to do this alone. And after I phoned a friend and convinced her that dumpster diving for the sake of a challenge was a good idea and that I needed a motivational buddy (and obviously someone to lookout), she agreed. Although I still think she only did it for the lols. I did a little bit of research on where and when to go. Most places were for the Inner West, mainly around
Newtown and Marrickville Metro where there are larger supermarkets and small bakeries that get rid of everything at the end of the day. I had read however that Chatswood was actually pretty good because no one ever suspects dumpster divers in the North Shore – but hey, we students and we poor too. Anyway, it was good because it meant they rarely lock the bins and I was banking on the fact that they wouldn’t be locked when we went. The blog also recommended going late evening once things have been binned, and because it’s dark = safety.
THE DIVE We got to Chatswood Chase around 8:45pm and I tossed up between parking in the car park of on the street. I was super paranoid we’d get caught then they’d somehow lock us in the car park and make us pay a fine, which is the worst thing they could’ve done because I spend all my money on food/gin/petrol or ASOS and I literally could not afford a fine. We parked on the street and then walked around the car park for ages pretending we couldn’t find out car so people or security wouldn’t be like wtf? Although I’ve got to say that in hindsight I could’ve been yelling, “I’m carrying (insert every illicit drug and piece of contraband)” and it wouldn’t have mattered because there was no one around and certainly no security – that we could see anyway. After a good 20 minute walk around including the car park we circled the outside and docks and found the bins located inside the entrance in the loading docks off Victoria Ave. By this point it was almost 9:30pm. Like the blog had mentioned, the bins were unlocked but there was about five large dumpster bins so trying to figure out what was in each was the main problem. I first checked out the one closest to the entrance so we could bail ASAP if we heard someone or something. I had brought some long pink washing gloves that I’d stolen from work (soz) because I
AFTERWARDS By the end of this challenge, I have to say that I would totally give dumpster diving another go. Either for funzies or perhaps actually feeding needs when I finally move out and wanna be stinge and steal food. Although it’s a bit of a blurry line on whether
was super sceptical about weird shit touching my arms and even though it was freezing I wore a t-shirt since I didn’t want my clothes to smell or get dirty (yes, I’m a prissy bitch, I told you). I stacked two crates on one another so I could see properly into the bin and I ripped the first bag open. It was a total dud and was just actually rubbish from the food court or something. The next three bags were the same. I was getting a bit disheartened but then I switched bins and bingo. Bakers Delight. There was a shit tone of stuff, and least two full bags of loaves, scrolls, finger buns and those random pizza things they do. My friend grabbed a vegemite and cheese scroll and held a pizza for me while I took a bite. I thought maybe I could find the Donut King rubbish because dreams would’ve made but I didn’t. And then I thought maybe I could find jam donuts or something from Coles. But I didn’t. Mind you this is all in the space of about 15 minutes because I was rushing and it was cold as fuck. Plus I was still really paranoid we were going to get caught. The last bag I ripped into I think must’ve been Coles or Fruitezy because it was just random bunch of lettuce leaves, fruit and veg. We gave up after that because a van pulled into the dock and we were like “Nup, we out”. I think had we had stayed longer, or perhaps just gone later once Coles had closed there would’ve been a lot more because they would’ve thrown out all the stuff from their bakery section (cookies!). or not it’s stealing, because the goods have technically been thrown out, but you can still get into trouble for trespassing if you’re in a shopping centre I think. Anyway, give it a go kids. People sometimes find flowers so you could get a free gift for your loved one, aww. But don’t drink and dive because that’s irresponsible.
THE UNKNOWING VICTIMS
REVENGE PORN, PARASITE PORN + MORPHED PORN WORDS || NOELLE MARTIN
It was 2am on a Saturday night I was enjoying a quiet night in. Little did I know that what started off as aimlessly browsing the web, would turn into a wild, unexpected three year ordeal that to this day is far from over. That night, my mind turned to something I heard about earlier that day, the Google Image Reverse function that allows you to upload a picture and find out if and where it is on the Internet. Out of pure curiosity, I decided to try it for myself. What I discovered made my body ache, as if I’d just heard troubling news, but a million times worse. Dozens upon dozens of porn sites had my face featured on their pages, from xhamster
18 || REGULARS
to sex.com and countless more. As I opened up the sites one at a time, I found galleries of my photos, many had been taken from my Facebook page, my friends’ Facebook pages or from nightclub albums. My details were listed; name, age, location and what I studied. The comments that were left about me are too explicit and offensive to repeat. “Parasite Porn” is the phrase used to describe the posting of photos stolen from social media websites and repurposed for pornographic purposes. I called the police that same Saturday and I was told to bring screenshots of the sites to the closest police station
and come Monday morning, I went straight to Eastwood Police Station with my laptop in hand. But there was nothing they could do. They informed me that once a photo has been posted online anyone can repurpose it and do what they want with it, even if it meant misrepresenting you on porn sites (I would like to note that none of the photos I had were sexually explicit). I pleaded with the police saying that the lack of consent must make this illegal, but all I could do was to contact the sites myself and request to take them down. I have successfully taken the image off many sites since, but I am still in the process of removing numerous sites which feature morphed photos of me, that is, photos of me that have been manipulated into a sexually explicit nature, this is an example of “morphed pornography.” My personal experience is not an isolated one. In a society that is dominated by a vast, under regulated Internet and social media culture, where photo sharing is a commonplace activity, many victims of this sort of cybercrime, predominantly women, find themselves vulnerable and without adequate recourse. Some victims may be able to afford the expenses to remedy the damage, such as lawyers and private investigators. But there is no remedy for the emotional damage to the spirit and dignity of these victims. All too often these crimes are occurring, from the recent celebrity nude photo scandal, where many female A-list celebrities like Jenifer Lawrence had their iCloud accounts hacked and nude photos disclosed, to the very recent incident surrounding 500 Adelaide women who were found to be victims of “revenge porn,” the
public sharing of sexually explicit material, often by ex-lovers, for the purposes of humiliation. It is easy to adopt the view that if you don’t want your photos to end up in the wrong hands, don’t upload them, or if you do upload them you should expect this kind of backlash. This very sentiment was echoed by Sunrise, when in response to the Adelaide revenge porn incident they stated “when will women learn?” The comments made by Sunrise sparked outrage when feminist writer Clementine Ford called Sunrise out for “victim-shaming,” when the in fact, these women were merely “victims of crime.” Repairing the damage done by cybercrime can be very difficult; there are issues of jurisdiction if some websites are outside the Australian domain, not to mention the adverse effect on the victim’s employability and reputation, as she (or he for that matter) may likely become susceptible to slut-shaming. In my opinion, the most dangerous part of all is the fact that many victims of crimes such as these, have no idea they are victims until the damage may is irreparable. Luckily, all is not so grim. Amit Singhal, a senior vice-president of Google has announced that they would remove from their search results, nude or sexually explicit photos that were uploaded without the victim’s consent, although the photos will still appear on the original websites. Whilst Google’s course of action will not solve the issue at hand, it is a huge step in tackling this kind of cybercrime. Numerous states in the US have seen the emergence of revenge porn legislation. Australia is yet to follow suit.
REGULARS || 19
WAIT, BUT WHERE
ARE YOU
REALLY FROM? WORDS || ANNE TONG // @TONG_ANNIE
“So, where are you from?” As an Australian born Chinese, there’s nothing quite like being interrogated about where I come from. Often my first answer will be a short and simple, “Australia.” When my questioner isn’t entirely satisfied with that answer they are well prepared with a ‘clever’ follow up.
“No, I mean, where are you really from?” Generally speaking, the “really” gets drawn out longer, to the point where it becomes glaringly awkward for the both of us. Even specific responses like, “Sydney, but I grew up on the Central Coast,” aren’t enough to satiate their desire to tug apart my cultural roots.
“Yeah, but what’s your, you know, background?”
20 || REGULARS
As a second generation migrant and a woman of colour, I have honestly lost count of how monotonous these conversations have become. It seems that ethnicity, nationality and culture have become strangely enmeshed and synonymous with one another. Nationality wise, I am Australian. Ethnicity wise, I am Han Chinese. Culturally, it’s not so simple. My cultural identity is, and continues to be, shaped by a combination of Chinese and Australian attitudes. Growing up yellow in a dominantly white society has been turbulent at times, particularly as a child. I felt like an imposter at both ends of the spectrum - I wasn’t authentically Chinese, nor authentically Australian. Without a firm sense of cultural identity I felt disconnected from both sides of the spectrum and I berated myself for being unauthentic, for not being ‘Australian
enough’ - as if being born here wasn’t enough in itself.
“Oh, I thought you were Korean at first. I’m usually pretty good at guessing, anyway. So, you’re Chinese? I can speak a bit of it, Ni hao!” Time and time again, I am reminded of the fact that I am not seen as Australian. At least, not the average Australian. Despite the fact that migrants constitute a significant portion of Australia’s population, there is an underwhelming representation of nonwhite bodies in our media-scape. On the contrary, whiteness has populated a space of universality and invisibility through pronounced representation. Our mainstream media channels and institutional bodies of governance are instrumental in devising the collective conscience of a nation. They create the image of what an Australian should look like. In the corpus of our settler colonial nation, being anything other than white often leaves you open to having your nationality and cultural identity cross examined. I’ve had people automatically assume that I’m incapable of speaking English, only to be left stunned before saying, “Wow, your English is really good!” Basically, I am not Australian, until proven otherwise. In a country that brandishes itself with the title of being a ‘multicultural melting pot’ there is still a great deal to accomplish with regard to the representation of ethnic minorities. We need to provoke a shift away from
narrow and ‘othering’ portrayals of Asian Australians, and other minority groups. Tokenistic Asian characters frequently paraded by mainstream media for capitalistic entertainment can inform and entrench racial stereotypes. While tokenistic characters may be considered light-hearted fun for some, they are nonetheless problematic in reproducing assumptions based uniquely on racial features. Mainstream media is devoid of nuanced representations of minority cultures, and by feeding off of existing stereotypes, it only further fuels racial generalisations in everyday encounters.
“I absolutely LOVE Chinese culture! Like, I love the food so much. You’re so lucky that you’re able to eat it all the time!” When the authenticity of my ‘Australianness’ is probed and my cultural identity is torn to bits by a whirlwind of generalisations and stereotypes, I am harrowingly reminded that I will always be seen as the ‘other’. During these interrogations, people aren’t really interested in who I really am. Rather, they are interested in categorising me into a palatable ethnic description of who they think I ought to be. You can’t paint over someone’s cultural identity with a single brush stroke, especially if your only knowledge of their ethnic culture is derived from superficial and warped misrepresentations. I am not your game of cultural bingo. If you care to listen, let me tell my own story.
REGULARS || 21
BANISH THE BINARY WORDS || DIBS
22 || REGULARS
If I asked you how many genders there are, what would you say? Two, three? Countless? Many people think there are boys and there are girls, men and women, and that’s all you can be. However that’s not the case for a substantial amount of people who identify as non-binary. Gender identity as well as biological sex, sexuality, and gender expression all fall on a spectrum and do not necessarily influence each other. I recently watched a fabulous YouTube video by Justin Dennis titled How Many Genders Are There? which explains this concept in a simple way. Justin asks, “How many colours are there?” You could say there are only a few definite colours like red, blue and yellow and everything else is just a shade of those. But you would be grouping a lot of colours together that are distinctly different. Teal and turquoise are bluey greens, but they are definitely different colours. So there’s really an infinite amount of colours out there, which is kind of the same for the gender spectrum. Unfortunately society likes to categorise things and put people in boxes so they can have preconceived ideas about them. As much as we try to label everyone, those labels don’t always fit. Sometimes people identify with a label because it’s easier for others to understand. For example, some pansexual people might just say they are bisexual because pansexuality is not as understood as bisexuality. There is a great website, www.itspronouncedmetrosexual.com which has a bunch of discussions on gender and sexuality and helps to even further explain the differences and definitions between all the differing terms. So what do I mean when I say ‘gender’? No it isn’t what’s between your legs, that’s your biological sex – which isn’t binary either. There are males and females and intersex people too. Biological sex is a sliding scale just as much as everything else. Think of all the people being born everyday. Their
bodies, internally and externally, come in various combinations of shapes, sizes, chromosomes and organs. Gender on the other hand is a social construction. It has social and cultural meanings and is assigned to people based on their sex. Some cultures have completely different perceptions of gender than we do and some even have a third gender. Since gender is a made up construct, we should be able to identify with whatever gender we feel closest to and most comfortable with. This is referred to as gender identity. For some people they identify with feeling male or female, some people feel like neither and others feel like they float about on the spectrum. These people might choose labels like gender non-conforming, gender nonbinary, gender-fluid, or gender-queer. A-gender describes people who don’t feel like they have a gender, and bigender describes people who identify with two genders. Gender expression is how someone chooses to express their gender, how they present themselves to the world. This could include their haircut, clothes and use of make-up (which aren’t gendered things, but as a society we connect short hair with men and skirts with women). The language of gender is constantly changing and evolving. Using ‘they’ as a singular pronoun is already acceptable and common use. For example if I said “my friend is going to be late to the party”, you would reply “when are they going to get here?” because I didn’t specify their gender. It’s important not to get this confused with sexual orientation, which is who you are attracted to. You can definitely be a feminine man and like women or a masculine woman who is attracted to men. For a clearer picture of what I just explained, go online and search the ‘genderbread person’. It is a wonderful diagram explaining the spectrums of these different parts of us.
ADVICE FROM
FAKE ZOOEY
WORDS || JOSEPHINE CLARK WROE DEAR ZOOEY, I FEEL LIKE MY FRIENDS AND I ARE STARTING TO DRIFT APART. THEY LOVE TO PARTY (LIKE A LOT), WHEREAS I’D PREFER TO STAY IN. HOW CAN WE FIND SOMETHING WE ALL ENJOY OR SHOULD I SEARCH FOR NEW FRIENDS? LUCY.
Who’s that girl? It’s Zooey! Here to tell you to quit fretting, there is no need to stay on this lonely street. Your friends may seem as cold as ice cream sometimes, but they are still just as sweet. What you need is a perpetual Sunday and a hobby you can all learn together. Just imagine endless picnics, filled with cupcakes and pink lemonade. String bunting tied from tree to tree, everyone could wear polka dot dresses and large straw hats and sip mocktails with novelty straws. Or maybe you still want to remain night owls in which you can re-create this idea in an evening fashion. Perhaps a cocktail movie night? You could settle in to watch a rom-com or have a New Girl marathon and offer to bake them something scrumptious. Get lost in YouTube videos of kittens with mittens and goats in pyjamas. I’m not sure if you have pets, but if you do, watch my tutorial on how to dance
with your dog in just three simple steps (works for cats too). Alternatively start a new hobby together, you could learn a new language (par le vous francais?), learn how to crochet or take a cooking class together. Host an eyelash batting competition or practice your guiltiest baby face. You could have a craft day or all pitch in to help each other decorate your rooms. You can pick anything, just commit to it like I have committed to my bangs and have fun. If your friends still won’t take some time off from their partying lifestyle, then you mustn’t cry, Sunday girl. If they don’t think dying by your side is such a heavenly way to die, then perhaps the fact that you all used to like the same bizarre stuff, isn’t worth all the effort. The world is filled with likeminded, quirky humans, such as yourself… you just have to go out and find them.
FEATURES
Features || 25
HOW I MET OLIVER MOL, RIPPED OFF MY FACE, AND LEARNT SOME THINGS I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU WORDS || JACK STANTON
How I met Oliver Mol, ripped off my face, Oliver Mol’s writing is confessional, honest, endearing, and declarative all at once. So after reading his book Lion Attack! I’m trying to be honest and I want you to know that, I met up with him at the East Sydney Hotel in Woolloomooloo. In his debut book, he claims that memory is fallible, and as a result, not everything in the book is true. Except the important part, the ‘emotional truth’, which is ever present despite the story being roughly 70 per cent fact and 30 per cent fiction. To explain, Oliver quotes alt lit pioneer Scott McClanahan, who claims: “I never look at a painting and think “Is this painting fictional or non-fictional?” It’s just a painting.” And this rings true of alternative literature in general. Alt lit is a literary movement mostly based in America that is defined by the work of writers such as Tao Lin, Mira Gonzalez, Sam Pink, and Steve Roggenbuck. While much of the writing community is terrified of the internet, unsure of how to write it in, alt lit embraces both as a subject to write about and publishing platform. “Traditionally,” Oliver said, “the online writing scene is poetry and creative-non fiction. So I started writing a lot of pieces that involve me or my friends or my
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family, and then publish it on Facebook. I wasn’t consciously thinking: I’m going to write a memoir. I was like: I’m going to write what excites me.” Oliver Mol’s book ascribes to the same approach to literature, but adds an affectionate, rose-tinted glasses style of reflection. In Lion Attack, Oliver writes about his life in Sydney and Melbourne and also his years growing up overseas in pre-9/11 Texas. He is a struggling writer, spending his days in reverie and introspection, all the while anticipating his first date with a girl he met on the internet. At the pub, I ask Oliver about his abandonment of conventional storytelling. “I wasn’t interested in plot. I was more interested in how you can move a reader along with words. Like, making a pageturner that didn’t rely on plot.” “Did you think this approach was more honest?” “I wanted it to be as true to life as possible, because things float in and out at different times, and in real life, usually, if nothing catastrophic happens . . . things have different weight at different times. I wanted to write like this: my voice gets stuck into your head, you start thinking like me, and, by proxy, you start looking at these things in similar ways.”
“What things are you looking into?” I asked. “For an ordinary white straight Australian male? I’m not looking too much into that. It was less about me and more about me being a lens to look at the problems within the wider Australia. Things like homophobia, misogyny and sexism, things that have affected a lot of my friends.” “Is that why you love the alt lit approach?” I asked. “Yeah, because of its confessional nature. It’s very immediate. It seems insane you wouldn’t involve the internet in writing. Alt lit is a movement of young people that made liking writing cool again. It made people say: this is real. I know the places you’re talking about. I’ve been there. I’ve done that.” Oliver’s remark echoed my experience when I read his book. Many of the anecdotes probably sing to any young Australian’s experience. It also reminded me of when I added Oliver on Facebook. I saw photographs of his book arranged in a number of different places in my work. I work in a bookstore in the city. One of his friends had taken Lion Attack and moved it into the NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER slot. Then, later on, another photo popped up, with Lion Attack sitting next to a tag that said: SOON TO MADE INTO MOVIES. And Oliver tried to spread a rumour by sharing this photo on social media and claiming James Franco was playing him in a film adaptation. I want to share an excerpt from Lion Attack. Maybe it’ll emphasis the realness that drives Oliver’s writing. Someone walks in and says, ‘Any youse cunts got tobacco? And I look around. People look at the ceiling. People drink from pint glasses. It doesn’t look like any of the cunts have tobacco. Out of all the cunts, not one has tobacco. So outside the pub, when we were well and truly drunk, maybe ten beers deep, I tore the stifling human mask I’d been wearing off my face. Beneath my human mask was this creature, totally faceless, like an inflated balloon made of utter darkness. It had no eyes, no nose, no ears, not a
single human feature. Even when it spoke, no mouth revealed itself. But I couldn’t do anything to stop what was happening. My body had been snatched by an alien parasite that had taken control and caged me inside of it. It abducted me in the night through my dreams. “You don’t have a mouth?” Oliver asked. “I don’t. Tell me everything you now about Adolf Hitler,” it demanded. “And tell me the truth.” “I can’t do that,” Oliver said, still calmly smoking a cigarette. “Tell me the truth!” “I could tell you, hmm,” Oliver paused, frowning, affecting that the number took time to recall, “maybe 70 per cent of the truth? But memory is fallible.” “Fact always exists. There’s always a singular, discoverable reality.” “No way,” Oliver said. “If we go home and write about our experience here, both accounts will be different. Think: now this would be hard to do, but you could write Hitler’s biography and omit the Holocaust and nearly every bad thing he had ever done by portraying him as a struggling painter.” He relit the half-smoked cigarette ... That didn’t happen. I wasn’t abducted by a body snatcher. But the emotional core of it is true, in the sense that Oliver taught me some things about truth and reality, and how unverifiable it all is. Which made me think about how important it is to remain truthful to how things make you feel, instead of how they unfold. I’ll leave you with another few lines from Lion Attack! In front of me, I watch a guy join the line for the candy bar – except I don’t think he meant to. He was walking slowly with his head down, staring at his phone, and then he just stopped walking and became part of it. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘Are you waiting?’ And I wanted to know. I wanted to know if he was waiting for someone. I wanted to know if he was waiting for something to happen.
Features || 27
GAME OF LIFE OBJECTIVES: TO MAKE A SUSTAINABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY WHILE
PLAYING VIDEO GAMES FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WORDS || JESSICA SHERIDAN
Ever wished you could play games to make a living? That you could toss aside the textbooks and collared shirts in favour of monitors, microphones, and headsets? Fear not, keyboard warriors and console crusaders. Because that kind of career is on the rise. ESports and streamers are reaping the benefits of online gaming, with big bucks to be made. Winners earn thousands for their efforts, with popular games like League of Legends forking out over $21 million in prize money since 2011. Dota 2 offered even more prize money to winners, a mighty collective sum over $31 million in the same time frame. With totals so high, it’s no wonder gaming has evolved beyond its stigma as a past time. Nowadays, people like Li Yang from China, who runs a gaming school where he instructs others how to play, have put aside study in favour of their passion for games. It’s not only highly skilled competitors profiting from games. Some of the most popular videos on YouTube produce
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content like reviews, walkthroughs, and ‘Let’s Play’. PewDiePie aka Felix Kjellberg, a very well-known, almost mainstream, game streamer, dropped out of college due to his immensely popular YouTube career. Recently, it was reported that he earned $4 million last year alone from video gaming, which caused a riptide of outrage as well as support, dividing the internet community. It even made BBC headlines. But arguably these workhorses do deserve recognition for their hard work. After all, they are manufacturing a new source of entertainment and broadcasting, which completely hinges on the basic rule of economics: supply and demand. Even though many of the big money earners hail from overseas, gaming is popular in Australia. Macquarie University hosts the home-grown MaqLAN, where attendees bring their computers to the Atrium to play together, offering both competitive and casual gameplay. In fact, MaqLAN teamed up with the Australian Cyber League (ACL) in June to host a two-
day LAN bender. The League of Legends Oceanic Pro League Grand Final is set to play at Sydney’s Luna Park on 8 August. The event has sold out, and will stream live to cinemas throughout Australia. And we don’t have to look far to understand why this is happening. Statistics show there is a fairly even split between guys and girls in relation to gaming’s popularity. Despite what you may believe, a 2014 study claimed that the average gamer in the United States is 31 years old, even though over 65 per cent of gamers are under 35m and almost a third of all gamers are under 18. Statistics also claim that gaming is mostly a longterm hobby, with the average adult gamer maintaining their habit for around sixteen years. But before procrastinating by joining another ranked queue, I spoke to David Coonan, one of the masterminds behind Sydney based indie game studio, Pygmy Tyrant. “There’s a lot of stigma against professional gamers and those who use gaming as their primary source of income,” he said. A stereotypical image of an emaciated, vampiric looking kid, addicted and unhealthy, comes to mind. However, as Dave points out, gamers are ultimately participating in a hobby. “I’ve seen sports fans listen to old game commentary on their iPod, or watch reruns of their favourite match. I don’t see any difference. If you love something, you want to surround yourself with it.” Much like any hobby, moderation is key. But for those lucky enough to be skilled – why shouldn’t they reap the benefits on offer? And yet, while sharing some similar values
on the surface, eSports are admittedly very different to other sporting competitions like the NRL or Australian Open. “I love eSports and think the way they’ve exploded into the zeitgeist lately is cool. Being a professional competitive gamer is no worse than being a professional athlete.” Although, like many others, David believes this doesn’t make gaming a ‘real sport,’ it’s still a competition, making it important to respect the devotion of its competitors. David also had encouraging words for streamers who provide entertainment for gamers across the globe. “I think it’s nice, especially for those who work fulltime jobs and perhaps don’t have a lot of energy when they get home, to be able to enjoy their favourite hobby while being an observer for a change.” Despite the explosion of popularity in Australia’s gaming scene, the industry is still struggling. “If you thought the Aussie film industry had it bad, take a look at some of the big studio closures in Australia over the last couple of years. We quite literally have no one left making big budget games.” As with many creative industries, success is found offshore, and many content producers leave Australia to pursue their career. “The indie scene is all we have left, and if we want to continue our rise as a big stage contender then obviously we need as much support as possible.” There is still a ways to go before gaming shakes off the negative stereotypes of the past. But with a growing diversity of viewers and players, the dream of going career with your gaming isn’t as far out of reach as we once thought.
Features || 29
SOVEREIGNTY NEVER CEDED HOW THE STRUGGLES OF THE REDFERN TENT
EMBASSY ARE ONGOING AND WORSE THAN EVER WORDS || MICHAEL STURTRIDGE Redfern Tent Embassy, or ‘The Block,’ is a jarring sight. And empty plot of land across the street from Redfern station, populated by a slew of camping tents and crusty furniture. The grass, littered with block letters, screams at all who will listen: SOVEREIGNTY NEVER CEDED. A brick wall lining Eveleigh Street is filled with faded Aboriginal art, leading all who might follow towards the most contentious piece of land in Sydney. The Aboriginal Flag painted onto a brick wall running along the far side of The Block is abruptly countered by the city’s skyline. This bastion of defiance stands alone amidst the dilapidated suburb of Redfern, like a single green shoot bursting from the cracks of a concrete wasteland.
“It’s an iconic piece of land, being the first urban land we’ve gotten back from government of any persuasion. And this had to be purchased rather than given back by government.” The Aboriginal Housing Company purchased the Block and the houses that once populated it over a period of thirty years, starting in 1972. The land was razed by the AHC in 2002 after years of deterioration. Aunty Jenny founded the Redfern Tent Embassy on National Sorry Day, 26 May 2014, and has occupied The Block since to ensure the land is used for low-cost Indigenous housing. Fast forward to 2015 and the organisation that reclaimed the land for the Indigenous community threatens to take it away.
Approaching the embassy is an unnerving experience. As I reach the campsite, the imposing block letters before me say one thing: this is not yours.
Plans to redevelop The Block for retail and student housing have been met with fierce opposition from Jenny and the embassy’s occupants. Asked if there was any trepidation regarding the potential for Indigenous housing, Jenny was unequivocal: “Oh, there’s more than trepidation. Sorry, after forty years of The Man being there, we know his level of competence – and it’s not very high.” Her contempt for The Man is interrupted only by the occasional drag of her cigarette. “He demolished, destroyed this community, and blamed the community for
Jenny Munro emerges from one of the nearby tents, wearing bathrobe and thongs. Despite her attire, she exerts an elderly authority, commanding respect and attention. Before long I’m sitting down with Jenny, founder of Redfern Tent Embassy.
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their actions. He took pot shots at particular families while is own family was selling every drug.” A bold accusation – Michael Mundine is not just neglecting but actively extinguishing what remains of the community. The AHC has been working in conjunction with Deicorp, a development company whose agents advertised new apartments with the tag line:
Territory National Emergency Response. The NTNER was designed to address claims of sexual abuse towards Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory, despite the initial report being composed of false information. There is one clear goal: deprivation of autonomy from Indigenous Australian. Or, in Jenny’s words, “Paternalistic shit.”
‘The Aboriginals have already moved out, now Redfern is the last virgin suburb close to city. It
“We’ve got the oldest culture on the planet here, the oldest law, oldest religion – none of that
will have great potential for capital growth in the near future.” How can Michael Mundine claim
is recognised by this country or the people that supposedly govern for all of us.” Jenny feels that
to represent the community as he fraternises with such a company? “Whether Mickey like it or not,” Jenny said, “he has been responsible for the social cleansing of black people in this area. He’s a bit like Hitler – there’s a big list of crimes he’s done to people.” One might scoff at the comparison, but the push to cleanse The Block has intensified in recent months, with the camp being served an eviction notice on 21 February.
the two-party system is partly to blame. “That’s the problem with Liberal and Labour: they’re so obviously racist that they should never hold office.” As far as she’s concerned, progress can’t be truly made until Aboriginal law is adapted into Australian law. “It’s a hard road, but it’s not impossible. You have three houses instead of two. Black, House, White House, the senate with equal numbers black and white, and no laws are passed with a majority in each house.” To do so, however, would require Parliament to abandon the established two-party system.
It would appear private interest have done more to undermine Aboriginal self-determination in Redfern than any government That isn’t to say state and federal government across Australia isn’t doing their best to eradicate Indigenous communities. Currently, WA Premier Colin Barnett is seeking the closure of up to 150 of the 273 remote Aboriginal communities across the state, which has caused division amongst community leaders. For Jenny, this is more than lack of communication. “It’s not a misunderstanding. Their agenda is to remove us from the landscape completely. It always has been the agenda of the government, it always will be.” No amount of tokenistic recognition can erase the atrocities committed by governments, past and present. “Window dressing,” she interjects, as I bring up the Rudd apology. “It was never genuine. They were taking kids at the time of the apology and have ramped that up extremely high since then.” She speaks of The Intervention, or Northern
The AHC have yet to forcibly remove the residents of the Redfern Tent Embassy, but Michael Mundine intends to follow through with their development plans for The Black. Jenny Munro would sooner die than give up on this iconic piece of history for urban redevelopment. Redfern Tent Embassy is just one of many Indigenous communities across this nation facing everyday hardships against a system designed to keep them down. The national discourse has always been framed to marginalise Black Australia. Institutionalised racism can only begin to be brought down through structural change, which, for Aboriginal Australians, means acknowledgement of their laws and cultural practices. As I leave the embassy I am again confronted with three words: SOVEREIGNTY NEVER CEDED.
Features || 31
#LOVEWINS WHO IS REALLY WINNING THE SAME SEX MARRIAGE DEBATE? BUT IF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE HAS BEEN LEGALISED IN AUSTRALIA BY THE TIME YOU’RE READING THIS, THEN CONSIDER IT A BLAST FROM THE PAST
WORDS || PHILLIP WITHERIDGE If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen an argument on Facebook over same-sex marriage, I would be able to pay off my HECS debt in one swoop. This is how it usually goes: someone posts a status supporting same-sex marriage, attracting a handful of likes and well-meaning comments. Or, someone posts a status challenging or opposing same-sex marriage, and is met by a hefty rebuttal so arduously composed that reading it would mean giving up the next year of your life, your eyesight, and possibly your sanity. The same-sex marriage debate is full of voices crescendoing so loudly that it becomes unclear who is the majority. With the cyclonic voices of love, hurt, passion, and torpor, it’s hard knowing who is speaking. As a university student, I’m surrounded by
32 || FEATURES 4 || Editorial
loud voices calling for social change. But if I was a middle-aged man working far away from the progressive views of Sydney’s youthful cauldrons, I may not experience such enthusiasm for supporting same-sex marriage. I’m generalising, of course, but it proves an important point: the voices surrounding you do not always reflect the views of the majority. It is a shame when we look at one side of issues. So for the sake of fairness, I began a rudimentary search of the opinions on same-sex marriage in Australia and the US. Here are a handful of opinions I encountered, just to demonstrate how convoluted and contrasted the debate has become: “The media always will report things like the Pitcairn Island parliament of 48 people voting
in favour of gay marriage but not reporting the Austrian parliament voting 110 to 26 against.” – Eric Abetz, leader of the Government in the Senate. “Tony Abbott, you better listen to the rest of the world and carry on. Go with it.” – Cara Delevigne, English fashion model and Paper Towns lead actress. “Let this law reflect the nation we all want to see in the mirror: generous, smart, modern, diverse, and above all, equal.” – Opposition leader Bill Shorten, after introducing his bill to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia. “It is one thing for the majority to conclude that the Constitution protects a right to samesex marriage; it is something else to portray everyone who does not share the majority’s ‘better informed understanding’ as bigoted.” – Chief Justice John Roberts of the United States Supreme Court, one of the dissenting voices in the recent decision to legalise same-sex marriage in the US. “#lovewins” – President Barack Obama tweeted after the decisive ruling of the Supreme Court. In Australia, marriage is defined by the Marriage Amendment Act as ‘the union of man and a woman voluntarily entered into the exclusion of all others for life.’ This definition of marriage was defended by both Liberal and Labour frontbenchers, until members of the Labour frontbench changed their views. While many are in favour of dropping the clause ‘man and woman,’ others worry this will catalyse further changes to the institution of marriage, such as polygamy, for example. But the primary source of concern seems to arise from a conservative desire to preserve traditional and religious ties to marriage. Recently, the biggest marriage equality successes have emerged from Ireland and the United States. Following the approval of a referendum conducted on 22 May, Ireland’s constitution made marriage recognisable irrespective of
the partner’s sex. Preceding this referendum, the Sunday Business Post commissioned an opinion poll on the issue of same-sex marriage in Ireland. The results showed that 72 per cent of the population were in favour, 20 per cent were against, and 8 per cent were undecided. In the United States, same-sex marriage was legalised in June 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled that state-level bans were unconstitutional. The decision enjoyed rapturous nationwide support, most notably from President Barack Obama. Crosby Textor, a social research firm located in Sydney, conducted a same-sex marriage opinion poll in June 2014. The poll, commissioned by Australian Marriage Equality (AME), showed that 72 per cent of respondents, favoured samesex marriage. This information prompted the national director of AME, Rodney Croome, to say, “With Australians across all key demographics supporting marriage equality in record numbers, it’s fair to say the public has made up its mind. The community debate is over, and it’s time for politicians to act.” According to the poll, support for same-sex marriage is now higher in Australia than in any other country, including New Zealand and Great Britain, when overseas parliaments passed marriage equality laws. The poll, which was conducted using a nationwide telephone survey of 1000 randomly selected Australians, picked up noticeable attention on national radio and was cited by Labour Party members in the media cycle following the release of results. There is a level of irony in the debate surrounding #lovewins. In the fight against marginalisation and discrimination, we cannot resort to labelling anyone who has a different opinion to mainstream culture as ‘bigoted’ or ‘misinformed.’ One of history’s richest lessons is that truth is not always what the masses adhere to. Whether we support or oppose same-sex marriage in Australia, we no doubt oppose hatred.
FEATURES || 32 Contents || 5
ONCE AGAIN, RACIST EXTREMISTS PARADE THEMSELVES AROUND FOR
THE WHOLE WORLD TO SHAME
AN ACCOUNT OF ‘RECLAIM AUSTRALIA’ FROM THE ‘OTHER’ WORDS || KAWSAR ALI I’ve never felt more on the cusp of society than when people from all over Australia began protesting for Muslims to leave the country. I start almost every day by turning on the television after Morning Prayer, only to feel my stomach turn at the headlines that revolve around Muslims. And, for the most part, what I see is that the discourse surrounding Islamophobia is fuelled by a culture of false representation. Since I wear the headscarf, it’s not uncommon for me to be wrongly associated with the actions of a few done in the name of Islam. About 100 anti-Islam protestors from the Reclaim Australia and United Patriots Front groups waved the national flag and shouted chants at a demonstration. ‘Reclaim Australia’ grassroots rallies were held across Australia to protect it from the alleged ‘Islamisation’ that is occurring. The ultimate aim of the rally was to fight back against Islam and multiculturalism. There’s some comfort to be drawn, however, from the fact that the racist extremists initiating the rally found themselves in the awkward situation of actually becoming a minority themselves on the day. Their numbers were dwarfed by a surge of those in defence of multiculturalism. But this ideological sympathy doesn’t stand retrospectively, as both
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parties were reported to be equally violent, with any attempt to counteract the anti-Islamic protests hurtfully diminished by their failure to maintain a nonviolent peace. For many, especially those with bandanas over their faces, or masks donning the Australian flag, the rallies were nothing more than a brutish chance for violence. Images of a white, blonde-haired, woman standing on a podium, wrapped in the Australian flag, yelling “Who owns these streets?” to the scattered replies, “We do!” which, in effect, sound closer to “We do?” make these demonstrations echo the small-time extreme racism happening in the United States. As recently as mid July this year, news of a Ku Klux Klan and Confederate rally in South Carolina reaches us. Yet instead of fear mongering, the protests are met with a worldwide groan and shake of the head. Many of us in the world have outgrown these dinosaurs. Advocates of Reclaim Australia held signs with confronting phrases during the rally, as they marched streets confidently, hoisting their messages high. My viewing of John Safran’s report via Facebook of the Melbourne rally soon became tears of laughter at how obscure and poorly written some of the messages were.
Ban the burqa – it is a sign of oppression. Come on, people who say this are the restrictors for Muslim
women who freely choose to wear the burqa.
Sharia Law = paedophilia, rapists, racism. Get
the killer line: “How can we be racist in our own country?” Hanson believes she is a prominent Australian advocating for the country’s democracy,
this: an Islamophobic protestor opposes Muslims in Australia because he is concerned that Islam
culture, and values.
exudes racism.
That’s right, Hanson, a rally comprising of protest signs that mock Islamic beliefs, tell Muslims they are
Bikini or Burqa? I like how this guy phrased the two as if they’re table condiments. Like the Mexican taco ad: why don’t we have both?
unwelcome, and fuelled by violence has nothing to do with an engrained fear of people of colour and
Austalian law only. No, that wasn’t a typo. That was how a protestor had spelt Australia. How are you going to reclaim a country you cannot spell correctly?
who would protest against the Reclaim Australia rally, telling them to “stay home . . . you have been warned.”
Islam is not a race, so don’t pull the racist card! Okay, leave that deflated bigotry at home. Are you really happy now? However, according to Pauline Hanson, a lifelong racist enthusiast, the rally was not an exercise in racism. Which is rich, coming from somebody whose infamy derives from broadcasting statements such as “16 to 25 per cent of Muslims are extremists, okay? So how do you know which is a good Muslim and which is a bad Muslim?” As a brief aside, Hanson also refused to sell her house to a Muslim family, publicly announcing her belief that Islamic lifestyle is ‘incompatible’ with Australia. In a protest earlier this year against the introduction of Sharia Law, Hanson was quoted for saying, “Let me fellow Australians judge me on what I say. Don’t deny me the right to have our say. I am not a racist. Criticism is not racism.” Footage from these earlier protests captures the spirit of the very people Hanson was defending, with one woman at the frontlines delivering
those of religious minorities. It was just criticism when right wing Australians threatened those
It had nothing to do with Islamophobia when antiIslam protestors discussed how to sneak weapons past the authorities. Indeed one man was caught with a knife during the Melbourne rally, and another was found equipped with a gun. The backlash on the Muslim community hits so hard during these times that a smartphone app is being created to record all Islamophobic acts of violence against Muslims. And that’s the thing: people like Pauline Hanson do not care for the life of Muslims in Australia who are subjected forcefully to an experience of otherness. The only thing these privileged reptiles are concerned about is their freedom to voice opinions that instigate further hate onto marginalised and disaffected groups. The extreme discomfort in Australian politicians toward the politics of representation says a lot as well. Are Australians ready face some of the ugly truths about how multicultural we are as a society? Apparently not, as people have been notified to expect another rally to ‘Save Australia.’ From one Australian to another, I say: Reclaim Australia? Good luck.
GOT SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE? SEND IT OUR WAY AT grapeshot@mq.edu.au Submissions for
ISSUE 7: HEROIN(e) close Friday 21 August, 2015
36 || CREATIVE
CREATIVE FLASH FICTION EDITION
In our infinite wisdom, Grapeshot came up with a Flash Fiction competition to allow entrants to procrastinate at the start of semester two. Flash Fiction is restricted to 350 words or less and provides much-needed entertainment without overloading the attention span of Grapeshot’s poor, overworked readers. So enjoy the top six entries. We certainly did.
CREATIVE || 37
THE BEE KEEPER WORDS ||JOSH MCINNES
Arthur was having trouble starting the fire. He was about to find something heavy to knock the beehive with when April found him. “Arthur! How many times do we have to do this?” She had her suit on, save for the helmet tucked under her arm. “You need help.” He dropped the lighter. He looked up, shielding his eyes from the glare. “You d-don’t understand.” He got to his feet, scrabbling for the lighter. “I understand you keep trying to burn down my apiar-” “I have to. They’re so loud!” “My bees” she stressed “are perfectly within council regulations for noise pollution. If you don-” “You can’t hear them like I do.” “Not this again. You can’t contr–” “Control them,” he nodded violently. “I know that. But I hear them. God they’re so loud.” He pressed his palms against his temples, squeezing so hard his face turned red. “Every day, louder. They want me to do it, bring them together so they can … oh god … so they ca-” “I’ve had enough, Arthur. I’m calling the police.” “No! They’ll lock me up. They don’t want me locked away.” April turned towards the front building, raising her hand to the back of her neck . . . When the officials arrived at Arthur’s house they were equally inquisitive regarding the missing bees as well as the total disappearance of April. Arthur smiled, affecting uncertainty, nodding at the same time, as confused by the situation as the authorities. Every colony in the apiary had vanished, they said. Experts aren’t really sure why it happens or where the bees go but they do say it happens all the time. But it’s been happening for years now…
38 || CREATIVE
DATE (A STORY IN FIVE CIGARETTES) WORDS || CAMERON COLWELL
1 This cigarette is the last from my packet. I’ll quit when I’m done with it. Once I’ve lit it, I take out my phone and wonder how legal it is to smoke at a train station. I’ve already committed the Facebook message to heart, now it’s a matter of confirming this is really happening. Yeah, I’ll meet you at the station. Can’t wait to see you x
REVOLUTIONARIES WORDS || JENNY LIN
“I want to change the world.” Such starry-eyed sentiment. It flies like spit from 8 year pink lips. A child’s palm smears across cartoon automobiles. It shines, snapping and hungry, from politic vision. Something is wrong. The airplane is too slow, too expensive. I can make it better. The world is rotting, corrupt. I can fix it. But only me. Even though they still look at me like I’m three-feet tall. In colosseums of learning, they tell me to lay down my arms. “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. “There is natural order to the world and –” I will destroy it. Change the cogs, grind the metal bones, melt them down into a new skeleton. My creation will call me victor. So what if a little oil spills? So what if chilled prison walls seep red? A chick. An egg. An omelette. We destroy world to see new ones (I just want to be someone). They call me a revolutionary, a radical. I’m only doing what is right. On this podium cliff the people gather. A human head bow wrapped by god.
2 After the movie, the drinks, and the kiss, we sit together on a park bench. Crickets chirp. Possums titter. A comfortable quiet stretches on for compressed millennia. He takes out a packet of Rothmans. He’s handsome. Even more so than his profile picture promised. “You smoke?” “Yeah.” “Good. Didn’t want to seem like a derro.”
CREATIVE || 39
THE SWING
WORDS || JACQUELINE CHAMI Her hands grip the cool crisp handlebars. She sways up and down. Up and down. And everything else fades away. Her feet graze through the brown back, engulfing the air around her with dust and dirt. It all seemed like a vague memory . . . like an old washed-out photograph. The distant sound of laughing children echoes in her ears. Clear blue sky emerges from cracks in the dusty air. She smiles. Maybe one day she’ll be like the sky. Everyone knows the sky is blue and that’s that. What if the same could be for her? She slows down. Her feet land. Back to normal. Whatever ‘normal’ is for Pearl. That was one of Pearl’s earliest memories. She never really fit in, even when she was younger. Pearl isn’t your ordinary girl. Her pale skin contrasts with her shiny jet black hair. Her wardrobe consists of an assortment of black leather pants, paired with a shirt displaying one of her favourite bands. She’s obsessed with music. Not the typical Riri or Queen Bee. Pearl sits alone, curled up against a tree with a book her mother owned. She’s not approachable, but has reason not to be. She sees through people, as though they were transparent as glass. Glass that would break at the slightest touch. It’s better that way – for everyone. She flicks to the back of the book and pulls out a photo. In it, she’s on a swing grinning from ear to ear, lifting her father’s top hat above her eyes so she can see. She remembers how his smile beamed when he snapped the photo. She flips the photo and traces her hand over her father’s handwriting: My Darling Pearl, 1955. She slips the photograph back. No one could ever know.
40 || Creative
3 Sydney’s sky’s black and banded with orange light pollution. Building windows beam toward us while glowing skyscraper-signs look somewhat divine in my postcoital haze, like angels rising above the mess below. “That was good,” I say. We had to keep it down, for his flatmates. “Yeah.” He runs a hand through his fringe while lighting another cigarette. “. . . do you want to stay the night?” I pretend like I’m not sure. “I guess.” I smile. He smiles, too.
PASTELS
WORDS || SHARON COOPER
The first thing I notice is his posture. Crouched down like an animal. Yet he isn’t like the others. They sit with lidless takeaway coffee cups in front of them, or lie with faces turned toward the wall, wrapped in sleeping bags and pieces of cardboard. Prevalent, but invisible. Or maybe just unseen. None of the commuters know what to do so they ignore them. It’s peak hour in London. No one stops in the rushing flow of pedestrians. But I’m attracted to him. He’s an oddity here. A box of pastels lie next to the man. As his hands move, he create thick yet delicate strokes of colour with pastels on pavement. I stop and praise the man’s drawings. He halts his drawing and turns to stare up at me. “Thank you,” he says, He grins. I’m shocked to see he is as young as me. I naively ask is he is an artist. “Not really. I don’t want free handouts. I prefer to earn my living. I don’t take drugs. And I accept food as well as cash.” When I return the next day he has moved on. The pavements had returned to its gravelly grey surface. The commuters walk over it, trampling any trace of the artwork from yesterday. It’s the next day and I’m in an unfamiliar part of London. I flick through the map app on my phone and the paper map in my other hand. I turn to a coffee shop. I vaguely note another of the city’s invisible people: lidless takeaway cup, face turned toward a wall, wrapped in a sleeping bag over pieces of cardboard . . . the works. But I look again, spotting faded blue and purple and green and yellow over the pavement in front of him. A cardboard sign is propped up against him. It reads: I won’t be drawing today because a bastard stole my pastels. Have a good day.
4 In the morning, he makes me breakfast, dressed in a singlet and football shorts. Afterwards we smoke, maybe stalling for time before I take the bus home. I’m looking over the city and feel nothing about it one way or the other. There is a void in my head, but it’s the good kind. “Want to meet again?” “Sure, okay,” he says. “I’ll call you.”
Creative || 41
YOU MISS HER TERRIBLY, DON’T DENY IT YOU BASTARD. WORDS || JACK CAMERON STANTON It’s true: you miss her a lot. But you didn’t want to confess that. You would hate for her to read this and then see you as needy or emotionally intense or any of those qualities you loathe because they remind you of your ex-girlfriend. Let’s not get into that sticky mess. You like to speak freely about emotions with her. But it’s hard when she’s in Shinjuku and you’re in Melbourne and sometimes your conversation is nothing more than a collection of well-arranged words on a screen. Like, come on. Anybody can do that. So, feeling a little depressed, you go out with Toni. When you head outside Toni turns a corner and fiddles with her crotch, cursing, “aw shit, aw shit, no way, no fucking way, not again.” And then runs back and forth from where you are standing to where she bought drugs. She does this a few times. And since it’s not really your business you decide to stand near the rain and smoke and enjoy the soft intoxication of like four drinks until Toni returns, grinning now, grabbing the back of her knee. “They just fell down my legs,” she says, pulling at the fabric until a bag of MDMA falls out. “Want some?” she asks. You shake your head. You don’t really see the point in chemical happiness. At eight am in the morning you’re still awake and your girlfriend calls because it’s her twentieth birthday. Hooray for her. When she asks “have you been drinking?” you deny it, even though you were sipping a beer. You don’t know why you lied. Maybe you find it repellent that she assumed you were drinking at eight in the morning. Maybe you’re equally repelled because she was right. And in a sense you are lying to yourself instead of her. You didn’t tell her that you missed her, or that you hadn’t slept, or that Toni was beside you. It seemed so easy to say: I. Miss. You. But somehow, you just couldn’t do it.
42 || Creative
5 It’s been three days. I light a cigarette in my bedroom, blowing smoke out the window and ashing in a glass. I never smoked Rothmans, till now. I check his Facebook profile. No response to yesterday’s message. Gingerly, like the buildup might bring success, I type in his number. Three rings. It cuts out, like he’s denied it. I sigh out more smoke. And wait.
REPEAT OFFENDERS
THE STEW
WORDS WORDS||||VANESSA VANESSACAPITO CAPITO
Sometimes life can be rough, and maybe you’re tired and you don’t want to hit the clubs, or if you’re like me, you never want to hit the clubs. Perhaps you just want some fun, a little bar where there is a seventy plus per cent chance of you being able to sit down. Well, stress no more, because we have it covered.
RAMBLIN’ RASCAL TAVERN
99 Elizabeth Street, Sydney CBD Mon-Sat: 4pm-12am & Sun 4pm-10pm Admittedly, it took me a while to find the door to this place when I first went — The entrance is marked only by a black sign with three skulls. RRT is definitely somewhat of a whisky bar... And yes, they do fresh apple here. Their wine and beer lists are short but that’s not really why you come to a place like this. The layout leans more to the classic bar style with dark wood, booths and stools and offers a pretty great atmosphere. The only downside of this place however is the price of the drinks — one cocktail can set you back $20. 2.5/5
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EARL’S JUKE JOINT
407 King Street, Newtown Mon-Sat: 4pm-12am & Sun 4pm-10pm So Earl doesn’t own this place, it’s actually named after the New Orleans drummer, Earl Palmer (cute). This place is disguised by the exterior of an old 1950’s-esque butcher shop front that has been left untouched, so unless you know where you’re looking chances are you’ll miss it – sorry. The inside though has been decked out with a long bar, dark wood and dim lights. Earl’s isn’t just about Earl, but also tips its hat to Phife Dawg (A Tribe Called Quest) with a cocktail of rum, lime and sugar cane juice, as well as many other artists. The only thing really lacking here is food, as Earl’s doesn’t offer any besides some spiced nuts — though there’s plenty to eat around that area. 3.5/5
PLAY BAR
72 Campbell St, Surry Hills Tues-Sun: 5pm-12am Again, this one is tough to find but if you head past the Greens Party offices on Campbell Street, you’ll hit the target, which is two big black doors. Usually there’s a bouncer (the polite kind) who is a dead giveaway. This underground, American style bar boasts a warehouse vibe and plays a decent range of music from old school hip hop to funk and soul, but it’s not too rage-y that you can’t have a conversation. The cocktail list is pretty extensive so you’re not short of choice. Or opt for a Melbourne Bitter longy instead. The food here is also a treat. With gumbo, Philly cheese steak subs and brisket, you can’t really go wrong. 3/5
REPEAT OFFENDERS || 45
IN REVIEW
FILMS
FAR FROM MEN
REVIEW || CAMERON COLWELL Viggo Mortenson’s Far From Men is far more interesting in theory than it is in practice: The man forever imprinted in film’s collective psyche as, ‘that guy who played Aragorn,’ has now produced and starred in a bleak, sparse rendition of an obscure short story by philosophical-lit giant Albert Camus. The film, about a teacher in an Algerian village, who reluctantly escorts an Arabic prisoner to a city where he will be tried, and presumably executed, begins strong: It effectively establishes an atmosphere of restrained tension, with Mortenson’s sharp, quietly agonising performance well complemented by an eerie soundtrack composed by Warren Ellis and Nick Cave. However, once the agonising Daru sees he has no choice but to lead the youthful Mohamed to his death, the film’s direction quickly verges from being meticulous, to being boring. The straining required for the narrative task of converting a twelve-page short story into an almost two-hour length feature quickly becomes obvious. As violence — a quick Wiki search after the film will reveal the film is set shortly before the Algerian War — interrupts the protagonist’s journey, and the monotony of the story fails to be broken by Mortenson’s unique brand of blunt, unromantic violence. Any pretensions to philosophical insight are overshadowed by the power and intimacy of Mortenson’s performance. Unfortunately, though he might try valiantly, the producer/director/star cannot shoulder the plodding plot of this film by himself. 2/5
GIRLHOOD
REVIEW || CAMERON COLWELL Playful, exuberant, yet aching with its own brand of adolescent longing, the narrative problems of Céline Sciamma’s Girlhood are well-compensated for by the sheer energy of its lead actors. Girlhood depicts the troubled adolescence of Marieme, a girl living in a Parisian ‘banlieu’ (outer-city housing project), who wishes to move onto high school, but is kept out due to her low grades. Moodily dismissive of a life spent working, she falls in with a gang of fellow girls of colour, finding confidence and solidarity as the squad of four
46 || REPEAT OFFENDERS
shoplift, get in conflicts with other girl gangs and, in a particularly memorable scene, stage a gorgeously shot music video to Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’. Sciamma is much less forgiving in the consequences of straining against convention in order to build an identity than most creators of coming-of-age films. The protagonist’s transition from the shy, cowering Marieme into the rebellious, belligerent Vic is at once exhilarating and deeply concerning, with a flawlessly felt performance by Karidja Touré. However, most of the conflict peters off into nothing – nothing comes of Marieme’s serious talk with her sister, who she sees mugging a tourist — and the plot, by the film’s latter half, feels overly convoluted and plodding. Additionally, we don’t get to know too much about the girls Marieme befriends. The leader, Lady, who makes a strong impression, gets something like a narrative arc, but it, like much about the film, falls just short of satisfying. 3.5/5
I AM BIG BIRD
REVIEW || ADRIAN NGUYEN I Am Big Bird is a love letter to Carol Spinney, the eighty-year-old puppeteer well known for playing Big Bird on Sesame Street. Big Bird in particular has been the mascot of the beloved children’s show, appearing in many specials of his own, as well as getting a mention during Mitt Romney’s disastrous presidential campaign. As shown with footage, the bird’s creation is well timed with the Women’s Lib Movement and the Vietnam War Moratorium. Big Bird’s personality is as odd and childlike as Spinney’s. In many moments, the bird gains new perspective in life, when he faces a conundrum. This is emphasised during a heartbreaking moment in 1982 where the character founds out Mr. Hooper has died showing kids a nuanced way of dealing with death. This also demonstrates Spinney’s masterful puppetry ability in the limelight that enables this persona to be restrained but relatable. While the documentary is consistent in its whimsical tone, there was a moment in which Big Bird’s house was once involved in a murder that jars the documentary’s delicacy in its tracks. Yet this doesn’t stop the Bird from being one of the greatest icons in American television. 3/5
BOOKS upon reading Go Set A Watchman, we all must grow up at some stage and this novel is perfect for transitioning into the harsh realities of the world.
A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS
RONTEL
SAM PINK
FICTION REVIEW || JACK CAMERON STANTON In Rontel, Sam Pink’s unique sense of humour and his ability to make you feel things, work so well together that you end up thinking like he does. Moments spent away from the book leave you thinking deeply about how strange the world is. It’s like ingesting LSD: the walls shimmer, colours deepen, and ideas become grander, weirder, and yet somehow simpler in their design. It’s stylistically playful alt lit, not really trying to say anything. Instead, Rontel works as a sort of ‘dayin-the-life’ piece, where we wrestle through stages of boredom and monotony and inject them with new meanings. Think of it like a walk through Pink’s mind, in which the world is brighter and more colourful than it initially appears. 4/5
3.5/5
DAVE EGGERS
AUTOBIOGRAPHY REVIEW || JACK CAMERON STANTON This book will make you love Dave Eggers, not only as a writer, but also as a person. It is a memoir that follows his life after the death of his mother and father. Orphaned and alone, Dave and his younger brother Toph move to San Francisco, hoping to live a normal life. Dave is often forced to step into the role of adulthood, while simultaneously resisting everything that it represents. One of the most creative and entertaining things I’ve read in a long time. Reading this book is like settling down with Dave, as a young man, drinking some beers, and discussing life. His undying positivity and affection for life conquers all the forces of dismay that try to whittle him down. A legitimate treat that you’ll want to read slowly, if only for the book to last longer.
THE GIRL WHO SAVED THE KING OF SWEDEN
4.5/5
JONAS JONASSON
GO SET A WATCHMAN HARPER LEE FICTION
REVIEW || ELLEN KIRKPATRICK Go Set A Watchman is Harper Lee’s recently discovered sequel to her famous novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Set decades later in the 1950’s, Lee uses the voice and story of protagonist Jean-Louise Finch (Scout) in exploring issues of social change, moral character and, of course, racism. It is relaxing at first to sink back into the world of the Finches in Maycomb County, Alabama, but as most people are aware of by now, Lee puts a real complication in for readers when she tarnishes the hero personality of Atticus Finch. While distressing for those of us who worshipped Atticus Finch as a man ahead of his time in Mockingbird, Watchman is in some ways a much deeper novel which sparks critical self-reflection. So, while a fairytale we have all cherished may dissolve
FICTION REVIEW || ANDREW BARR The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden is the unlikely, sarcastic tale of Nombeko, an unusually intelligent orphan girl from a shanty town in Johannesburg, and the global consequences of her encounter with a cast of eccentric characters. A story which begins with a (not so) brief encounter with a drunk engineer, who happens to be in charge of South Africa’s nuclear program, and culminates in the King and Prime Minister of Sweden going missing, Jonas Jonasson’s far-fetched and witty novel, is sure to have you in stitches from cover to cover.
4/5
REPEAT OFFENDERS || 47
MUSIC
TORI KELLY UNBREAKABLE SMILE
REVIEW || RAVEENA KANT The anticipated debut album of Tori Kelly, who was the supporting act of musical talents Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, does not disappoint. The musically gifted Kelly gained a strong fan following through her viral YouTube covers which inspired her to produce, write, and record her own critically acclaimed 2012 EP, Handmade Songs. This was successfully followed by her second EP, Foreword, both of which climbed the Billboard Top Ten Pop Albums, all before the age of twenty-one. After signing with Capitol Records and teaming up with Scooter Braun, Tori Kelly has mastered the pop/R’n’B style into an album which is acoustically soulful, lyrically polished and layered. Produced by Max Martin who has worked with artists such as Jessie J, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, Unbreakable Smile, has some promising hits. The first single, ‘Nobody Love’, has had fair airplay since its release, making way for other songs to enter the charts such as, ‘Should’ve Been Us’ and ‘I Was Made For Loving You’, featuring Ed Sheeran. They are instantly catchy yet display Kelly’s signature vocals in a memorable and unique way. An overall diverse record which is perfect to get you through a dull winter’s night.
TAME IMPALA CURRENTS
4/5
REVIEW || SARAH BASFORD One of the first things that becomes quickly apparent on Kevin Parker’s latest brainchild, Currents, is the distinct lack of fuzzed-up guitars. Instead, they have been replaced with phasing synths and popping bass lines, leaving behind the more classic psychedelic sound of its predecessors. Opening with the seven-
48 || REPEAT OFFENDERS
minute, psych-disco thrasher, ‘Let It Happen’, Currents shifts and changes in styles in an almost too-obvious shout out to its title. The album loosely follows the idea of a failed relationship and his attempt to justify why it didn’t work out. Tracks like ‘Past Life’ — a distorted monologue revealing details of his monotonous life and thoughts on a past relationship — and ‘Eventually’ highlight his obvious insecurities via beautiful sonic vignettes. If previous albums, Innerspeaker and Lonerism, were the product of Parker’s diary entries during his disconnection with the world, Currents is the result of what happened when he tried to reconnect and failed. (Real deep, I know.) An album that’s full of some pretty stellar lyrics and funky loops, it’s sure to become an instant modern classic. 4.5/5
MAC DEMARCO ANOTHER ONE
REVIEW || SARAH BASFORD Super chilled, almost bordering on lazy is the vibe that Another One gives off. A collection of eight tracks telling tales of love and the sometimes lack of it, Another One is, indeed, another one to add to your collection of très cool, slacker-rock albums. DeMarco’s penchant for consistency cannot be denied with Another One sounding remarkably like his previous two albums. What is slightly different about this release is his experimentation with other instruments i.e. synth. It isn’t immediately obvious, because hey, it’s Mac DeMarco and his thing is usually just twangy guitar and apathetic vocals, but it’s right there on the title track, ‘Another One’ and the retrolaced ‘A Heart Like Hers’. Falling just shy of forty minutes, the laxed feels and sweet lyrics would make a great addition to your Sunday arvo playlist. PS: If you ever find yourself on Bayfield Ave, Averne, New York, drop by Mac’s for a cup of coffee. Your personal invite is awaiting you on final track ‘My House By The Water’. Thank me later ;) 3/5
GAMES
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
FOR PC REVIEW || NATHAN FALZON Houston, we have a problem is based on an abandoned NASA base on the moon. The story begins as you walk through a series of light switches; turning each on until you encounter a pile of dead astronauts. The puzzle-turn-adventure game continues by showing you monsters that run into walls repeatedly, and bases its entire purpose on making you jump in fear. As someone who hates horror games — even though this one is poorly made — it still has the ability to scare the shit out of someone at night, especially with its eerie music and low in-game lighting. With regards to a storyline, it seems to be about a shape-shifting monster that killed all the astronauts, although, it is hard to tell as the diary entries that relay the story seem to have been translated into English via Google Translate. Shoddy in every way, this game does little to deserve the $2.99 asking price. Three dollars would be better spent on a shot of cheap vodka at Bar Century; even that would do you more good than this game.
1/5
THE SWINDLE
FOR PC, PS3, PS4, PSVITA, XBOXONE & WIIU REVIEW || NATHAN FALZON The Swindle is a steampunk side-scroller that fits somewhere between Thief, Abe’s Odyssey and Dishonored. You are thrown into 1850’s London where every home and every person is a robot, and the world government is about to create a global monitoring system that would end your illustrious career as a master thief. With simple sides-croller mechanics you quickly learn the goal is to refine your thieving skills. You must rob large palaces of their valuables, and hack into their computer systems to steal their money, while avoiding flying security cameras and robot cops. If you can avoid the spiky pits, rob houses unseen and
stealthily blackjack your opponents, you may still feel rushed by the one-hundred day limit on your activities, which equates to only a hundred attempts at various heists to complete the game. The story is simple, and so are the mechanics so, at worst, you may pigeonhole this as a glorified upgrade game similar to those found on flash game sites or the Google App store. However, if you are a fan of side-scrollers, and are an early ‘90’s kid, you might just see this as a highly refined homage to the great side-scrollers of the ‘90s and early ‘00s. At around $15, this game provides decent replay value and is well worth the price. 4/5
ICY
FOR PC REVIEW || NATHAN FALZON ICY is an adventure role-playing game set in a postapocalyptic ice age where people live in the ruins of the modern world fighting for food, shelter, and bullets. After choosing a set of skills like hunting, shooting, and combat, you begin your story — in the middle of a deer hunt. After a few minutes clicking around the map, you meet your ‘family’ of nomads that adopted you after you suffered from amnesia two years ago. The basic goals of the game become apparent quickly: lead your family, survive, and make a better life for you and your camp. As this is a text-based game, wicked skillz and cat-like reflexes are not really required. Prudence, however, is a virtue. Your ability to be frugal with your limited supply of bullets, food and medicine will ensure your family’s survival. Failure to do so will result in the death of your family whether it be by the hands of raiders, wild animals, or even Mother Nature. The game is visually appealing, yet lacks an extended soundtrack. Still, for $10 you are getting a fun game that you can procrastinate with well into the night. 3.5/5
REPEAT OFFENDERS || 49
HOROSCOPES WORDS || VANESSA CAPITO
VIRGO
PISCES
LIBRA
ARIES
Khia once told us to “lick it now, lick it good”. With the weather slowly starting to warm up, grab yourself an ice-block and cool off. Be sure not to drown in the kiddie pool.
Confetti nail polish is the way to go to add a little bit of sparkle sparkle into youday. Alternatively, Google rainbows. Or don’t. Just try to steer clear of the adult candy this month.
Fried chicken, mac and cheese and grape flavoured kool-aid are all good things. Throat phlegm and bad attitudes aren’t. Stay away from the sass monster that’s lurking beneath your bed. Don’t chu wish your girl/boyfriend, partner, handholder, sex-m8, prospective-love-dweller was hot like me? No? All right you good thing! You hold your own. And you hold theirs too.
SCORPIO
TAURUS
SAGITTARIUS
GEMINI
CAPRICORN
CANCER
As long as the sun is rising you have no reason not to sleep in, because what would constitute a sleep-in then? But if you’re going to miss $1 hash browns, maybe set an alarm. Sagi-baby, how you been? You don’t need me this month, you just do you cos you’re fab at it. And yes that cutie from across the bar was looking at you and not your mum. You might think capri pants are for you, but perhaps they’re not. But who am I to tell you what to wear. Keep your options open this month and don’t wave too much at strangers.
AQUARIUS
All those G&T’s taste great, and as warm as they make your insides during this cold winter, it’s important to hold your pennies for all the saved items in your ASOS shopping cart.
50 || REPEAT OFFENDERS
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are spirit sisters. You may not have a sister, or perhaps you don’t have a spirit (soz4u) but at least you have that Netflix trial to pull you through. You pat that cute fluffy dog. You pat it cos it’s cute as hell and fluffy like motherfucking clouds. But you respect that fluffy dog. Respect it like your g-ma and always ask for consent.
Peter Piper picked some peppers but if you don’t want jalapenos on your Sub you tell them to skip the hot pops of flavour flav. But you sure can help yourself to some extra guac.
LEO
You might find yourself on YouTube. You might find yourself listening to Nickelback. Shut it down people. Immediately. This is not okay. You hear me? Society begs you.
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