Smoke & Mirrors

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 1

PRODU CED BY TH E LIBRARIES CO MMIT TEE

G-YOU February 2022

Smoke Glasgow University Union’s Magazine

&

MIRRORS

Th e me note S m o ke a nd M irrors C at h e ri n e B o u chard

mysticism and illusion have always entranc ed humanity. We loveto trick our senses and minds with optical illusions, and there seems nothing wrong with the shallow playfulness these imply. The phrase ‘smoke and mirrors’ dates back to early magic tricks that used these tools to project illusions of objects floating and disappearing to enrapt audienc es. Yet, smoke and mirrors can be deployed in darker c ontexts for more nefarious purposes, providing embellishments aimed at distracting attention away from the truth. Politics has long relied on strawman arguments and flimsy policy distract ions to attempt to soothe populac es into states of passivity. C ompanies use advertising to c onc eal the harm they cause societies. We lie to ourselves as well daily, and our delusions are ultimately sustained by fantasies we prop up with smoke and mirrors.

Smoke and mirrors as a theme invites us as readers to question and challenge the c onstructs of modern life. It invites us to peel back the thin veneer of modern societal narratives. It invites us to question our sense and relationships within the global c ommunity. As human beings, I think its important to believe in the morality and rat ionale behind our choic es and daily lifestyle. But what happens when this is stripped back and challenged? What happens when we pop the growing postmodern bubble of hyperbolism and grandiosity? These are the questions this issue wants to prompt you to answer.

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 2

T rickery,

The issue proc eeds on a journey of disc overy and revelation, starting off when an exploration of the alarming implications of political smokescreens including media scandals, cannabis policy, fake news, and c onspiracy theorists. The issue then turns the mirror inwards with a series of articles focused on reflecting on the lies we tell ourselves: that we’ll actually enjoy New Years Eve; that we’ll stick to our resolutions; and that we didn’t really want to wear Uggs anyway. We then explore the validity of scientific and political claims surrounding sustainability and the climate crisis, before transitioning into a more mystic path to explore the secrets hidden by mimicry, paintings and puzzles. Lastly, we close with creative piec es exploring self-identity and image inspired by the Smoke and Mirrors theme.

Turn the page, and look behind the smoke and mirrors.

G -Y O U M a g a z i n e F u ad Ke h i nd e - E di tor-i n-C hi e f C at h e r i ne Bou c h ar d - C o-E di tor-i n- C h i e f Ana Ne g ut - P rodu c ti on O ffi c e r O liv i a Swar t h out - G rap hi c s E d i t o r Ni na M u nr o- E ve nts C oordi nat o r Du nc an He nd e r s on- C a mp u s E d i t o r L i na L e onh ar d - A rts E di to r E r i n G r ah am- L i fe s tyl e E di t o r Rad os lav Se r af i m ov- S c i e nc e E d i t o r Samy u k t a Vi dyas h ank ar - Pol i ti c s Ed i t o r E van C olle y- S howc a s e E di t o r

A l e x Pa l me r K rys ta S i gu e nza -L i m i n S e l e n R a na S ha h K ata ri na Zivkov i c R oc he l l e C hl a l a L au re n L i l l e y S a ra h D ewa r Zoë G e mme l l A na s ta s i j a Š ļ ap i na H a nna h M i mi e c

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Our Contributors:

12 14

poli ti cs

Too Mu ch I n f o r m at i o n - Se le n R a na S hah C on sp i ra c y a n d D e mo c r a cy - Ana Ne gut

cam p u s

T he Bi gge s t Ni g ht o f t he Yea r ? - Katar i na Z i vkov i c T he Li e s We Te l l Ou r s e lves - R o c he lle Chlala

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8 10

Look Ove r The r e ! - Ale x Palme r A Tou ch Of ( Re e f e r ) M adnes s - Kr ys ta S i g u e n za -L imi n

CON T ENTS

6 7

m is cellan eous

li festy l e 16

18 19

20 21

22 23 24

G r e e nwa s h i n g: Fa ncy Wo r ds to H ide the L i e s - Fu a d Ke hi nde B r i n g B a c k Ug g Bo ots : Removing the gu ilt, f r o m my not - s o gu ilty p lea s u r es - Lau r e n Li lle y

sc i en ce

A p at hy a n d Ma lic e: The H er a lds o f a B u r n i n g Wo r ld - S ar ah D e war The D e c e pt ive Ar t o f M imicr y - Zo ë Ge mme ll

ar ts and culture B u r i e d s e c r ets o r Bu r ied Tr ea s u r e A n as tas i ja Š ļap i na C a i n’s Jawb o ne: M y Des c ent into M a dnes s Hanna h Mi mi e c

showcase

The M ir r o r - E va n C o lle y A L ove r ’s D is c o u r s e: G U U Editio n C at he r i ne Bo u c har d The M a s k m a ker - R ado s lav S e r af i mov

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 5 G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022//2022// 5

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LOOK OVER THERE

by Alex Palmer

I

’m b ored - b ored pol i ti cal ly I mea n.

S ec on d year i s a b i t prem atu re t o be reg retti n g my deg ree. T h ere was a t i me wh ere I stu ck B B C P arl i am ent o n i n th e b ack g rou n d an d g l eef u l ly wat ched a Ten-M i nute R u l e b i l l , b ut B rexi t , T ru mp, an d n ow th e pan dem i c yea rs h ave taken th ei r tol l , an d I n o l o nger h ave th e pati en c e f or th at sort o f t hi ng.

I n stead, l i ke m ost oth er pol i ti ca l ly o bsessed peopl e, I spen d f ar too much t i me scrol l i n g th rou g h vari ou s n ews si t es t o try an d g et a b ri ef overv i ew. T hi s never, of c ou rse tel l s any th i n g cl ose t o a f u l l pi ctu re. S o h ow i n a worl d o f 24h ou r n ews cycl es an d c on stant po l i t i ca l g af f es, can we separate th e wh eat fro m th e ch af f ?

A ny n ews mu st b e b i ased, by vi rt ue o f b ei n g w ri tten by a real hu m an bei ng, b ut al so by th e ci rcu m stan c es i n whi ch i t ari ses an d by wh at m edi a c ompa ni es ch oose to report on . L ast year huge “K i l l th e B i l l” protests were h el d over t he Pol i c e, C ri m e, S enten ci n g an d C o urt s B i l l , wh i ch al on g w i th oth er mea sures al l ows pol i c e to pl ac e b road restri ct i o ns on protests an d pu b l i c assemb l i es i n E n g l an d an d Wal es.

T h i s i s an i mportant topi c w i th a l a rge i mpact on th e l ives of m any, especi a l ly i n th e l i g ht of rec ent pol i c e f ai li ngs, so i t i s of c ou rse ri g ht th at i t i s repo rt ed on to a l arg e extent. O th er i mpo rt a nt pol i ti cal g oi n g s- on are h owever lucky i f th ey rec eive h al f of th i s pres s at t enti on . You u su al ly n eed protests fo r t hat .

T hi s i s quite a n issue. L e g is lat io n c a n o f t e n a f f e c t a l arg e secti on of peopl e i n soci ety, b ut j u st ab out n o on e act ua l ly kn ows what any of it does . If yo u’r e at t e nt ive e n o ug h to k n ow th e E nv i ron m ent Act 20 21 exi sts, can you tel l m e what i t d oe s (other than rel ea s e s ewa g e int o r ive r s , t h at bi t was f ai rly wel l pu b l i ci sed to b e h on est) ? H ow ab out th e H ea lt h a n d So ci al C a re Levy Ac t ? W h e r e a r e yo ur t a xe s f r o m th at g oi n g exactly ?

Now, me dia in desperate n e e d o f r eve nue , m e e t Bo r is Joh n son an d h i s g overn m ent. T h ey ’ l l prov i de you w i th a ha ndy s t re am o f gaffes, sc a ndals , a n d hum o r o us in c id e nt s . S om e of th em w i l l u n dou b tedly b e events th e g overn m ent wo ul d r athe r ke ep quiet. Others s e e m a lit t le t o o o p p o r t un e .

O n T hu r sday 6thJuly of la s t ye a r, t h e He a lt h a n d C are B i l l h ad i ts f i rst readi n g i n th e C om m on s. F or som e c o nt ext , o n t h at s ame day, the gove r n m e nt a n n o un c e d t h at it wou l d b e scrappi n g m ost of E n g l an d’s C OV I D restri cti on s o n t he 1 9 t h of t h at month. On 22n d Nove mbe r, t h at s a m e bill went to S ec on d R eadi n g ( th e f i rst m aj or deb ate on a b i l l ) . On t hat s a me d ay Johnson made h is f a m o us “ Pe p p a P ig Sp e e c h” to th e C on f ederati on of B ri ti sh I n du stry. T h i s b i l l m ay a l l ow mo r e p r ivate influenc e on t h e bo a r d s o f N HS t r us t s , an d h an ds m ore power to th e H ealth S ecretary. G u ess whi ch o ne g ot t he h e a dl ines.

T h i s i s , t o put it mil dly, a bit o f a p r o ble m . How is t h e g overn m ent su pposed to b e h el d to ac c ou nt i f n o on e k n ows what i t’s act u ally up to? I t’s a bit o f a d e p r e s s in g c o n c lus io n. E i th er th e pu b l i c doesn’ t care, or th e m edi a doesn’ t th i n k we do .

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Un fo r t u nately for us, m e d ia c o mp a n ie s h ave p r o f it s to m ake too. T h ey pri m ari ly derive i n c om e f rom su b scr i pt i o ns, a dve r t i s i n g, a nd, if in pr int , p hys ic a l s a le s . To in c r e ase ci rcu l ati on , i t h el ps to h ave i nteresti n g or hu m orou s a rt i cl es a n d he ad lines to draw att e nt io n , a n d t o ke e p yo ur r e ader i nterested so th ey ’re m ore l i kely to ac c ess you r web si t e/ buy yo u r p ap e r/ ta ke out a sub s c r ip t io n . Re p o r t in g o n a r e l atively du l l B i l l passi n g th rou g h P arl i am ent i sn’ t u su al ly t he way t o do t hi s . Besides, unl es s it’s a t a x r is e , t h e p ublic u su al ly doesn’ t care any way, ri g ht?

F

rom enth eog en i c to recreati on al u se, m ari jua na ha s ha d apl ac e i n th e h earts ( an d lu n g s an d stom ach s and event ua l ly b rai n s) of hu m an k i n d si n c e th e f i rst n ean dertha l fi gured o ut h ow to rol l a j oi nt. I n al l seri ou sn ess, th e dru g ha s been used m edi ci n al ly an d spi ri tu al ly si n c e as early as 5 00 B C E i n C hin a an d S outh A si a. T h e i l l eg al i zati on of m ari j u a na i s a ct ua l ly f ai rly rec ent i n b oth th e Un i ted S tates an d th e Uni t ed K i ngdo m, h av i n g oc cu rred i n th e 20 th c entu ry al on g w i th a gl o ba l wave of restri cti on s an d cri m i n al i zati on on th e cu ltivat i o n, di st ri buti on an d recreati on al u se of m ari j u an a. I n som e ca ses, c o unt ri es m ade m ari j u an a u se i l l eg al u n der th e pressu re o f t he US a nd U K , wh i ch cal l s i nto qu esti on th e m otivati on s behi nd l ega l restri cti on s on th e dru g ( an i ssu e wh i ch I do n ot n e c essa ri ly have th e word c ou nt to di scu ss i n th e w i der g l ob al sc ope).

T h ere are m any arg u m ents f or, an d ag ai n st, the l ega l i z at i o n of m ari j u an a al l arou n d th e worl d, b ut i n th i s a rt i cl e I w i l l f ocu s on th e di sc ou rse w i th i n th e U S , as i t seems t o be o ne o f th e c ou ntri es at th e f oref ront of th e g l ob al wave of rest ri ct i o ns, especi al ly c on si deri n g th ei r i nterventi on i n m any o f t he ca ses of proh i b i ti on . T h i s i s al so my area of experti se, si l ly Ameri ca n th at I am .

A s any H ealth cl ass worth i ts salt w i l l tel l you , ma ri jua na i s th e m ost c om m on ly u sed dru g i n th e U S - prob ab ly even a ro und th e worl d. A s th e m ov i e ‘ R eef er M adn ess’ wou l d t el l yo u, use o f th i s dev i l’s l ettu c e by teen ag ers resu lts i n si n f u l a ct s o f sexua l c on g ress, driv i n g u n der th e i n f lu en c e, mu rder, i nt ri gue, sexua l assau lt, an d f ram i n g som eon e f or al l th ese th i n gs. Appa rent ly, l eg al dru g s su ch as al c oh ol do n ot resu lt i n any of t hese a ct s. ‘ B ut K rys!’ : you cry : ‘ You are oversi mpl i f y i n g th e po i nt ! S urely you mu st k n ow th at peopl e are al so su per f reaked o ut by a l c o h ol , l eg al or n ot l eg al !’ To th at, I wou l d say, su re.

A Touch Of (Reefer) Madness Pe op l e often are jus t a s f r e a ke d o ut a bo ut a lc o h ol as th ey are ab out m ari j u an a - h owever, th e c on c ern and scrut i ny amon g l ay peopl e rely h e av ily o n t h e le g a l s t at us of b oth of th ese dru g s. F or i n stan c e, an adu lt wh o i s an al c o ho l i c i s s cr ut i niz ed, b ut doesn’t in c it e t h e s a m e h o r r o r a s an u n derag e dri n ker. O n th e oth er h an d, an adu lt wh o sm o kes ma ri j u an a rec reationa l ly a n d a t e e n a g e r wh o d o e s t h e sam e i n ci te ab out equ al am ou nts of h orror an d scruti ny, w i t h t he ad d e d b onus of H arsh L e g a l C o n s e que n c e s .

Adu lt s c an l ose job s ove r d r ug t e s t s , t e e n a g e r s c an l ose opportu n i ti es an d ( i n extrem e cases) su f f er l eg al a ct i o ns a nd eve r -present stains o n t h e ir c r im in a l r e c o r d s f o r th e possessi on an d di stri b uti on of th e dru g . T h e i nvasiveness o f drug t e s t s and interventio n o f t h e law o n a d r ug le s s h arm f u l th an b oth tob ac c o an d al c oh ol i s b ad en ou g h , b ut (especi a l ly i n t he United States) t h e r e is a n a d d e d laye r o f system i c raci sm i n th e j u sti c e system .

So , going b ac k to the p o int a bo ut ‘Re e f e r Ma d n e s s’ , I w i l l say th at l eg al i ty h as m ore to do w i th th e paran oi a surro undi n g ma rijuana tha n th e a c t ua l e f f e c t s a n d us a g e o f th e dru g . I wou l d b e rem i ss n ot to g ive attenti on to th e a rgument t hat weed ma kes the us e r “s t up id , s lug g is h , la z y an d u n c on c ern ed” ( as F ran k O c ean’s m oth er on c e tol d h i m , a nd t hen all o f us when he rel ea s e d t h e vo ic e m a il in h is t r ack “ B e You rsel f ” ) . I w i l l dou b l e dow n on th e f act th at th e so lut i o n t o t hi s p a rtic ul a r prob l e m d o e s n ot lie wit h in c r im in al i zi n g m ari j u an a, b ut u pon cl ear m essag i n g reg ardi n g the drug a nd e ff e ct ive harm reduc tio n . W h e t h e r o r n ot t h e d r ug i s i l l eg al , teen ag ers an d adu lts al i ke are ab l e to g et th eir ha nds o n mar i j uana and use it r e c r e at io n a lly. If r e s t r ic t io n s were an ef f ective way to h an dl e overu se of any dru g , th en undera ge d r i n ki ng woul d not be a p r o ble m . If a ny t h in g , t h ese restri cti on s m ake i t m ore di f f i cu lt to seek h el p du e to s t i gma a nd r i s k o f l ega l reperc uss io n s .

What matters most in t h e que s t io n o f le g a liz at ion of m ari j u an a, especi al ly i n th e Un i ted S tates, i s dec on st ruct i ng a n i d e ology whic h purpo s e f ully m is un d e r s t a n d s t h e ef f ects of m ari j u an a u sag e f or th e sake of excu si n g raci al i z ed cri min ali zation, a nd moreove r d e c o n s t r uc t in g t h e sys t em wh i ch i s b u i lt u pon th i s i deol og y. E ven i n states wh ere ma ri jua na h as be en l ega l iz ed for r e c r e at io n a l us e o r d e c r im inal i zed, th ose wh o were c onv i cted f or th e i ntenti on to di str i but e ma ri j u an a b efore it wa s le g a liz e d o r d e c r im in a liz e d o f ten are g iven th e sh ort en d of th e sti ck an d sti l l are stu ck w i t h t he le g al c onsequenc es. L e g a liz at io n c a n’t j us t be f o c u sed on th e f utu re of m ari j u an a u sag e, b ut on th ose wh o were sha ft ed by t he l egal system a lo n g t h e way.

by Krysta Siguenza-Limin

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 7

A lt hough predomina nt ly wh it e n e ig hbo r h o o d s a n d predom i n antly b l ack n ei g hb orh oods h ave th e sam e l evel o f ma rij u an a distrib ution an d us e , bla c k n e ig hbo r h o o d s are pol i c ed m ore h eav i ly, an d so th e c on sequ en c es of th i s l ega l st at us h i t t hem the hardest. D r ug -r e lat e d c o nv ic t io n s h ave b een an i mportant tool f or th e l eg al system to su ck di sa dva nt a ged yo ut hs of c ol or in, an d ke e p t h e m s t uc k in a c yc le wh ere i t i s i mpossi b l e to g et a j ob or h ou si n g on c e th ey are rel ea sed f r o m prison. Of c ours e , t h o s e s t uc k in t h is imp o ssi b l e si tu ati on w i l l reof f en d an d g et cau g ht b ack u p i n t he i l l ega l d i s t r i b ution of marijua n a , a n d like ly g e t c aug ht an d sent b ack to pri son .

Selen Rana Shah

Much Much Much Much

alking to my mum ove r br e a kf a s t , s h e a sked me i f the COVI D vac c in e wa s s uit a ble f o r ve g e t arian s be c ause she’d rea d o n F a c e bo o k t h at it c o nt a i n ed an i mal produc ts. No , I r e s p o n d e d , e x a s p e r at edly p r e ach ing the c omm o n ly us e d m e s s a g e ‘d o n’t b eli eve everything you r e a d o n t h e int e r n e t’ ye t a g ai n .

G e o r g e Akerl of first a r g ue d a bo ut a sy m m e t r ic a l inf ormat i on in his paper ‘Th e Ma r ke t f o r ‘L e m o n s’’, a r g u i n g t h at when c onsumers d o n ot h ave a c c e s s t o f ull c o rrect i n f o r mation to assess t h e be s t o ut c o m e f o r t h e m s e lves, t h i s le a ds to ma rket f a ilur e . To d ay wit h t h e a b u nd an c e of digita l infor m at io n in c ir c ulat io n it’s di f f icu lt t o assess what’s f a c t a n d f ic t io n , t hus we ’r e l ef t w i t h a sort of pol itic a l ‘m a r ke t f a ilur e ’. How c a n we as ci t i zens b e sure th at we ’r e m a kin g t h e r ig ht p ol i tical d e cisions when un f o un d e d in f o r m at io n is c ir c u l ate d wi t hout regul ation a n d ult im at e ly is t h is le a d i n g t o o u r detriment? The F a c e bo o k- C a mbr id g e An a ly ti ca d at a s ca ndal in 2018 d e m o n s t r at e d t h at s o c ia l m e di a p lat f o r ms c a n, for b et t e r o r wo r s e , h ave g r e at inf lue n c e over pol itic a l dec is io n s a n d e mp h a s is e d t h e i mmi n e nt need for regul at io n o f d ig it a l in f o r m at io n an d t h e p latforms that this in f o r m at io n is c ir c ulat e d on .

D e s p i t e the need for r e g ulat io n o f d ig it a l in f o r m at i on , t h e r e ’s a c onc ern that g ove r n m e nt s m ay a bus e l aws ar o u n d ‘fa ke news’ for t h e ir own p o lit ic a l a g e n d a . T h e li n e be tween preventi n g t h e s p r e a d o f ‘f a ke n ews’ an d hamp e ring freedom o f s p e e c h is be c o m in g in c reasi n g ly blurred, with t h e r is e in le g is lat io n r e s t r i cti n g t h e sprea d of m is in f o r m at io n a c r o s s t h e g l ob e.

Information Information Information Information I t’s b een dem on strated th at g overn m ents m ay not be i n th e b est pl ac e to reg u l ate th i s i n f orm ati on . Germa ny ’s Network E n f orc em ent L aw ( NetzD G ) i s a l aw a i med at c omb ati n g on l i n e h ate speech wh i ch cam e i nt o fo rc e i n 20 1 7. I t requ i res soci al m edi a pl atf orm s w i th over 2 m i l l i on reg i stered u sers to rem ove c ontent deem e d ‘cl ea rly i l l eg al’ w i th i n 24 h ou rs of b ei n g posted. M any c o untri es h ave taken i n spi rati on f rom th i s l aw an d have a dopted si m i l ar l aws i nto th ei r ow n j u ri sdi cti on s despi t e th e cri ti ci sm s of NetzD G. A report i n 20 1 9 by Ja c o b M ch an g am a an d Joel l e F i ss of th e D an i sh th ink t a nk ‘Ju sti ti a’ f ou n d th at at l east 1 3 c ou ntri es h ave a do pt ed l aws si m i l ar to G erm any ’s NetzD G. F ou n der and di rector of ‘Ju sti ti a’ , Jac ob M ch an g am a went on to descri be th i s l aw as th e ‘di g i tal B erl i n Wal l’ wh i ch h as a c ci dental ly i n spi red a ‘ prototy pe f or g l ob al on l i n e c enso rshi p’.

I n spi red by NetzD G, som e g overn m ents h ave a ffo rded f u rth er powers to th em selves. T u rkey f or exampl e a do pt ed si m i l ar l eg i sl ati on to NetzD G, h owever, th ei r l aw appl i es to b oth soci al m edi a pl atf orm s an d n ews si tes. The Turki sh l aw g oes even f u rth er i n al l ow i n g th e g overnment t o rem ove c ontent th em selves, i mpose exc essive f ines a nd even redu c e b an dw i dth f or n on- c ompl i an c e by u p t o 9 0%, l eadi n g to redu c ed i ntern et traf f i c to th e extent that websi tes b ec om e u nu sab l e. T h ere i s an u n di sputed need t o reg u l ate m edi a pl atf orm s to redu c e th e spread o f mi si nf orm ati on du e to th e dam ag e i t h as on th e ab i l i ty o f ci t i zen s to m ake i n f orm ed deci si on s. H owever, g ove rnment s w i th u lteri or i ntenti on s m ay b e restri cti n g f reedo m o f speech to pu sh th ei r ow n pol i ti cal ag en da u pon ci t i z ens.

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 8

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Too Too Too Too

H i g h leve l s o f r e s tr i c ti o n up o n m ed ia f r eed om m ay al so impact t he l evel of pol itical par t i c i pat i o n o f c i t i z e n s . Pr o f e s s or Pet er L eeson exam ined t he r el at ionship b etween t h e two i n h i s Pap e r ‘ Me d i a F r eed om , Pol it ical Knowl ed ge, and P ar t icipat ion’ publi s h e d i n th e Jo ur n a l o f E c o n o m ic Per spect ives. H is f ind ings d em onst r at ed t hat ‘low m e d i a fr e e d o m i s s tr o n g ly a s s o c i at ed wit h poor pol it ical k nowl ed ge, l ow pol it ical part i c i p at i on , a n d l ow vot e r t u r n o ut’ . These r esu lt s show t hat when gover nm ent s regu lat e t h e m e d i a i n du s t r y m o r e , c it iz ens ar e m or e l ikely t o b e pol it ical ly ignor ant and ap at h e t i c . T h e r e f o r e , a bu s i n g ‘ f a ke news’ l aws t o r est r ict t he pu b l ic’s ac c ess t o info rm at i on m ay p ot e nti a l ly h ave n e gat ive c onsequ enc es on cit iz ens’ pol it ical k nowl edge an d ove r a l l vote r t u r n o ut , thus , end anger ing f u nd am ent al pr incipl es of d em ocracy.

De s p i t e c o n c e r n s ove r t h e i mp a ct s of over -r egu l at ion, t her e ar e pr ob l em s wit h leavi n g m e d i a p l at f o r m s u n r e g u l at e d . Ther ef or e, t her e is st il l a need t o r egu l at e and r educ e t h e s pr e ad o f m i s i n f o r m ati o n . A p aper pu b l ished in t he jou r nal J M I R P u b l ic H ealt h and S u r ve i llanc e t i tl e d ‘ C OVID -1 9 m i s inf or m at ion on t he int er net : The ot her epid emy ’ c o nc lu d e d t hat ‘ by F e br ua r y 6, 2 0 2 0, no qu al ity inf or m at ion was avail ab l e on t he intern e t ab out C OVID -1 9. ’ At t h e e n d of 20 20 t he U K Gover nm ent agr eed wit h Fac eb o o k, T w i t t e r a n d G o o g l e a p a c ka g e o f m easu r es t o t ack l e vac cine m isinf or m at ion. These inc lu d e d an a g r e e m e nt th at ‘ n o u s er or c ompany shou l d d ir ect ly pr of it f r om COVI D-19 vac c i n e m i s /d i s i n f o r m at i o n’ a n d ‘ t o ensu r e a t im ely r esponse t o m is/d isinf ormat i o n c ont e nt f l a g g e d to t h e m by t he gover nm ent .’ H owever, t her e r em ains m any othe r m e d i a p l at f o r m s wh i c h a r e l a r gely u nr egu l at ed and st il l pu b l ishing m isinf or m atio n.

‘ There is an undisputed need to regulate media platforms to reduce the spread of misinformation due to the damage it has on the ability of citizens to make informed decisions.

However, governments with ulterior intentions may be restricting freedom of speech to push their own political agenda upon citizens. ‘

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T h e li n e be twe e n r e p r e s s i n g f r eed om of speech and appr opr iat e r egu l at ion of m isinfor m at i on i s a d i f f i c ult o n e t o d r aw. H owever, t her e ar e impor t ant pr incipl es at stake wh i c h m a ke s r e g ul at i n g ‘ f a ke n ews’ a nec essar y ob ject ive. The qu est ion of who is best plac e d t o r e g u l at e a n d h ow mu c h r egu l at ion is nec essar y r em ains u nk nown cu r r ently.

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‘We can envision conspiratory thinking as a faux understanding of the socio-political context fuelled by a fear of the outside world and a refusal to engage in a thorough understanding of realities.’

C OandN SDemocracy PIRACY Ana Negut

n an a lysis o f right-w ing c o ns pi r a cy t hink in g is essential f o r understanding the m i nd o f th e averag e right-wing reactio nary in t od ay ’s c ontex t. C onspiracy theo ry o c curs acro ss t he pol it ic a l sp ec tru m, but it is in m any cases c onsi d e r ed fou ndational to right-wing, po pul ist t r end s i n p olitic s. I n t his case, a number o f actor s a nd a s soc iated fa c tors are po rtrayed as im m inent exi st e ntial th reats to the fo undatio n and wel l -bei ng of a nation or g roup by its right-w ing thinker s. The i ma g in ed risk facto rs vary fro m external t hr eat s s u ch as immig ratio n and internatio nal o rga ni za t i on s to d omesti c po l itical acto rs, structures, a nd d e m og rap h ic s. The c o nspirato ry thinking whi ch i s fou ndation a l to far right po l itics attempt s t o cl aim h ig h ex pl anato ry power over the h a r m f ul causa lity of su ch f acto rs w ithin the natio n-st at e.

Th ere is no singul ar ingredient that ca n exp l a in th e emergenc e o f c o nspiracy thinki ng: we ca n pinp oint socio ec o no m ic f acto rs, as wel l a s p syc h olog ic al ones, and dynam ics in el it e pol it ic s - h owever, t his em ergenc e can be bette r c onc e ptu alized a s a c o nfluenc e o f facto rs. The c ons e nsu s amon g the l ef t is that far right fi gur es a n d th eir su pp o rters m isassign causes to c er t a i n p hen omena in the absenc e o f a dial ectic, mat er ia l un dersta nding o f m o dern issues which woul d h o ld ac tua l ex pl anato ry power. R ight-w in g c ons p i ra c y th in k in g rel ies o n the al ienatio n of t he p o l itic al b ein g fro m a l ived real ity, which causes t h e a c tor to oversee sal ient issues in c o nt empor a ry p olitic s such as increasing inequal ity a nd d e moc ratic b ac ksl iding in f avo ur o f gra nd i ose c o nsp ira c ies which require a l esser, simpler und e rstan din g of t he wo rl d. C o nspiracy theo r y, i n a way, ex ists b ec ause peo pl e try to understa nd r ea l i ty in a way that is easily ac c essibl e to t hem .

I n terms of th e psycho l o gical pro fil e o f the aver a g e c onspira c y t heo ry adept, we can nam e fa ct or s s u c h as inc reasi ng suspicio n, the idea o f bei ng a u nique, p ersec uted victim , igno ranc e towards sol i d evid en c e a long side a tendency to overanalyse a nd interp ret ran do m ness. These traits l argely f eed into c onspiratory thinking because they al low f or e r roneous interpretatio ns o f real ity to be fed t o t he s u b jec t by rig ht-wing po l iticians with rel ative ea se.

T h ere is also th e bel ief that peo pl e with ethnoc ent r ic b eliefs (ma nif esting a particul ar c o m mi t m ent t o th eir in-g roup and fearful o f o utside gr oups) a r e more likely to embrac e c o nspiracy thi nk i ng.

T h e idea of f ear and fearful perso n a l i t i es p l ays a la rg er ro l e in this c o ntext, as f ea r mong erin g is widely regarded as the key t a c tic deployed by right-w ing po l it i ci a ns.

Those who choose t o sub scr i b e t o c ons p i ra c i e s a re of t en t he i nd iv i dua l s t hat a r e f ea r f ul o f t h e o ut si d e wor l d , speci f i ca l ly t hose who have be e n e du c at ed t o v i ew soci ety a s a d a nger ous a r ena a n d t h o s e who have exper i enc ed ha r d shi p i n som e fo rm a n d t hus l ive i n per pet ua l f ea r. F or such i n divi du a ls , b el i ev i ng i n c onspi r a ci es pr ov i d es a qui c ke r e x p la nat i on f or t he phenom ena t hey per c eive a s da n g e rous a nd a l l ows t he avoi d a nc e of d epr e s s i n g h a rd f a ct s. We ca n t hus env i si on c onspi r at or y t h i n k i n g a s a f aux und er st a nd i ng of t he soci o-po li t i c a l c o nt ext f uel l ed by a f ea r of t he out si d e wo rld a n d a r ef usa l t o enga ge i n a t hor ough und ers t a n di n g o f r ea l i t i es. I s i t pr eci sely t hi s f ea r t hat b re e ds h o s t i l i ty a nd l ea d s t o out r i ght v i ol enc e, s u c h a s t h e v i ol enc e we have seen b ei ng exhi b i t ed by Q An o n .

I t i s b el i eved t hat t he c ompl ex psycho lo g i c a l li n k b etween per sona l i ty t r a i t s a nd c onspi r ac y t h e o ri e s ca nnot b e expl a i ned t hr ough t he i sol at i o n o f s p e c i fi c soci oec onom i c, cult ur a l , or r el i gi ous f a c t o rs . I t i s d i f f i cult t o a sser t t her e i s a n a ssoci at i on o f c e rt a i n d em ogr aphi cs wi t h c onspi r a cy t hi nk i ng a n d ap p ly t hi s gener a l i z at i on t o d i f f er ent soci et i e s . Aft e ra ll, t hese c onspi r a ci es a r e empl oyed by popu li s t fi g u re s i n or d er t o ga i n m a ss appea l a m ong your ave ra g e vot er ; t hey d on’t have t o t a r get a speci f i c de mo g rap hi c b ecause t hei r a i m i s t o capt ur e t he at t e nt i o n o f a s m a ny cl eava ges of soci ety a s possi b le . I n s t e a d, I pr opose t hat t he t a r get d em ogr aphi c, i f e x i s t e nt , over whel m i ngly d epend s on t he nat ur e o f t h e c o nspi r a cy. E t hnoc ent r i c b el i ef-b a sed a nd a nt i-i mmigr a nt c onspi r a cy t heor i es wi l l t a r get t h e ma j o ri ty et hni c popul at i on, whi ch i s expect ed t o a c t u p o n fe a r when f a c ed wi t h t he per c eived cult ur a l a n d e c o n o mi c t hr eat of m i gr at i on. P ub l i c hea lt h f ocuse d c o n s p i ra cy t heor i es such a s C ov i d c onspi r a cy t he o ri e s la rg e ly t a r get sect i ons of t he popul at i on whi c h a re le s s l i kely t o enga ge i n pr oper r esea r ch due t o t h e i r e ducat i ona l or soci oec onom i c b a ck gr ound . T h e o ri e s t a rget ed t owa r d s pol i t i ca l a ct or s such a s G e o rg e S o ro s wi l l appea l t o t he i nd iv i dua l s si t uat ed o n t h e o p posi t e end of t he pol i t i ca l spect r um . T he s e t a rg e t e d sect i ons of soci ety j uxt apose at t i m es, but t h e y u lt i m at ely r epr esent d i f f er ent ty pes of a ct o rs de p e n di ng on t he ty pe of i d eol ogi ca l i nst r um ent de p loye d.

A s A r i st ot l e put i t , “ he who ha s over c om e h i s fe a rs wi l l t r uly b e f r ee” . M a ss c onspi r a ci es a r g u a b ly re ly on t hose who have ha d a ha r d t i m e over c o mi n g t h e s e f ea r s a nd f a ci ng t he c ol d , ha r d f a ct s. The c o nt e mp o ra ry t r a gedy of c onspi r at or y t hi nk i ng l i es i n t h e p ro p e n s ity of pol i t i ca l a ct or s t o expl oi t one’s f ea r a n d h a rn e s s t hi s sent i m ent t owa r d s exclusi ona r y a nd vi o le nt a c t s .

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“The Biggest Night of the Year” Does New Year’s Eve Live Up to its Hype?

wo years ag o, I started my 3 1st o f Dec emb er – yes, you r e a d th at rig ht, 31st o f Dec ember – hungover a nd nauseous on a bu s h ome from my f riend’s ho use. A few cl ose f r i end s of min e h ad ended up m aking diff erent New Yea r ’s pl a ns t hat ye a r : on e of my lon gest-l asting friends and I woul d b e spend i ng New Year’s Eve at dif f erent parties fo r the f i r st t i m e i n f ive ye a r s , a nd we h a d f elt the need to pre-party t he ni ght b ef or e.

S t a r t i n g th e last day o f the year w ith a terribl e ha ngover wa s p e r haps not th e wisest decisio n in hindsight. D espi t e what t he 31 s t o f Dec emb er 2 019 m ight suggest, when it c om es t o a ct ua l New Yea r’s E ves, I am yet to regret o ne. I want t o l ay a l l ca r d s on t h e ta b le: I (c o-) o rganised f o ur o ut o f f ive New Yea r ’s pa r t i es in my la st four years o f scho o l and my f irst yea r at univer si ty, e nt hu sia stic a lly c reating spreadsheets f o r cheese, b r ot h, a nd choc o late fon du e ingredients, and scrambl ing to t ea ch my f r i end s t h e waltz in th e minutes l eading up to m idnight . I n som e ways, I mig ht b e th e wron g perso n to w rite an articl e ab out whet her New Ye a r ’s is overhy p ed, but I want to start 2 02 2 wi t h a cha l l enge a n d c ompel myself to c o nsider the other side of t he a r gum ent .

W hat immed iately c o m es to m ind is the m as sive d i st ur b a nc e in m o st p eop le’s sl eeping schedul es caused by New Yea r ’s E ve.

Ja nu ary mu st by far be the m o nth in which t he sent enc e ‘my s l e e p ing sc h edule i s c o mpl etely wrecked’ is ut t er ed m ost of t en - p a r t ic ularly a s we readjust to o ur ro utines a f t er week s of f .

I t ca n b e h ard for tho se o f us who start the yea r wi t h a l r ea dy h e avy-lidded eyes not to envy peo pl e who per haps st ayed up u nt il ju st after midnight and then decided t hat t hey woul d r at h e r start th e year ref reshed and went to b ed shor t ly a ft e r, wh en you yoursel f are fuel l ed purely by a m i x of ca f f ei ne a n d s p ite. M a ny peopl e who disl ike New Year’s c el eb r at i ons a l so c o mp la in a b out th e no ise, the f act that al l bar s a nd club s a r e f il l e d to th e b rim, that it invo lves to o much a l c ohol , a nd t he p r e s s ure to enjoy it despite al l these things . Per sona l ly, t he n o i s e level h a s n ever bothered m e, but I do h ave f a m i ly f r om t h e B alk an s wh o c o ul d take o n a firecracker any d ay – even my chihua hua h as b ec o m e ac custo m ed to the day- t o-d ay noi se l evel of my family an d now just sl eeps thro ugh al l t he f i r ewor k s. I ca n s ee, h owever, why drunk peo pl e scream ing i n your ea r a s yo u c ount down to m idnight m ight not be everyone’s cup of t ea .

T h i s year’s New Year’s Eve m ay have l o o ked a l i t t l e d i f f er ent t h a n in pre-p a ndemic years. Fo r so m e, it was one of t he f i r st d ays sinc e th e start o f the w inter ho l idays t hat t hey spent w i t h frien ds, p a rti cul arly as O m icro n m ade soci a l i si ng over t h e h o lidays diffic ult, and so m e o f us feel unsur e a b out i nv i t in g f riends to ou r fam ily ho m e. Af ter spending sever a l m ont hs at u niversity, b eing back ho m e f o r an extended per i od of t i m e ca n be equ ally welc o m e and tiring. New Year ’s E ve ca n ser ve a s a n opp ortu nity to so cial ise with friends yo ur a ge a ga i n a ft e r C hristmas c elebratio ns with yo ur f am ily, r oughly m a r k i ng t h e midp oint of the winter ho l idays and pot ent i a l ly ser v i ng a s a respite from any fam ily dram a, big o r ( hopef ul ly ) sm a l l .

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by Katarina Zivkovic

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Unl i ke H I V E -ni ght s, t he m ost m em or a b l e New Ye a r’s p a rt i es m i ght of t en not b e t he l oud est , cr a zi est on e s , b ut p e rhaps r at her ones t hat a l l ow f or much-need ed c at c h i n g -u p wi t h f r i end s a nd t hat pr ov i d e a b r ea k f r om re c e nt ly e ndur ed C hr i st m a s cr a zi ness. A n appr opr i at e f ood- t o - a lc o h o l r at i o goes a l ong way. I n my exper i enc e, f i nger f o o ds ( s e rve d i n a C ov i d -appr opr i at e way ! ) a r e a m ong peopl e’s favo u ri t e s , m ayb e even a f ondue t hat guest s ca n c om e b a c k t o a g a i n a nd a ga i n, t o ensur e t hat ever yone i s awa ke a nd i de a lly n ot hunched over a t oi l et at m i d ni ght r egr et t i ng t h e i r c h o i c e s t hat ni ght . Goi ng out si d e b ef or e m i d ni ght ca n a ls o s e rve a s a usef ul b r ea k f r om d r i nk i ng, pr ov i d i ng ever yon e w i t h a b i t of f r esh a i r, per haps a s you l ook f or a good spot fro m wh i c h you ca n wat ch t he spect a cl e of f i r ewor k s b ei n g s e t o ff.

D i d I over hy pe my expect at i ons f or New Yea r ’s t h e ye a r I d eci d ed t o pr e-c el eb r at e New Yea r ’s E ve a d ay e a rly? Ju s t m ayb e. But i n m ost ot her ca ses, I t hi nk t hat New Ye a r’s , l i ke a ny ot her pa r ty, i s what you m a ke of i t . C a lli n g i t t h e b est ni ght of t he yea r per haps cr eat es unr ea l i s t i c e x p e c t at i ons, b ut i t ca n b e a good way t o cat ch up w i t h fri e n ds a nd have som e f ood a nd d r i nk s. A not her t hi n g I h i g h ly r ec om m end : wa lt zi ng d own a hi l l i n pub l i c a s t h e c lo c k st r i kes m i d ni ght . D on’t k nock i t unt i l you’ve t ri e d i t !

BY Rochelle Chlala

T h e i n f lu en c e of ‘ wh at we sh ou l d b e doi n g ’ al on g w i th a pressu re to l ive a parti cu l ar way, despi te prov i di n g a n i c e l i t t l e push to b ei n g a ‘ b etter person’ , pl ays a si g n i f i cant rol e i n ou r cho i c es.

Neverth el ess, f ai lu re i s n ot a si g n of a l ack of m otivat i o n o r i n ab i l i ty, i t i s rath er a si g n of di sreg ardi n g th e i mpor t a nc e o f ac c ompl i sh ed g row th an d c ompl eti on . I t wou l d b e easy t o have a l i st of resoluti on s an d to h ave th e resou rc es to c ompl e t e t hem al l . L i f e, h owever, u su al ly c on si sts of a m i l l i on oth er a c c o mpl i sh m ents th at we c onv i n c e ou rselves are th e b asi c, ma nda tory th i n g s th at h ol d l i ttl e l i g ht to ou r resoluti on s. G e nui nely i f anyon e can h on estly say th ey ach i eve n o g row th o r devel opm ent th rou g h out an enti re year, you m i g ht j u st n eed a n a gg ressive rem i n der wh i ch I am m ore th an w i l l i n g to provi de.

F u rth erm ore, avai l ab l e resou rc es are n ot th e on ly possi bl e o bstacl es to u ph ol di n g resoluti on s. A s a stu dy pu b l i sh ed i n t he j ou rn al Person al i ty an d S oci al P sych ol og y B u l l eti n h i ghl i ght s, resoluti on s wh i ch were enj oyed, as wel l as v i ewed as i mpo rt a nt , were th e on es th at u su al ly saw f u l f i l l m ent i n th e m aj ori ty o f ca ses. I n oth er words, despi te th e i ntenti on s f or ‘ n ew year, new me’, exc essive overarch i n g g oal s can actu al ly l i m i t a person’s a bi l i ty t o c ompl ete th ei r resoluti on s. T h e m ore ef f ective altern ative fo und th at creati n g g oal s h i g h ly speci f i c to on e’s atti tu de an d l i kes devel oped i nto resoluti on s th at stu ck arou n d to see th e n ext yea r.

Perh aps th en th e i ssu e i s n ot on e of m otivati on b ut rat her of rel ativ i ty. T h e sam e way we w i sh ed th e cu rrent educat i o nal path di d n ot pu sh i n f orm ati on an d ob j ectives onto everyon e despi te di f f erent proc essi n g m ech an i sm s, we sh o ul d not expect ou rselves to ac c ompl i sh g oal s th at do n ot have o ur trai ts, qu al i ti es, an d ti m etab l es i n m i n d. O f ten th e th ought o f g row th i s associ ated w i th ei th er n ot enj oy i n g or l earn i ng t o enj oy af ter a l on g peri od of ti m e. Yet, i f ti m e were set a si de t o person al i ze ou r g oal s to m ai ntai n a b al an c e b etween what we k n ow we enj oy an d wh at we can l earn to, m ayb e res o lut i o ns wou l d n ot b e k n ow n f or u n determ i n ed b ut i n ev i tab l e fa i lure.

D espi te th ese am azi n g ob servati on s i nto ou r perc ep t i o n o f resoluti on s ( i n sert h ai r-f l i p h ere) , n o dou b t th e n ext 1st Ja nu ary w i l l see u s h ave th e sam e g en eri c resoluti on s w i t h very l i ttl e th ou g ht i nto rel ativ i ty or enj oy m ent or f easi b i li ty. The si lver l i n i n g b ei n g i f i t b ec om es exc eedi n g ly di f f i cu lt t o fo l l ow th rou g h w i th th e resoluti on s, th e k n owl edg e th at th ere i s a n untou ch ed ab i l i ty to alter th e resoluti on to h ow you see fi t o r t o si mply rec og n i ze th at wh at you ac c ompl i sh i n a year en c o ura ges g row th , wh i l st n ot b ei n g on th e ch eck l i st, can b e c om fo rt i ng.

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llu s i o ns in varying fo r m s h ave be e n o ut e d acr o ss the artic l es , ye t o n e eve r yo n e wo u ld r ather not think a bo ut is t h e illus io n o f New Year’s R esolutio n s - e s p e c ia lly a s t he me mories and optim is m o f t h e New Ye a r f ad e away. At time of w r it in g , it is o n ly 7 d ays i nt o the yea r a nd s o f a r, it h a s be e n o k ay, but I undoub tedly e x p e c t f o r a r ap id d ecli n e onc e the semest e r s t a r t s . Ye t , wit h t hi s kn owl edge of immi n e nt f a ilur e , o n t h e f ir s t of every year, we s t ill a ll c o lle c t ive ly d eci d e t o ful fil l the goa ls wh ic h s e e m a bit t oo har d to ac hieve al l ye a r -r o un d . ( Quic k n ot e t o al l the peopl e wh o d o m a n a g e t o u p h old t heir resolutions a ll ye a r, yo u g uys a r e be as ts - pl ea se teac h m e yo ur ways . ) Howeve r, the reasoning be h in d why we cho o s e t o keep ma k ing t h e s e p r o m is e s t o o ur s e lve s is simply b a s e d in hum a n n at ur e .

T he p ossib il ity of sta r t in g a f r e s h a n d p o s i tive ly devel oping your p e r s o n a is t o o a llur i n g . We a l l notic e our f laws , a n d it m ay be e asy to simply stat e t h at c h a n g e will h ap p e n , b ut the transitio n p r o c e s s c a n be a lot of work . We al l inh e r e nt ly wa nt t o be c ome be tter peopl e, a n d wit h t h e p r o m is e o f an u n determined ye a r, t h e t ur n in g ove r o f a n ew l eaf seems a l l t h at m o r e p o s s ible .

C han ge s in b ehaviour a r e c o m m o n a n d it wo u ld be natural to a s s um e t h at a wh o le n ew ye ar woul d b e the b e s t t im e t o s t a r t t h e j ou r n e y, a l ongside everyo n e e ls e is d o in g it !

Wh e t her it b e regar d in g s p e n d in g p at t er n s , le c ture attending, o r s imp ly a s lig ht chan g e i n attitude, eac h g o a l c o m e s wit h a leve l o f diffic ulty and wit h t h e mult it ud e o f t hi n gs that we eac h un d e r t a ke eve r y d ay, t he diffic ulty c a n be ove r wh e lm in g a n d eve nt u ally defeat our in it ia l m ot ivat io n s .

A n i n abil ity to ac c omp lis h t h e s e r e s o lut ion s can feel terrib l e , p a r t ic ula r ly f r o m p e r s on al experienc e. I t c o uld be d own t o t ime , money, wanting t o g o t o HIVE, but a ke y h i ndra nc e woul d be t h e ove r a r c h in g g o als t hat everyone att e mp t s wit h ve r y lit t l e r e gard to if they c a n a c t ua lly s que e z e t he m i nto their st r ug g lin g s c h e dule .

‘new year, new me’?

(New Year’s Resolutions)

Rochelle Chlala

The Lies We Tell Ourselves

To g ive t h es e adve r t is in g dr on e s cr e dit , t he way they hi d e the truth o f thei r i nacti o n i s qui te c l ever. O ne o f the earl ies t ex a mpl e s of t his wa s s e e n in t he m id-1 980 s when an o i l c o mpany c al l ed C hevro n rel eased an adverti si ng campa ig n c al l e d “Pe op le Do”. The a ds fe at ur e C hevro n empl oyees protec ti ng butterfl i es, turtl es and other ad o rable animal s . But t e r wouldn’ t m e lt . The y cr e at e a wond erful i mage o f uni ty between thei r c o mpany and the envi ro nm ent . F u rt h e rmore , t he us e of t he wor d “Pe op le ” in thei r c ampai gn ti tl e enc o urages us to i nc lud e o urselves i n their er to swal l ow thei r l i es i mag e of nat u ral un ity. I t’s e a s iif it make s t h e c u st om e r fe e l le s s gui lty to o , natural ly.

T h e l ing u is t ic t e chn ique s e mpl oyed by these c o rpo r at ions h ave g ot te n eve n m or e so phi sti cated and efficie nt sinc e t h e n, but t he y s t ill rely o n a few si mple p r i nc ipl e s. We l ike wor ds t hat make i mpo ssi bl e pro blem s se em solva ble . Wor ds t hat make us feel l i ke we’re m ak ing a dif f e re nc e . An d m os t i mpo rtantly, wo rd s that m ake u s f e el l ike good p e op le . We c an bash Jeff Bezo s as muc h as we want for t a kin g t he easy ro ute, but we are equ a l ly c u l pabl e whe n we a c c e p t the neatly packaged l i es that l a rg e c orporat ion s fe e d us .

Yo u may thi nk that you ar e exe mpt f rom t his , t hat you wo ul d n’t fal l fo r such o bv iou s c orporat e lie s . I did t oo.

I f you a re c onfide nt in your cit iz e n s t at u s , t he n t he r e ’s n o m erc ia l ) pl a c e t o p r a ct ic e t his i ndu s t ry. T h e y a r e e x p e r t s on m inimise h ow much ha r m t he y m ent a nd deve l opin g c ount r ie s .

Primark s of t h e wor ld a dve rcli mat e f oc u se d. It’s m or e s ubampl e, words l ike “e c o-fr ie n dth row n a rou nd t h e in dus t r y ‘ he y r ec yc l ed c ot t on ran ge . it would an d t h e pl a net’ . This is a r e a l g ot f rom M onk i a few we e k s a go.

ec o -fri end ly perfect better (o r mo re c o mthan i n the fast-fashi o n c o nstantly wo rki ng to c ause to the envi ro nIt’s not just the bl atant ti si ng themselves as tl e than that. Fo r exly” and “ethi cal” are < 3 c heck o ut o ur 25% l o o k S U PER c ute o n u, emai l a fri end o f mi ne

Unf ort u nat e ly, fa ls e a dve rti si ng l aws are not enou g h t o f ig ht t h i s s m oke s cr e e n of marketi ng.

These tr e ndy words h ave n o le ga l de fini ti o n, l argely as a r es u lt of t h e l ac k of e mp ir ica l d ata and state-fund ed r es e arc h int o f as t-fa s hion’s impac t. It’s easy to make a c l a im t h at t h es e wor ds apply to yo ur newly reb r a nde d c ompany a n d m a ke a show o f d o nati ng 2p p er t - sh irt sol d t o clim at e -fo c used c hari ti es when th ere are no l eg al c on s e que n c e s no r quotas. It i s c o mp let ely f a l s e and c omp le t e ly le ga l: we lc om e t o 20 22. Despi te mo re and mo re c o mpani es ad d i ng thi s fl ashy l a b el t o t h eir c at a l ogue a n d t o our m obile p hon e s, the fashi o n i ndustry sti l l pro duc es an esti mated 10 % o f all g lo bal g re enh ou se ga s e m is s ion s . That is m or e t han al l i nternati o nal fl i ghts and mari ti me shi ppi ng c o mbi ned.

B ut a g ain, t h e “e t hica l” br a n de d clot hin g is a n expertly crafted l i e i n i tsel f. We l ive i n a hec ti c wo rl d wi th an inc es sa nt ly s t r e s s ful n ews cycle . Whe n t he average c l i mate-o ri ented i nd ivi dual wal ks i nto a sto re, i t is n ot u nre as ona bl e for t he m t o be lieve a n ic e s ound i ng tag i nstead fro m a ‘trustwo rthy’ brand and d eem it the ir g ood dee d f or t he day. I t’s n or m a l. I t’s what c o nsumeri sm sho ul d be l i ke. The i nfo rmati o n o n the real ethic a l c rimes of t he fa s t fa s hion in dus t r y a r e not ac c essi bl e no r adverti sed to the every d ay i nd ivi dua l.

E ven if you a r e s t ill im mun e t o t he s e p e r fec tly wo rd ed l i es wrapped i n a l i ttl e 75% o ff sal e bow, mo st p eopl e a re not . Whe n we a s c on s um e r s le t thi s ki nd o f greenwashi ng sl i d e, c o rpo rati o ns c an c o nti nue t o g e t away wit h in a ct ion . Le s s a n d le s s energy i s pumped i nto the c l i mate-awareness c ampai gn that we ’ ve worke d so ha r d t o m a int a in a s t iny ind ivi dual s. The pressure o n po l i ti c i ans rel axes and o ur hyp ot h e t ic al CE O ca n s le e p we ll at n ight with hi s mi l l i o n d o l l ar bo nus fo r “so lvi ng” c l i mate change.

We mu s t c ont inu e t o fight a ga in s t e m is s ion- caus ed d amage by the fast-fashi o n i ndustry and other l arge c o rpo rati ons . We c a nnot c ont inue t o le t t he m us e wor ds t o hi d e the truth and i nstead fo rc e them to show us the numbers to b a c k u p t h e ir l of ty cla im s . I t m ight be difficult work to argue i n ho sti l e envi ro nments and to appease mo ney-hung r y s h areh ol de rs . But t hat doe s n ot m e a n we ca n affo rd to qui t and take the easy way o ut. The fi ght wi l l never sto p.

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 15

mag ine you rse l f a s a C E O for a la r ge c or p orati o n. Yo u rec eive c ri ti ci sm fro m every sec to r abo ut the cab on f ootprint you caus e , eve n your own kids a re starti ng to ask questi o ns. Eventual ly, yo u need to d o so mething t o sil e nc e t he hat e r s . B ut in a ll hon e s ty, as muc h as us universi ty stud ents are anti-capi tal i st wi th eve ry f ibre of our be in g, it ha s t o be a ck n owl ed ged that d ec reasi ng a c o mpany’s carbo n fo otpri nt to fo llow t h e direc t ion a ct ivis t s a r e ur gin g us t o t a ke i s d i ffi c ult wo rk. Mo re o ften than not, i t bo i l s d own to a m ore ec o-f riendly p r oduct ion p r oc e s s c os t in g t oo muc h mo ney and to o much effo rt. It i s o ften pushed to the b a c k of t h e sh e l f , on ly t o be br ought up a ga in 6 mo nths l ater by a d i fferent o pti mi sti c newbi e. It’s a ni ghtm are. So wh at do t he c or p or at ion s do t o r e lieve the pressure? Fake i t (greenwash i t) ti l l yo u make i t baby.

If t h e only it e m on t he a ge n da is s ile n cin g p e op le ’s c ri ti ci sms, thi s i s the ti cket. Igno re mo ral i ty and just hi re so me wo rd- sav v y adve rt is in g p e op le t o m a n ip ulat e t he l oyal c usto mers i nto thi nki ng yo ur c o mpany i ntend s to “go green” .

Ins t ea d of t h e mora lly obvious , sys t e m at ic s t e p of putti ng fund s and effo rt toward s meani ngful ly alteri ng an i ndus t ry ’s env ironme nt a l imp a ct , it’s fa r e a s ie r t o hid e the pro bl em behi nd fanc y wo rd s and c ute perso nal i sed emai l s!

W e m u st c o nti nu e to f i gh t agai nst em i s s i on-caus ed dam age by th e fa st-fa sh ion in dustry.

I

‘As a

woman,

I’ve spent far too long being ashamed of things and I’m not going to do it anymore.’

Removing the guilt, from my not-so guilty pleasures

by Lauren Lilley

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h e n I t h i n k o f th e c o n c e p t o f h i d d e n gu ilty pl easu r es, l it er al ly any t hing pink , One Dir e c t i o n an d Ugg bo ot s a r e wh at c o m e t o my nost al gic l it t l e m ind . Over whel m ingly, as a wom an, t h e ple as u r e s I wa nt t o h i d e a r e s t e r e oty p ical ly ‘ f em inine’ it em s in society. I t t ook a l ot of u nle ar n i n g , r e t r a i n i n g a n d a l ot o f c o nve r s at ions wit h f r iend s t o l ear n t his is an ext er nal pr od u c t o f m i s o g yny a n d c l a s s i s m , n ot m e wa nt ing t o f it in wit h t he new peopl e in my l ect u r e hal l .

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 16

Bring Back Ugg Boots

I wo ul d char act e r i s e mys el f a s a st r on g ly aver a g e p er son in r eg a r d t o soc ia l m e d i a , f i ttin g r i g ht i n t he mo ul d: I p r ob a b ly sp en d t oo mu c h t im e on it , b ut I wou l d n’ t s ay I ’m o bse s s e d w i t h l i ke s l i ke many of ou r g en er at ion . Equ a l ly a n d h on est ly, I d ef in it ely c o u ld n’ t b e o n e o f t h o s e pe o pl e wh o h a s n o soc ia l m ed ia at a l l , a n d I d o st il l c a r e t o so m e e xte nt what pe o pl e t hi n k o f me . H owever, d esp it e a l l t h at , b ot h c on sc iou sly a n d u n c o n s c i o u s ly, I f i lt e r what I put o n l i n e an d a l l ow p eop l e t o see - I a m d ef in it ely g u ilty of wa nti n g to b e th e ‘c o o l g i r l’ an d wh i l s t I k n ow t h is c on c ep t is d eep ly p r ob l em at ic a n d r oot ed i n m i s o gyny, t hi s i mag e h as put t ho se c ool g ir l s on a p ed est a l a n d t h e in n er p eop l e p l e a s e r i n m e is dr aw n t o i t . It puzzl e s m e, I c a n n ot p inp oint wh en I ent r en c h ed t h is so d eep ly a n d r eje ct e d al l t h e f e mi n i n e as pe c t s of my p er son a l ity t h at I l oved ever so mu c h a s a te e n a ge r, la b e l l i n g t he m g ui lty pl e as u r es a n d n ot l et t in g t h em see t h e l ig ht of my I n st a g r a m s to r y.

T h e i s s ue w i t h r e l e g at i n g wh ol e swat h es of l ikes a s g u ilty p l ea su r es b ec au se t h ey’r e ty p i c a l ly as s o ci at e d w i t h f e mi n i n i ty is t h at it d el eg it im ises t h e wa nt s, l ikes, a n d n eed s of h a lf o f th e wo r l d’s po pul at i o n an d s e n ds a d a n g er ou s m essa g e t o t h e soc ia l m ed ia at t a c h ed youth o f to d ay.

W h e n we t h i n k o f O n e Di r e ct ion f a n s, we p r ob a b ly t h in k of a sc r ea m in g t een a g e g ir l a n d w r i te he r o f f as a b i t hys t e r i cal an d over - em ot ion a l . Yet , wh en we t h in k of a f a n of say F l ee two o d M a c , ABBA, o r Ni r van a, yo u pr o b ably t h in k of t h em a s a c h il l ed out ‘c ool g ir l’ or a ‘ r eg u l a r ’ guy. Th e s e b an ds al l h ad pr e t ty e qual cu lt f ol l owin g s a n d st at u s, a n d m ea n in g c a n b e f ou n d in a ll o f th e i r mus i c. T h e y al l h ad t h e i r f ai r sh a r e of ‘ h ea r t - t h r ob’ m emb er s wh o d om in at ed c el eb ri ty n ews i n th e i r pr i me . S o why i s i t o n ly l ik in g O n e D ir ec t ion t h at I c l a ssif y a s a g u ilty p l ea su r e a n d p ut my S pot i f y o n pr ivat e mo de wh en I l ist en t o? I t’s b ec au se I ’ ve int er n a l ised t h e id ea th at th e s e are a s i l ly g i r l i s h b an d f o r you n g g ir l s wh ose op in ion s d on’ t m at t er a n d wh o c ou l d n’ t p o s s ib ly h ave any o ut l o o k o r o pi nion s t h at a r e wor t hwh il e. B e h on est - u n f or t u n at ely yo u a gr e e .

S o , I wo n de r e d what e l s e I wou l d c on sid er a g u ilty p l ea su r e f or mysel f . Ma d e i n C h e ls e a , b ad t e e n ag e mov i e s an d watc h in g Pep p a P ig c a m e t o m in d . B ut , wh en I t h ou g ht m o r e a b o ut th e s e , I r e al i s e d t hat I us e a l l of t h ese a s m et h od s of esc ap ism f r om my c r a z y b u sy li f e , s o why do I cl as s t he m as g ui lty p l ea su r es a n d h id e t h em f r om my p eer s? I t’s b ec au s e liv i n g un de r capi t al i s m i n t h e we s t er n wor l d a n d b ein g som eon e wh o is in a n a c a d em ic s p a c e , I ’ ve b e e n c o n di t i o n e d t o t hi n k t h at d oin g a nyt h in g t h at isn’ t ‘ p r odu c t ive’ or isn’ t edu c ati n g m e , do e s n’t have value . T hus , t h ese ‘ t r a sh’ T V sh ows a n d m ovies t h at I wat c h , a l ong w i th my love f o r l o n g b at hs an d my t im e sp ent on T ik Tok a r e d eem ed l ess va lu a b l e. T h e s e f e e li n gs of g ui lt t owar ds do i n g t he s e t h in g s a r e f u r t h er c omp ou n d ed by t h em b ein g a ssoc i ate d w i th ch i l dr e n , wh o capi t al i s m and a c a d em ia wr it e of f , b ec au se t h ey d on’ t c ont r ib ute to th e m .

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 17

O ve r t h e l as t ye ar o r s o , I’ve f ou n d mysel f wa nt in g t o r eint r odu c e a l l t h e t h in g s I w r ote o f f as g i r ly o r ‘chav v y ’ whe n I wa s you n g er in or d er t o r eb el a g a in st t h e int er n a l ised m i s o gy ny and cl as s i s m I’ve ab s o r b e d. I wa nt t o wea r f l oaty d r esses a n d I ’m d a m n g l a d Ug g s a r e c o m i n g b ack . But I want t o do al l t h is my way, wit h out b ein g w r it t en of f a s a sil ly- g ir l ish- e m oti o n a l pe r s o n . S o , wh i l e I may s t i ll c l a ss oc c a sion a l ly wat c h in g Pep p a P ig or l ist en in g to th e G le e so un dt r ack as a b i t e mb ar r as sin g a n d som et h in g t h at I wou l d n’ t n ec essa r ily p ut on I n s ta gr a m or t e l l s o me o n e I’d j us t me t , I ’m g oin g t o sh ed t h e c on c ep t of a ‘g u ilty p l ea su r e’ f or th e f utu r e .

As a wo man , I’ve s pe nt f ar t o o l on g b ein g a sh a m ed of t h in g s a n d I ’m n ot g oin g t o d o i t a ny m o r e .

W

‘As though that were not enough, corporations systematically hid information and misled those around them in order to protect harmful industries and their profit margins.’

Apathy and Malice The Heralds of a Burning World

by Sarah Dewar

As though that were not enough, corporations systematically hid information and misled those around them in order to protect harmful industries and their profit margins. Exxon was found to have purposely misled the public on climate change until 2014 (Grasso, 2019) and Shell too was found to have neglected to tell their shareholders about the causal relationship between its products and climate change for 16 years (Grasso, 2019).

However, in spite of the actions of these individuals, organisations and corporations it would still be unfair to land them solely with the blame. Whilst these ‘bad actors’ pursued their own advancement, other, granted, less powerful voices, were making the case for progressive climate policy and warning us of the crisis to come. We had opportunities to listen but were often too apathetic or distracted to care, granting denialists their victory. Those who hid the truth counted on a preference to ignore rather than confront bad news, they expected us to write off a potential threat which we could not immediately see or feel as inconsequential. This was perhaps their most intelligent tactic. An acceptance of climate change requires us to admit our part in its cause and make uncomfortable changes to address its outcomes, as such by offering us an excuse, a reason to ignore the warnings they allowed us to avoid confronting the difficult truth.

Culpability then is in the hands not just of the plotters and beneficiaries but also the ordinary and uninterested. We cannot complain that the watchmen had to shake us awake, because we went to sleep with earplugs in.

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 18

hen did you know? That is what many of us want to know, upon waking from our own climate-ignorant sleep. We turn to those who were meant to be taking first watch and ask why did you not wake us?

Well, it seems as though we have slept through quite a racket. The climate crisis and its anthropogenic cause have been apparent for decades, yet a willingness to accept this fact has often faltered. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) accepted climate consensus in 1995 and declared “a discernible human influence on global climate” (Maskell et al,. 1996). Whilst a rhetorical advance, this did not represent some new finding, or instantaneous development. In fact as far back as 1965, US presidents were being warned of potential climate crises associated with human fossil fuel consumption (Oreskes and Conway, 2012).

We had known for years but action was limited. Even when attempts were made to alter policy they often fell short of what was required. Agreements such as those made in Kyoto (2005) and Paris (2015) were publicly lauded as green victories but condemned by experts as toothless agreements that fell short of the necessary drastic action (Maizland, 2021).

So why then did our slovenly night-watchmen fail: for the same reasons most progress stalls - personal greed, corporate interest and perhaps most importantly, apathy.

One tool used to serve these interests was a conscious and subversive politicisation of climate warnings. A cottage industry of manufactured doubt and experts for hire sprung up, sourcing those willing to expound political views under the veneer of scientific authority. Fredrick Seitz was one such agent. He used the media, scientific journals, panel appearances and really any means possible to claim that proposed climate policy was a pejorative attack on the principles of the free market and private property by climate ‘alarmists’ (Oreskes and Conway, 2012). He and others went on to claim such environmental concerns were naught but a thinly veiled attempt to goad governments into imprudent action that would jeopardise private interests and cause economic ruination. In short, he and others like him created a political mire of climate change.

Similarly the right wing Marshall Institute, published and disseminated work that aimed to convince the powerful that climate policy was simply left wing radicalism (Oreskes and Conway, 2012). They attempted to obfuscate consensus by claiming warming was a natural and temporal effect of the sun on Earth’s atmosphere and were so prolific that they are credited with the stalling of climate policy under the Bush administration (Oreskes and Conway, 2012). Their claims were easily rebuffed; the stratosphere (outer layer of the earth’s atmosphere) was in fact not heating as would be expected if the sun was the cause of warming, but rather it was the troposphere (inner layer) which was heating. Scientists showed that heat retaining greenhouse gases (produced by human consumption of fossil fuels) were unable to escape the troposphere, thus driving temperature increases and helping prove the validity of the greenhouse effect. However, the damage was done, doubt became synonymous with discourse around global warming and the vast canon of faulty and disingenuous manufactured science is still out there today.

The Deceptive Art of Mimicry Zoë Gemell

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hen the word “mimic” is spoken, several thoughts may spring to mind. For the hearty adventurer, a mimic may invoke the image of a treacherous beast lying dormant in the form of an unassuming chest full of riches - awaiting an unwitting passer-by to open its maw and prompt an attack.

When considering a biological approach, one may think of the clever tactics of the mimic octopus or the stunning vocal impressions of the lyre bird. To this point, mimicry is a trait often associated with high intelligence - after all, one must have a propensity to deceive if mimicking is the outcome, yes?

Well, as it turns out, that is not necessarily true. Though a magpie or crow may learn deceptive tactics and calls to get a one-up on their competition, others such as the hoverfly or the spider-tailed viper use mimicry as a basic survival technique - though in very different ways. Therefore, in nature, mimicry is loosely divided into four categories to account for such: “Müllerian”, “Batesian”, “Aggressive”, and “Rewarding”, with each variety drawing their own benefits.

For the aforementioned chest with a Cheshire grin, not only is this a dungeon master’s beloved but a fantastic example of Aggressive mimicry. Contrary to the title, this form of mimicry encompasses all species that appear completely harmless but in truth have an ulterior motive. This includes the likes of the orchid mantis, whose dainty pink and white hues allow this assassin to hide amongst orchid flowers and snatch pollinators out of the air for an easy meal. The goal of this form of mimicry is simple; by utilising the positive signals from another species, prey can be deceived into believing there is some form of benefit to be drawn from the interaction. However, for the unwitting fish, bird, or ant, this unfortunate misjudgement will be their undoing, as the veiled threat is only realised when the predator finally strikes.

On the opposite side of the coin to Aggressive mimicry is Müllerian mimicry. In this case, the species explicitly displays its propensity for harm - not in a deceptive move, but as a signpost to the surrounding environment. The greatest and most wellknown example of such is the tropical poison dart frogs and their vibrant neon colours, a clever warning system for the potent alkaloid toxins secreted onto their skin. This is exceptionally important to the viability of the species, as these warning signals allow predators to distinguish the individual from any other potential prey. After all, many of the species employing these tactics are smaller in size and thus, are exceptionally vulnerable, including poison dart frogs (6cm), wasps (1-2cm), and monarch butterflies (7-10cm).

Yet, for every good label, there is a counterfeit copy- this rings true even in biology, which has given rise to Batesian mimicry. Many a panic has been generated from a tiny black-and-yellow dart shooting through the air, only for all intensity to dissolve the moment the small bug floats harmlessly in place. This is in reference to the titular hoverfly, a clever little creature whose markings bear a striking resemblance to a wasp, despite the fact that they have no stinger. Indeed, those that exhibit Batesian mimicry are species that have evolved to copy the warning signs of Müllerian mimics without any corresponding defence mechanisms. That being said, some Batesian mimics can go an unusually long way for their trickery, such as the snake-mimic caterpillar; with a tail that has evolved to parallel both the shape and colour of a pit viper, alongside developing a behavioural faux-strike mechanism by wriggling and lunging its tail to further sell the disguise.

The final and the rarest form of mimicry is Rewarding mimicry. Under this bracket, the species produces bright signposts to the surrounding environment but remains non-deceitful in the boon they provide - though often, these signals are copied from one another. A fantastic example of this phenomenon are two flowers native to Southern Brazil & Northern Argentina: Turnera and Modiolastrum. These flowers have evolved to display similar petal shapes and bright colourations, which allows both species to benefit from the increased number of visiting pollinators.

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Deception is so ingrained in the nature surrounding us, it gets difficult parsing the truth from the lies. After all, you’ll never know if some unassuming critter is being honest with its looks, whether its innocence is truthful or an aggressive deception. Alternatively, the next time you encounter a chest of gold slathered in the words “mimic”, you can ask yourself if this is a Batesian or a Müllerian threat - though I take no responsibility for any harm caused to your person, fictional or otherwise!

It’s now possible to look at individual layers of a painting, even the minor changes made during the process. X-rays, ultraviolet light and other methods allow us to see different layers of the artwork without damaging anything. For example, reflectography was used to reveal that Leonardo da Vinci painted three different versions of “Lady with an Ermine”.

Recently, doctoral students at the University College London have used artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing to recreate a nude hidden under Pablo Picasso’s “The Blind Man’s Meal”.

The image was uncovered using a multi-step technology. They trained AI to paint like Picasso using an algorithm that analyzed the artist’s work. Then an image was created in the artist’s style and printed on canvas using 3D printing. This was quite a controversial move, as the artist himself cannot have a say in this process. The head of legal affairs for Picasso’s estate has said that uncovering the work by the artist is a right only his heirs have, and that AI cannot replace the sensitivity of an artist. Yet, we should not consider this a recreation of an artwork, rather a reconstruction. And we cannot deny the right to reconstruction and reinterpretation. The fundamental question here is - who has the right to uncover the works of dead artists?

Can this be a new road away from traditional ideas about art?

One thing is clear - with new advancements in AI, undeniably more and more paintings are going to be reconstructed this way.

Artists often paint over paintings for different reasons. It might be because the original painting didn’t sell, and the artist reused the canvas for new artwork. Picasso often reused canvases, because he likely couldn’t afford to buy new ones. The hidden paintings can also reveal the growth of an artist. Beneath one of Van Gogh’s paintings, a portrait of a woman was found. The artist used to paint many portraits to learn how to control colour and light, so this could be one of them. Importantly, these hidden portraits show us the evolution of Van Gogh’s style and how he used colour, as the overpainting is much more vivid.

Under one of the most famous (and controversial) paintings in the world - “Black Square” by Malevich - are hidden two very vivid pictures in different styles. This could symbolize the artist’s transition from one art direction into another. Sometimes, artists cover up images because of politics or scandals. Goya most likely covered up his painting of Joseph Bonaparte, who renounced his throne and left Spain, to avoid possible repercussions at the time for the possession of such work. After several centuries, a portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, was found under a painting of a former lord chancellor of Scotland. Maybe her portrait was considered dangerous after she was executed amidst political turmoil, so it was painted over.

Another interesting story is that of a hidden self-portrait that was found under one of Georges Seurat’s works. He likely covered it up because of embarrassment, as his friend commented that the artist’s portrait looked comical. This would have been the only self-portrait Seurat painted.

There are thousands of hidden images underneath paintings all around the world. Even if it’s not a global secret buried in artwork, there is still something fascinating about every single detail we find beneath the surface. We can consider these hidden paintings treasures that allow us to broaden our look at the history of art. While we may never know the reasons for some of the overpainting, that doesn’t take away the significance of discovering these images.

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by Anastasija Šļapina

U

nderneath the surface of thousands of paintings lie completely different stories. Many paintings contain hidden omissions, fixes, or renovations, and we don’t even know it. And the reasons for those are much simpler than one would think. It’s not a case of massive conspiracies or buried secrets, as much as it’s a clue about how a certain artist worked and lived. Uncovering the hidden layers allows us to ask new and more accurate questions about the artist and their creative process.

Overpainting can be a paint layer applied by a restorer, an artist or a dealer on top of an already filled canvas. A very common practice in the past was “improving” the art to suit that period’s ideologies and ideas. These changes are often seen as unnecessary, and many art conservators offer to remove the paint added by anyone but the original artist. Here, I want to talk more about the artists themselves reusing canvas and altering their own works.

Buried Secrets or Buried Treasure?

I

CAIN’S JAWBONE: MY DESCENT INTO MADNESS

f there’s one thing that you need to know about me, it’s that I love puzzles. Whether it’s the aquarium jigsaw I was obsessed with as an eight year old or the crossword and sudoku books that now litter my nightstand (and floor and bookshelf), I can’t get enough of them, especially the satisfaction of finishing a particularly challenging one. So you can imagine how excited I was to receive Cain’s Jawbone as a Christmas present from my Dad this year. Couple that with an (arguably) serendipitously timed covid isolation and I’m set for some delightful new year’s entertainment right?

Wrong!

On its cover, Cain’s Jawbone is touted as ‘The world’s most fiendishly difficult literary puzzle’ and that’s probably the best way to describe it. The aim of the game is to sort the 100 pages of the novel into the correct order, revealing the identity of the murderers and six victims. This would be a relatively straightforward, albeit time consuming, task if it weren’t for the myriad of quotations, archaic references, other languages and word games that make reading even individual pages a challenge. This book is so challenging that since it was first published in 1934 only three people have solved it, the most recent being comedy writer John Finnemore who spent six months on the puzzle. Yet my hubris (read: stupidity) tells me that yes, I shall be the fourth person ever to solve this puzzle and that yes I can do it in ten days. What follows is that attempt.

31/12/21

My first approach is to create a big grid to map out the things that each page talks about and see if I can draw any connections between places, characters, and events. This is quickly turning out to be a much more time consuming task than I anticipated, the book is full of so many obscure references, random bits of Latin, French, and I think Scots(?) that I’m spending half my time on google translate rather than actually solving a puzzle.

One surprisingly comforting thing was the strange google search recommendations I started to get based on the book. When google tells me that other people have been searching for a symbol of Irish nationalism after I google some obscure film from the 40s I feel a sense of comradery with them. Who do we think we all are trying to solve this? It’s at least nice to know that others are fighting through the fog as well.

01/01/22

Watched some tiktoks of other people trying to solve the puzzle, a popular approach seems to be using a wall to arrange the papers. I might move onto that soon but going to stick with the grid for now while I get my head around the content of the individual pages.

Ended up feeling overwhelmed and not doing much else today (other than a crossword to convince myself I’m still intelligent)

03/01/22

Working on my ‘murder grid’ has become a nightly routine at this point, my Dad sits watching one of his crime dramas on the telly and I sit agonising over Mr Hall, Will, Ben, Will’s wife, Jasmine (who I have decided definitively is not a cat), Flora, Cornelius and all of the other characters I’m trying to keep track of.

It was at this point that I truly started to lose my mind and became completely insufferable to my whole household.

Having been released from isolation and re-discovering the world, The Jawbone (as I’ve come to affectionately call it) still rests in the back of my mind, alongside the thought that if I just try a bit more I’ll finally crack it.

The rational part of me has however come to the realisation that this just isn’t going to happen right now. With the semester fast approaching and a dissertation that already threatens my sanity, to follow Torquemada any further down this path is probably unwise both for my own health and for anyone that has to have a conversation with me.

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06/01/22

I expected to have more of a grand takeaway after my experience with Cain’s Jawbone, something to say about the nature of puzzles and why we love them. I think everyone has their own reasons, maybe it’s loving language and word games, or being in on the secret once you’ve cracked a code. Or maybe it’s just the ego-boost that comes with being able to understand a cryptic crossword. For me it’s the feeling of getting somewhere, moving forward. There’s such a special satisfaction to having all the pieces come together at the end in the way that is so often not the case for life’s problems. This just didn’t happen with Cain’s Jawbone. The smoke is too thick and pungent to understand what’s going on and I don’t have much motivation to fight back anymore. Maybe I’ll be missing out on the glory of solving it, but at least I‘ll be having a good time with my crosswords.

by Hannah Mimiec

Evan Colley G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 22

‘ He caught a chill with the wind and he shivered. The man in the window did the same.’

wodniW ehT

The night was getting colder and move d f as te r th an h e b el ie ve d it co uld.

They checked th eir watch e s, bo th realising th e y h ad b e e n th e re fo r ove r f if teen minute s. He s tared intently, again. He r aise d h is le f t ar m up slo wl y, watching his par tner as h e did th e same. His ar m was to o le ng thy. It b o we d and bent like the limbs of an old willow tre e. It was no t h is. His ar m s we re a norm al leng th for h is height. In real life, th e y we re no t to o lo ng, no r to o shor t. The wind blew harder and th e be ads o f ge ntle dr iz z le b e gan to th icken. He looked again to the window and th e y o nce again c augh t e ach o th e r ’s eye. It was time to go. Enough, enough . He wal ke d away to h is le f t and h is par tner followed, until the window h ad b e e n p asse d and repl ace d b y a b r ick wall. Finally. He felt relieved, glad to b e r id o f h is unsigh tl y co unte r p ar t, his contor ted ref lection, h is look and hi s h e av y ga z e wh ich se e m e d to p ie rce i ntensely through to th e dep ths of h im. He wal ke d o n p as t th e church and down through the th oroughfare, his scrapp y b o o t h e el s cl ack ing th e co bble s as he rushed along. He was of f away f ro m th e p ar ade no w, wh ich , to h is re l ief, m eant that th ere was le ss glass to be sp o tte d. Eve n with o ut th e p re se nce of the large pane s of the shopf ronts f rom wh ich h e h ad jus t e sc ap e d, h e s til l kep t his eye s to the ground to save spo tt ing h im again in th e windo ws o f th e house s. He had to tear h is h ead away f ro m th e side s o f th e s tre e ts, fo r h e could no t s tomach seeing him again, yet s til l th e re was an inexpl ic able dr aw.

He couldn’t, he couldn’t, but h ow he wish e d to! Ho w h e wish e d to anal y se ever y limb, crease, cuf f and crevice! How h e wish e d to k no w, to k no w, tr ul y !

His mind rushed with th e thought of k no wing h im , h is p ar tne r, h im , th e man in the window, wh o seemed so alike ye t so p ro fo undl y imp e r so nal and i nhuman in his dif ference. His eye s rol le d and tur ne d, f ixing th e m sel ve s on any thing around him that moved, lo ok ing fo r h im , to se e if h e h ad followed. He had no t. He continued quick l y. He h ad to ge t o ut o f th e r ain.

The Window

T

he face he saw was no t his. It was s m o o th and g re ye d, h is h air was to o s traight, his jaw was too large, too long, and h is te e th se e m e d to nar ro w toward the m iddle; h is c anine s were sh o r t and th ick wh e re h is inciso r s we re shor t, shar p and th in. He jolted to a s top as h e saw h im sel f, o r, r ath e r, no t him self, in the darkened window of the p o s t o f f ice. He wo nde re d why so m e one would be in there at this time of night. It was ne arl y ele ve n o’clo ck in th e evening. They mus t h ave been closed fo r so m e tim e no w. Pe rh ap s th e y we re keep ing the book s, and h ad los t track o f tim e, o r h ad f al le n asle ep wh ile tak ing s tock. This seemed unreasonable. Eve n if th e y we re tak ing s to ck, o r check ing the book s, why would they be do ing it in th e dark? Unle ss th e y had lef t the ligh t on, and th e bulb had go ne. No, no, it m ade no se nse, no sense at all. He began to feel uneasy. He s tepp e d up clo se r to th e bl acke ne d window, and beh ind it h e saw the shelve s f il le d with b ir th day c ards, p ack ing tape, cello tap e, pens, pencils, envelope s and re am s o f l ine d and pl ain p ap e r, printing pap er, all sor ts; and th en, with o ut p ay ing f ul l atte ntio n, h e saw th e m an who s tar tled h im in th e f ir s t pl ace. He s tepp e d b ackward, and th e man d id too, in per fect synch ronicit y. Th e re h e was, h im , no t h im , with h is dis tor ted jaw and h is age, h is olden grey h air and h is nar ro w te e th and h is amplif ied jaw, h is lengthy limbs all mak ing h im , and m ir ro r ing h is sl igh te s t movem ent to the f ine s t margin. He c augh t a ch il l with th e wind and h e sh iv ered . The m an in the window did th e sam e. He was l ate, del aye d. Was h e?

The m an m oved up toward th e window a nd lo oke d into th e e ye s o f wh ate ve r i t was that he was seeing in th e ref lection. It was no t h is f ace, h is l imb s, h im .

It could no t be. He was so used to seeing h im sel f, in h is yo uth , h is dark ne ss, his colour, his clo the s. He k new that h e was no t h andso m e, b ut al so no t ugl y, nor f rightening, no t at all like wh at h e was se e ing in th e windo w, wh ate ve r i t was that was copying his actions as h e s to o d and watch e d wh ate ve r it was do as he did, wh en h e did, h ow and wh ile h e did it.

B ar the s’ ‘A Lover’s Discour se’ s tands out as a corner s tone of semio tic f iction, and seek s to decons truct the idea of love through f ragments of philosophic al thought and poetr y ref lecting on key mo tifs of ‘love’. The text unpack s what it means to love and what is hidden behind common words associated with love through discur sive f iction and thought. This piece attemp ts to do the same with an ins titution at the hear t of s tudent life: the GUU.

B e er Bar :

A com for t ing e mb r a c e, o r a h a r b o ur co n to te mp t th e wea r y s tuden t i n tle expla ins a ll, a n d i n p er i o ds o f scend s te mp ora l b o un da r i e s s eei n g m irror s ex is te nt ia l a n d th e s ti cky f lo o r s

o f l as t re s o r t, Be e r Bar s hi n e s as a s i re n ’s be aw i th i mage s o f che ap be e r an d a re s t. T he ti ups e t an d u n re s t, the o f fe r o f Be e r Bar tran s tud e n ts thro ugh lu n ch ti l l mi d n i ght. Phy s i c al s er ve to re mi n d u s o f the hold me mo ri e s have o n u s .

C rech e:

Whe n th e c o n s tr u c ti o n s o f rea l i t y be gi n to me rge u n d e r the i n f lu e n ce o f alcohol , the haple ss hive go er s eek s ref uge i n th e lov i n g e mbrace o f the cre che. A n o as i s s to cke d wi th the promise of wa ter a n d a qu i et s p a c e to re s t. Bu t s afe t y i s a d o uble e d ge d s wo rd , an d re s t s o o n tur ns to e n trapme n t whe n the bo u n ce r s ar r ive.

by Catherine Bouchard

A Lovers Discourse: GUU Edition

D* * * F * * * * * :

A gain, in B a r the s’ o w n wo rds , a l b ei t s l i gh tl y ad ju s te d : “I tho ught I was s u f fe ri n g f ro m n o t at tend ing D F, a nd yet i t i s b ec au s e I a tten de d DF that I was s u f fe ri n g” A n e ve nt c ons t ruc ted o n mys ti qu e a n d tr a di ti o n : re -e mbe d d i n g i n i ts repe ti ti o n an d re vel r y.

Fre s he r s Week :

Eve r y i n s ti tuti o n n eeds a go o d e n tran ce po i n t. Fre s he r s We ek: a co mme n ce me n t. T he beg inning o f a temp o r a l a n d s p i r i tua l jo u rn e y. Fo r the Fre s he r s Helpe r, FW i s c ycl i c al , a repeat ing re e nac tm en t o f r i tua l a n d tr a di ti o n to gradu al l y s eparate s o ul f ro m bo dy u n d e r the e ndur ing b u rden o f f re s h er s f lu a n d th e d i s s o ci ati ve e f fe ct o f l ate n i ghts le ad i n g i n to e arl y mor ning s.

Hi ve:

To re qu o te B a r th e s : “a s a h i ve go er, I s u f fer fo u r ti me s ove r: be c au s e I go to Hive, b e c au se I bl a m e mys el f fo r go i n g to Hi ve, be c au s e I fe ar my go i n g to Hive will wou nd my b o dy, b ec au s e I a l lo w my s el f to be s ubje ct to Hi ve”.

We a re a ga in t a ken i n b y th e i l lus i o o f Hi ve, the rati o n ale o f a n i ght f i l le d with wond e r a nd th e a l lu re o f th e ti tul a r fo u r le tte r s o n the wal l . T he mu s i c h elp s d row n ou t th e reg rets a n d m a s k s th e d amage o f o n e to o many ro u n d s fo r th e ove rd ra f t to h a n dle. A Hi ve n i gh t s eem s e n d le s s , an d i n e vi table, o n e o f th e m a ny m o t ifs o f a s tuden t l i fe s t yle. Hi ve s e e ms mas s i ve, an d al l co n s u mi n g.

But ye t … have you ever s een Hi ve i n th e day?

Pi n t o f Fun:

Wh a t is a P int of Fu n ?

2 x sho t s of vod ka; 1 x v k ; a s pl a s h o f lem o nad e Th e p rom ise of a go o d n i gh t; n eo n c olo u red i n toxi c ati o n ; pro mi s e s o f tale s yet untold ; the c a l l o f th e da n c ef lo o r ; c a r r i ed away o n the l aughte r o f gi rl s o n th eir way hom e Disapp oint m e nt: b r ui s e s o n yo u r k n ee s a n d el bo w, o n e an d a hal f Pi n ts o f Fu n lo s t to the f loor

Wel l :

W hat i s the re le f t to s ay abo u t the wel l? It has a n i ce skylight .

“Perhaps we shall never see each o ther again; perhaps we shall meet again but fail to recognize each o ther: our exposure to dif ferent seas and suns has changed us” Roland Bar the s, A Lover’s Discour se: Fragments.

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Jukebox :

A loc u s , a c en tre o f c a lc ul a ti o n o n a packe d T hu r s d ay n i ght, o r a to ol fo r amu s e me n t on a quie t , r a i n tro dden a f ter n o o n . Ba r the s i d e n ti f i e s love as an expe ri e n ce o f wai ti n g, o f being the one w h o w a i ts . L i ke love, th e j ukebox i s an expe ri e n ce o f wai ti n g, “I am the o n e who wait s”.

Like love, th e j ukeb ox i s tr a n s acti o n al at ti me s , ge n e ro u s at o the r s (than k yo u to the people who leave s p a re c redi ts o n ). A f te r a s i mple s wipe o f the c ard , an d an exte n d e d d el iber at ion, we o f fe r up o u r s o ul s fo r ju d gement .

“Who pu t o n My s te ri o u s Gi rl again?”

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 24

The Maskmaker (I llus io ns)

H

e bur s ts through th e r i cke t y door. Th e s o un d s o f the s to rm a n d p ur s ui t f a d e b ehi n d hi m , le avi n g the much lo ud er thunder of h is ow n h e a r t a s th e onl y rhy th m i n hi s e a r s . He d o e s n ’t k n o w w hy he’s he re. Wel l , he d o e s . He jus t c an ’t believe th at h e i s . Ch a s i ng fa i r y - t a le s , th e mos t fo ol i s h o f w hi ch i s s a l va t i o n . As fo o t s tep s p a s s b y o ut s i d e they ro ck h im out of h is re ve r i e a nd h e hu r r i e s dow n th e s tep s .

T h e y lead h im dow n to a s e c ond door. He t a ke s a d e ep b re a th, i g n o ri n g the p ro te s t s o f hi s b urn i n g lun g s , h old s his wet h an d ne ar the k ni fe h i dde n i n h i s bel t a nd re a che s o ut hi s o the r to turn the d o o rk n o b.

Beh in d th e doo r l i e s da rk ne s s , s e e mi ngl y i nf i n i te. T he o n l y b re a k s i n i t a re t wo c a n d le s tub s , f l i cke ri n g a t the t wo edge s of a table l i ne d w i th wood c a r v i ng tool s a n d m a s k s . So m a ny m a s k s . An d i n the m i d d le o f i t a l l , t wo lo n g, thin arms, with th e p a le s t s k i n h e’d e ve r s e e n, s t re tchi n g o ut f ro m the d a rk n e s s , j us t a b i t to o f a r, c a l m l y c a r vi n g away at a n e w mask bene a th t wo gl i nt i ng re f le c t i ons of eye s , p e ek i n g f ro m a n i nvi s ible f a ce.

A click soun ds. Th e n a no th e r. Th e n a re e dy vo i ce e m e rge s f ro m b ehi n d tho s e cold e ye s , tha t f l a s h up f ro m the m as k to h im. “ I p re su me you’re w a nt i ng a ma s k? Wh at a re yo u go i n g a s to d ay ? ” He feels th e ra i ndrops s low l y s l i di ng dow n h i s f a c e a n d c a n n o t b el i e ve w ha t he’s s e e i n g. Fe a r a n d awe m i x i n his gut , but it is on ly h is pr a c t i s e d a nge r th a t you c a n he a r a s he g ro w l s o ut “ I d o n ’t c a re m a n , j us t g i ve m e s o m e thi ng. I ’ve h eard wh at your ma s k s c a n do. I ’ve go t mone y. Jus t g i ve m e a ny thi n g. ” – a s he p ul l s o ut a w a d o f m o i s t c a s h. His an ger slowly blee ds f ro m pre te nc e to re a l i t y.

T h e click soun ds a ga i n. He c a n’t tel l i f i t’s a m e cha n i c a l o r a n o rga n i c s o un d . It s e n d s s hi ve r s t ravel l i n g d o wn his sp ine with th e ra i ndrops . “No mone y. ” He’s ge tting in fu r i a te d now – “L ook ma n, I do n ’t g i ve a s hi t fo r yo ur vo o d o o, hipp i t y - d ipp i t y c rap, I ’m t a k i n g o n e of th e se mask s w h e th e r you w a nt i t or no t! ” – He re a che s o ut to g rab the n e a re s t m a s k, b ut i n a f l a s h o f m o tio n t wo re e dy arms sh oo t ou t of th e da rk ne s s , g r abbi ng hi s w ri s t s a n d hold i n g hi m i n pl a c e. He ga s p s a s he s e e s tha t the th ing’s arms h ave n’t s toppe d th e i r c a r v i ng. It’s t wo o the r a rm s . He fe el s hi s k n e e s go we a k a s he ha n g s i n i t s gr ip.

T h e only th in g th a t me t h i s words w a s th e e mp t i n e s s w he re a cl i ck s ho uld have b e e n . He hun g i n tha t s ha m ef ul sile nce for a sec ond be fore th e c old, w h i te h a nd s le t hi m s lump to the g ro un d . Ma rk w a s d e a d . He k n e w he d id n ’t de se r ve to live any longe r. He l ay th e re, u nable to m ove a s the cre a ture f i n a l l y f i n i s he d w ha t i t w a s wo rk i n g o n , the sh ape of th e mas k f i na l l y be c omi ng cle a r – a s ha r p s n o ut a n d p o i n t y e a r s , f ur s t i ck i n g o ut i n a l l d i re ct i o n s , a s in gle, re d e ye s taring o u t of th e s na rl i ng v i s a ge. It re a che d a lo n g a rm ove r to Ma rk’s c o r p s e a n d pl a c e d the m a s k ten d erly over h is cold fac e, r a i ndrops a nd te a r s di s appe a ri n g b e n e a th the s m o o th wo o d . T hi s n e w f a ce d i d n ’t cr y.

T h e Wolf s tood up. He wouldn’t r u n. A l l h e k n e w ho w to d o w a s hun t . As he le f t the Ma s k m a ke r’s ho m e, k n i fe in h an d, th e sound of s te el s c r api ng wood re ne wed . T he Ma s k m a ke r fel t n o s ha m e. Fo r w ha t g re a te r k i n d n e s s co uld he give th an tradin g a t r u th for a be au t i ful l i e?

Radoslav Serafimov.

G-YOU MAGAZINE// FEBRUARY 2022// 25

“ You will get a ma s k , Ma rk . ” Cl i ck . “Th a t one wo uld have n e ve r f i t yo u. ” Cl i ck. “A go o d m a s k f i t s o n e f a c e o n ly.” Click . “ Wh o are you, Ma rk? Why a re you h e re? Pay me a n d yo u w i l l ge t yo ur m a s k. Gi ve m e a t ruth. ” Cl i ck… Cl i ck… Click … “ I’m running. I ne e d you r h elp. I di d a h or r ible thi … ” C L I C K . T hi s o n e w a s much lo ud e r, l i ke te e th cl a t te ri n g violen tly agains t each o the r.

“A truth , Mark . No l i e s . ” Th os e e ye s pi e rc e d h i m “ I… I… I k illed a ma n” – h e fel t th e we i gh t of th e t ruth s e t tle o n hi m . He ha d k i l le d a m a n . Te a r s rol le d d o w n his ch e ek s, mix ing i n w i th th e r a i n. G od h e h a te d ra i n . It w a s s o m elo d ra m a t i c. “ I k illed a man b e c au s e h e th re a te ne d my bos s . ” C L I C K “ He was gon na hu r t h i m! ” CL I CK “ I h ad to!” C LIC K “ Fuck you an d you r cl i ck i ng a nd you r ma s k s ! Fu ck thi s ra i n a n d thi s ci t y a n d a l l o f thi s s hi t! I n e ve r a s ke d fo r this ! I n e ve r wanted to be h e re! I ne ve r w a nte d th i s jo b! I w a s p o o r, m a n ! I ha d f uck i n g n o thi n g! T hi s e n t i re s y s te m’s f ucked an d it fucke d me! You c a n’t bl a me me! ” CL I CK “ Truth , Mark . I ju s t ne e d one t r u th f rom you” Cl i ckCl i ckCl i ck. In ce s s a n t , s o f t , hun g r y cl i ck i n g. “ I didn ’t wan t to…” Cl i ck . Th i s one, a l mos t ge n tle. He c o uld fe el hi s s t re n g th d ra i n i n g. He ha d co m e he re lo ok in g fo r salv ation. He n e e de d to ge t ou t . He di dn’t w a nt to ge t o ut . De ep d o w n he k n e w. He co uld he a r the cl i ck s b e fore they c ame n ow. His voi c e c a me ou t i n a w h i s pe r. “ I didn ’t come he re for a ma s k to h elp me di s app e a r. I w a n t to b i te the m b a ck. I d i d w ha t I d i d b e c aus e i t w a s r ight …”

C LIC K “ALRIGHT F U CK YO U, I D I D I T B ECAU SE I WAN T ED TO ! I L I K ED I T ! AN D I ’D D O I T AGAI N!”

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