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Editorial 3
The (Fake) Doctor Is In
News Culture 7
Nickel Boys Review
• Jam for Justice
One of Them Days Review On Big Movie Franchises Fine Words and Buttered Parsnips
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Eren Atac, Amelia H. Clark, Eva Marriott-Fabre, Amanda Fiore, Romane Gornet, Sena Ho, Mary Kamami, Enid Kohler, Isabel Lim, Adair Nelson, Luxe Palmer, Maria Panayotova, Nikhila Shanker
DThe (Fake) Doctor Is In
o you find yourself a little tired at three in the afternoon? Do you crave sweets after a meal? Is your face not sculpted like a Greek statue? Do you experience stress? Have you consumed seed oils in the past three years? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may be dying. In just a leisurely scroll on TikTok, you will be assaulted by a barrage of health and wellness terms, “diagnoses,” and theoretical solutions. Issues like “high cortisol,” spiking glucose levels, imbalanced hormones, and “poor gut health” all presuppose a perennial state of homeostasis as an attainable standard of wellness. This vaguely defined golden standard of living can be reached via “detoxing,” extreme dieting, or a supplement available at the link in the creator’s bio. Social media has become an echo chamber of uninformed creators playing a warped telephone game that has divorced scientific fact from at-home wellness solutions. Social media is an effective way to introduce alternative methods of healing and health through a public forum that does not hold the limitations of traditional medicine (cost, accessibility, and the prioritization of prescription medications). However, it has been taken too far. TikTok and other social media platforms are breeding grounds for misinformation regarding health and wellness, much of which has roots in capitalism and mass consumption. Forbes reported that Gen Z uses TikTok and Instagram more often than Google to find information, including medical advice. This advice, however, is often rife with misinformation. A 2024 University of Chicago review of “#sinustok” found that nearly half of the 221 TikTok videos they studied — which had over 300 million views combined — contained false information, with over half by non-medical professionals. Lead researcher Christopher Roxbury, M.D., stated that “there is high-quality and factual information out there on social media platforms… but it may be very difficult to distinguish this from information disseminated by influencers that can actually be harmful.”
Most “remedies” advised by such creators are not inherently dangerous, such as drinking more water, eating more protein and fiber, or staying off your phone an hour before bed. However, others can lead to varying levels of harm, from sticking a garlic clove up your nose to reduce decongestion to ingesting Borax as an iron supplement.
In a Guardianarticle, Dr. Ammad Butt of University Hospitals Birmingham identified the real-world consequences of social media “hacks” he has encountered in his medical practice. He recalls patients with serious diseases, such as thyrotoxicosis or diabetes, who elected to forego their prescription medication for herbal “remedies” found online after being discouraged by videos from taking their medication. Other patients were convinced that, because they showed signs of “tiredness,” a symptom of magnesium deficiency that creators have latched on to, they too must have a magnesium deficiency; the vast majority actually had normal levels.
fake doctors working to propagate it. Expertise is evidenced by wearing scrubs, slinging a stethoscope around one’s neck, and adding “M.D.” to the end of one’s username. In 2023, Australian content creator Dalya Karezi was found guilty in a legal court for pretending to be a doctor while giving unsubstantiated reproductive health advice on TikTok, where she had 243,000 followers. Viewers must approach every video with a degree of skepticism — even actual health officials can be wrong.
The wellness industry has become driven by profiting off supposed maladies. The root of many health trends lies in the promotion of products. “Anti-bloating” supplements like Bloom Greens powder and Arrae Debloating pills are sold on TikTok Shop — the benefits of which can be gained by simply eating more diverse fruits and vegetables. Wellness is now a proponent of capitalist mass consumption. The only access to “true health” is by buying certain products, like red light masks, castor oil packs, or collagen supplements, none of which have been definitively proven to be effective treatments.
Scams and multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes abound on TikTok, including the company It Works, which promoted its weight loss “skinny brew coffee” and associated marketing scheme to viewers through links in creators’ bios. The products promoted are not FDAapproved and contain a dangerously high level of caffeine. Another scam targeting “gut health” and debloating sold their products and 30-day plans for over 600 USD.
The aestheticization of wellness has led to further barriers. The “pink pilates princess” trend and other visual curations surrounding working out lead you to believe that if you own the right jacket (that $128 Lululemon Define jacket, to be specific), own the right equipment (Bala Bangle arm weights, $81, and Alo yoga mat, $220), use the right skincare (Gisou, Laneige, Rhode, and the like), shop at the right grocery stores (Erewhon, of course), and frequent the right reformer pilates class (which clock in at an average of $85 per session), you too can be happy, healthy, and above all, thin. Those touting the “lifestyle” are more often than not skinny, white, wealthy, and conventionally attractive.
Social media has fashioned the health industry into one driven by profit and fed by misinformation, intentional or otherwise. Our generation, with our overly extensive use of social media as a source of general information, have become proponents of the corruption of the health industry.
Our generation needs to prioritize media literacy, especially when misinformation can be spread simply through word of mouth, and many sources of information are biased towards for-profit companies. Do not rely on TikTok and other forms of public social media as your main source of science and health information. Rather, learn to investigate the science behind a trending idea using reliable, data-backed sources, such as factcheck.org or the Mayo Clinic.
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Health officials and experts have started building platforms to counteract misinformation. However, it is all too easy to fake medical legitimacy. Social media has become home not only to licensed doctors seeking to stem misinformation, but also to
Be aware of your consumption of products hawked by creators interested not in your health, but only your dollars. Be even more aware of your consumption of social media overall: spend your time and your attention wisely, and learn to use rational sense before you hop onto the latest wellness craze.
No More Free Hours
TAs in the Faculty of Arts face 15-20 per cent hour cuts
Sena Ho Managing Editor
With the advent of larger cuts at McGill, teaching assistants (TAs) in the Faculty of Arts are expected to experience a 15-20 per cent cut in hourly wages. The Daily spoke with Donald Morard, a third-year PhD student in the History department at McGill, on the details and implications of these cuts for the Arts, and for positions within the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM). Morard has served on the bargaining support committee for AGSEM’s Unit 1, which represents TAs, and is currently on both the hours committee and as the bargaining committee for Unit 3, which represents graders and other academic casuals represented by AGSEM.
Reports of these cuts first circulated in November 2024 when McGill announced that the teaching support budget in the Arts faculty was to be cut by 15-20 per cent, Morard stated. Each department and unit were given their own proposed cut number within that 15-20 per cent range: for example, the History department was directed to cut 17 per cent of its teaching support budget.
The cuts introduced last semester are linked to the larger cuts that the Faculty of Arts has to make in the upcoming fiscal year, as detailed in the Town Hall. When the monthly Faculty of Arts council convened on February 18, Morard described that the Faculty of Arts would face a $3.6 million cut target overall, including funds directed to teaching support.
“The way this will impact TA positions, and graduate students more broadly, will ultimately result in less hours and/or less positions,” Morard said.
Currently, TAs take a 180hour position during a semester. While each department’s approach to these cuts will vary, the most common moves will be either cutting TA hours — for example, by creating 150hour shifts — or by moving TAs into different positions, such as graders. Morard underlined how these cuts will not be uniform across the Faculty of Arts, and that individual departments are still in the process of deciding which route to take.
Cuts to TA positions and
hourly wages will have drastic impacts on the academic experiences of both graduate and undergraduate students, according to Morard. By reducing reaching support and lowering the budget for the Arts in general, course offerings are expected to decrease. Without TAs, the quality of these course offerings will also be affected, leading to lower educational experiences for both undergraduates and graduates at McGill.
Having been a TA himself, Morard described that being a TA is a valuable experience for many graduate students. This opportunity opens doors to teaching and is beneficial for those who are looking to go into an educational career. On the flip side, TAs help and support undergraduates in a variety of ways. They are a second source of expert knowledge on the course material, and can give students a new perspective on how to approach the concepts taught in their classes.
“An important part of McGill class offerings is having tutorials and conferences, not just lectures,” Morard further explained. “Having a TA allows for conferences, allows for tutorials, and that allows many students who, say, may not thrive in a lecture setting, thrive in small groups or smaller classrooms.”
By eliminating TAs, and effectively cutting the number of tutorials or conferences offered to undergraduate students, they are removed from an opportunity to succeed academically. Additionally, undergraduate students may feel more inclined to reach out to TAs instead of their professors, as TAs are younger and can appear more approachable. Morard noted that many undergraduates appreciate their TAs for having a closer interaction, which is not feasible in larger courses. Lastly, without TAs, professors are expected to take on the responsibilities of grading and will be inclined to offer more robust office hours, which takes away from professors’ ability to engage in their own academic research.
Morard described a few ways in which AGSEM has currently been trying to mitigate the effects of these cuts, primarily in trying to get the university to understand the value of TA labour. Last semester, the union launched their “No More Free Hours” campaign that has
encouraged TAs to stick to their hours and prevent doing unpaid work. TAs often work beyond the hours they are paid for due to unpredictable workloads, such as responding to student emails, additional office hours, and extra-long grading. This campaign has been one of their main efforts to emphasize how important TA labor is. In addition, Unit 3 of AGSEM — which encompasses graders, course tutors, undergraduate course assistants, graduate student assistants, graduate teaching fellows, and other academic casuals — began bargaining for better work conditions last semester. These negotiations also seek to make it harder for departments to move Unit 1 employees to Unit 3 in what Morard described earlier as the effort to transition current TAs to graders. Unit 3 workers, while unionized, currently do not have a contract and are waiting on McGill to respond with an intent to bargain.
Overall, these imminent changes in the academic climate at McGill have left Arts TAs with a general sense of anxiety. Morard explained how younger TAs, such as first-year PhD students or Masters students, are increasingly worried about losing these opportunities. For many, these positions are an important source of income
“Many TAs feel that they have to work over their hours, and will work over their contract hours… knowing that they will lose experience or be forced to feel the pressure of possibly having to overwork for less pay.”
- Donald Morard, AGSEM representative
amidst rising costs of living in Montreal. The possibility of losing out on hours, or on even obtaining a TA position, has created much uncertainty and anxiety within AGSEM.
“Many TAs feel that they have to work over their hours, and will work over their contract hours […] knowing that they will lose experience or be forced to feel the pressure of possibly having to overwork for less pay,” Morard explained, rooting the overall sense of anxiety for current TAs to these reasons.
These attacks are a continuation of the general trend of disregard for the Arts at McGill. Recent years have seen consistent cuts in funding for the Faculty of Arts that extend beyond TA hours
into course offerings. In 2013, McGill removed 100 Arts classes, which led to a reduction in “lower enrollment courses” as Provost Christopher Manfredi (then Dean of Arts) stated, replacing them with larger, broader classes. These larger courses were implemented at the expense of a more intimate class environment, which is what Morard warns will happen with these new rounds of cuts.
“A lot of people like to harp on the Arts and usually they are one of the first faculties — not only at McGill but across Canada and North America more broadly — that gets targeted,” Morard concluded.
Amanda
Fiore | Visuals Contributor
TPU Raises Concerns About Changes to Trans Care at Wellness Hub
Trans students forced to look elsewhere for Hormone Replacement Therapy
Adair Nelson News Editor
Gender-affirming care (GAC) has long been a vital service offered by the Wellness Hub. Over 150 trans patients currently rely on the Wellness Hub for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and other GAC practices. Amidst the numerous advances in McGill’s GAC practices, The Trans Patient Union (TPU), a McGill student coalition run by and for trans and nonbinary patients, continues to advocate for the improvement of trans healthcare services. The TPU has long-standing concerns about the state of GAC at the Wellness Hub, which is becoming increasingly relevant as patients face new issues with receiving gender-affirming care.
As of late December, family physician Dr. Hashana Perera, the Wellness Hub’s primary GAC doctor, has gone on maternity leave and will not be returning until January 2026. Dr. Perera was responsible for providing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), surgery readiness assessments, and other trans healthcare services, alongside local wellness advisor Margot Nossal. During her absence, Dr. Perera’s patients have been redirected to the Hygea endocrinology clinic.
The Wellness Hub told the Daily that they have a “multifaceted plan to provide care during Dr. Perera’s leave” and have been “building capacity through training and
Nikhila Shanker |
increasing options for care.”
Nonetheless, the TPU has expressed that this redirection of services is an additional obstacle for trans patients seeking GAC and HRT services.
The TPU claims that since any general practitioner can supervise and administer HRT in Quebec, “it is an unnecessary burden on endocrinology clinics to exclusively shoulder this responsibility.” They added that “as specialized medicine, endocrinology is harder and slower for patients to access than general practice.” Multiple healthcare providers at Hygea have also recently gone on parental leave, adding an additional strain on their staff amidst an influx of new patients.
As of mid-January, the waitlist for HRT at Hygea was over a year long, a considerably longer wait than for any other endocrinology services at the clinic. According to the TPU, this means that patients referred to Hygea at this time will likely not be able to receive service at the clinic until after Dr. Perera returns from her leave.
According to a statement given by the TPU to the Daily, Wellness Hub employees told the organization in January that no plans had been made for other staff at the Hub to take over Dr. Perera’s role in administering HRT. However, in a more recent statement to the Daily on February 21, the Hub said that other medical staff are currently being trained in facilitating HRT
and administrating other trans care services. The reason for this change is unclear. In January, the TPU claimed on Instagram that, to their understanding, Hub doctors have had access to and, in some cases, not taken various opportunities to learn how to provide HRT. Rather, the TPU states, “it simply seems that many doctors at the Hub, and in Quebec, do not believe that providing care to trans people is their job.”
The Wellness Hub also told the Daily that they have recruited a new family physician with seven years of experience in GAC services, who they hope will begin work at the Hub by mid-March. The TPU claims that the head of the Hub told them via email in January that they intend to find new providers, but the TPU has doubts after the same promise was left unfulfilled last year.
services at the Wellness Hub. They worked alongside SSMU, HealthQueer Professionals, and Community Educators for Healthcare Improvement to ensure the representation of trans voices in wellness spaces at McGill. Despite important victories over the past three years, the TPU claims that there is still much progress to be made in adequately addressing issues raised by patients.
The TPU has already raised various questions about the efficiency of HRT services at the Wellness Hub, and, as stated to the Daily, has made Hub employees aware of the precarity of having only one doctor providing HRT. Simultaneously, the TPU continues to have grievances and concerns about GAC at the Wellness Hub. In a statement posted on Instagram, the TPU discussed the limitations of trans health services available to McGill students, including: that the HRT process is unnecessarily long, that there is only a narrow range
Editor “ It simply seems that many doctors at the Hub, and in Quebec, do not believe that providing care to trans people is their job. ”
- Trans Patient Union McGill
The TPU continues to meet with members of the Wellness Hub at least once a semester to discuss issues raised by patients on access and medical practices. In an official statement given to the McGill Reporter and shared with the Daily, the organization said that the dialogue with Hub employees over the years has been encouraging, and that they have been happy to see specific providers demonstrate a willingness to improve and develop trans patient care.
In 2022, the TPU interviewed over 25 trans patients to produce a comprehensive list of proposed changes to improve the GAC
of HRT medications available to transfeminine patients, and that 17-year-old patients cannot access their right to consent to HRT until their 18th birthday — despite the medical age of consent being 14 in Quebec.
These grievances come directly from the patients the TPU represents. A series of anonymous interviews conducted by the TPU for the McGill Reporter raise various issues with GAC practices at the Wellness Hub, including practices that do not align with international recommendations
set by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. The six-month wait period to begin HRT (beginning from when the patient had come out or begun socially transitioning), and a visual inspection of the chest wall and physical examination of the genitals for patients seeking feminizing hormone therapy, are two Hub policies which have been dropped after meetings with TPU representatives. That being said, as of December, the Hub still required a minimum of three appointments to receive a prescription, even when patients presented a consent form at their first appointment.
“I think in general there needs to be greater understanding and recognition of trans patients’ perspectives on their own medical care,” shared a former undergraduate student who received HRT, referrals for surgery, and mental health services at the Wellness Hub from 2022-2024.
“I think it would be beneficial to see more doctors able to provide gender-affirming care at the Wellness Hub, though I know this is easier said than done,” a current student added.
The TPU continues to remain in contact with the Hub, which has been made aware of their concerns. The Union has also been in communications with Student Services and Provost Angela Campbell, and hope to meet soon with Dr. Vera Romano, Director of the Wellness Hub. In this time of change among GAC practices, The Wellness Hub has stated that they will continue to correspond with the TPU, keeping them informed of recruitment efforts and developments during Dr. Perera’s leave.
Gender-affirming care goes beyond HRT services. In Dr. Perera’s absence, the Wellness Hub continues to offer support services to LGBTQ+ students: students can meet with Local Wellness Advisors who provide psychosocial support, book appointments with counsellors and sexologists, and refer to Access Advisors in navigating care and support. For trans students struggling in the wake of recent changes made by the Wellness Hub, the TPU offers a plethora of resources for support, healthcare, and gender advocacy.
Visuals
Boycotting Amazon
Amazon continues to violate human, labour, and democratic rights across North America and the rest of the world
Romane Gornet News Contributor
In February 2025, demonstrations were seen all over Montreal in response to the closing of all Amazon facilities in Quebec, which entailed the laying off of 2,000 permanent workers and 2,500 subcontractors. Amazon insists its reason for closing these warehouses was to deliver more efficient and costeffective services to customers, while workers are accusing the corporation of union-busting. The layoffs occurred right when the first collective agreement among workers at Amazon was about to be implemented, which led workers to believe the company chose to close all its Quebec operations rather than just the Laval DXT4 warehouse as a tactic to suggest
plausible deniability. If they had maintained it, they would have been obligated to strike a deal with certified unions or have an agreement forced upon them under Quebec labour law.
Moreover, this shock layoff will inevitably discourage other unionization efforts across the rest of North America.
The Quebec labour group Confederation des syndicats nationaux (CSN) is incentivized to take legal action against Amazon in the coming weeks.
This is not the first time that Amazon has engaged in unionbusting. Another example is the company’s actions leading up to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union’s strike, organized by delivery workers in New York City, Atlanta, Illinois, and California in demand of better pay, benefits, and working conditions. (Amazon’s
The exploitation of these workers has helped Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, amass an estimated fortune of more than US$200 billion and qualify as the third richest man in the world.
Eva Marriott-Fabre | Visuals Editor
poor working conditions, causing injuries exacerbated by inadequate medical care, have been well documented including in a US Senate report). After Amazon failed to acknowledge the Teamsters’ response deadline of December 15, the union launched a strike later that December to affect Christmas delivery services. By refusing to negotiate a contract, Amazon was violating labour law. It is common for employers to refuse to bargain and it is widely established that striking is the best way to get them to the table, but in this case Amazon insisted that the strike did not hurt its operations. They also maintained that the drivers involved were not Amazon workers but “Delivery Service Partners,” recruited through third-party companies, even though they wore Amazon uniforms, drove Amazon trucks and delivered only products bought on Amazon.com.
Companies like Amazon rely on low-cost and easily replaceable labour, meaning they can deal with high turnover.
Signing contracts with workers guaranteeing them a fixed salary, certain benefits, and an established level of workplace safety contradicts their fundamental business model. These interests have led Amazon to engage in illegal union-busting activities such as threatening workers’ pay and already-meagre benefits for joining unions, firing some workers for unionizing, intimidating immigrant workers with Trump’s deportation policy, organizing anti-union sessions with managers and company lawyers, and spreading antiunion rhetoric while taking down pro-union messages. Although federal laws in the US govern how companies can and cannot deal with unions and collective action efforts, according to Arthur Wheaton, Director of Labour Studies at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, they face no significant penalty.
Amazon is not only violating labour laws in North America. During the summer of 2024, the heat in Northern India was so intense that birds were falling from the sky. Still, managers in Manesar made workers swear oaths that they would not drink water or take toilet breaks while working in order to meet productivity targets. Everybody
While a few million sales may not make that big of a difference for the company, it can make a big difference in the development of small businesses in Quebec and Canada that respect labour laws.
complied, fearing they would lose their jobs. Workers in the plant-loading section resorted to covering exposed skin with clothing to avoid burning in the sun, but this made them sweat, instead losing body moisture to the point of dehydration. Some workers who collapsed from the heat were deducted wages for the time they spent in the hospital. Dharmendra Kumar, the president of the Amazon Workers Association of India, which is part of UNI Global Union, says Amazon workers in India are commonly employed on short-term contracts lasting between one and eleven months. Only contracts lasting over a year qualify for statutory benefits; at the end of 11-month contracts, workers are customarily fired and then hired again.
The exploitation of these workers has helped Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, amass an estimated fortune of more than US$200 billion and qualify as the third richest man in the world. Now more financially potent than many governments, big multinational companies like Amazon are capable of influencing legislation in their favour. Not only do they spend tremendous amounts of money (sometimes through backchannel contracts) on lobbying and pressuring governments into enacting policies that may be unpopular with their electorates, but also directly fund many farright political parties and idealist groups. Bezos, among other tech billionaires such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, were front and centre at Donald Trump’s second inauguration. On top of that, Amazon has started selling merchandise featuring Trump’s expansionary comments, such as “Canada, 51st State” and “Make Canada Great Again,” seemingly following after Google, whose map services recently renamed
the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America, and Facebook, who have removed fact-checking on posts.
Amazon’s continued violations of human, labour, and democratic rights violations are why workers are calling for an Amazon boycott. While a few million sales may not make that big of a difference for the company, it can make a big difference in the development of small businesses in Quebec and Canada that respect labour laws.
Eren Atac Staff Writer
One of film’s universal goals is to create visual interest through the “gaze.” In most movies, there are two possible sources from which a gaze can originate: the characters and the audience. Characters’ gazes are usually constrained within the world of film, while the audience’s gaze can traverse this barrier and pierce through from the real world into the diegesis. Crucially, the characters and audience are forever separated by the simple fact of existing within different worlds. Neither can be fully aware of the other’s interiority; it’s how different films bridge this gap that creates visual interest.
Nickel Boys (2024), directed by Ramell Ross, approaches this problem like no other film has. The movie is shot from a first-person perspective — you see what the character sees. Thus, instead of maintaining the audience’s and characters’ gazes as discrete entities, it merges them into one. Watching Nickel Boys, it is clear that the film could not have been made any other way.
Ross’s Nickel Boys is an adaptation of the 2019 novel by Colson Whitehead. The film follows Black teens Elwood and Turner in 1960s Florida as they navigate the abusive reform school system. Elwood is the film’s primary protagonist, and the half-hour-long opening takes place entirely from his perspective. These scenes characterize Elwood — we see his high academic aptitude,
quiet demeanor, and passion for the growing Civil Rights Movement. We learn who he is, but we don’t see him. The firstperson perspective — what Ross calls “sentient perspective” — denies us a full shot of his face. His appearance is teased through deft maneuvers, like his reflection in a window. But for the most part, we look out from him, not at him. This lack of focus on his outward self forces our attention to converge with Elwood’s. It immerses us in precisely what he is focused on at any given moment.
One of my favourite shots in Nickel Boys is around the nineminute mark. Elwood is lying on his bed, listening to a news broadcast about satellites sent up to orbit the moon. He holds a balloon, but his grip is loose. It lazily drifts upward, inching closer and closer to a spinning ceiling fan. Eventually, it hits the fan, violently bouncing away. Elwood’s gaze swings toward his TV, which shows footage of the moon. This 30-second sequence grants the audience a piercing view of Elwood’s interiority. His passion for space exploration (a recurring motif) shows that he has high ambitions; he’s a kid with all the potential in the world. But his focus is on the balloon. It creeps closer and closer to the fan, dangling on the edge of precarity. His circumstances precede his dreams, but he doesn’t let them define him. When the balloon hits the fan, he doesn’t reach up for it. He lets it go and refocuses on the TV. Even if things don’t go his way, he never loses track of his ambition — we learn this
Nickel Boys: Gazes Put to Screen
How do you see a character without looking at them?
“ Whether it’s a magnet sliding down a fridge, a boxing match, or a bike ride at night, visual meaning is created through the gazes of our characters — gazes that, through sentient perspective, viewers can share. ”
to be true of him as the plot progresses. But it was all already there, captured in 30 seconds of footage. Ross needed nothing more than a balloon, a fan, and a TV to show this.
Nickel Boys is full of moments like that. Whether it’s a magnet sliding down a fridge, a boxing match, or a bike ride at night, visual meaning is created through the gazes of our characters — gazes that, through sentient perspective, viewers can share.
Thirty minutes in, we are first introduced to the Nickel Academy, the movie’s primary setting. It is a cruel place. Black boys are segregated from white boys, and as you’d imagine, they only enjoy a fraction of the privileges. Nickel Academy is based on the real-world Dozier School for Boys, and it doesn’t hold back in its portrayal. Children are beaten, tortured, and left to fend for themselves. But Nickel Boys isn’t a onetrack film. While it is unabashed in its depictions of abuse and pain, its primary concern is how our characters maintain their humanity. Elwood isn’t alone in his struggle. He meets Turner, another quiet youth trapped in
Nikhila Shanker | Visuals Editor
the system. Unlike Elwood, an idyllic supporter of civil rights, Turner harbours a more cynical view. He urges Elwood to keep his head down and avoid punishment. Their relationship defines Nickel Boys They grow together, fight together, and depend on each other. There’s a constant push and pull between their attitudes, a dialectic that shapes their worldviews and life trajectories.
One moment that sells this relationship doesn’t even involve Elwood. It’s a scene between Turner and Elwood’s grandmother, Hattie. After months without seeing Elwood, Hattie traveled to Nickel Academy to give him a care package. However, Elwood has just been severely beaten by the Nickel staff, and they don’t want Hattie to find out. She sees Turner and asks him if he knows Elwood. She explains that they won’t let her see him and asks him to give Elwood the package. We’re seeing Turner’s point of view, and like every scene in the film, his gaze shows us everything. His eyes shift up and down, looking Hattie in the eye but then drifting down to her feet. Hattie makes a request: she explains that she can’t hug Elwood, so Turner will have to do. As they go in to hug, rack focus shifts Turner’s gaze from Hattie to the sidewalk behind her. He’s sheepish; it’s like he’s ashamed of his cynicism. In his years at Nickel, Turner forgot why people resist. But now, he sees Elwood’s point of view. How could one not fight for that humanity? Again, this meaning is derived from the nuances of a first-person gaze. It could not be captured any other way.
Nickel Boys is my pick for best picture at the upcoming Academy Awards. It is fresh and unabashedly genuine. It proves the legitimacy of the sentient perspective, a new and innovative filmmaking technique. Most importantly, it captures a distilled humanity — the purest kindness, cruelty, and drive you can imagine. If you haven’t yet, please watch Nickel Boys.
Love is
Piano
Love is Punk
Enid Kohler | Visuals Contributor
“ I’m here with my best friends, and I’m so glad to be here. I’d much rather be here on a day when we can all spend it together ”
- Lia Graham
At Jam for Justice’s Valentine’s Day charity event, punk rock and piano music collided, representing the duality of love
Enid Kohler Staff Writer
On February 14, Gerts Bar and Café transformed into a cozy, intimate space for students to celebrate Valentine’s Day. A fireplace glowed on a large flatscreen TV next to the stage and red and pink paper hearts decorated the walls. Students dressed in pinks, reds, and whites crowded high-top tables assembled in front of the stage, chatting while Jam for Justice executives adjusted a keyboard and microphone.
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” one of two hosts leaned into the mic, and the crowd cheered. Someone let out a loud “Woo!” masking the groans of those who exchanged deprecated chuckles about their mutual dislike of Valentine’s Day.
The hosts continued to explain the premise of the event. Jam for Justice, a nonprofit organization run by McGill University students, supports local charities through music events. For its Piano and Punk event, Jam for Justice collaborated with Montreal’s Heart of the City Piano Program, which provides tuition-free piano lessons to at-risk students in inner-city elementary schools. The night
was divided into two halves, intended to represent the duality of love: Heart of the City piano teachers performed gentle piano pieces for the first part of the evening, before Montreal-based punk rock bands — As Usual, Ruby Slipper, and Art Grey — took over for the second half.
In a written statement to the Daily, Holly Kohler, Vice President of Communications at Jam for Justice, explained the intention behind the evening’s theme. “We wanted to make sure we could make this often tiresome day something that everyone could enjoy, regardless of whether or not they are in a relationship. So with that in mind, we landed on Piano and Punk, which we felt would adequately capture the dichotomy of the Valentine’s Day experience.”
“However you’re feeling about Valentine’s Day today, we hope you enjoy the event!” the host continued, despite Valentine’s Day skeptics in the audience. A ripple of laughter moved through the room as students clapped.
As students continued to stream into the dimly lit bar, mellow piano music danced into the air. McGill student Sophia Ahern described the atmosphere as “homey” and the piano music as “chill.”
“The vibes are good!” she
told the Daily
The piano styles ranged in genre, from pop covers to Debussy. One pianist even performed an improv piece, alternating seamlessly between jazz and classical music. During a pop duet of John Legend’s “All of Me,” phone flashlights waved in unison as students waved their hands side to side. “What’s going on in that beautiful mind? I’m on your magical mystery ride…” the performers serenaded.
Despite the romantically branded music, performers insistently proclaimed that Valentine’s Day was for everyone, whether you are in a relationship or not. One singer dedicated her performance to her “besties” before launching into a heartfelt ballad.
For Helene Saleska, another McGill student, Jam for Justice’s event was a chance to spend quality time with her friends: “I think it’s really fun to celebrate love. I’m in a longdistance relationship, so for me, [Valentine’s Day] has become much more of a friend holiday than a romantic holiday.”
Fellow student Lia Graham agreed. “I’m here with my best friends, and I’m so glad to be here. I’d much rather be here on a day when we can all spend it together than if people had their [partners] here,” she told the Daily
When the last notes of a Debussy piano piece faded out, tables were turned over and chairs set aside to make room for the dance floor. As attendees stood up from their seats, an energetic buzz reverberated through the room in anticipation of the punk performances to come.
“Gerts! How’s everyone doing?” Dylan Jacques, lead singer and bassist of the band As Usual, crooned into the mic. He was met with an excited roar, and as a wave of students filled the dance floor, the evening took a distinctive turn, changing tunes to suit the higher-energy punk music.
Jacques, a U3 student at McGill, reflected on his performance in an interview with the Daily. “Looking out during some of the songs and seeing people dancing and having fun and smiling — it’s very cool to be part of that experience.”
Vishwa Srinivasan, As Usual’s lead guitarist and U3 student at McGill, echoed his bandmate’s sentiments. “My favourite part of performing live is just how interactive it is, both between us as musicians and with the audience,” Srinivasan said to the Daily. “When you’re on stage, it’s a collective experience that everyone’s having.”
Although As Usual is not strictly a punk band — Srinivasan described them as “not bound by a genre” — they
leaned into several angsty punk songs to fit the evening’s theme.
Audience member Joshua Farmer commented on the contrast between the piano and punk music, viewing it as a metaphor for the duality of love: “[It] shows that couples sometimes appear calm and mellow on the surface, but behind closed doors, it can be loud, chaotic, and messy,” he told the Daily. “It shows that relationships are real and raw.”
When asked about the duality of love, Axel Morton, an undergraduate student at Concordia University, paused. “I mean, that’s pretty deep,” he told the Daily with a chuckle. “I may or may not be in love right now. I’m still trying to figure that out.”
Morton told the Daily that love is often “taboo, but at the same time, everyone talks about love. Almost every song ever written was about love.” He added, “I think it’s important that we have this day to celebrate love.”
It is thus fitting that Jam for Justice’s Valentine’s Day event celebrated love through piano and punk — two genres that appear contradictory at first, but when paired together, embody the duality of love.
Beware of spoilers ahead!
Picture your hardest midterm. Now picture waking up one morning and realizing that said midterm, which you thought was a week away and thus hadn’t really studied for, was actually that morning – an hour before you woke up. You sprint to the exam hall and slide into your seat, panting, somehow freezing cold and burning hot at the same time. Your senses are in overdrive. Then, you look down and realize your midterm is written entirely in the Wingdings font, which seems to be legible to everybody except you. Oh, and you’re still in your pyjamas. And there’s only 30 minutes left to complete the exam.
From there, you’ve got a pretty good idea of how the events in One Of Them Days (2025) feel.
Hitting cinemas in midJanuary with a bang, the Issa Rae-produced film injects nightmare-fuel scenarios like the one above with dazzling humour and charm. One Of Them Days features two best friends, Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (Solána Rowe), and the obstacles they face in a race against the clock to avoid eviction after Alyssa’s boyfriend spends their rent money on a foregone T-shirt business. Solána Rowe, better known as SZA, makes her acting debut (though you’d never guess it) alongside the multi-talented veteran Keke Palmer. A ray of sunlight in the general malaise of winter, the duo’s impeccable comedic timing and hilarious dynamic make it easy to root for them as they stomp and stumble through their day.
Set in the heart of Los Angeles, Black culture is highlighted and celebrated in every facet of the film. Dreux and Alyssa live in Baldwin Village, a majority-Black working-class neighbourhood affectionately nicknamed “The Jungles.” Behind the film is an all-Black core team of directors, producers, and writers, guaranteeing an “authenticity” that underpins the film’s comedy and protects its cultural integrity. Ergo, One Of Them Days does more than just represent Black people – it ensures that Black people are not the butts of jokes but the ones making them, as well as the ones receiving credit for the laughter they elicit.
Up until recently, Black actresses in comedy played roles that made punchlines at the expense of their Blackness – perhaps the token best friend or the disempowered worker. Even as more and more Black women found prominence in the acting world, there remained a stark gap in comedies that spotlighted Black women and culture. One Of Them Days seeks to remedy this. The last buddy-comedy with two Black female protagonists was B*A*P*S (1997), which director
Black Comedy for Dark Days
SZA may have written Good Days, but was she prepared for One Of Them Days?
Lawrence Lamont cites as one of the sources of his primary motivation: the pride he feels in seeing Black women in leading roles. As the first of its kind in close to 30 years, the box-office success of One Of Them Days sparks hope for widened avenues for Black actresses to showcase their comedic chops in cinema.
In a way, One Of Them Days is a gender-swapped version of Friday (1995), a cornerstone film in Black cinema that underlines not just the strife faced by Black communities but the joys shared amongst them, too. One Of Them Days pays tribute to
Isabelle Lim Culture Contributor
its predecessor in many ways. The opening shot of a pair of sneakers hanging by their laces from a phone line in Friday becomes a central plot point in One Of Them Days, and both films feature the shenanigans of a pair of best friends (played by Ice Cube and Chris Tucker in Friday) over the course of a daylong mad dash against time. Most importantly, like Friday, One Of Them Days is more than just a comedy. Beyond giving Black women the screen time they deserve, the film illuminates the harsh circumstances of Black neighbourhoods and
communities in California. There, displacement is at a record high. The proliferation of development projects in Los Angeles has denied residents access to and gentrified various public spaces, infringing on already historically disenfranchised Black communities who have lived in the region since the 1940s. Moreover, skyrocketing real estate prices have forced many from their long-time homes, either into the growing urban sprawl on the outskirts of Los Angeles or onto the streets. Los Angeles had a homeless population of at least 75,000 in 2024, with this figure
rising in tandem with the recent wildfires. Dreux and Alyssa’s fight to keep their apartment, while portrayed in a series of messy yet amusing events, is a sobering indictment of the very real issue of homelessness in California – and the desperation to avoid it.
In the same vein, One Of Them Days reawakens another classic comedy genre: the working-class comedy. Like Friday, One Of Them Days pokes fun at the struggles of the working class while simultaneously elevating them into public awareness. Amidst her and Alyssa’s haphazard attempts to make rent, Dreux contends with the anxiety of a make-or-break job interview; as well as a disastrously low credit score, which a clerk laughs uncontrollably and unabashedly at. While tonally humourous, these scenes engage the working-class majority in their relatability. More people can relate to self-doubt and instability than they can to the far-fetched plots that populate the comedy scene.
This, on top of its talented cast and stellar script, is perhaps what makes One Of Them Days so good. Its humour resonates with and reflects the realities of a demographic widely underrepresented in the glamour of Hollywood, reassuring them that they are not alone in their frustrations and upset. This solidarity extends beyond the screen: in an Instagram post, Lamont wished for One Of Them Days to “provide a moment of escape and joy when the time is right” for those affected by the destructive Los Angeles wildfires.
To those puzzled about how such a thematically serious film can be considered a comedy: fret not. While underscored by consequential Black issues, One Of Them Days highlights Black sisterhood and community through universal laugh-outloud moments. The family-like bonds between the characters in The Jungles ameliorate seemingly insurmountable challenges, as seen in how the whole neighbourhood comes together to set up Alyssa’s lastminute art exhibition in the heart of the estate itself. While some of these portrayed solutions can feel contrived at times, the immense heart put into them is nevertheless unmistakable. Back to the midterm at the start of the article. Let’s be real: you bomb it. Oh well. Anyway, there’s nothing you can do besides pick yourself up and tell yourself you’ll do better next time. Maybe grab a beer, or a Hot Cheeto Martini, the way Dreux and Alyssa do – whatever works to take the edge off. After all, it’s just one of them days.
From Gold to Dust
How Disney’s formulaic approach is killing its biggest franchises
Maria Panayotova Culture Contributor
In 2019, the world buzzed with excitement as fans eagerly anticipated the Avengers’ return in Endgame, where they would assemble once more to reverse Thanos’ actions and restore balance to the universe. The film sparked wild theories and celebrations, marking a cultural milestone after over a decade of interconnected storytelling. Fast forward to 2024, and the magic seems to have fizzled as Disney+ launches yet another MCU show. Instead of roaring excitement, audiences scroll past it as they are already eyeing the next one. What was once cherished is now a cautionary tale as the MCU faces diminishing returns, with some of their movies even flopping at the box office. This decline isn’t exclusive to Marvel: franchises like Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean mirror the trend, reflecting a broader issue in Hollywood’s blockbuster boom.
When Star Wars first burst onto the screen in 1977, it was extraordinary. George Lucas crafted a thrilling tale of good versus evil, rich with unforgettable characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. Audiences were transported to a galaxy teeming with adventure and hope, where meaningful battles against tyranny came alive with the help of dazzling lightsabers and epic space dogfights. The original trilogy resonated deeply with moviegoers, blending heart and humanity that fans connected with profoundly. While the prequels maintained some of this spirit with Anakin Skywalker’s poignant journey, the franchise found itself in a rough patch post-Disney acquisition in 2012. The sequel trilogy faltered, with inconsistent writing and risky choices that disappointed fans, especially with Luke Skywalker’s portrayed legacy feeling like a betrayal. Attempts to reconcile these issues in The Rise of Skywalker (2019) only led to a muddled conclusion filled with plot holes. With the sheer oversaturation of Star Wars content, fans sensed a shift in the franchise from its formal galactic glory to what seemed like corporate clone wars. By focusing on quantity over quality, the franchise has lost its magic and faced criticism for placing diversity above storytelling. At its peak, Pirates of the Caribbean delivered an intoxicating blend of high-stakes
action, supernatural intrigue, and sharp humour. Gore Verbinski’s trilogy delivered iconic villains, epic naval battles, ghostly pirates, and a tragic romance entwined with themes of freedom and fate, all anchored by rich character arcs — especially Johnny Depp’s unpredictable, witty Captain Jack Sparrow. However, subsequent installments like On Stranger Tides (2011) and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) failed to capture the essence of the prior films, featuring weaker plots and lacklustre character dynamics. The grand scale of the trilogy had been traded for a generic treasure hunt. The characters lacked depth, Sparrow became a mere comic relief, and the new leads failed to resonate with audiences.
The announcement of a femaleled reboot without Johnny Depp further alienated fans, who saw it as disregarding the franchise’s core identity, reflecting Disney’s broader disconnect from audience expectations.
It is worth mentioning that Disney’s female-led reboot wasn’t criticized for featuring female pirates, but for erasing the franchise’s heart under the guise of progress and boldness. Audiences embrace strong female leads when they are flawed, relatable, and earn their victories. In contrast, recent attempts, like Rey from Star Wars and Captain Marvel from the MCU, have been criticized for lacking depth and meaningful struggles, making them feel overpowered and unrelatable. This issue extends to the MCU’s post-Endgame decline, with She-Hulk (2022) and The Marvels (2023) facing backlash for weak storytelling, forced humor, and hollow messages. The Eternals (2021) suffered from an overly serious tone, while Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) turned an epic hero into self-parody.
More broadly, the MCU now lacks direction. Unlike the Infinity Saga’s buildup to Thanos, the Multiverse Saga feels aimless, with scattered characters and no clear future. Without a strong central figure or unified team, the franchise struggles to keep audiences engaged.
Disney can revive its struggling franchises by taking notes from sequels that not only lived up to their predecessors but surpassed them — films like Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), The Dark Knight (2008), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022). These sequels didn’t just recycle old ideas; they expanded on the original
themes, deepened character arcs, and raised the stakes in meaningful ways. Top Gun: Maverick showed its protagonist grappling with legacy and mentorship, while The Dark Knight deepened Batman’s moral struggles, introducing an unforgettable antagonist in the Joker who pushed Bruce Wayne to his limits. Meanwhile, Terminator 2 transformed Sarah Connor from a victim into a hardened warrior, and The Winter Soldier challenged Steve Rogers with ideological dilemmas that forced him to redefine his role as a hero. These sequels thrived by respecting audience intelligence, balancing nostalgia with innovation, and delivering strong emotional cores.
To revive excitement, the MCU must follow these same principles — crafting a strong, interconnected, and cohesive narrative with clear arcs and real stakes. Establishing a core team, like the Young Avengers, Fantastic Four, or X-Men, could restore purpose. More importantly, Marvel must embrace creative risks — darker, mature storytelling, as seen in Infinity War and The Winter Soldier, resonated deeply. By reducing oversaturation and prioritizing character-driven stories over CGI spectacles, the MCU can recapture its magic and once again inspire audiences.
Finally, Disney has a strong legacy of well-written female characters, not just in animated films but across its biggest franchises. Characters like Princess Leia, Elizabeth Swann, and Black Widow were all wellreceived because they had flaws and real growth arcs, rather than being reduced to mere symbols of empowerment that failed to resonate. Disney’s Princess Franchise had characters like Mulan — a regular girl who, through determination, intelligence, and resilience, grew into a warrior and earned her victories. It’s that level of depth, agency, and emotional complexity that inspired and fascinated audiences.
Disney has given us timeless stories, unforgettable heroes, and magical worlds that shaped generations, and by learning from past successes, Disney can return to its former glory, not just winning back old fans but captivating new ones. Here’s to hoping Disney rekindles the spark, bringing us back to the kind of storytelling that makes us laugh, cry, and believe in the impossible. The stage is set, and the audience is waiting — now let’s see the magic happen!
Fine Words and Buttered Parsnips
Chez Greenberg: Creating Local
Luxe Palmer Copy Editor
Welcome to Fine Words and Buttered Parsnips , a column of meandering culinary sensibilities, investigating the world of food and fare from a plethora of perspectives.
The first two things I noticed after opening the nondescript door of Chez Greenberg (5159 Avenue du Parc) were Jake Greenberg himself behind the counter, donning his signature black glasses, and a jar of silver Hershey’s Kisses next to a childhood photo of Greenberg and his brother.
The theme of “family first” carries itself throughout Chez Greenberg’s entire history. Beginning as a COVID project, Jake Greenberg took his father’s smoked salmon recipe and made a booming business selling it online – all with no prior experience in the food industry. He named his viral salmon enterprise Zaidie’s, after his grandparents’ restaurant in Sainte-Agathe.
Zaidie’s evolved into Chez Greenberg, a brick-and-mortar establishment and the new home of “Bubby’s” kitchen, which soft-opened in January.
The menu includes Zaidie’s signature smoked salmon, knishes, latkes, schmears, chowder, canned drinks, and a full espresso bar.
As the establishment was founded upon the back of its infamous smoked salmon, it was my duty as a faithful reporter to order it. I got their BLC (Bagel, Lox, Cream Cheese): a white sesame bagel schmeared with lemon cream cheese and layered with pink ribbons of lox, thick-cut tomatoes, fresh onions, a mountain of crispy fried potatoes, and a sprinkle of capers.
The sandwich was, in a word, delightful. The bagel was dense, chewy, and toasted. Its quality was a high medium –not quite to the standard of one fresh out of Fairmount’s oven, but certainly no Tim Hornton’s.
The sesame-seeded crust added a pronounced nuttiness.
The eponymous smoked salmon was sliced razor-thin, lean and supple, with its edges crisped by the seasoning. Many a lox is too shy in its fishy flavour, tasting like nearly nothing. This salmon stands
apart – neither too pungently fishy, nor too lacklustre. Greenberg’s inherited smoked salmon recipe is, like all the best things, secret. All that is known is that it’s brined for 24 hours prior to smoking, then donned with a classified seasoning blend and lacquered with maple syrup (making it a thoroughly Canadian affair).
Atop the mille-feuille of fish lies bright, punchy white onions; slabs of tomatoes juicy enough to please Miracle Max; and crispy potato schmutz (latke scraps); all of which marry into a perfect union of textures and flavours. The potato trimmings add a rich caramelized note, while the lemon cream cheese cuts through in a tangy, zesty ray of herbs and sunshine. The restaurant makes by hand “everything but the bagel,” as Greenberg let me know.
On Instagram, Greenberg stated his intentions for Chez Greenberg as “the kind of place that feels like home, where you’re sitting at the kitchen table, warm and cozy, while your bubby or your mom is cooking up something made with love.” I can affirm that his ambitions have come through in every aspect. The restaurant is the modern hipster’s paradise: an open kitchen bordered by bar seats, scuffed wood floors, and a cheeky typewriter, curating the perfect point between kitschy nostalgia and something fresh. When he wasn’t working the cash register and espresso bar, Greenberg himself would often call back, “Everyone good?” or roam the floor, chatting up diners and bantering with his crew. Chez Greenberg is a new kind of local. Built on the heritage of his ancestors, Jake Greenberg is building a space for the Mile End and the greater Montreal community to feel like home. His venture is defined by the strength of his supporters and would not be possible without the love they have for both his salmon and the man himself. I believe the best is yet to come from Bubby’s kitchen.
Read the full review at mcgilldaily.com.
Trump’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Elon Musk, RFK Jr., and X Æ A-12’s Spots in the Oval Office
Amelia Clark Commentary Contributor
Elon Musk held a press conference in the White House’s Oval Office two weeks ago with his son, X Æ A-12, by his side. While there, the child told the United States’ president to “go away” – echoing about half of the American people’s prayers.
After Trump interrupted one of Elon’s responses, the fouryear-old left his father’s side, approached Trump, and leaned in to tell him “You need to shush your mouth. You are not the president.” There is no better way to drive home the pecking order between the POTUS, the CEO of Tesla, and the four-year-old son of a man worth over 400 billion USD.
Fears that Musk bought his way into the White House and is now acting as the president while Trump plays golf elsewhere have spread widely since Musk was appointed to two economic advisory councils in 2016. After Trump’s loss in 2020, the two stayed in touch, with Musk referring to himself as Trump’s “tech support.” One of the first decisions Trump made in his second term was to make the X CEO “senior advisor to the President.” With this authority, Musk is apparently permitted to perform press conferences in the Oval Office. A privilege which, prior to 2025, was reserved for the president alone.
Barely two months into Trump’s
term, and Musk has already blown through the original limitations of his position. How far he can stretch this power is yet to be seen. Does Musk have more power than the vice-president? How much of this power comes from his appointed role and how much is bought by his billions? Has anyone actually seen J.D. Vance since Trump’s inauguration? What does he spend his days doing now that Musk has made himself Trump’s right hand man? Crying?
The Tesla CEO isn’t the only one of Trump’s new appointees to make headlines. The confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Junior (RFK Jr.) to be sworn in has been making headlines for the last two weeks. This event offered US senators a chance to vote on whether Trump’s pick would be sworn in.
The hearing spanned over two days and lasted over four hours. Many senators criticized Kennedy’s track record, questioning his competence as Secretary of Health based on his past statements, such as:
2013: “To me, [mandatory vaccinations for children] is like Nazi death camps. [...] I can’t tell you why somebody would do something like that. I can’t tell you why ordinary Germans participated in the Holocaust.”
2021: “A hundred percent of the people who died — the first thousand who had AIDS — were
people who were addicted to ‘poppers’ [...] They were people who were part of a gay lifestyle, where they were burning the candle at both ends.”
2021: “We should not be giving Black people the same vaccine schedule that’s given to Whites because their immune system is better than ours.”
2023: “COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black People, the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”
2023: “I do believe that autism does come from vaccines.”
At the hearing, Bernie Sanders questioned how RFK Jr. can claim to be pro-vaccine while selling baby onesies that read “Unvaxxed Unafraid” online, as part of his company known as the “Children’s Health Defense.” The website sells merchandise and publishes articles on theoretical “dangers” of vaccines. Some of their most recent headlines are “‘Earth-rattling’: COVID Vaccines Linked to 113% Higher Risk of Underactive Thyroid” and “Pfizer Vaccine From ‘Highly Lethal Batch’ Likely Caused Man’s Death 555 Days Later.” Kennedy stepped down as the organization’s chairman in 2023 to begin his run for president. Prior to that, he was making over 20,000 USD a week from the website.
“Your organization is making money selling a child’s product
Trump has given power to men intending to spread misinformation like the plague, and the resulting injustice will put forward polices that push America back by decades.
to parents for 26 bucks, which casts fundamental doubt on the usefulness of vaccines. [...] Now that you are pro-vaccine, will you have your organization take these products down?” Sanders asked.
“I’m supportive of vaccines,” RFK Jr. responded.
The onesies are, of course, still for sale – with versions reading “No Vax, No Problems” being sold, despite the fact that over twothirds of the American children who died of COVID-19 from 20202022 were unvaccinated.
Skeptics have also questioned RFK Jr.’s alleged stance on vaccinations based on his response to the prompt, “What would you do if you could go back in time?”
“I would avoid giving my children the vaccines I gave them,” Kennedy said. “I would do anything for that. I would pay anything to be able to do that.”
This has to be the most wasteful use of a time machine ever uttered on camera.
Despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, Kennedy states that he has never made any racist or antisemitic remarks. He also claims that he’s not, and never has been, anti-vaccine, referring to his beliefs as “pro-safety” instead.
After the confirmation hearing, RFK Jr. was successfully sworn in with 52 senatorial votes in his favour and 48 against. With his position secured, Trump states he’s going to “let him [RFK Jr.] go wild on health. I’m going to let him go wild on the food. I’m going to let him go wild on the medicines.”
Kennedy’s new platform will allow him to spread conspiracies stating that there are links between vaccinations and autism, water quality and queerness, and antidepressants and school shooters. It is no accident that Kennedy separates the “Jews” from the “Caucasians,” and that he preaches categorical biological differences between races. These beliefs will have serious social and legislative consequences for all minorities targeted. What exactly RFK Jr. will accomplish with free rein is anyone’s guess, but it’s safe to assume it will cost thousands of citizens their lives.
What Kennedy and Musk have in common is a place in the President’s Cabinet and the privileges that go along with it. This power gives both men the ability to market whatever conspiracies or businesses they so choose. That is how the White House’s platform, a nationwide stage that can be bought through funds or theories alike, is utilized to its most effective degree. Trump has given this power to men intending to spread misinformation like the plague, and the resulting injustice will put forward policies that take America back decades in the span of four years.
Navigating Friendships in College
Moving beyond small talk and Instagram reels
Mary Kamami Commentary Contributor
You may have noticed how some of your friendships nowadays mostly consist of you and your friends sending each other memes back and forth. Maybe you don’t spend as much time together as you used to in high school, when you would hang out at the mall after finals. Now, your routine includes dozens of other people, perhaps even friends you met in your second or third year of college, and no longer includes the friendships formed in your first year. It saddens or frustrates a lot of us when we realize how hard it is to keep friends that we thought we would remain close to. Some friendships are easier to maintain than others. The ease or difficulty of maintaining those friendships during our college years depends on the context in which we formed them: Have we known each other since high school or CEGEP? Or did we meet at Frosh? Are we in the same program, or do we see each other at club meetings? If we’re longtime friends, do we attend the same university? Different scenarios have their own peculiarities. For instance, at the beginning of our college journey, we become friends with some students with whom we share several classes. Keeping contact with friends that you see every day is probably not as demanding as making plans with friends who live far away, or are simply too busy. Having classes together plays a huge role in staying in touch, especially when you take into account the sheer number of
hours spent with the same people listening to the same professor over the course of an entire semester.
Still, sometimes, even being in the same room for so long is not enough. For example, many of us are familiar with those classmates whom we’re unsure whether to categorize as friends or acquaintances. Few details are known about them besides their name, their major, and their year. Even though college friendships formed in the context of a course might not be as surface-level as our relationships with these “classroom acquaintances,” it’s still important to meet up outside of class time for the friendship to survive. Otherwise, these friends are easy to maintain for the duration of the semester, but they probably won’t last very long once you no longer see each other two to three times a week. It might be easier to form stronger connections with club members. After all, common interests can bring people together in ways that go beyond small talk. Whether it be a sport, an art form, or a scientific interest, having a common goal combined with regular meetings creates the conditions needed for a friendship to last longer. The same thing applies to friends in your program of study: if you’re both studying biology and planning to go into medicine, you surely have more to discuss, complain, or be excited about than two people in completely unrelated fields. However, you still have to make an effort to expand conversations beyond this shared field of interest in order to strengthen the bond. Unsurprisingly enough, relatability and proximity are
important for maintaining friendships in a college setting. Friends with similar values on topics like family, religion, work, and politics are more likely to invest time and energy into their relationship than people who became friends as teenagers but slowly drifted apart over the years due to their growing differences.
The most important part, though, is making the effort to meet in the first place. It can be as simple as getting coffee together or as elaborate as organizing a trip with multiple people. The essential part is communicating to your friends that you enjoy spending time with them in one way or another. Despite our best efforts, though, college students remain extremely
Studying in a college setting is already a stressful and time-consuming task, but keeping contact with friends doesn’t have to be as difficult or mentally taxing. As silly as it may seem, friends sending each other funny videos and messages helps to keep that connection alive.
Eva Marriott-Fabre | Visuals Editor
busy. Between exams, part-time work, and extracurriculars, it’s hard to squeeze in time to have fun with your friends in an already packed schedule. Studying in a college setting is already a stressful and timeconsuming task, but keeping contact with friends doesn’t have to be as difficult or mentally taxing. As silly as it may seem, friends sending each other funny videos and messages helps to keep that connection alive.
To get a more personal perspective on this issue, I asked a few students to describe their experiences with maintaining friendships in university. One person shared that being in the same program makes it easier for them to keep in contact with friends. Indeed, seeing your friends most days of the week because you have the same courses creates a sense of familiarity between you and your peers. According to the student, that familiarity is harder to preserve when you hardly see your friends in person. In other words, you can “[lose] touch” if you and your friends are in different programs and don’t try to meet frequently.
Another student shared that “[when] only one person is making the effort to maintain the friendship, it’s much harder.” It’s easy to feel underappreciated when a friendship isn’t reciprocal
enough. The important thing is to try to build two-sided communication, whether by texting or by seeing each other in person, which can help us feel more satisfied and valued in our friendship. Finally, a third student wrote that it was not very difficult for them to maintain friends in university because they kept contact with people they knew from CEGEP (and they still frequently send them funny videos). Although it may seem discouraging to some that people may drift apart during their college years, try to remember that friendships come and go. It is eventually up to you which friends you want to keep close. Sometimes, even if you don’t spend a lot of time in person with your friends, it may still be enough to keep your friendship alive.
