Volume 47, Issue 4

The Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Toronto Mississauga since 1974

Issue 004 Volume 47 September 28 2020

themedium.ca

SECOND WAVE

PREDICTIVE POLICING

HOMEMADE MASKS

On September 21, Public Health Ontario reported 552 new Covid-19 cases were identified in the province. Ontario also saw a rate increase in confirmed Covid-19 cases, from 0.91 per cent on September 20 to 1.34 per cent on September 21. >> WAVE continued on page 3

On September first, the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab published a report about predictive policing technologies that use artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent crime before it’s even committed. >> POLICING continued on page 6

Quarantine during the current COVID-19 pandemic has provided many with the time and opportunity to get in touch with their creative sides. >> MASKS continued on page 12

NEWS

UTM Professor Beverly Bain leads Scholar Strike Canada Meghna Parhar (with notes from Isik Vera Senel) Contributor

C

o-organized by the University of Toronto Mississauga’s very own Professor Beverly Bain—a Black, queer, feminist scholar and activist who teaches in Women and Gender Studies in the Department of Historical Studies—Scholar Strike Canada organized a strike took place on September 9 and 10.

>> SCHOLARS continued on page 2

FEATURES

ARTS

The importance of youth in conversations on sustainability

The recurring relevance of the Bechdel Test

Pearla Hariri Associate Features Editor

Paige France Associate Arts Editor

“W

W

e cannot keep this planet healthy if we don’t begin to understand and appreciate it,” says Dr. Marc Johnson, an associate professor of biology at UTM. Alongside researching the ecological and evolutionary forces that explain the diversity of life on Earth, Johnson works to expand children’s passion and understanding of the natural world.

Growing up, Johnson always knew that he wanted to study nature, which led to his career as a biologist. Growing up, Johnson always knew that he wanted to study nature, which led to his career as a biologist. >> SUSTAINABILITY continued on page 7

hen it comes to the big screen, female archetypes can leak into our subconscious and perpetuate unrealistic, limiting perceptions of women. For decades, the Bechdel Test has helped us spot these damaging archetypes and think, in aggregate, about how the media represents women in film.

In 1985, American illustrator Alison Bechdel spearheaded the Bechdel Test in her comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For, soon catalyzing how we measure female representation in fiction all the way to today. The test has three parameters: does the work contain at least two women, do these women talk to each other, and is this conversation about something other than a man?

The test is simple and sets the lowest bar for meaningful female representation. According to the Bechdel Test Movie List database, which has evaluated over 8,000 movies, just over half (57.6 per cent) pass all three requirements while some (10.1 per cent) pass none at all. The Bechdel Test doesn’t quantify the women present on the screen, but their emotional depth and the range of their concerns. >> BECHDEL continued on page 11

02

NEWS

Editor | Isik Vera Senel news@themedium.ca

Scholars across Canada call for racial justice and an end to anti-Black and anti-Indigenous violence UofT says they don’t support anti-Black racism but “are genuinely participating in restructuring within the institution itself,” says Professor Bain.

Thais Do Rio/unsplash.com Meghna Parhar (with notes from Isik Vera Senel) Contributor

>> SCHOLARS continued from page 1 Co-organized by the University of Toronto Mississauga’s very own Professor Beverly Bain—a Black, queer, feminist scholar and activist who teaches in Women and Gender Studies in the Department of Historical Studies—Scholar Strike Canada organized a strike took place on September 9 and 10.

Scholar Strike is an advocacy organization which was initially established in the United States following a tweet from Dr. Anthea Butler of the University of Pennsylvania. Butler was motivated by the WNBA and NBA’s strikes against playing in protest against racial injustice and put out a call for a similar labour action within the academic community.

On September 9, scholars across the country paused their teaching and took a step back from their administrative duties to organize live-streamed, digital teach-ins on police brutality, land issues and treaty-breaking, and other symptoms of racism and systemic violence that disenfranchise Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities around the world.

“Scholar Strike is open to everyone to participate in on college and university campuses— faculty, staff, grad students, and administrators who are committed to anti-racism, and advocating for racial justice for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) in all areas of society,” reads the Scholar Strike homepage.

Professor Bain, alongside her fellow colleagues, initiated Scholar Strike Canada after witnessing Anthea Butler’s calls to professors from universities across the country to strike against anti-Black racism.

The Medium sat down with Professor Bain to discuss her close involvement with Scholar Strike Canada, the outstanding country-wide support, and what she hopes for the future of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in universities everywhere.

The September 9 and 10 teach-ins focused on Indigeneity, land defenders, policing and abolition, anti-Black racism, Black lives, Black academics teaching in universities and the conditions under which they are teaching, and campus police. Professor Bain herself directed a session with two other colleagues on removing campus police from universities titled the “Race to Incarcerate in the University.”

64,000 individuals participated in the event, which was deemed a massive success. “I was very honoured and grateful for the amazing teach-ins that took place; the scholarship, the activism, the art, the conversations, they were tremendous,” said Professor Bain. “I was so overcome by the amazing work and knowledge from the Black, Indigenous, and racialized scholars featured.”

The Scholars Strike aimed to “start revealing and exposing

the universities’ failure to ensure that its systems and structures are immediately re-examined” and make sure that administrators are held accountable.

Professor Bain argued that the anti-racism statements put out by the universities, alongside various different projects and committees established to deal with racism on campuses, are not enough.

“That, in itself, does not guarantee that anything will change,” said Professor Bain. “It does not matter that we have all these committees, [because] when things happen there is no way to ensure that we will get results in those moments.”

Professor Bain also emphasized the lack of diversity at UTM and its administrative bodies, arguing that the university’s policies were designed to resist change and are eventually realized as mere performances.

“We are still operating with individuals in a structure that remains untouched because [its] policies were not meant to undermine the institutions, to change how things function,” said Professor Bain.

“The killing of Black and Indigenous people has not abated and, as a result, we cannot continue to go on pretending that this is okay and normal and how life is.”

Professor Bain also pointed out a lack of diversity amongst the individuals in the UTM administration. “Whiteness still prevails within [our] institutions,” she said.

She stated that the UTM Media Centre currently has exclusively white personnel who have the authority to decide who is represented on their website. Professor Bain expressed her displeasure on the issue and questioned the legitimacy of their efforts to diversify their publications.

“How do we then confront what these policies mean if they are not doing the work to rapidly change who makes decisions about Black, Brown, and racialized lives on campus?” asked Professor Bain. “We have to trust them to know how best to represent us and when, and it’s tokenistic and disrespectful to Black, Brown, and racialized professors who are told that they must wait their turn.”

One of the very first demands listed on the Scholar Strike Canada website was to remove campus police from universities, colleges, and educational establishments across the country. Professor Bain discussed the issues with campus police and how to move forward regarding similar agreements with policing institutions.

“We have seen what has happened over the last year with

the handcuffing of our students who have gone to the Wellness Centre for mental health support and have been put in handcuffs,” stated Professor Bain.

Several students faced a similar situation last year where, upon seeking help from mental health services on campus, they found themselves being escorted to the hospital in handcuffs by campus police officers. These students were primarily women and people of colour.

“For the university to say that what they’re looking at is better training for campus police is not what we want,” said Professor Bain. “We want them to be removed. [They are] criminalizing students and the University should not be an extension of the carceral state, which it is already.”

Scholars Strike maintains that Canadian universities can do much more for BIPOC staff and students. Professor Bain argues that university administrations need to stop contracting out jobs, which can be done by BIPOC faculty members, in an effort to release themselves from the responsibility of ensuring that their faculty have secure jobs. Professor Bain believes that for students of colour to feel valued on campus, they must see their professors of colour as being valued, which UTM has not been doing. “[They] need to hire more Black, Indigenous, and racialized professors in full-time jobs,” stated Professor Bain. “It’s not enough to talk about the institution doing all of this anti-racism and anti-oppression work and their determination to make an impact. We have to start doing the work.”

As a Black, Caribbean, queer feminist, anti-capitalist, scholar and activist, Professor Bain argues that Black and Indigenous lives, especially women’s, are seen as disposable in North America. According to Bain, crimes committed against BIPOC citizens aren’t deemed as deserving of justice as those committed against white members of society.

“Black women are not [seen as] women. Their blackness is not understood. Their gender is not understood—they are an anomaly,” stated Professor Bain, going on to point out the similarities between the experiences of Black and Indigenous women.

“The killing of Black and Indigenous people has not abated and, as a result, we cannot continue to go on pretending that this is okay and normal and how life is,” stated Professor Bain.

“We have to indict the carceral state. We have to defund the police. We have to demilitarize their institutions so that we can abolish [them]. We cannot continue talking about training. We cannot continue talking about fixing— nothing can be fixed.”

Professor Bain concluded her statements by emphasizing the urgency of this issue and how we need to change the narrative by re-envisioning a world of care.

“I am going to speak,” she stated. “There is an opportunity for change, and [that] is why I’m going to continue. I have to.”

03

we are here

Is the Covid-19 second wave already here?

Anshu A./unsplash.com

Confirmed cases in Ontario are now doubling every 10 days.

Hana Khan Contributor

>> WAVE continued from page 1 This is an increase of 0.43 per cent within 24 hours.

The first wave of Covid-19 resulted in empty grocery store aisles, sold out toilet paper, and endless amounts of gloves, sanitizer, and masks. In recent weeks, it seemed cases were dwindling. Businesses were opening up again, friends were meeting up in-person, and it appeared as if the world was going back to normal.

However, provincial data shows that cases in Ontario are now doubling every ten days.

September 21 also saw two Covid-19 related deaths in Ontario, and Mississauga and Oakville schools confirming active cases.

Now, many are speculating Covid-19’s second wave is quickly approaching.

In response to the recent developments, Premier Doug Ford has released new social gathering restrictions. Indoor gatherings must be limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 25. Premier Ford also announced that the Ontario government will be releasing the province’s plan to deal with the second wave in the coming weeks. Some of these measures will include a ramp-up in testing quantity and frequency.

Health Minister Christine Elliott also stressed the importance of getting the flu shot this year. Elliot argues that the flu season will undoubtedly complicate the situation and bring about new issues in addressing and treating symptoms.

More recently, a draft document was acquired by CBC News, which revealed Ontario’s Covid-19 plan. The document outlined three different scenarios that are anticipated to take place during the second wave, according to a small, moderate, or large spread.

The plan is structured around the provincial government’s objective to avoid a widespread lockdown. CBC News also provided a statement from the plan that outlined Ontario’s new Covid-19 strategies.

“If there is a resurgence of Covid-19, either locally or province-wide, targeted action may be taken to adjust or tighten public health measure,” read the statement. “The return to an earlier stage of provincial re-opening, or even regional approaches to tightening would be re-opening in favour of organization-specific or localized changes.”

Travis Krann, Ford’s director of communications, told CBC News that “[The document] should not be considered complete” and that the government’s plans have “evolved considerably” since the leaked draft.

Another critical factor playing into the second wave is the re-opening of schools. Local news sources have revealed an alarming number of confirmed Covid-19 cases throughout school boards in the region.

The Peel District School Board reported five cases, while the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has three confirmed cases, totaling to eight known Covid-19 cases in Mississauga schools. It is also important to note that all of these schools remained open following the confirmation of the cases.

News sources in the Peel region announced that while the new social gathering limit is 10 people indoors, schools continue to exceed that number. However, these restrictions do not apply to classroom situations because schools have adjusted their scheduling in favour of smaller class sizes and alternating daily delivery, which reportedly decreases the risk.

Moreover, parties and other social gatherings continue to break the social gathering restriction. Social gatherings are the main drivers of new cases in Ontario. Events such as house parties and parking lot parties have been, and continue to be, one of the primary sources of Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

On a more localized level, Peel Region is taking steps to prevent the second wave spread.

The Star reported new testing sites are set in place for asymptomatic individuals.

The Mississauga location was opened temporarily on September 21 and will remain operational until October 4. The testing location, exclusive to asymptomatic individuals, is based at the Peel Regional Paramedics Kingsway Satellite Station at 7120 Hurontario Street.

Residents who feel they may need testing are encouraged to go to the site between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday.

04

Domestic violence calls reach an all-time high

Hayden Mak/The Medium

HCC holds third annual Be Well UTM fair The virtual resource and activity fair included a keynote speech from internet celebrity Kanwer Singh.

Kasia Proce Contributor Sheryl Gurajada Contributor

T

he University of Toronto Mississauga’s Health and Counselling Centre (HCC) held its third Be Well UTM Fair last week, which included a host of virtual talks and workshops. While the fair had free snacks and goodies at workshops and speeches in previous years, the HCC organized the event differently this year to accommodate to the virtual platform.

Each day of the fair consisted of six sessions, which were Resource Spotlight, Wellness Talk, Wellness Workshop, CCR Community Café, and exclusive fitness classes and consultations. Students participating in two sessions were given the opportunity to receive a $10 UTM Food Court gift card, while those who participated in three sessions received co-curricular record (CCR) credits in addition to the gift card. Attendees will be able to redeem their UTM Food Court gift cards and credits in October, once the HCC verifies their Virtual Event Passports.

The Resource Spotlight sessions highlighted mental health and wellness resources within UTM. The sessions also provided a listing of various health clinics and counselling centres in Mississauga, as well as other cultural and community services.

Although the annual Be Well UTM Fair only lasted a week, students can engage in HCC wellness activities and resources throughout the academic year thanks to the new Wellness at Home initiative.

During the week-long fair, students could also participate in the daily scheduled creative activities via the Wellness Workshops. With activities like creative writing, making homemade jam, and meditation techniques, the workshops aimed to encourage self-care and self-expression.

An hour was set aside each day for the CCR Community Café, which provided a space where participants could mingle with other attendees and share health and wellness tips. Moreover, the fitness classes and consultations encouraged participants to move around in their homes with guided exercise sessions and conditioning workouts.

The Wellness Talk, held each day at noon, had a faculty speaker from different departments at UTM. On Thursday’s session, a special keynote speech was delivered by Kanwer Singh, better known by his stage name Humble the Poet. A Globe and Mail bestselling author with close to half a million followers on Instagram, Singh is a hip-hop artist and spoken word creative from Toronto.

Singh is known for his interest in mental health and wellness through his poetry and delivered an uplifting talk on resilience and self-awareness at the fair.

“We want to rely on everyone else to have the answers. [But,] the truth is, everybody is winging it, everybody is trying their best,” said Singh. “Nobody is an expert on you, what you need, and where you need to go, more so than you. You can take everybody’s opinion, but you have to see what connects with you. I’m really big on trusting who you are.”

Although the annual Be Well UTM Fair only lasted a week, students can engage in HCC wellness activities and resources throughout the academic year thanks to the new Wellness at Home initiative. The program’s weekly schedule includes Mindful Monday: Mindfulness Meditation, Together Tuesday, Wellness Wednesday: Wellness 101 Workshops, Self-care Thursday, and Foodie Friday. All the listed workshops are held via Zoom and are available on a drop-in basis, but registration is strongly recommended. As the semester kicks into full gear, students are encouraged to reach out and take advantage of these free resources available through the HCC.

I

n recent months, Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area have seen a significant increase in domestic violence calls. This is primarily because victims of domestic abuse are at home now more than ever.

According to the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH), that run shelters to help protect abused women and their children, 20 per cent of their organizations are getting more calls. At the same time, OAITH locations in Windsor and British Columbia are receiving double their usual calls.

Moreover, when local news reached out to police forces across the GTA, York Regional Police stated that calls related to domestic incidents had grown upwards of 22 per cent.

This has led the public to believe there is a correlation between having to stay at home due to the quarantine and domestic abuse.

Lise Martin, the executive director of Women’s Shelters Canada, goes as far as to call the Covid-19 situation “an enormous pressure cooker,” which aggravates domestic violence situations.

Women are unable to reach out for support from friends due to quarantine limitations.

Social activities, such as going to the grocery store or out for a walk, were once venues that domestic violence victims could reach out for help. Now, due to the pandemic, victims are restricted to their homes alongside their abusers.

Canada’s minister for women and gender equality, Maryam Monsef, commented on the link between Covid-19 and the rise in domestic violence calls in an interview with CBC News. “What the pandemic has done with the self-isolation measures, with the closures of some of the support systems, is create a powder keg,” stated Monsef.

The pandemic has shone a light on these domestic abuse cases in a way that would not be possible without the circumstances created by quarantine limitations. Monsef went to state that, “in some places, the calls for help have gone up by 400 per cent,” referring to a

shelter in the GTA. The recent increases in domestic violence cases worldwide have led the United Nations to call for immediate action to stop the ongoing violence and aid victims.

Mississauga has also recently seen its fair share of increased crime, in general, beyond domestic abuse cases. On September 19, local police services found a deceased male body near a creek by the Dixie and Dundas intersection. A coroner who was present on the scene said there is no reason to speculate that the death is “suspicious in nature.”

Alongside a potential murder case in Mississauga, an increased police presence was seen by many residents in the Bristol and Creditview areas on September 16. Three different police forces were present— the Ontario Provincial Police, the Peel Regional Police, and the Waterloo Police—on a search for four suspects of a robbery in Cambridge. All four suspects have since been apprehended and charged.

Upsetting speculations are also being made in Toronto with the possibility of a serial killer on the loose. Recently, two fatal stabbings were reported in Toronto that urged the police to publicize the suspect’s information and warned the public to be “aware of their surroundings.”

The police cannot confirm whether the two stabbing cases are connected. However, they are taking precautions and have since brought on Inspector Hank Idsinga, who is considered to be Toronto’s best investigator on serial homicide cases.

A hate crime element is reportedly involved in the two stabbings, with both victims being from vulnerable communities. The first victim was a homeless man living under a bridge and a caretaker at a mosque. The homicides happened within five days of each other and a five-kilometer radius. Due to their proximity, both time and location-wise, police cannot rule out the possible connection yet.

There is undoubtedly a surge of violent crimes in both the GTA and Mississauga areas connected to the Covid-19 pandemic and unrelated. As people continue to stay at home and social distance, safety remains of the utmost importance for the community.

MASTHEAD EDITORIAL BOARD

05

COMMENT

Editor | Aya Yafaoui comment@themedium.ca

Editor-in-Chief Paula Cho editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Ali Taha managing@themedium.ca News Isik Vera Senel news@themedium.ca Comment Aya Yafaoui comment@themedium.ca Features Elizabeth Provost features@themedium.ca A&E Chris Berberian arts@themedium.ca Sports Sarah-May Edwardo-Oldfield sports@themedium.ca Photo Julia Healy photos@themedium.ca Design Tegwen McKenzie design@themedium.ca Copy Melissa Barrientos melissa@themedium.ca Alexis Whelan alexis@themedium.ca Online Yasmeen Alkoka online@themedium.ca

ASSOCIATES Danica Teng, Arts Paige France, Arts Pearla Hariri, Features May Alsaigh, Features

STAFF Webmaster Vladyslava Diachenko web@themedium.ca Videographer Gabriel Saavedra videographer@themedium.ca

To CONTRIBUTE, email editor@themedium.ca @TheMediumUTM

The Medium Board of Directors Election Voting Period: September 28 to October 2 Cast your ballot at voting.utoronto.ca NOHA FARAWI As someone who is heavily involved on campus, I know the importance of student journalism. By taking part as a board member, I want to ensure that The Medium is constantly striving to make good decisions to inform the student body and that all the financials are being run smoothly.

TOMASZ GLOD Hello! Being a part of UTM has proven itself a challenge. Luckily for me, I found a space within The Medium producing content. This year, I am seeking a position on The Medium’s Board of Directors as I want to ensure that those same opportunities will continue to exist for future students. I am looking forward to familiarizing myself with The Medium’s Constitution and ensuring that the happenings within the publication abide by it. I have previously held positions where I advised members on their constitutions, and chaired meetings in an anti-oppressive framework. I hope to contribute to the effectiveness and influence of the paper, even during these challenging times. Thanks!

HALA NAYEF I am very interested in my UTM community and I hope this opportunity will help give me an insight to the behind-the-scenes action of the most important parts of university culture and connection. I also believe this opportunity will allow me to gain a deeper insight on how businesses are run and getting this first-hand experience would greatly help me in doing so. Thank you for your time and consideration.

TUGSEM SAKARYA I want to contribute to my UTM community, and I hope this will allow me to understand the importance of connecting, staying informed, and discussing students’ concerns. I also believe that this will enable me to gain the skill of how to run a business, which I look forward to doing.

EDMOND SHAUA I have a great interest in the UTM student body and I hope that this position will allow me to play a role in the back-end of running our student newspaper. I am passionate about campus culture and forging connections, and I look forward to having the chance to help direct The Medium.

WRITE FOR US NEWS N EWS @TH EMED IU M.CA

COMMENT COM MENT @T HEME DIU M.CA

FEATU RES F EATU RES@ TH EMED IU M.CA

ARTS ART S@T HEME DIU M.CA

SPORTS S PO RT S@T H E ME D I UM .CA

06

The passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg heralds the end of an era The contributions of “the Notorious RBG” may be swept away with a new wave of conservatism in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Haowen Lin Contributor

I

t was not long ago that the late U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia stood on the graduation podium of Southern Methodist University and declared that the American Constitution, as a living document, is “dead, dead, dead.” With the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court generation that defined the past three decades of American politics with ideologically liberal rulings is almost certainly over.

If one were to look at the history of the American Supreme Court justice nomination, it is clear that the judiciary has never been deeply polarized. The last time the Senate appointed a Supreme Court justice with only a single-digit opposition was in 1994, a year after Ginsburg’s inauguration. All later justice confirmations would be with tremendous political fanfare and disagreement. With the current conservative slant in the Supreme Court, reproductive rights and women’s advocacy in the U.S. will almost definitely be challenged and pushed in an entirely different direction.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was best known for her trailblazing ef-

forts in promoting gender equality and inspiring a generation of female legal practitioners. Before making history in the Supreme Court, she fought for gender rights and systematically demolished the various discriminatory practices baked into U.S. domestic policy. She introduced new ideas into the U.S. legal system from foreign lands, citing German cases in Reed vs.

Reed, and contributed to the legal discipline by learning Swedish to co-author a book on civil procedure in Sweden.

While celebrated for her achievements in feminism and gender equality, Ginsburg also put her stamp on the most important civil rights rulings, such as the United States vs. Virginia and the more recent Obergefell vs. Hodges, aided by the 5-4 majority that the liberal-leaning clique of the Supreme Court held until the election of the current president. Moreover, her practice of “legislating from the bench” has reshaped human rights in the U.S., banning the death penalty for the intellectually challenged in Moor vs. Texas and Hall vs. Florida. Yet, all her efforts may likely have been in vain.

The judiciary of the United States holds tremendous power compared to most democracies. As the highest court of the land, it often has the final say on government policy, guided by the world’s oldest constitution—with only a couple of amendments. The election of the incumbent U.S. president in 2016 forever changed the composition of the Supreme Court, propelling two new conservative-leaning justices into the Supreme Court against a flurry of accusations of sexual misconduct and alcoholism. The recent loss of Justice Ginsburg is simply the final blow for an already crippled liberal-leaning wing.

Assuming the successful confirmation of the next justice, Amy Coney Barrett, it is likely that Donald Trump would head into the election battlefield with yet another feather in his hat, becoming the only president to have pushed three justices into

the Supreme Court since Ronald Reagan. His most enduring legacy may not be the tweets reminiscent of Nero’s fiddle, but the 6-3 ideologically conservative and heavily politicized Supreme Court.

The world has lost a feminist icon and a symbol for humanism and internationalism.

As I flip through a copy of the 2015 satirical Opera Scalia vs.

Ginsburg by Derrick Wang, which I acquired after Ginsburg’s most untimely demise, it is hard not to wonder what the world would have been like had Clinton not put forth her nomination. From Native American rights to gender equality, she has impacted countless lives and influenced many legal systems around the world.

While the Arab Spring and other U.S. foreign policy failures have not introduced western liberal ideology into the troubled North African region, Ginsburg helped pave the way with her 2012 visit to Egypt, where she advised the court on how to draft their new constitution.

The world has lost a feminist icon and a symbol for humanism and internationalism. With the impending U.S. presidential election already shrouded in controversy and the out-of-control pandemic stateside, one can only hope that the justices who will rule for decades to come will exercise the level-mindedness and spirit of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Canada isn’t ready for predictive AI policing Historical police data has systemic issues with bias and discrimination.

Kasia Proce Contributor

>> POLICING continued from page 1 There are two main types of algorithmic policing technologies: 1. Location-based: Historical police data predict where crime is more likely to occur within a specific geographic boundary.

Essentially, areas with higher crime rates will be targeted by the predictive technology because the AI assumes crime is most likely to occur in a place with consistent crime reports.

2. People-based: The people-based predictive policing technologies focus on historical police data as well. However, a people-based focus identifies individuals with a greater likelihood of breaking the law or reoffending.

In theory, AI technology that can predict the probability of where and who will commit a crime is ideal. One would be inclined to believe that those who have committed a crime in the past are likely to repeat their deviant actions, and that places where crime occurs often are hotspots where police should focus their resources.

Furthermore, potential victims of predicted crimes could be saved and spare from physical and mental trauma. With

this ideal system, Canada’s judicial system could have a lighter caseload since the need for arrests would decrease.

Moreover, from the taxpayer’s perspective, the costs of the judicial system, including but not limited to, housing inmates and paying judges and lawyers, could all be dramatically lessened if predictive technologies were successful.

The sad truth is that the police database is not free of bias or discrimination, meaning certain prejudices will bleed into the AI predicting technology.

However, the technology fails to account for policing bias and the sociological factors that contribute to crime. This results in more harm to the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) community, as these are the communities often suffering from poverty, homelessness, lack of social services, and racism. Therefore, this fundamental flaw destroys the credibility of the policing predictive system altogether.

Both the location-based and people-based technologies are found in historical police data. Unfortunately, the Canadian police force has a history of targeting the BIPOC community.

This was explicitly done through increased surveillance, carding, and an abnormal ratio between the percentage of Indigenous populations and Indigenous offenders, among others.

The sad truth is that the police database is not free of bias or discrimination, meaning certain prejudices will bleed into the

AI predicting technology and warp an already broken system.

For example, since Indigenous communities are known to have higher crime rates than non-Indigenous communities, the technology would predict more crime to happen on reserves or where Indigenous populations are most condensed.

As a result, these communities that are already suffering at the hands of the police will have more police surveillance through the Canadian government’s negligence.

Why should their suffering continue based on the pre-conceived notion that crime may occur in their local community?

The keyword here is predictive technology. The technology is not claiming to be 100 per cent accurate or effective. So, why should vulnerable communities, such as BIPOC, settle for a system with inherent flaws and the risk for detrimental consequences when there isn’t a guarantee of effectiveness?

Moreover, according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, artificial intelligence should not interfere with our freedoms and privacy. There is no justification for any individual’s liberty to be infringed upon just because they may commit a crime. Before a crime is committed, minority communities are already scrutinized.

Unfortunately, we do not live in a fantastic world, like the sci-fi action movie Minority Report starring Tom Cruise, which uses similar technology to predictive policing. However, if you have seen that movie, you know that in the end, human trial and error works better than any AI. Our society is simply not ready for predictive technology.

It will never be ready until we can rid ourselves entirely of the systemic bias rooted in our policing and justice system.

07

features

Editor | Elizabeth Provost features@themedium.ca

The importance of youth in conversations on sustainability Dr. Marc Johnson discusses his initiative to educate youth in hopes of creating a more environmentally sustainable world.

Irina Iriser/unsplash.com

Pearla Hariri Associate Features Editor

>> SUSTAINABILITY continued from page 1 When Johnson was only three years old, his grandmother bought the last house at the tip of Presqu’ile Provincial Park, a small peninsula about two hours east of Mississauga. Johnson noticed that the peninsula had an amazing number of wildlife habitats for such a small area. The house was close to, what was at the time, a nature museum. Johnson would walk through the path and talk to naturalists all day long.

At the age of nine, Johnson booked a meeting with the head naturalist and asked how he could become a naturalist himself.

She talked to him about the different career paths and the diverse people who worked for her, explaining that many went to the University of Guelph to study various biology aspects. So, by the age of nine, Johnson had created a blueprint for himself to study biology at the University of Guelph to become a biologist and work for the ministry of natural resources. This was the beginning of his journey.

Today, Johnson and his wife, Reagan Johnson, co-lead the Riverwood Junior Naturalist Club that “connect kids with the Riverwood Conservancy and nature within their community, including children coming from all walks of life.” Johnson states his reason for leading the club is the “passion [he had] as a kid but [having] nowhere to go to figure out more about the natural world, other than Presqu’ile Provincial Park.”

There was no naturalist club around when Johnson was growing up, so he “did not have that outlet [he] needed as a kid.” Johnson’s second reason is that at the age of 17, he was hired as a park naturalist at Algonquin Provincial Park for the summer, and this is what he believed was the pinnacle of his career choice. Johnson believes he “could have stayed there for the rest of [his] life and would have been happy but [he] soon realized that he wanted to shoot even higher.”

As part of his job as a naturalist in Algonquin, Johnson ran children’s programs on different topics, from Algonquin’s history to fossil life. He found this very rewarding because he was “very good at entertaining the kids and getting them excited about nature.” Upon pursuing academia and going into the research field, he temporarily ceased his work with children.

Recently, Johnson realized that “the condition of the world, environmentally, is rapidly declining and the people that are interested in nature and the environment is dwindling, [especially among] kids with skill sets that understand the history and biology of the natural world.”

Johnson believes that the problem is only further highlighted by the fact that “over 80 per cent of Canadians live in cities and so we have

nice areas around us, but it is hard for us to connect with them sometimes unless we have someone to show us around.” Johnson wanted to help strengthen this connection by addressing urban environmental issues. With that in mind, and with the help of Dean Amrita Daniere and former principal Ulli Krull, the Centre for Urban Environments came to be. This initiative’s fundamental component is community engagement, which later resulted in Johnson’s “Biology in your Backyard” series on YouTube.

Johnson affirms that we must direct more attention and resources to preserve the environment.

In March, with the provincial shut-down order in place as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, conservations and parks were also closed. As a result, it became increasingly difficult for children to explore nature, as most kids did not have access to parks during that period. Johnson’s wife, a kindergarten early childhood educator, recorded and uploaded videos for her students to watch. This inspired Johnson to begin making YouTube videos to show kids how to connect with nature while at home in their own “backyard.” The videos involved Johnson’s family observing and learning more about the natural world around them.

Johnson believes that by “connecting kids with nature and understanding the environment around us,” it will benefit both children and the environment. Moreover, Johnson believes that “it is important for people to know the careers that are out there.” Johnson’s children, Mae and Oscar, are often involved in his research and have come along with him on his journey. From simple outdoor activities like camping, to joining him as he travels during his sabbatical to the Galapagos, South America, and Japan, they have learned to appreciate their surroundings.

Johnson affirms that we must direct more attention and resources to preserve the environment as it determines our health, air quality, and the food we eat. In both his current and future initiatives, he “hope[s] to inspire young people to help figure out how we can live on this planet sustainably because as of right now, we are not doing the best job.”

Johnson dreams of creating “a national and global movement among youth to become more interested and involved in nature, where each town [will] have a junior naturalist club that [can be attended] any day of the week.” He hopes to have an impact on the students he trains and the undergraduates that look to him for inspiration to “become more educated on evolutionary biology.”

08

How the Connaught Fund helps different areas of academic research blossom into funded projects Three U of T Professors reflect on the future of their research as Connaught Scholars.

Hana Khan Contributor

T

he world of academia is alive and flourishing with new and exciting research projects, as well as enthusiastic and passionate researchers looking to leave their mark on their respective fields. From creating multimedia portraits of refugees by analyzing data collections to studying the relationship between celebrity culture and periodicals, professors at UTM are exploring a variety of different topics. The Connaught Fund supports the development of this research even further.

The Connaught Fund is an internal funding program specific to the University of Toronto. It allows U of T researchers to apply for awards that will help kickstart their careers in academia and research. Currently, the five awards that can be won include the Global Challenge Award, the New Researcher Award, the Innovation Award, the McLean Award, and the International Doctoral Scholarship.

The fund was first founded in 1972 when the U of T decided to sell the Connaught Medical Research Laboratories for $29 million. The lab itself was founded in 1914 for the research and production of diphtheria antitoxin. Once insulin was discovered in 1921 by U of T researchers, the Connaught Medical Research Laboratories began to produce more vaccines and antitoxins. Once the lab was sold, the University of Toronto was able to acquire $29 million, now worth over $120 million.

Every year, scholars can apply for the Connaught Fund. The fund’s website states, “the Connaught programs are open to emerging and established scholars across disciplinary, career stage, geographic, and sectoral bounds.”

The New Researcher Awards, one of the grants available, is specifically designed for emerging researchers entering the academic research scene. One such researcher is Dr. Negin Dahya. Dr. Dayha is a researcher and professor in the field of digital media production. She plans to use the Connaught Fund for her ongoing research in creating multimedia portraits of refugees in Dzaleka.

Dr. Dayha’s research began with her interest in refugeehood and “the ways in which technology and education intersect to help or hinder their migration journeys.” Before she applied for the Connaught Fund, Dr. Dayha already had her project set in motion. However, the fund will be able to expand the project further. “The research project was already established but really needed funding to take off. This fund seemed like a great fit,” says Dr. Dayha.

The Connaught Fund is an empowering way for researchers to pursue what they are passionate about. Even those who may not be new to research but are new to the U of T community can utilize the Connaught Fund to distinguish themselves among their peers. Dr. Adrien Rannaud is a French scholar who began his studies in France and fell in love with the world of academia.

“I did a student exchange in Québec City, and it changed my life,” says Dr. Rannaud. “I read a lot on Québec history and literature. I followed some courses on the subject and I decided to start a Ph.D. at Laval University.”

With the Connaught Fund’s help, Dr. Rannaud will be analyzing celebrity culture in the media and press. He argues that there is a much more complicated relationship “between cul-

ture and its actors where journalistic poetics and media imaginaries are not only witnesses and broadcast channels for celebrities, [but narrators as well] create a way of thinking about it.”

Dr. Rannaud’s project is also funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for a five-year term, from 2020 to 2025. The addition of the Connaught Fund allows Dr. Rannaud to take his research even further and hire a research assistant. “This is a great addition to my fund portfolio […] It’s a good start for me at U of T.” Another researcher new to Canada and U of T is Dr. Anjuli Raza Kolb. As a recipient of the New Researcher award, Dr. Kolb says the fund is “a huge honour and an immense boost for a weird little book project.”

Dr. Kolb’s research is paving new grounds in the realm of literature. Her research looks at the “framing of literary and Indigenous languages” and the way literature education can familiarize readers “with ‘hard’ commodities like sugar, and semi-soft commodities like water.” With help from the Connaught Fund, Dr. Kolb hopes to bring attention to the “labour and the racial encoding in those words.”

While Dr. Kolb states the application process for the fund can be taxing and time-consuming, she believes that awards such as these can “demonstrate a [university’s] commitment to experimental work.” As a queer woman of colour, Dr. Kolb hopes research grants like the Connaught Fund will encourage more students from many backgrounds to go into research.

“Even this interview is an opportunity for me to say: there are many of us who want and need your voices in academia, and we are here to support you,” Dr. Kolb adds.

The Connaught Fund is an excellent source of funding at U of T to promote scholarship and academia. Funds such as these allow scholars to hire research assistants, travel abroad to collect data, and create work that leaves a substantial impact. Professors who received funding from the Connaught Fund had a unique view of how the fund encouraged them to pursue their respective projects.

Dr. Rannaud reflected on how the fund inspired his junior faculty members “to start thinking [about] their research and what they really want to do at U of T. The Connaught Fund represents a leverage for more research and outcomes.”

The fund also helps one reflect upon their academic work and research. “The [application] was very straightforward and thoughtful in its questions about impacts, which was a good experience,” says Dr. Dahya. “The process of writing can often help further your own thinking about the project, and this was no exception.”

The Connaught Fund also reminds academics and scholars that their fields are of value and must be represented. Dr. Kolb describes how she felt recognized by the committee when she won the award, and the availability of the fund further encourages her to pursue her research.

It is also essential to remember that many scholars apply for many more funds than just those presented as awards. Dr. Kolb encourages any readers working toward recognition in academia to “reach out for help, talk to people, and keep on making your beautiful work, even if it isn’t recognized every time by every committee.”

L-R-Atwood Photographie, Dr. Anjuli Raza Kolb, Reza Dahya. These researchers have recently been awarded funding that will enable them to take their projects to new heights.

09

Stranded studying abroad amid a growing pandemic UTM student Eleen Gong finds herself stranded in Amsterdam amidst the pandemic.

Sarah-May Edwardo-Oldfield Sports Editor Photo Courtesy of Eleen Gong. Eleen Gong was far from home when the world shut down.

A

s a grade seven student, Eleen Gong knew she wanted to study abroad on a student exchange program. Gong was born and raised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but her parents were originally from China. Perhaps inspired by her parents’ move, Gong sees herself as the type of person that needs to keep moving and is not one to settle down in one place for too long.

Ready to tackle the next chapter in her life as a university student, Gong decided to study in Italy. Italian students usually don’t begin university until they’re 19, so Gong was considered too young coming out of high school. She had a decision to make: take a gap year or study elsewhere. She chose the latter, found herself at UTM, and fell in love with the school.

Even as someone with an inclination to stay on the move, Gong was reluctant to leave UTM. Like many students here, current and former, she fell in love with the picturesque campus and community. Nonetheless, in a couple years’ time, the thought of applying for an exchange program came back to mind. For Gong, an exchange provided an incredible opportunity to live in a different country for an extended period of time. Unlike travelling, where you spend a week or two as a tourist, “an exchange provides the opportunity to experience the culture. You get to meet and experience what it’s like for local people,” said Gong.

She applied for a foreign exchange at UTM’s International Education Centre and ranked her top five institutions from a list of University of Toronto partners. In February 2020, Gong began living her dream of studying abroad at her first university choice: the University of Amsterdam. “I knew I was headed toward Europe,” said Gong. Since she had a high school friend studying at the same university, it made the decision to study there easier.

But on March 11, Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, bringing Gong’s childhood dream to a heart-breaking stop. Like many around the world, Gong and her friends were slow to take in the reality of the pandemic. Across the globe, and especially in Europe, the novel coronavirus felt so far away.

As the pandemic became more severe, Gong began to worry about what she would do if she or her peers were to get sick.

“Having moved to Amsterdam for only two months, I was really scared,” explained Gong. “What if I got sick? What if someone around me got sick? I wouldn’t know what to do in that situation, or where to go for help, or who to contact. I lived alone. I didn’t have any roommates.”

However, for Gong, the reality of the situation sunk in when she received a call at four in the morning from a friend. The U.S. had just announced its travel bans, and her friend was going back home. It was a turning point in the pandemic, especially for students like Gong displaced in foreign countries.

Many students in her exchange program were from the U.S., and, as such, Gong found that half her class was gone the next day. Scared, Gong called her mom, who booked her a flight home to Dubai.

In her brief time in Amsterdam, Gong described the city as lively, especially in Central Amsterdam. The city was busy and bursting with people and sounds; the trains and the trams were always full. On her way to a good-bye lunch with friends, she faced the emptiness of the city she was beginning to fall in love with. “It felt so terrifying and so sad. From such a loud city [where] everything was lively and happy, all of a sudden it was a ghost town.”

The cases weren’t high in Amsterdam at the beginning of the pandemic. However, neighboring students in the Netherlands had it much worse. “No one really knew what to feel anymore.

I was really sad. I had just got to meet an amazing group of friends, and I had to say good-bye too soon,” said Gong.

“No one really knew what to feel anymore. I was really sad. I had just got to meet an amazing group of friends, and I had to say good-bye too soon.”

Gong was forced to finish her semester abroad from her home in Dubai. Though it wasn’t the same as studying in the country itself, her exchange program provided a great online experience. “All the professors were so involved in every step of the academic progress. When the pandemic hit and everyone was sent home, some of my professors made sure to check in on us.”

Amsterdam professors kept lines of communication open for their students, with WhatsApp check-ins and regular weekly meetings. During such an unprecedented time, having everything set up online offered students some reassurance.

With her exchange program concluded and a new school term underway, Gong continues her studies at UTM from thousands of kilometers away at her home in Dubai. Since she experienced online learning in March, she is familiar with the new approach to learning at the university but does not prefer it. “Time just gets blurred. When attending classes in-person, there are more concrete boundaries. School and private time are kept quite separate,” said Gong. “You don’t sleep or play video games in the same room where you write exams.”

For Gong, online classes make finding the difference between “school time” and “her time” challenging.

When asked about time zones, Gong explained it is a growing struggle for her and students taking classes around the world. At UTM, going to class in person, you are not likely to start class at 9 p.m., 11 p.m., 2 a.m., or 4 a.m. Although U of T has been accommodating for students taking courses outside of the country, it is still challenging, with students frequently dropping classes due to the conflicting time zones.

Despite her aversion to virtual school and disappointment of leaving her dream exchange program, Gong has some advice for students like herself taking on the daunting task of online learning at a university.

“Keep a schedule to get all your dates and times and everything done. It helps you visualize when you have to be in class, when you have meetings, and when you can take some time off,” said Gong. Regarding the stress of online learning and the Covid-19 pandemic, Gong believes “it’s very important to take time for yourself because, with school and work, we already get burned out. With everything online, it’s even easier to get burned out.” Gong suggests drinking a cup of tea or going for a walk to de-stress and get your mind refreshed for the next lecture.

“Focus on your school and work, but focus on yourself too,” Gong concluded. “During this time, people will understand if students are not able to keep up or are feeling burnt out.”

10

Arts

Editor | Chris Berberian arts@themedium.ca

DARK LIGHT NOUR NAZMI SAQQA

On earth, we should give And always try to forgive.

We should put the past in the past Because nothing will ever last.

We should show kindness to those in need.

Kindness can be our way to succeed.

We should stop the betrayal and lies.

These only destroy our ties.

We should repent even more than we do Because God forgives more than just a few.

We should fight for what matters most And always to justice we should toast.

We should never forget to pray Because any time could be our last day.

We should tell those we love that we care Because life is never fair.

We should remember those who didn’t survive And thank God we are still alive.

Every day counts more than the one before Because it brings us closer to when we can count no more.

Tell yourself you’re alive for a reason.

Never give up no matter the season.

Every day is a chance to start anew.

Yet those who realize this are but a few.

A pocketful of

poetry

LAVENDER GOODBYES GABBY ALYSIA Lavender nights, Lavender skies, Lavender kisses, Lavender goodbyes, Hold me close, With those Lavender eyes.

Uncontrolled hearts, Your laughter, a song, All our desires, Together in a throng, Twilight haze, Twilight lies, Periwinkle phrases, Intrepid disguise.

I’ll hold your Lavender kisses, Until my last breath draws, Listen to your Twilight lies, As long as I never hear, Those Lavender goodbyes.

FAR FROM HERE LIBBY SETIADI Oh, how I wish to bicycle Down the stone beach path The violet, rose gold, dusty undecided sky Will stretch above me Like a blanket I will stop at the turn Where a sea monster with a siren’s head and serpent’s body lies, awake, and staring at the ocean.

She is wishing and longing to be able to move her Stone limbs and submerge Into the deep light dark shallow unknown blue You can tell she yearns it By her eyes To be far from here

Simone Monteiro, Libby Setiadi, Nour Nazmi Saqqa, Natalie Ng, Gabby Alysia

Danica Teng Associate Arts Editor

STARRY NIGHT NATALIE NG Under the starry night the dark blue sky embraces us The moon hangs above like a guiding light for the once lost courage and hope Tranquility transcends the restless souls to a moment of solitude and peace We are never alone As the twinkling stars gleam the wonderers dream

MY BATTLES SIMONE MONTEIRO

People say you’re either a “lover” or a “fighter,” But I have come to realize I am neither.

Instead, I am a writer.

I don’t always forgive easily, Or ever raise my fists.

Instead, I arm myself with a pen as my sword and paper as my shield.

The only blood shed resulting in the smooth ink seeping onto the page, Staining the paper with my emotions.

My thoughts are effortlessly engraved with each stroke of the pen.

I work tirelessly to fill up each line with memories; Sparing no details in recollecting my victories and losses.

Each fight is documented within the arena of my book.

In times of sadness and need for courage, I flip through the pages, Consuming every word inscribed on the fibres of the paper.

I remind myself, I am loving, strong, and brave.

I am a writer.

D

Remembering Chadwick Boseman

We’re all going to die.

In a dark and box-sized grave we will lie.

No one in the ground will care.

For this day, we must prepare.

eath almost always affects the lives of surviving family and friends. But what about the lives of millions?

This idea applies to beloved actor Chadwick Boseman, whose sudden death left many heartbroken and in disbelief. Diagnosed in 2016 with stage III colon cancer, which later progressed to stage IV, Boseman passed away at the age of 43 on August 28. From his first major role on the series Persons Unknown, to his rise as Jackie Robinson in 42 and other iconic roles like Get on Up’s James Brown and Marshall’s Thurgood Marshall, Boseman cemented his name everywhere by becoming the Black Panther — King T’Challa of Wakanda, the first African-American lead hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

But his heroism extended off screen. Boseman carried energy from his characters with him; it’s who he was as a person. Even without knowing him personally, you could see it in his performance, in his passion, and in his smile.

What we didn’t know was that while Boseman battled antagonists on-screen, he battled cancer behind the scenes. Few people knew about his illness as he never announced it publicly.

And so, we fell further into disbelief when we learned that several of his performances were filmed in between treatments, including his last film, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which will be released posthumously.

Throughout his career, Boseman’s talent and dedication earned him multiple acting nominations and awards, from the People’s Choice Award for Male Movie Star of the Year to the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. In 2018, he also received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Howard University.

But among Boseman’s many accomplishments, his greatest was being a symbol of power.

His performances proved that representation still and always will matter. >> continued on page 11

11

Katy Perry’s Smile shines through

Paria Tabrizi Contributor

L >> continued from page 10

Whatever your age, background, or orientation, seeing someone like yourself in media provides comfort. It reminds you that you’re important. That your culture is important and that your voices deserve to be heard. He was an inspiration for the Black community and for people of colour everywhere. Though he’s passed on, Boseman has forever helped pave the path to greater diversity in film.

After Boseman’s death, millions of family, friends, and fans expressed their mourning. On social media, people began posting about how he inspired them, especially parents of younger children. Many celebrities chimed in as well to recollect their memories of Boseman, including many of his co-stars within the MCU. Disney also honoured the actor with a stunning mural in Anaheim’s Downtown Disney created

by Nikkolas Smith. Inspired by his time working as a Disney Imagineer on the Children’s Hospital project and the Avengers Campus, Smith’s mural depicts Boseman kneeling next to a child wearing a Black Panther mask, both with their arms crossed in the “Wakanda Forever” salute. In the caption of Smith’s Instagram post, he says, “To millions of kids, T’Challa was a legend larger than life, and there was no one more worthy to fill those shoes than Chadwick Boseman.”

And so, what happens now? It might hurt to revisit his films, but they’ll always be celebrated.

Boseman will be remembered for his strength, his generosity, and his talent. He’ll be remembered for inspiring the Black community, and children around the world. It isn’t easy being a King that millions look up to, but Boseman did it with enthusiasm and dignity.

On Black Panther, Boseman once said: “It’s fun to watch just what it means to people.

At times I’ll think, well what does this do for the world? Like, is it actually valuable in this climate? And I have to say yes, it actually is, not because it makes people escape. I think when done right, it gives people hope.

I found that it means a lot.”

iving through a pandemic has caused individuals from all backgrounds to experience loss, grief, and isolation. These emotions are hard to process, but Katy Perry is showing us it’s possible with the debut of her newest album, Smile. After releasing five critically acclaimed pop albums, Perry is aware of the anticipation that her new record carries. She released Smile on August 28, 2020, in a moment where the world is suffering through a deadly virus, racial injustice, and worsening climate change. The content of the album is much lighter than the reality of our world, a lightness that’s needed during these darker times.

Before Smile, Perry’s discography was consistent, every album fitting perfectly into the pop genre and focusing on the challenges of her highly publicized love life. She not only focused on young romance with songs like “Teenage Dream,” but she also expressed her feelings of heartbreak through songs like “The One that Got Away.” Despite her candidness on love, Perry has dealt with personal demons that she’s kept private from the world—until now. Smile is a result of those demons being dealt with, and for once Perry is allowing her self-love to be the forefront of her music, a love that’s been essential to her mental wellbeing.

Perry has described her new album as a “journey towards the light, with stories of resilience, hope, and love.” This journey was necessary for her, since she created most of the album after a dark period of depression. Creating new music became a large contributor to her healing, which is clear in the song “Resilient”: “I am resilient/Born to be brilliant/You’ll see me grow right through the cracks, yeah.” This theme is important in today’s climate, where many people feel broken down by the pandemic.

On some level, Perry’s tracks can strengthen our confidence and push us through personal hardship.

Coincidentally, Perry released the album the same week she gave birth to her daughter. It seems there wasn’t a better time to release her album about strength and optimism than after becoming a new mother. Her daughter’s name, Daisy, is curiously similar to the title of the fourth track “Daisies.” In the song, Perry speaks about the people who didn’t believe in her, and how she proved them wrong: “They said I’m going nowhere, tried to count me out/Took those sticks and stones, showed ‘em I could build a house.” Perry is acknowledging her ability to persevere against all odds and remain confident in her skills.

In “Not the End of the World,” Perry hints at the current pandemic that’s harming lives across the globe. Instead of singing a ballad to evoke tears in the listener, Perry chooses to be optimistic about the future. She sings: “No, not the end of the world/ Throw on your fancy attire, fears in the fire/Don’t lose hope.”

Hope is hard to come by these days, and Perry lets us experience it throughout her album.

The title track of the album, “Smile,” is an upbeat pop song about our ability to regain happiness after a period of depression. Perry sings: “Yeah, I’m thankful/Scratch that, baby, I’m grateful/Gotta say it’s really been a while/But now I got back that smile.” This song encompasses the powerful notion embedded throughout the album: that we can persevere through pain and regain our happiness.

It’s difficult to ignore the palpable parallels between Perry’s new album and that of her former nemesis, Taylor Swift. Swift released her quarantine-inspired folklore in July, an album that critics have praised for its lyrical depth and stylistic choices.

Swift and Perry were caught in a public feud for many years, which ended in 2019. Ironically, since then, both have switched up their musical styles. Perry went from creating bubble-gum pop romance songs to disco tracks about self-love. Meanwhile, Swift ventured away from her pop break-up anthems to alternative folk tales. It seems as if the ending of their public feud has caused them to parallel each other in their career choices, both choosing to surprise the world with new versions of themselves this year.

Some music reviewers have criticized Perry’s new album, stating that the optimistic lyrics are cringe worthy and cliché. Still, there’s no denying that Smile fills our minds with moments of positivity and resilience, two feelings that the world needs more of in 2020.

The importance of the Bechdel Test Paige France Associate Arts Editor

>> BECHDEL continued from page 1

Its existence helps to identify tired depictions and promote more nuanced and resonating women. Ones with the same acuity as their male counterparts, engaging in complex ideas, wrestling with moral dilemmas, exploring family relationships, and rebounding from difficult situations.

One film that taunts a delightful mix of acceptance and cynicism towards this phenomenon is 2019’s Isn’t It Romantic. It’s a rom-com that hilariously calls out the genre’s tropes—from clumsy, “gosh darn adorable” women falling into a brute’s arms (Liam Hemsworth), to female colleagues being toxic enemies to propel their storyline, the latter a blatant headshake at The Devil Wears Prada. Meanwhile, the highly acclaimed Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003), Avatar (2009), The Avengers (2013), and The Imitation Game (2014) all fail the test. Female representation remains a serious and ongoing problem even within mainstream cinema.

But the Bechdel Test isn’t a feminist Litmus test, nor a definitive analysis of whether a film is good or bad. Rather, it’s a way to recognize patterns that the industry upholds, which isn’t synonymous with sexism or feminism. For instance, some films that fail the test still overcome gender stereotypes and portray nuanced female characters, like 2013’s Gravity. Conversely, some works of art pass on technicalities but still perpetuate tired tropes, like Sir Mix-A-Lot’s 1992 hit “Baby Got Back” and 2013’s American Hustle, where A-list actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams conversed with each other about, of all things, nail polish.

Despite its shortcomings, the Bechdel Test remains vital to critical thinking about the media we consume, illuminating some of our subconscious biases and promoting discourse on female representation. It can also lay the foundation of honourable role models that young girls have to emulate.

The Bechdel Test has also inspired similar tests to emerge, some of which concern film depictions pertaining to race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Tests like the Mako Mori Test, derived from the 2013 blockbuster Pacific Rim, question whether a film includes a female character with her own narrative arc. Meanwhile, the Racial Bechdel Test assesses whether two characters of colour hold a conversation about something other than a white person.

Alongside these newer tests, more people are evaluating the roles behind the camera. One 2014 study, conducted by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, revealed that among 120 films made worldwide from 2010 to 2013, only seven per cent had a woman in the director’s chair. Flash forward to 2019 where, among the world’s 500 highest-grossing films, 14 per cent featured female directors. Many factors contribute to this rise, perhaps none greater than the #MeToo movement reigniting discussion of the Bechdel Test and its importance to film criticism and consumption.

Bechdel credits her test in part to Virginia Woolf’s infamous essay, A Room of One’s Own. In it, Woolf writes: “all these relationships between women are too simple… They are now and then mothers and daughters. But almost without exception they are shown in their relation to men.” Despite being penned 90 years ago, Woolf ’s criticisms still hold true.

The Bechdel Test isn’t perfect, so in the future, we must iron out the edges and create a more comprehensive approach to combat misrepresentation. As Bechdel once said, we must represent women as “subjects and not objects.” By giving creative power to women, we inspire more complex and compelling female subjects. Even 35 years later, the Bechdel Test is a promising reactant to blaze the trail for meaningful representation in film.

12

sports & health

Editor | Sarah-May Edwardo-Oldfield sports@themedium.ca

Performance of fabrics Correcting COVID-19 for home-made masks misconceptions against the spread of requires caution COVID–19 Natalia Campos/ Facebook

Mel Ramsammy Contributor

W

Surutiga Ranjan Contributor

>> MASKS continued from page 1 With the price of face masks increasing, and the need to wear a mask becoming mandatory, individuals have been making their own face masks or coverings.

A recent study completed by Onur Aydin and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tested the efficiency of home-made masks at preventing the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 is a respiratory infection similar to influenza, SARS-1, and MERS. Those three respiratory infections are known to spread through droplets, aerosols, and contact. It is not confidently understood how COVID-19 spreads, but it is known that virus particles are released when an individual infected with COVID-19 sneezes, coughs, or even speaks. Medical masks have recently shown to be effective in reducing the spread.

However, medical masks are not easily accessible to everyone, so many must use household fabrics that are repurposed as face coverings. Therefore, this study tested the performance of 11 household fabrics for their ability to block “large, high-velocity droplets” and also “assessed breathability, (air permeability), texture, fiber composition, and water absorption properties of the fabric.” The fabrics tested included woven, knit, napped, cotton, polyester, polyamide, and silk. A method was developed to “quantify the effectiveness of fabrics at blocking large droplets containing 100 diameter nanoparticles (nm) which would mimic the virus, specifically in terms

of the size of the particles. However, the procedure to test each of the factors were varied.

There are two key elements for face coverings: “breathability and droplet blocking efficiency.” Unlike fit-tested respirators, simple cloth or medical masks cannot tightly seal any gaps to the contours of an individual’s face.

Consequently, a large portion of the air released when breathing, coughing, or sneezing escapes through the gaps. With low breathability, comes more leakage , which gives the individual a false sense of protection, even when the material of the covering may be efficient at blocking droplets.

The study found that household fabrics did indeed “have considerable efficiency at blocking high-velocity droplets, even as a single layer.” With multiple layers, highly permeable fabrics, similar to that of a t-shirt, can even efficiently block particles at the same efficiency of a medical mask.

It is important to note that the study did not consider how the masks/face coverings should be produced, how they should be worn, and how they should be used/decontaminated.

Many masks that are homemade are reusable.

Hence, proper measures should be taken to use the masks appropriately to ensure they are clean.

The study concluded that “during pandemics and mask shortages, home-made face coverings with multiple layers can be effective against transmission of respiratory infection through droplets.” Moreover, the study made clear that if all individuals wear a mask, “supported by proper education and training of mask making and appropriate usage” it can be an effective strategy to reduce disease transmission, specifically when following social distancing measures.

hen someone says something false, we usually turn to the facts: the credible, educational material in an attempt to sway them elsewhere. Correcting misconceptions about COVID-19, however, seems to require more than just posters saying, “wear a mask” because it’s the “right thing to do.”

According to a new study in Educational Researcher, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association, the effectiveness of COVID-19 educational material is largely influenced by a person’s prevailing moral values.

Gregory Trevors and Melissa Duffy, both of the University of South Carolina, describe the misinformation of COVID-19 risks, prevention, and treatments as an infodemic with the potential to cause serious harm.

Merriam-Webster defines “infodemic” as the “rapid and far-reaching spread of both accurate and inaccurate information about something, such as a disease.” Refutation texts, for example, which aim to identify an incorrect belief, refute it, and present several claims that reinforce the “correct” belief.

Trevors and Duffy propose that the current infodemic crisis may originate from differences in moral priorities. The study sorts these moral priorities into three groups: individualizing, binding, or libertarianism.

Individualizing focuses on the well-being and justice of individuals; binding focuses on protecting group cohesion and social order; and libertarianism focuses on protecting the free use of one’s liberty. Politically-speaking, think liberal, conservative, and libertarianism, respectively.

Trevors and Duffy found that how well a message appeals to our moral code shapes how likely we are to correct our misconceptions towards accepting it. Trevors and Duffy tested these relations between morality, learning, emotions, and beliefs in communities strongly opposed to social distancing measures.

The study recruited 518 U.S. adults from 12 states known to favour an immediate return to normal economic activity and travel behaviours. Participants were asked to read a set of refutations against common COVID-19 mis-

conceptions, such as, “The seasonal flu is just as bad if not worse than the new coronavirus.”

Immediately after reading, participants reported their emotional responses to the refutations: Did it conflict with their personal views?

Did it make them feel anxious, hopeful, doubtful?

Trevors and Duffy found that people with strong moral concerns for individual wellbeing were more likely to correct their COVID-19 misconceptions when corrected. Others who valued either group cohesion or individual freedoms, however, were more likely to reject corrective information.

For example, measures such as school closures, social distancing, mask wearing, etc., may be viewed as undermining social ties or personal autonomy; values held by those with binding and libertarianism moralities, respectively. These measures instead seem to favour the collective well-being, a value held more prominently by those with an individualizing morality.

However, Trevors and Duffy emphasize that facts surrounding COVID-19 should not be undermined by these moral differences. But if two out of the three proposed moral groups seem to reject corrective information, how should we move forward?

Trevors and Duffy suggest that correcting COVID-19 misconceptions should be adapted to connect with the morality of the learner. For example, suppose you are trying to convince your friend to wear their mask. If they hold individualizing values, you might say that wearing a mask is fair and reduces suffering. For binding values, you can appeal to obeying authority or showing patriotism. For libertarian thinkers, you can appeal to masks as a form of self-protection.

Trevors and Duffy show that correcting misconceptions, both within ourselves and others, is further challenged by their integration with strong personal values. Misconceptions do not simply reflect a lack of information; you can tell your libertarian friend that wearing a mask is “the right thing to do” all you want, while failing to appeal to their values.

This skill of knowing how to effectively correct misconceptions on controversial topics is crucial, as the weight of staying safe during the pandemic should not be ignored amidst our moral differences.