Volume 47, Issue 9

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

Issue 009 Volume 47 November 16 2020

themedium.ca

LACK OF SUPPORT

A NEW ERA OF PEDAGOGY

PWC PUBLISHED AUTHORS

The last time this happened, we said “never again.” We were angry. We protested. We demanded change. And yet, another student has taken their life.

As students, we’re all aware of how our learning experiences have changed over the years. From first grade to our university studies at UTM, the change is evident in not only what we learn, but also in how we learn.

Writing a book isn’t easy. Many people say they’ll write one, but fewer actually do. To publish a book, writers must chip away at an idea in their mind, flesh it out on to the page, scrutinize it over and over, spend hours crumpling up paper balls and

>> SUPPORT continued on page 04

>> PEDAGOGY continued on page 07

>> PWC continued on page 09

NEWS

Mental health calls resulting in police detainment decrease with new crisis response team Isik Vera Senel News Editor

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fter increasing demands from the public for legislative change, law enforcement involvement in mental health calls have decreased in the Region of Peel. This follows the shooting of three Toronto residents experiencing mental health crises by police officers this summer.

>> MENTAL HEALTH continued on page 02

FEATURES

COMMENT

Rhymes with witch: Gendered news coverage in politics

Robot influencers have serious implications for humanity

Anna Povorozniuk Contributor

Aroni Sarkar Associate Comment Editor

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illary Clinton. Angela Merkel. Dilma Rousseff. While women currently govern only five per cent of countries worldwide, female representation in politics has increased in recent years, and female politicians are generally receiving equal treatment from their parties and voters. With Kamala Harris becoming the first female Asian and Afro-American Vice-President of the United States, it seems as if anything is possible for female politicians. Yet, female presence in political systems across the globe remains comparatively low, and media coverage is one reason for this global gender inequality.

Professor Erin Tolley is an assistant professor in the department of political science at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the impact of socio-demographic diversity in Canadian politics and political institutions. Professor Tolley’s current projects include an analysis of candidate recruitment and selection by Canada’s political parties, an experimental study of the impact of race and gender on voter choice, and an examination of immigrants’ and refugees’ media coverage. Her work has been published in numerous journals, and she is also the co-editor of five books on immigration and multiculturalism in Canada. With her academic expertise, Professor Tolley held an online lecture on November 10, titled “Rhymes with Witch: >> GENDERED continued on page 06

n 1999, the popular animated TV show Arthur aired an episode in which its title character discovers that the band he and his friends had gotten tickets to was actually a holographic projection. Two decades later, robots and virtual influencers are not only a reality, but they have become popular.

One example of this phenomenon is Sophia the robot. “She” was first switched on in 2016 and has developed a celebrity status, even being given Saudi Arabian citizenship in 2017. This would make it the first instance of a robot being given legal acknowledgement of personhood anywhere in the world, bestowing the same privileges humans enjoy. Sophia has also made appearances on popular talk shows like the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Her presence has been used for marketing products and tourism industries in other countries since her recognition of personhood. In fact, she has even addressed the United Nations, saying, “I am here to help humanity create the future.”

Sophia is a quite bold and controversial advancement in our society.

Many scientists have argued that granting robots humanity will have >> ROBOTS continued on page 05

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NEWS

Editor | Isik Vera Senel news@themedium.ca

Mental health calls resulting in police detainment decreases with the new mental health response team Peel Regional Council approves motion to increase accountability within the local law enforcement and Special Investigations Unit. protocol that will help address stigma and misperceptions about people living with mental illness and addiction,” stated Dr. Naveed Mohammed, the president and CEO of WOHS, in a press release.

Isik Vera Senel News Editor

>> MENTAL HEALTH continued from page 01 The Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams (MCRRT), a relatively new program within the Peel Police, works to create a safer environment for individuals experiencing psychological distress by partnering police officers with mental health professionals.

During the initial stages of this program, many calls involving individuals struggling with mental health were likely to end in civilian apprehension. However, MCRRT has steadily decreased the number of detainments. Moreover, the involvement of mental health professionals in such emergencies has proven to be quite constructive.

Between October 1 and 22, the MCCRT has responded to 1,530 calls, and hundreds of cases have been resolved without detainment. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has been working alongside the Peel police department to continue the program’s success and avoid tragedies like the ones seen this past summer.

On October 20, the William Osler Health System (WOHS) published the Peel Region Police-Hospital Transfer Protocol.

This protocol was developed through a collaboration between WOHS, CMHA, Peel Police and Paramedic Services, and the Ontario Provincial police Caledon Detachment.

“Through our collective efforts, we are proud to develop a

Although the Peel region still does not have adequate financial means to implement a satisfactory mental health response program within law enforcement, the current initiatives are making admirable advances.

Peel Regional Police Staff Sergeant Jodi Dawson spoke to The Star about the MCCRT and plans for the program’s future.

Dawson expressed the department’s wishes to expand the program as the current units aren’t large enough to respond to all mental health calls. “[Peel police have observed a] return on investment of having that mental health professional there to go through triaging incidents, because uniformed officers are not equipped or trained to deal with every mental health-related incident,” stated Dawson.

Although the Peel region still does not have adequate financial means to implement a satisfactory mental health response program within law enforcement, the current initiatives are making admirable advances.

Catherine Heyer, the CMHA’s clinical director of crisis services for the region, has stated that there is currently only one response team for every 250,000 Peel residents. Although two

additional units are expected to be added to the program in the next year, it is not a conclusive solution for such an extensive and systematic issue.

Moreover, the Peel Regional Council has taken action after mass criticism regarding transparency within the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The lack of racial diversity within the unit caused many residents to demand structural changes and increased accountability as most SIU members came from law enforcement backgrounds themselves.

The Peel Regional Council passed a motion to address these issues and reform the current structure of mental health response on November 12. Bonnie Crombie, the mayor of Mississauga expressed her support for the new motion at the meeting.

“We’ve known for a long time that we need more transparency accountability in policing, in particular when it comes to SIU investigations,” stated Mayor Crombie. “I’m very proud of my fellow Peel Regional Councillors who took a bold step by unanimously passing this motion.”

Nando Iannicca, the regional chair, has requested in-person meetings with Ontario Premier Doug Ford to further discuss the legislative changes and implementations in the coming months.

“These actions support a safe and healthy Community for Life in Peel, where everyone enjoys a sense of belonging and has access to the services and opportunities they need to thrive throughout each stage of their lives,” stated Iannicca.

“I look forward to continuing this important discussion with my colleagues in an effort to prioritize and address safety and well-being in Peel, and across our province.”

Rental reform awaiting Mississauga landlords and tenants in 2021 Sheryl Gurajada Contributor

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arlier this month, the Ontario government has provided province-wide updates on rental guidelines, including rental agreements in Mississauga.

A “rent freeze” has been approved for 2021 for most residences covered under the Residential Tenancies Act. These include rented houses, apartments, condos, basement apartments, care homes, and more. This rent freeze will be in effect until De-

cember 31, 2021. However, this rent freeze comes with some exceptions.

Landlords can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for approval to raise the rent by a specified amount, at which point the rent freeze will no longer be valid.

Using the Ontario Consumer Price Index, Statistics Canada has set the guideline increase for 2020 at 2.2 per cent, which is a 0.4 per cent increase from the previous year. The board will only approve these landlords’ applications if they are deemed to cover eligible capital repairs and security services associated with renting.

Additionally, the City of Missis-

sauga has proposed a new by-law for legal licensing of short-term rental properties. The by-law is currently pending approval, with a prospective effect date of January 19, 2021, and will apply to anyone renting a property for periods of 30 consecutive days or less.

“Short-term accommodations are here to stay in Mississauga,” stated Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “It’s important that operators are licensed in order to ensure public safety and maintain community standards across the city.”

The new by-law guidelines will require landlords to meet these con-

ditions to obtain a licence to operate in Mississauga and will only allow them to perform rental services from their principal residence.

“By regulating those who rent their homes on a short-term basis, local residents and visitors to the city can be assured that these properties operate safely and in compliance with applicable laws,” Crombie continued.

If passed, the new by-law will provide current administrators with a six-month grace period to obtain licences.

Director of enforcement for Mississauga, Sam Rogers, spoke to Mis-

sissauga News about the by-law’s objectives and emphasized the importance of maintaining public safety and the integrity of communities.

“Officers will be better equipped to respond to public complaints and address nuisance issues such as noise, garbage, and parking,” stated Rogers. “We will also improve our ability to remove any high-risk operators from online platforms quickly and permanently.”

More information on these guidelines, as well as new updates, can be found on the City of Mississauga website, as well as Ontario.ca.

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Peel enters “red” zone for Ontario’s Covid-19 response The City of Mississauga leads the region in highest Covid-19 related deaths.

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n November 7, businesses across the Peel region have resumed operations after being put on hold on October 11 due to the emergence of a second Covid-19 wave. This monthlong closure was initially anticipated to last a week. However, the increasing rates of Covid-19 cases in the region caused the government to delay indoor facilities’ reopening.

In an attempt to face the second wave effectively, the Ontario government has established a new system for assessing and classifying the urgency levels of Covid-19 across regions.

“We’re implementing an early warning system with clear criteria to help inform [the public] when restrictions should be tightened or loosened on a regional basis,” announced Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a press release on November 3.

Premier Ford stated that the new system was approved by a group of public health officers, including the chief medical officer of health, and will help provide regional governments with a

Recycling legislation updates in Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon Razia Saleh Contributor

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ast month the Ontario government proposed the reconstruction of the province’s waste management system. In a news release on October 30, 2020, the Region of Peel expressed its support of the new legislation and began preparations for an improved Blue Box program.

This new program will allow Ontario residents to manage sustainable ways to discard waste. At the moment, the legislation is still under consideration and is not expected to begin operations until 2024.

The Ontario government website states that the plan will:

-.. Expand the types of waste accepted in the Blue Box system to include materials such as “paper and plastic cups, wraps, foils, trays, bags, and other single-use items such as stir sticks, straws, cutlery, and plates.”

- Relieve taxpayers of some of the

much clearer understanding of the crisis at hand.

“This planning framework provides structure,” continued Ford. “It will help inform decisions on a regional and province-wide public health measures based on the data we’re seeing.”

The updated framework will no longer be divided into three stages and is instead made up of five different colour-coded levels. Ordered from least to most severe, the levels are green (prevent), yellow (protect), orange (restrict), red (control), and gray (lockdown). Case numbers and positivity rates in each region will be reassessed and updated every week.

The green level is similar to the Stage Three classification in the former system. In order for a region to be labelled “green,” health units in the area must observe less than 10 cases per 100,000 people. Regions identified as green will observe fewer restrictions and businesses remain open, given that they follow social distancing measures and limit the number of customers allowed indoors.

Similarly, the yellow level will allow businesses to continue operations. Still, residents will be required to adopt additional cautionary regulations, such as wearing masks at all indoor recreational establishments and providing contact

financial expenses of establishing and maintaining the program by making the producers of products and packaging fully responsible for costs, resulting in an estimated savings of $135 million annually for municipalities.

- Increase Blue Box services to more communities, such as smaller, rural, and remote communities, including those under 5,000 people.

- Set the highest diversion targets in North America for the various categories of waste producers expected to be recycled, such as paper, glass, beverage containers, and rigid and flexible plastic.

In an interview with The Medium, Chelsea Dalton, the acting sustainability manager, strategic initiatives at the University of Toronto Mississauga, discussed her enthusiasm for UTM’s upcoming sustainability initiatives.

“We are also very excited to have UTM’s first Sustainability Strategic Plan in the works,” stated Dalton. “It is in the approvals process now and to be pursuing a rating under the internationally-recognized Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS).”

For more info on STARS, students are encouraged to check out the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education website.

In addition to the forthcoming initiatives at UTM’s Sustainability office, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks has also announced a new waste man-

information. Yellow regions will have between 10 and 39.9 cases per 100,000 residents.

Areas with cases between 40 and 99.9 per 100,000 will be classified as orange. This level is anticipated to enforce restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings while also limiting operating hours for local businesses.

Any region with more than 100 weekly confirmed cases per 100,000 would be categorized under the red level, which is the last stage before a complete lockdown is enforced. Recreational facilities such as movie theatres and gyms will be forced to closed, and all other indoor events will be limited to 10 people.

On November 6, it was announced that the Peel Region would be classified as a red level region due to a large number of Covid-19 cases in the area. The case reports published by the regional government display a very distressing increase, and the case count in November is higher than it has ever been.

While a majority of the confirmed and probable cases were reported from the city of Brampton, Mississauga holds the second place for most Covid-19 cases in the Peel region and the first place in the death count. There are currently 6,698 cases in Mississauga. While 5,595 of them

agement model, which is expected to increase producer responsibility.

Rachel Lord/The Medium

Isik Vera Senel News Editor

The new program states that the cost of recycling will be shouldered by manufacturers responsible for producing products and packaging.

Currently, these responsibilities are carried out by municipalities and

have recovered, 239 individuals have lost their lives due to the virus.

With more and more regions classifying as red zone areas, Mississauga will likely face another lockdown. In a press conference on November 12, Dr. Lawrence Loh, the medical officer of health for the Peel region, stated that barring a sudden decrease in case count, the region can expect lockdown measures to be put into place.

An update on the Peel region’s status within the Covid-19 response framework and whether or not residents will enter another lockdown will be released on November 27 on the Region of Peel website.

While we are all excited for the pandemic to come to an end and returning to our everyday lives, it is essential that during a viral outbreak, such as Covid-19, we consider our actions and decisions to avoid fatal consequences.

“As a province and as a country, we’re grappling with a new reality, and it’s becoming more and more clear that Covid-19 will be with us for a while,” stated Premier Ford. “It is why we remain vigilant. It is why we continue to adapt.

We continue to plan for the long game, and today we’re taking an important step forward.”

taxpayers. Moreover, both the provincial and regional governments have begun efforts to standardize what materials can be placed in the recycling stream and expand the existing system.

“It is very important to remember that a lot of places are still different in terms of what you can and cannot recycle,” stated Dalton. “These changes will not be instant, so make sure to check and don’t just assume that a certain item will be accepted for recycling.”

It is also essential that residents double-check with their municipal regulations regarding recyclable material as the waste management system on campus can differ from residential models.

“The most important thing, in my opinion, for residents is to understand how recycling really works,” continued Dalton. “When you put something in the recycle bin, it doesn’t always mean that it gets turned back into that same product.

For example, plastics are difficult to recycle. Plastic bottles are usually not recycled back into new plastic bottles—they are usually turned into products like clothing, carpeting, and insulation.”

Dalton went on to emphasize the importance of awareness and stated that it is vital residents understand the consequences of placing a nonrecyclable item in a recycle only bin.

“Usually, that whole load will end up being sent to a landfill due to contamination,” stated Dalton. “That’s why we say, ‘If in doubt, throw it out!’”

The three R’s of sustainability are reduce, reuse, and recycle. However, the sequence of these principles is not random. “Reduce” and “reuse” come before “recycle” for a reason.

It is better to reduce your overall waste and reuse what you can before resorting to recycling. Although recycling is a great practice, it is not a panacea for our waste problems. Cutting back on waste at the source is the best solution.

As such, the UTM community is looking into ways to improve its contributions for a more sustainable society and reduce its carbon footprint. Taking courses that focus on or include sustainability is also a great way to educate yourself about sustainability.

Dalton also encourages students to get involved with the Sustainability Office by applying for work-study positions or volunteering.

“Doing a home waste audit is a good way to learn about what you throw out and how you can change your habits to reduce that,” continued Dalton. “There are plenty of other ways to be sustainable, like reducing your energy use and taking sustainable forms of transportation (e.g. biking), among others.”

Ontario residents are encouraged to embrace and learn more about innovative ways new technologies can bring more sustainable environmental outcomes. For additional information on local sustainability initiatives and details on recycling regulations in your area, make sure to check out your municipality’s website.

MASTHEAD EDITORIAL BOARD 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

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COMMENT

Editor | Aya Yafaoui comment@themedium.ca

Just in the past two years, five u of t students felt hopeless enough to take their own lives.

UofT’s lack of support during this pandemic is lethal Ishwa Desai Contributor >> SUPPORT continued from page 01 Warning: This article contains references to suicide Just in the past two years, five U of T students felt hopeless enough to take their own lives.

Five people with loved ones who’d mourn them. Five people who probably had hopes and dreams and plans for the future, who under different circumstances could have built full and long lives. But they chose death over continuing to struggle every day.

With a student to counsellor ratio as large as 1:1000, waiting times for appointments can stretch on for weeks if not longer.

Clearly, U of T, popularly referred to as UofTears among students, has a problem addressing students’ mental health concerns. In recent years, U of T has made attempts to improve access to mental health services through various ways, such as adding $3 million to its mental health budget and increasing the number of counsellors to 90. However, with a student body of 90,000, is that really enough?

Can one counsellor adequately address the needs of 1,000 students?

With a student to counsellor ratio as large as 1:1000, waiting times for appointments can stretch on for weeks if not longer. The university also created a “Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health” after a student suicide last year. The task force is part of a four-part plan, whose mandate was to review and recommend improvements for mental health service delivery, coordination of student supports related to mental health,

partnerships with community-based organizations and hospitals, and consider the physical spaces in which mental health services are provided.”

As of January 2020, the university’s plan of action was to “streamline and simplify the pathways to care” by building a more efficient system, integrating services across all three campuses into one tri-campus model. However, given the sudden shift in circumstances as a result of the pandemic, progress on this has yet to be seen. Now, more than ever, it is essential for the university to implement actionable change as its members deal with an unprecedented reality. A reality where everyday bleeds into the next; every week is an indistinguishable blur; every subsequent month is characterized only by an ever-escalating sense of panic; and the passage of time is only marked by yet another disaster happening in some part of the world.

Not only are people occupied with the constant worry over the lives of their loved ones, their own health, financial security, and future, there is also the added stress of academic pressure.

Not only do people have to cope with the sheer anxiety of a global pandemic, they must do it while attending lectures, tutorials, and meetings. Under normal circumstances, U of T has a highly rigorous academic environment, with a constant expectation of academic and extra-curricular excellence. This has more or less continued in the pandemic. The university’s policies around academic performance has not adapted to reflect the social context we are in. Students are expected to quickly adapt to an online format, churning out papers and assignments like well-oiled machines. Of course, sentiments of understanding and support are displayed by professors, though they are subsequently followed by instructions for yet another assignment, which sours the compassion to insincerity.

While it is true that some professors have actively made efforts to create a more accommodating academic environment, the university itself has not standardized any policies to academically support students this fall

semester. For example, academic extensions still remain subjective to the professors or the department, often only in cases of extenuating circumstances. What, I wonder, would be considered an extenuating circumstance in this reality? The fact that millions of people are dying every day, perhaps? Or maybe the extreme social isolation people are facing? Or the everincreasing, unending list of disasters? All of these circumstances should be “extenuating” enough to justify a difficulty with academics.

It’s not just these world-shattering circumstances, either. Students are struggling with finances, family, and other work, all situations that aren’t being properly acknowledged.

With yet another student death, and given these circumstances, changes need to be made on an institutional level. U of T needs to make its students’ mental health their priority right now, instead of trying to keep their position as Canada’s best university. However, the university has yet to make a statement to students regarding the death. Meanwhile, New College has confirmed the death of Keshav Mayya on November 2, and the University of Toronto Students’ Union has also posted a statement on social media. Days after the incident, U of T’s silence at this time is deafening.

Even before a global pandemic, the university’s approach to mental health was sorely lacking. But now, they need to do better. Referring students to mental health services is essential, but akin to offering a band-aid for a bullet wound. Especially when it isn’t also coupled with a change at the institutional level to alleviate the pressure put on students.

With each passing day lived in the pandemic, there is an ever-increasing need for policies that support students needs. Policies such as providing academic extensions, decreasing penalties for late submissions, and expanding the scope of “extenuating circumstances.”

UofT needs to implement a standard plan of action to support its students at this time, rather than leaving academic policies up to the whim of each professor or academic department.

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Robot influencers have serious implications for humanity Aroni Sarkar Associate Comment Editor Daniel Schludi/unsplash.com

>> ROBOTS continued from page 01 social and political consequences unbeknownst to us. What happens if Sophia the robot is hacked or kidnapped? Does she have the same human rights as other citizens? Will she be subject to the human rights convention and other agreements for human safety? Or will she simply be discarded? But wouldn’t that complicate what it means to be a citizen at all?

Are you a citizen because you bring profit or name to a particular country or consider it a home? Such questions and potential problems complicate our understanding of what constitutes a citizen and whether our existence in our countries is purely functional rather than something more intrinsic.

Now, being a human is not a requirement to be an influencer—the abundance of animal celebrities attests to that. The most famous examples of virtual influencers are Lil Miquela and Imma. Lil Miquela, a CGI Instagram influencer with 2.8 million followers, has joined ad campaigns with high profile supermodels like Bella Hadid for Calvin Klein and closed multimillion-dollar brand partnerships. Imma is a Japanese AI model that has appeared on magazine covers and makes as much money as real human influencers on social media.

These hyper-realistic characters have become the future for marketing and commerce. High profile brands like Samsung, Calvin Klein, Balmain and many others have begun to compete in this race to hire virtual influencers. These same virtual influencers have also supported and championed social movements such as Black Lives Matter, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.

What is so problematic about these influencers then? For starters, these are physically “perfect” women that are now standing in for and representing women who are already pressured to be perfect and accommodate a certain aesthetic.

According to Vox, Lil Miquela is described to be “made by a computer to look as much like a hot and charming human being as possible without scaring people.” With the rise of the social media authenticity movement, where human influencers are encouraging body positivity and non-edited photos, this virtual movement is the complete opposite of that.

It even goes to the extreme that the actual supermodels that we have today, who already are the symbols of unattainable levels of beauty, are also incapable of reaching the standards of perfection set out by these virtual models. These virtual models also take away opportunities from human models and strip away confidence from aspiring women because they are deemed less than.

These female robots and CGI influencers also quite literally add to the objectification of women. The branded partnerships with virtual influencers like Imma and Lil Miquela involve brands “buying” them for the duration of the deal, with conditions. This materialization of influential female figures is problematic because it blurs the lines of what is real and warps our expectations. Virtual influencers are diverse and occupy a vast spectrum of representative figures in race, gender, and sexuality. Many people cannot tell if they are real or not and believe that they are expected to look like them in order to be considered beautiful, just like they have been with real-life figures.

The way these virtual influencers interact with each other, with their followers, and with brands like any other human being with feelings calls into question the value and sacredness of humanity. It might seem like a far-off question for the time being, but technology advances much faster than humans can adapt. The law evolves even slower. With the legal recognition of robots and virtual creators as people with financial and property rights, there are serious implications about what it means to be a human with those same rights and liberties.

The inequality exacerbated by the pandemic extends to the vaccine Developing countries suffer from substandard medicine made by big pharmaceutical companies.

Ashley Mutasa Contributor

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cientists worldwide have been competing to develop a vaccine that will turn the tide against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Currently, there are over 150 Covid-19 vaccine candidates at different stages of development. This week, Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine news sent hopes soaring across various social media and news platforms.

Preliminary phase 3 results suggest that Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine might be more than 90 per cent effective against Covid-19. This result is significantly higher than influenza vaccines, which only reduce the risk of contracting the flu by 40-60 per cent.

The news about this vaccine was particularly energizing to the Canadian population currently experiencing intense pandemic fatigue. These trial results were so promising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau organized a press release to announce that he had already secured millions of doses of the vaccine for Canadians. In a briefing with reporters, he said, “We see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

While the news of this vaccine is worth celebrating, the proverbial light seems a bit dimmer for developing countries. The limitations of supply chains mean that even if this vaccine is approved, developing countries will be the last to secure doses.

If Pfizer Inc. manages to resolve supply limitations and surpasses its projected supply of 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021, the logistics of vaccine delivery and storage will significantly limit accessibility.

Clinical trials in the U.S., Germany, Argentina, Brazil, and Turkey show that two doses of the vaccine need to be administered, three weeks apart, for the vaccine to be effective. A double-dose will require twice as many vials, syringes, and storage units. The difficulties of immunizing large numbers of people will be particularly pronounced in developing countries that do not have the medical systems to monitor and track vaccination records. Furthermore, very few developing countries have the capacity to ship and store this vaccine at temperatures below minus 70 degrees Celsius, as stipulated by the developers.

Arguably, logistical concerns are not the most pressing issue for developing countries. The lack of medical regulatory boards like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) leaves many developing countries vulnerable to unsafe and low-quality medical products. In the U.S. and Europe, robust regulatory systems are tasked with preserving public health by assessing

the quality, efficacy, and safety of medical products. Medical regulatory authorities collaborate with manufacturers during the product development phases to ensure that development schemas are scientifically appropriate enough to address questions about clinical safety and efficacy.

This contrasts with developing countries, particularly in Africa, that lack medical regulatory boards equipped with the resources needed to evaluate the quality and efficacy of new drugs and vaccines. A study conducted by the WHO in 2004 reported that 90 per cent of African countries lack medical regulatory agencies with a capacity to guarantee the quality and efficacy of drugs circulating in their countries.

In 2005, 87 per cent of African medical regulatory boards reported that they did not have the capacity to evaluate biological products such as vaccines. Many of these countries have no vaccine registry systems either. A metanalysis of antimalarial medicines showed that 20 per cent were falsified, while 35 per cent failed chemical analysis. The absence of well-functioning medical regulatory systems exposes the people in developing nations to unsafe, substandard, and falsified medical products.

Pharmaceutical companies operating in developed countries are primarily responsible for saturating African countries with substandard medical products. The Covid-19 pandemic has uncovered many of these unethical practices. Pfizer Inc. itself has a history of testing unapproved drugs in African countries without obtaining informed consent.

In 1996, Pfizer inc. violated international law by testing trovafloxacin (Trovan), an unapproved antibiotic for meningitis, on Nigerian children. According to Nigerian officials, this unlawful drug trial resulted in 11 deaths and left dozens of children disabled. The company bribed Nigerian government officials to avoid paying the families affected by their illegal drug trials. With Pfizer Inc. currently leads the vaccine development race, it is important to ask how African countries can trust that the vaccines distributed by Pfizer will be of the same quality and efficacy as those available in North America.

Experts have warned that it might be too early to determine the efficacy and safety of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine. The stakes are particularly high for Pfizer Inc. It is estimated that Pfizer Inc. will spend about $1.95 billion on the development of its Covid-19 mRNA vaccine. If their vaccine is later proven to be ineffective, how will Pfizer mitigate its potential losses? A quick internet search reveals the lengths that Pfizer Inc. will go to recoup losses. In 2009, the company paid $2.3 billion to settle civil and criminal allegations for illegally marketing its pain killer, Brexta, which had been previously withdrawn from the market for failing to meet standards of efficacy and safety.

It is likely that Pfizer and other pharmaceutical drug companies will use some of these old tricks to minimize losses associated with research and development if their vaccines are not approved. Research shows that when pharmaceutical companies face increasing losses for profitable drugs in developed countries, they rebrand their products and expand to new markets.

This expansion is often accompanied by unsavory practices.

Probability tells us that not all 150 of the vaccines in development will be successful. The lack of medical regulatory boards in developing countries means there are few, if any, obstacles for these pharmaceutical giants to sell to these vulnerable communities. Thus, the international community should not only focus on approving a safe and effective vaccine but also making sure that pharmaceutical companies in developing countries do not sell unsafe and substandard vaccines.

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features

Editor | Elizabeth Provost features@themedium.ca

Rhymes with witch:

GENDERED NEWS COVERAGE IN POLITICS

Gendered bias in politics, how female politicians can’t win, and the ugly truth.

Anna Povorozniuk Contributor

“WHEN THE MEDIA IS NOT ACTIVELY SEXUALIZE FEMALE POLITICIANS, THE

August de Richelieu/unsplash.com

FOCUS IS STILL ON APPEARANCE AND NOT THEIR POLITICAL AGENDA.”

>> fromFROM page 01PAGE 01 >> GENDERED GENDEREDcontinued CONTINUED Gendered News Coverage in Politics,” as part of UTM’s Experiential Education Unit’s “Lecture Me!” series. During this discourse, she examined how gender influences media and the different ways male and female politicians are portrayed in the news.

Media is simply a gatekeeping lens through which the public sees the world around them. Although the rise of the information age made citizens more skeptical of the increasingly saturated media, many view credible news sources as authoritative and objective. News coverage can influence the way we perceive and think about political candidates. The inevitable lens through which particular media outlets represent events affects how populations evaluate, analyze, and perceive politicians. “Media is a mirror, but the reflection sometimes is distorted,” says Professor Tolley.

When reporting, a journalist aims to simplify the world around us and tell a visually engaging story while also appealing to the public. That is why many modern journalists tend to use “frames” to apply a certain angle or storyline that people can understand and resonate with. Frames are used to simplify facts, stories, and personalities, with the journalist having an influence on which aspects to ignore and which to bring to light. As a result, media outlets can frame stories, which often rely on gender tropes and stereotypes.

Gendered realities can influence opinions and assumptions about who belongs in politics. In return, these assumptions condition media coverage. Men have historically dominated politics and built rules and norms in elected institutions. “This shapes how we see politics and public life, and this vision is a masculine one,” says Professor Tolley. In contrast, female positions tend to be portrayed in feminine ways.

“FEMALE POLITICIANS ARE OFTEN POSITIONED IN THE MEDIA AS WOMEN FIRST AND POLITICIANS SECOND.” Until the 1970s, female politicians received minimal news coverage, partly because they were largely absent in formal elected institutions. “We simply weren’t there,” says Professor Tolley. Now, with many female politicians running and being elected, coverage has increased. Women often receive greater media attention than their male counterparts, although sometimes not for the right reasons. “This isn’t really a story about how much coverage female politicians receive, but rather the coverage’s quality,” explains Professor Tolley. Research has concluded that female politicians are disadvantaged in the political arena, as they face sexist tropes and higher public scrutiny of their personal lives.

There is an intimate connection between masculinity and politics. Professor Tolley gives three examples to illustrate this point. First, when male politicians are covered in the media, their gender is rarely the topic of conversation. Male politicians’ gender is not seen as newsworthy as it is the default—the standard. On the other hand, female politicians are often positioned in the media as women first and politicians second. Media outlets emphasize female politicians’ gender, not their qualifications, policies, or experience.

Secondly, men are viewed as a political norm. “Even when very young children are asked to draw a picture of a president or a politician, the pictures they draw are stereotypically masculine,” says Professor Tolley. To overcome this reality, many female politicians start to conform to masculine political standards and adapt typical masculine traits in their personalities. This is a double-edged sword as by doing so, female politicians risk being framed as “witches,” “barren,” and “she-men” by the media. However, if they act stereotypically female, they are portrayed in a different frame, which often showcases them as weak and incompetent leaders.

Lastly, when women politicians appear on the news, it is often on issues that voters regard as less politically relevant, such as their appearance, communal orientation, and whether or not they smile too much or not enough. Moreover, female politicians are often asked to comment on healthcare, abortion, and education, which are often viewed as the “feminine” nuances of politics. “Politics’ coding is masculine and that coding rewards men who conform to stereotypical masculine standards. They are viewed as insiders who succeed not because of their gender, but because they have the characteristics that we deem to be central to political success,” states Professor Tolley.

Additionally, media outlets tend to sexualize female politicians. For example, when Sarah Palin was a U.S. Vice Presidential candidate in the 2008 election, a news outlet featured a picture of a close-up of her legs when reporting on one of the Republican rallies. Focus on female politicians’ bodies was also seen with Christy Clark when she was Premier of British Columbia. The media slandered her for showing too much cleavage and condoned her for dressing inappropriately.

When the media is not actively sexualizing female politicians, the focus is still on appearance and not on their political agenda. Moreover, stories featuring women of color include layers of exotism. Many articles highlight how they “deviate” from white standards of beauty and womanhood’s cultural expectations.

“MEDIA COVERAGE MATTERS AND MEDIA COVERAGE IS GENDERED.” A focus on family life is also a common frame in news story coverages. “Gendered media coverage isn’t just a choice that the media makes,” explains Professor Tolley. “It is sometimes influenced by the choices the candidates make when they decide how they want to represent themselves and which aspects of their lives they want to empathize with.” This can be seen to some degree in Kamala Harris’ run for the Democratic nomination. She has no children of her own but speaks on how her nieces and stepchildren call her “Mom.” Motherhood coverage can have positive effects on female politicians as it portrays nurturing and trustworthy qualities. However, research shows that this is another fine line to walk. In Sarah Palin’s case, news outlets often questioned her ability to be a good mother and have a successful political career.

The media makes choices on which angle to adopt, which frame to portray the story, and what visual component to include. “These choices affect all politicians, but a bulk of the research suggests that the choices that the media makes are different when gender, race, sexual orientation, and other markers of difference come into play,” says Professor Tolley. Female politicians’ careers are directly affected by the limited frames they are often placed in on media outlets, reducing their identity as public figures to their gender.

Media coverage matters and media coverage is gendered. It does not occur in a vacuum, instead it is largely shaped by our perceptions of masculinity and femininity. Media influences the way we perceive political candidates. “The solution does not lie only with the media,” Professor Tolley concludes.

“It lies with all of us: as citizens, voters, or consumers of the news media, we help to shape political reality. We help to shape who comes forward in public life, how they are treated, and to whom they are accountable to.”

07 Hema Ramnarine Contributor >> PEDAGOGY continued from page 01

A new era of pedagogy Pedagogy Professor Gabati speaks on how learning and teaching has changed.

Yet, something we don’t often consider is how the practice of teaching itself has changed and influenced our learning experience.

Dr. Jordana Garbati, who joined UTM as an assistant professor this past July at the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy, is immersed in the study of teaching, or pedagogy as it’s more formally known. In addition to instructing the course, ISP100: “Writing for University and Beyond: Writing About Writing,” Dr. Garbati consults across campus with students and faculty on writing in pedagogy and writing in the different disciplines.

Although new to UTM, Dr. Garbati has an extensive background in academia. “I’ve always been in education. I used to work in the public school system at the elementary level mostly, [and] in between my degrees I was teaching at elementary schools,” she says. After earning her PhD in education, Dr. Garbati worked as a writing consultant at Wilfred Laurier until she joined UTM this past summer.

When explaining what pedagogy entails, Dr. Garbati says, “in addition to [the study of] teaching, you’re also learning a lot about how people are learning, so you change your teaching practices, or invent new teaching practices. I see teaching and learning as interwoven in pedagogy. It’s about thinking very carefully about how you’re teaching, why you’re teaching, and what are you teaching.”

When broaching the subject of teaching and learning amid a pandemic, Dr. Garbati affirms, “so much has changed this year,” as students and instructors face challenges in these unprecedented times. To Dr. Garbati, these challenges have given her a new perspective on pedagogy.

“I’ve always been aware that students are going through a lot, so sometimes when I give students a hard time about not putting their camera on, I realize it’s not a big deal. They’re halfway across the world, or they’ve just woken up, or they don’t have a space in their house to work. They have many other issues to deal with right now.”

As an instructor, she notes that the transition to Zoom and online learning has taken a bit of an adjustment period for her as well, stating, “I miss the personal interaction I get with students, and reading their faces and body language to see if they’re interested, bored, or on task. Everything I would do in an in-person environment.”

She notes that online learning has its practical deficits as well. “It’s harder to develop those conversational skills and interpersonal skills that

students will need as they advance through university and enter the workforce, or start travelling again,” states Dr. Garbati. Due to the lack of impersonal connections, it will be increasingly difficult for students to build the necessary confrontational and conversational skills that they would normally get from a school environment. Additionally, she emphasized the importance of students interacting with peers outside of the learning environment. “I gave [my students] a list of student groups, as a way for them to connect with other people besides people in the class, or me,” says Dr. Garbati “I really wonder what kind of socializing my students are getting outside of class, and I get a little sad if they don’t have it.”

Dr. Garbati also finds a new disconnect between her and her students, one that only a pandemic could create. “I know my students, but if I see them in person, I wouldn’t recognize them. It’s hard not being able to put a face to the name.” She also has to rely heavily on students communicating with her. “They’re literally around the world. Today a student said to me, ‘I might be cutting in and out of class today, because there’s a typhoon and our internet is not so stable.’ I have to rely on them to tell me these things, because otherwise I might have called them out for not being in class.”

When asked whether she would consider embracing online learning full-time, even after the pandemic ends, she says she would be open to it, with a caveat. “I’d have to be more conscious of trying to meet people in-person too,” she says, adding, “everything is online now, and I get sick of my computer. I hope students are building breaks into their days.”

In the meantime, Dr. Garbati has of course had to make changes to her classroom, while trying to maintain the same policies she values as a professor. She makes time for oneon-one time with her students and sets up groups for students to discuss among themselves. To establish a stream-lined approach to online learning, Dr. Garbati had to test various teaching practices. “I tried a different kind of group activity where every student joined a Google Doc, and contributed to a master list of reading notes. It was so cool to see everyone contributing something.”

Dr. Garbati also frequently uses breakout rooms in her virtual classroom, and has added “pre-class activities,” that take place during the first 10 minutes of class and include students rating their feelings that day, reading a short text, or a colouring activity.

Advancements in technology always bring in advantages and disadvantages to daily life. For Dr. Garbati, advantages to online learning includes student engagement tracking. “I am so happy with the participation. Now that there are options for participation, by using their mi-

crophone or utilizing the chat function, engagement is high.”

Dr. Garbati is optimistic about online learning’s opportunities for positive change “Of course, it’s challenging, but it’s also given us opportunities to [differ from] what we’ve been doing for 30 years […] It’s given me a push to try things in a different way, and communicate with students in a different way than what I’m used to.”

It’s been impressive for students and instructors alike to see the extent of their capabilities to adapt and overcome in the face of adversity.

Moreover, Dr. Garbati recognizes that teaching practices aren’t the same as when she was an undergraduate student. “I hope students aren’t as afraid to talk to their professors. I hope that’s gone out the window! In one of my classes, we’ve gotten into the habit of playing Among Us after class. They taught me how to do it, I connected it to what we’re doing in class, and we play! I would never have dreamed of doing that with one of my professors.”

In response to the difficult question of why the switch to online learning took a pandemic to trigger, when it could potentially have made learning more accessible for students, Dr. Garbati states, “Change is always hard, and kind of unimaginable. Change in universities is slow, and hard, and we want researchinformed practices. But when you’re forced to do it, you don’t have time to research whether it will work or not, you’re researching as you do it.”

However, it’s been impressive for students and instructors alike to see the extent of their capabilities to adapt and overcome in the face of adversity.

In terms of starting her career as a professor amid a pandemic, Dr. Garbati is remarkably positive. “I’ve been very fortunate, happy, and lucky to go from one great job to another during a pandemic when so many people are struggling, so I’m extremely grateful. I’m generally a positive person with a positive outlook, and of course I have my bad days too, but I had so much experience coming into this position that I felt confident that I could manage it, even in an online environment.”

“One of my biggest struggles has been figuring out how Quercus works!” she adds.

For now, Dr. Garbati doesn’t know what the future holds for online teaching, both short-term and longterm. “I might be bringing more technology into the classroom now.

I think there are loads of opportunities for online work in the next five to 10 years. I don’t think it’s going away.”

08

“WITH THE PANDEMIC ROSE A NEED TO FILL A NEW VOID OF ISOLATION AND LONELINESS— AND THEN CAME CONSUMERISM.” Retail therapy amid the pandemic

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ith the constant pressure and stress from online learning and the Covid-19 pandemic, many look for different ways to overcome isolation by finding happiness in other aspects of life. Around the world, people have experienced a diverse range of emotions and responses with the rapid spread of Covid-19 cases and many countries going under lockdown. Some face emotional turmoil and isolation during this time, but many businesses have thrived over consumers’ need to fill new voids in their lives. Moreover, online businesses have flourished during these stressful times, bringing momentary joy, “happiness,” and relief to many consumers.

Although retail therapy can be favourable in providing comfort and motivation, it also opens the discussion of consumerism.

The concept of retail therapy is not foreign to those wishing to be rid of the responsibilities and consistent pressures present in their daily lives—even if their participation in consumerism yields a momentary sense of relief.

In March, the onset of quarantine disrupted the regular routine of school or work of many.

While many found different hobbies or interests to fill their spare time, it soon became evident that one of the primary responses to the pandemic was a surge in online shopping. This provided many with something to look forward to during the weeks in isolation.

Although retail therapy can be favourable in providing comfort and motivation, it also opens the discussion of consumerism. Material goods consumption plays a prominent role in conversations related to pandemic and

societal pressures. However, it is crucial first to understand the sociology of consumption.

Social malaise is dependent on an individual’s response to their problems.

The most significant factor affecting a rise to diverse marketing strategies and consumerism is the social malaise that numerous consumers wish to diminish, often without identifying the deep-rooted issue at hand. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, social media has become a powerful influencer on one’s character and lifestyle choices. Many social media influencers promote unrealistic lifestyles and beauty standards that focus on the materialistic aspects of life.

Materialism is a value system correlated to the ideology that consumers are focussed on attaining the wealthiest and highest social status, essentially trying to fit the glorified images projected on social media platforms.

Social malaise is dependent on an individual’s response to their problems. Different people fight different battles, and while some obstacles may seem negligible to one person, it may be significant to another. Feelings of worthlessness and helplessness can be quickly subdued by the consumption of goods that are demonstrative of a higher social class or status. However, the truth is that these materialistic things flourish in insecurities and often continue the cycle of self-doubt.

Through marketing techniques, a merchandiser works to convince consumers that their product aids the journey to achieving happiness.

Psychologists have conducted research that suggests individuals with a high consumer-cue condition average, meaning various cues easily influence their consumer behaviour, have significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety, directly correlated to self-dissatisfaction. After being in isolation for months, many have come to learn more about themselves, leading to a newfound focus on self-growth. However, this is not a straight or simple path. With the rise of social media apps, such as TikTok and Instagram, it can

be argued that it is part of human nature to compare oneself to others. This, among other societal frameworks, has a significant effect on one’s confidence, physical health, and mental well-being.

Although this may not be directly visible, many different moral implications are embedded in the concept of marketing and the consumption of goods. More developed and modernized countries tend to revolve around the idea of building the most stable economy.

Large corporations promote the ideology of extreme consumerism as they thrive off material goods consumption. Companies dedicate large amounts of money for marketing strategies that build from insecurities embedded in consumers’ minds. These strategies fluctuate depending on the products advertised, but the general scheme is always the same: to convince the consumer that their life will only improve by purchasing the product.

Material goods do not necessarily mean longterm happiness.

Social media influencers are direct targets of these marketing strategists due to their broadreaching platforms. Negative moral implications are embedded in marketing, especially considering that many influencers support and advertise products they do not use themselves.

However, since many are idolized and glorified in the eyes of society, their minimal support to a brand can result in a skyrocket of profits.

There are various perspectives on the sociology behind the consumption of material goods.

The general agreement is that retail therapy is an unreliable concept followed by vulnerable groups being manipulated into making impulsive purchases. Additionally, material goods do not necessarily mean long-term happiness. The short-term happiness that marketing strategies highlight is one that many are merely content with—especially during times of hardship, such as the current Covid-19 pandemic. But, does the number of goods you own really make you happy in the long run?

Jorge Fernandez Salas/unsplash.com

Pearla Hariri Associate Features Editor

09

Arts

Editor | Chris Berberian arts@themedium.ca

These two students got published before they graduated Alexandria Ramoutar Contributor >> PWC continued from page 01 staring at a blinking cursor—and then write the first word.

UTM is home to hundreds of talented writers, many of whom are hoping to get published.

One way the university recognizes and showcases these talented writers is through its Making a Book course. The course, led by Professor Guy Allen, Director of the Professional Writing and Communication (PWC) program, teaches students about publishing practices—the philosophical, aesthetic, and economic factors behind them—and all the hurdles students must face before they see their creations come to life.

The Medium recently spoke with two graduates of the Making a Book course, both of whom published their debut books in 2019.

First, Sylvia Tomczak talks about her memoir, Honey and Truffles, and its inspirations. Then, Avleen Grewal discusses her book My Immigrant Family, and the importance of empathy in writing. Both books touch upon the people and experiences that have shaped each author’s life and narrative world.

The Medium: Thank you so much for meeting with me. Please tell me about Honey and Truffles.

time in the garden, crushing the tomatoes, and canning the sauce are all things that stuck with me. Coupled with these experiences, I took the Italian scenery and worked it into the narratives.

TM: How did the PWC program prepare you to write a book?

ST: The program itself is unique. It’s so personalized, and it instills many values in you, whether that’s empathy or attentiveness. In class, when we critique our pieces, we pin-point the things that work, may need work, and don’t work. The feedback process is really helpful. You learn how to write for a variety of audiences and how to engage with your intended audience.

TM: Professor Guy Allen teaches Making a Book. How did his guidance influence your authorial journey?

ST: Guy is so kind and inspiring. He’s personable and funny, makes things engaging, and is like a father figure. When I presented my first draft, I said, “I don’t know, I like writing, but I don’t know if it’s any good, it’s probably crappy,” and he said, “No, don’t even say that. What you have here is fantastic and here are some techniques that’ll help strengthen your work.”

His reassurance was encouraging.

TM: So, you continued writing… what happened next?

read your work. So just keep writing. Write anything and everything. You may think, “Oh, this person writes so much better than I do,” but that’s not necessarily true. Everyone has their own unique writing style, one that specific readers will latch onto.

You should remember: you can always develop your writing. Put yourself out there, try new styles and techniques, and contact people in the industry you want to work in.

TM: It’s great to see you. Tell me about My Immigrant Family?

Avleen Grewal: My Immigrant Family is a book about the struggles that immigrants face. I didn’t pick stories that were personal or unique to me.

A lot of my friends and my parents’ friends are immigrants, so I spoke with them while writing my book. I can see these stories happening in their families, from the news, CRA scams, to finding a home, and finding a job. These are essential experiences, but as an immigrant, as my book explores, the stakes are high.

I wanted to share the weird things that happen to immigrants that no one really talks about.

It’s about more than Justin Trudeau helping us get visas…

Sylvia Tomczak: Honey & Truffles is a short story collection about my time living and eating abroad in Italy. Like a coming-of-age narrative, it’s about learning and growing, but with a foodie spin.

ST: After the course, I said, “Oh my gosh, I wrote this book, what can I do with it? Can I network with Indigo and get it into bookstores? How can I get it somewhere? How can I diffuse it into the world?”

We all have a bit of a different story, but there are similarities in becoming an adult. We must conquer our fears, stay confident, and find our place in the world. These themes inspired my book.

I got in touch with different subscription boxes and connected with Hygge, who sell seasonal boxes. The owner asked me to send her a copy of my book, and this past Fall, they featured it in their box with truffle salt and honey products. It fit together nicely!

AG: Empathy. In real life, everyone faces different problems, and I wanted to show the connection and the empathy that people have. We need to share stories full of empathy.

They’re encouraging, especially during these [difficult] times.

TM: What guidance can you offer to aspiring authors?

TM: When you picture your audience, who are you writing for?

ST: There’s always somebody who’ll want to

AG: I just imagine another “me” or the people

TM: What motivated you to include a foodie spin in your narratives?

ST: I’ve always loved food, so I knew these stories would incorporate elements of food. For cooking, my “Nona” influenced me—spending

TM: What traits or behaviours did you want your characters to display?

who influenced me, like my grandma and grandpa. They were always so supportive because English wasn’t there first language, and English Literature wasn’t a career field anyone in my family was in. I’d think: “What would they say?” Or “how is my writing going to inspire and connect with them?”

TM: How did the instructors in PWC influence your writing?

AG: Professor Laurel Waterman always told me to “get to the point” and not chase around my story—to remove all the fluff and show the story for what it is. I love her.

I’ve always been in awe of her writing and teaching.

Dr. Robert Price also helped me so much, even outside the classroom. I would email Robert for so many things such as, “Hey, I’m writing my graduate school applications, could you help me?” He would say, “Yeah, I have an hour after my classes if you want to chat?” It was such a supportive experience. At one point, I was trying to sound more academic and Robert told me, “Your words should not be the highlight of the story. Your ideas should be.”

That always stuck with me. I had this epiphany: “I have good ideas. Why am I not showcasing them?”

My professors truly cared about my writing goals, and I don’t think they realize how much that meant to me.

TM: What advice do you have for other budding writers?

AG: Stay true to the story and don’t write just because it’s a popular topic or it’ll get monetized. Because you may wish to get rich and famous, but if you aren’t passionate about it, I don’t think you’ll be able to put in the effort needed to get there.

You need to remain hopeful for the future. Remember to stay strong because your writing will be important to future generations. It’ll show that we went through a lot of rough stuff, but it’s going to be alright.

10

Small but mighty: The importance of indie bookstores Visiting The Book Wardrobe— Mississauga’s only indie bookstore.

Photo Courtesy of Carmela Vedar

Hana Khan Staff Writer

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Takahiro Taguchi/unsplash.com

ou push open the heavy wooden doors and the smell immediately hits you. It’s the smell of ink engraved into paper, of pages pressed against each other, bounded by cloth and leather. A sweetmusky scent draws you into the store, but it’s the source of that smell—books—that keeps you there.

As you walk further into the store, you turn to the right and that’s when you see her. She’s at the counter, packaging book orders into bags. Strands of caramel brown hair fall over her face as she turns to welcome you in. The corners of her eyes crinkle upward. She smiles and calls you by your name. This is Carmela Vedar, owner of The Book Wardrobe, Mississauga’s only independent bookstore.

For many of us, bookstores are our happy place. Most booklovers probably spend

more time (and money) than we should in them. But each book we find offers another adventure to discover, another world to escape to.

Most people purchase their books from larger sellers, such as Amazon and Indigo.

While these stores are often more accessible, they aren’t always the most ethical or pleasant.

Enter independent bookstores.

“Indie” bookstores are essential to communities. They’re built up by our friends and neighbours. To preserve our sense of solidarity, we must support these small businesses.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t always been the easiest to find indie bookstores in Mississauga. But as it turns out, the woman with caramel brown hair and smiling eyes does indeed exist.

Talk with Vedar and you’ll learn she’s always loved travelling and reading. From a young age, she’s been captivated by how books transported her to other countries, time periods, and universes. “Reading has dropped me into different worlds and has exposed me to various cultures, languages, and above all, people.”

In 2017, Vedar noticed that while most other cities have indie bookstores, Mississauga was lacking. The idea lingered in her mind. While Vedar wasn’t ready to take it on financially, she knew it was a matter of either chasing her passion or wondering “what if.” She ignored her doubts and opened up her own bookstore.

“All it took was a ‘For lease’ sign on the second floor of Robinson-Bray House in Streetsville to get things going,” says Vedar.

And so, The Book Wardrobe was born.

It’s a cozy shop nestled in the heart of Streetsville, at 223 Queen St. South. From her shop, Vedar can work on her passion every day. “I believe a bookstore is a magical portal that lets your thoughts soar with

the various genres and styles being offered and keeps you open to anything.”

While Vedar can work with what she loves most, it doesn’t mean the business comes without struggle. The recent booms in technology have led more and more people to shop online. As Vedar says, “With the onset of the digital age, the brick-and-mortar bookstore may soon be a forgotten novelty [of the past].”

Because of the potential uncertainty of independent bookstores, it’s important that we support them as much as possible. Indie bookstores not only promote a sense of harmony in communities but also keep the literary art scene alive and flourishing. Large-chain bookstores may mass-produce and mass-provide to millions, but they shortchange more intimate interactions with customers.

With independent bookstores, you get personalized touches to your purchase and have richer, more authentic human connections between buyer and seller. It’s these smaller, more intimate moments that we must keep alive.

The easiest way to ensure this is by supporting your local independent bookstores, whether that’s The Book Wardrobe in Mississauga, or other shops in your local town. “If people are purchasing their books from indie bookstores, they are helping the local community thrive. It’s as simple as that,” says Vedar with a smile.

Indie bookstores are havens for many people. They heighten the warm and welcoming points of our neighbourhoods, and it’s vital that we keep these connections with us, especially during a time in which many people feel isolated and divided. It’s important to keep walking through those heavy wooden doors, greeting the scents of pressed ink and vanilla, and seeing a familiar face.

11

Six songs that changed the world Paige France Associate Arts Editor

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usic moves us—literally. It makes us sway and tap our feet. We whistle to music, throw our hands up in the air for it, and dance along to its pulsating beats. But music also moves us emotionally, sometimes in ways so profound that their messages permeate across the globe.

Whether they’re soul or space rock, feature catchy choruses or infamous music videos, these six songs—and their messages—revolutionized music and the way we think about love, acceptance, and each other.

James Hickey/Rolling Stone

Starting with the 1960s, we’ll mine each decade for a tune that changed the world.

1 “RESPECT,” BY ARETHA FRANKLIN (1967) After Otis Redding wrote the song in 1965, Aretha Franklin added her own flavour to it two years later. Franklin’s visceral improvisations and powerful vocals crowned her as the “Queen of Soul.”

Only 24 years old at the time of release, Franklin transcended colour lines, rocking black and white neighbourhoods alike. Her stylized sound combined a heavenly range with a healing message. As the Civil Rights Movement led to the Black Power era of the 1960s and 1970s, “Respect” became synonymous with black pride and inclusivity.

Franklin’s groovy song became the track of the 1960s, with its infused declaration of independence. Classy yet unapologetic, “Respect” was an anthem for Black empowerment. With the interplay between Franklin and her sisters’ backup vocals, the song is also about feminine solidarity. A powerful assertion that women—particularly women of colour—demand our respect.

Zoran Veselinovic/Flickr

2 “BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY,” BY QUEEN (1975) After forming in 1970, Queen instantly transformed the course of music, championing the pop and rock genres. Freddie Mercury, the British band’s eccentric frontrunner, dispelled musical conventions and any preconceived notions of hyper-masculinity. Queen challenged their successors to be different and creative, demonstrating that the purpose of music isn’t the money—it’s the art.

Among Queen’s decorated discography, “Bohemian Rhapsody” best showcases the band’s high-spirited moxie, lyrical flair, and musical genius. This operatic rock song was a theatrical anomaly—one that Mercury (the sole writer) likened to a poet’s work. “I’ll say no more than what any decent poet would tell you if you dared ask him to analyze his work: ‘If you see it, dear, then it’s there.’”

The song is infamous for its random rhyming schemes and conflicting messages. Listeners were captivated by its fantasy in 1975 and continue to be more than 40 years later.

4 “WANNABE,” BY THE SPICE GIRLS (1996) This exuberant Spice Girls single was monumental in the surging popularity of girl groups before and after the turn of the millennium. When “Wannabe” released, the Britpop-themed Girl Power anthem permeated American consumer culture, influencing pop in ways still felt today.

Talent managers have tried to recreate the magic brought on

by Posh, Scary, Ginger, Sporty, and Baby Spice, but none have matched the group’s initial stardom. Their debut album, Spice, remains the best-selling album by any girl group to date.

“Wannabe” celebrated real, non-competitive female friendship, which audiences identified and fell in love with. The song symbolizes how far women have come in pop music, allowing other selfidentified feminists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift to flourish in the industry. And, according to a 2014 study, the song’s memorable lyrics and recognizable beat make it the catchiest song of all time.

3 “THRILLER,” BY MICHAEL JACKSON (1982) Michael Jackson—coined the “King of Pop”—wasted no time moonwalking his way to centre stage. His record-breaking album, “Thriller,” and its title track, were immeasurable to improving racial diversity in the industry.

When the decade started, radio stations shunned black music thanks to the virulent anti-disco backlash that collapsed the genre in 1979. As a result, radio programmers boycotted rhythmic black music for fear of being branded “disco,” causing the genre’s 80 per cent decline on the Billboard Hot 100.

But the anti-disco wave changed course when Jackson released the cultural phenomenon, “Thriller,” alongside its iconic music video. After the smash hit graced MTV, Jackson single-handedly forced pop radio to re-embrace black music since audiences couldn’t get enough.

Jackson also paved the way for other African American artists— such as Prince and Whitney Houston—to MTV stardom. Black artists soon reintegrated into mainstream culture, and it all started with “Thriller.”

5 “WHERE IS THE LOVE?” BY THE BLACK EYED PEAS (2003) Penned in response to the 9/11 Twin Towers attacks, “Where is the Love?” addresses everything from racism and gang culture to climate change and violence against LBGTQ+ people.

The band focused on human rights, analyzing how tragedies often result from marginalizing individuals in society. The verse, “if you only have love for your own race/Then you only leave space to discriminate/And to discriminate only generates hate,” implies love should be the primary goal of people.

In 2016, the Black Eyed Peas released an updated version of their iconic track, titled “#WHERESTHELOVE ft. The World.” In it, the band collaborated with other big-name artists, including Mary J. Blige, Jessie J, and Justin Timberlake. The new music video contains graphic, black-and-white photography of the year’s European terror attacks, the Syrian crisis, the shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, and many other human tragedies.

Over the years, “Where is the Love?” has endured as a rallying cry for unity during humanity’s darkest moments.

6 “SAME LOVE,” BY MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS FT. MARY LAMBERT (2012) A year after Lady Gaga’s gloriously defiant LGBTQ+ anthem “Born this Way” (2011), hip-hop artist Macklemore released his own song that embraces all types of love.

Being the first song to explicitly support gay marriage in the Billboard Top 40, “Same Love” is dedicated toward marriage equality.

As a sober white rapper supporting gay marriage, Macklemore refuses to conform to hip-hop genre conventions.

The song was controversial and a risky project for the rapper, who wrote and recorded it during Referendum 74—the decision on making same-sex marriage legal in Washington, Macklemore’s hometown state. The song’s message is perhaps best emphasized with the lyrics: “I might not be the same but that’s not important/No freedom till we’re equal/Damn right I support it.” Macklemore stresses that, whether or not you’re interested, marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights will always be important.

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JC Hewlett, Bertrand Petroff/Getty Images

The intrigue (and danger) of virtual celebrities As technologies become more sophisticated, so do our definitions of celebrity.(DSPD).

Danica Teng Associate Arts Editor

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eople continually seek new experiences, and as technology advances, newer things grab our attention. Modern technology has revolutionized our lives—from how we play video games to how we order food. And now, our attention turns toward the music industry to see the rise of virtual celebrities.

Virtual celebrities perform just like the real-life idols we’re used to, but with one important difference—they aren’t real.

Rather than humans singing and dancing, these celebrities are animated characters created by computer-generated imagery (CGI), augmented reality (AR), and other modern technologies. While this idea may seem relatively new, virtual celebrities have been around for a while.

Digital members, unlike the overworked human idols, will never get tired, fall below the industry’s harsh beauty standards, or go against the company.

Until recently, the most popular virtual celebrities were Japan’s Hatsune Miku and the British band Gorillaz. Crypton Future Media created Miku as a “Vocaloid,” a software used to synthesize singing by using recorded vocals of actual people. Miku, a “16-year-old girl” with iconic turquoise pigtails running down to her knees, stole the hearts of Japanese fans and crept toward global recognition. With hit songs such as “World is Mine” and “Lucky Orb,” the virtual celebrity generated roughly two billion dollars Canadian just five years after she debuted in 2007.

In 2009, Miku performed “live” at her first concert for Japan’s Animelo Summer Live before holding concerts in Singapore, France, and the United States, collaborating with famous artists like Lady Gaga and Pharrell Williams. The digital idol was also set to perform at Coachella 2020 in California until the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Gorillaz was created even earlier, in 1998, by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. From music videos to interviews, the band appeared as the animated characters of Stuart “2-D” Pot, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs.

Unlike Miku’s synthesized voice, Gorillaz’s songs were mainly sung by Albarn and often featured other artists. Their animated characters have performed “live” as well through computer graphics, but other times they’ve performed with their creators visible. Gorillaz has been nominated for and has won various awards, including The Grammy Awards and

MTV Video Music Awards, among others. Over time, the virtual band has sold over 20 million records worldwide.

Comparing the real group members to ther digital avatars can also be damaging, amplifying an ever-present problem of dehumanizing idols.

Whether Miku, Gorillaz, or another virtual celebrity, more people are embracing the fascination of something new. And they aren’t limited to music. VTubers (Virtual Youtubers) like Kizuna AI, or digital influencers like Lil Miquela are popping up online too, racking up millions of followers. A craze has also started around the virtual girl group K/DA that debuted in 2018, made up of four characters from the online game League of Legends. “League” already has a massive following and K/ DA’s first song, “POP/STARS,” became an instant hit, featuring the real voices of K-pop artists Soyeon and Miyeon. The two performed their song at the 2018 League of Legends World Championship, sharing the stage with holograms of their League of Legends characters.

According to creative director Patrick Morales, K/DA wasn’t meant to be a long-term addition. But after all the positive feedback, and hitting #1 on Billboard’s World Digital Songs Sales chart, Morales is keeping the group alive and making more music.

In all these examples, the unique animation is captivating.

Virtual celebrities force us to take a second look and wonder about the mechanics behind it all. Before we realize it, we’re immersed in a new world that strangely mimics our own.

But what about the dangers of a world so close to home?

Aespa—a new virtual K-pop group—has many fans worried for the health and treatment of its human counterparts.

Digital members, unlike the overworked human idols, will never get tired, fall below the industry’s harsh beauty standards, or go against the company. Comparing the real group members to their digital avatars can also be damaging, amplifying an ever-present problem of dehumanizing idols. People voiced their concerns online when teaser images showed the real and AI members side by side, noting that the digitized versions were oversexualized and conformed to unrealistic beauty standards.

By introducing some virtual celebrities, it may worsen the Kpop industry’s issues involving body image and mental health.

While combining real worlds with digital ones is an exciting “new” thing now, there will always be consequences that follow. The entertainment industry is competitive and requires standing out among talented artists all over the globe. But after witnessing the success that follows this futuristic concept, it’s no surprise to see a rise in this kind of entertainment as technology paves the future for virtual celebrities.

Hatsune Miku/Facebook

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sports & health

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

KHABIB RETIRES, BOUT AGAINST GSP UP IN THE AIR After his win against Justin Gaethje, Khabib Nurmagomedov announces retirement to honour father.

Bhavdeep Virk Contributor

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Khabib Nurmagomedov/Facebook

n October 24, 2020, the main title fight at UFC254 ended with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s career highlight triangle choke submission against Justin Gaethje and Khabib’s announcement of his retirement from professional fighting. Prior to his post-fight interview, Khabib laid down his gloves in the middle of the octagon, a tradition held by mixed martial artists (MMA) to signify their retirement.

This announcement came as a shock to the MMA world. Khabib had made it known throughout his career that his goal was to reach a record of 30-0. However, in the wake of his father’s death, Khabib felt that his time as a fighter had come to an end. As reported by Insider, Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, passed away due to Covid-19 complications at age 57. Khabib had cited Abdulmanap as his main reason for success.

In the post-fight interview with UFC, a distraught Khabib announced, “Today, I want to say that this was my last fight. No way I am going to come here without my father. After what happened with my father, when the UFC called me, I talked with my mother for three days. She said she doesn’t want me to go and fight without my father. I promised her that this is going to be my last fight and I have to keep my word. This was my last fight here.”

Khabib’s fighting career and relationship with his mentor and father Abdulmanap began somewhere in the impoverished hills of Dagestan, Russia. A young Khabib Nurmagomedov was entertaining his father and friends by grappling with a bear. This sort of irrational and unorthodox violence is the environment that Khabib was forced to grow up in, and only begins to explain what goes into crafting a seemingly flawless mixed martial artist.

A decade later, the young bear wrestler grew into a successful and undefeated professional fighting career, boasting a record of 29 wins and zero losses. He lost only one round in his entire career. This is an astonishing set of statistics that showcase why Khabib is now being considered one of the greatest “pound-for- pound” fighters of all time. Behind Khabib’s discipline and focus was his father, an elite level sambo wrestler and judo practitioner. Abdulmanap passed down his knowledge to Khabib, ensuring that his son was constantly evolving and challenged in his training. The only instances of Abdulmanap being absent from Khabib’s matches were when Khabib fought in the United States. This highlights what an integral piece of Khabib’s professional fighting career his father was, and a testament to their relationship.

Khabib’s father told Insider that the dream matchup for his son would be against George St. Pierre (GSP), the French-Canadian welterweight and middleweight, widely regarded as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Khabib’s wishes fell in line with his fathers. He told ESPN that GSP is one of his idols and the epitome of a champion. He mentioned he would love to fulfill his father’s wishes and compete against George.

Although Khabib promised his mother he’s done fighting, there is still a possibility that his father’s wishes will supersede and push Khabib to come back for one last fight—one last fight against his toughest opponent yet, the one chosen by his late father, mentor, and head coach.

Whether this bout will be scheduled to happen sooner or later is up in the air, but one thing is for sure: Abdulmanap had a tremendous amount of respect for GSP and that is the fight that will place the bow on Khabib’s career and solidify his legacy while paying homage to his father.

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Pretty looking food appears healthier to consumers The link between prettiness and naturalness

Duaa Nasir Contributor

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icture two slices of pizza.

One slice sits on a plate with part of the cheese ripped off and splatters of tomato sauce on the crust. There are a few unevenly cut mushrooms and onions sprinkled on it. The corner of the slice tapers off, curving down slightly.

The second slice is neatly cut. Light shines off its clean, white plate. Perfectly cut red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, and olives press into a soft bed of melted cheese. You can make out a bit of pizza sauce near the crust and see the layer is thick enough to taste, but thin enough to not overwhelm you. Which slice do you think is prettier? Which slice do you think tastes better? Which slice do you think is healthier?

A paper published in the Journal of Marketing titled “Pretty Healthy Food: How and When Aesthetics Enhance Perceived Healthiness” details a series of studies by Dr. Linda Hagen that examine “whether and how prettiness influences judgments of the food’s healthiness.”

In one of her studies, Hagen showed participants pieces of avocado toast that only varied in “the presence of pattern repetition in its presentation,” or how attractive they looked according to classical aesthetics.

Hagen also provided the participants with a list of ingredients in the avocado toast and listed its name in the picture.

The participants rated how low in fat, low in calories, natural, pure, unprocessed, tasty, flavorful, delicious, pricey, and expensive the toast looked. According to the study, “People found the avocado toast significantly prettier when it featured pattern repetition and order.” They also thought the toast was healthier when it was pretty despite having a list of ingredients. In contrast, taste “was unaffected by prettiness.”

What it all means This research reveals several key pieces of information: - According to the study, it shows that “classical aesthetics are a sign of naturalness” - It adds to evidence that people perceive natural things as healthier - It suggests that unhealthy food is not automatically perceived as tastier, which can make it easier for people to make healthier choices - People, including those who want to eat healthier, can perceive unhealthy pretty foods as a healthy option.

Pretty foods and healthy foods The naturalness hypothesis suggests that people perceive pretty things as more natural, and natural things as healthier. To test the applicability of the naturalness hypothesis to her own research, Hagen chose to analyze foods that were attractive according to classical aesthetics, one of the two branches of aesthetics. Classical aesthetics focuses on “order, symmetry, balance, clarity, and pattern repetition.” Since this is similar to patterns found in nature, Hagen decided to use that criteria to test her hypothesis.

However, Hagen made another interesting observation: “I found that a statement that explicitly reminds people that a pretty food was artificially modified for depiction can mitigate the effect. Given that it is not viable to prohibit firms from depicting food products in a basic aesthetically pleasant manner altogether, disclaimers may be the most practical solution.”

The future of health, hunger, and climate change is in the trees Mel Ramsammy Contributor

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ruits and vegetables are under-consumed in nearly all regions of the world, despite carrying high antioxidant, micronutrient, and fibre content essential to human health. According to a press release by EurekAlert, the “extraordinary low diversity” of our current global food supply poses several consequences not only for our health but for the health of our planet. In a new study published in People and Nature, Merel Jansen and her team of researchers argue that the solution might lie right above our heads: in the abundance of treesourced foods.

According to a previous study by Seunghyeon Kim and colleagues in 2015, 14 of the world’s 100 most nutritious foods are delivered from trees. This study evaluated foods based on their “nutritional fitness.” Kim and colleagues defined nutritional fitness as “the nutrient balance of a food.” According to a National Geographic post on the study, nutritional fitness is a measurement of how likely a food would meet our daily nutritional needs when placed in the context of other foods.

Of these tree-sourced foods, almonds have the highest nutritional fitness of any raw food. A BBC list of “the world’s most nutritious foods,” also derived from the study, further includes grapefruit, apricots, walnuts, red cherries, and plantain. Notably, tree-sourced foods cover several food groups: fruits and vegetables, fats and oils, legumes, nuts and seeds, and even herbs and spices.

Instead of consuming these nutrient-rich foods, however, Jansen and her team note that almost half of the calories consumed by humans come from just four crops: wheat, rice, sugar, and maize. As a result, “micronutrient deficiencies are a global issue,” with Vitamin A intake falling far below the recommended amount in nearly all countries. Vitamin C deficiencies also vary, but can be common in low-income populations

due to limited access to fruits and vegetables.

Tree-sourced foods, however, provide four times as much Vitamin C and nine times as much Vitamin A as other foods.

For example, according to Jensen’s study the camu-camu Myrciaria dubia from the Amazon has a Vitamin C content 54 times higher than oranges.

If tropical tree-sourced foods are the superhero of foods, why aren’t we all eating kumquats, golden kiwis, and cherimoya for breakfast?

Beyond providing nutrients, Jansen and her team note that tree planting is one of the most effective nature-based solutions for mitigating climate change. Trees provide more than 75 per cent of global carbon storage on agricultural land, and helps with soil restoration, habitat preservation, and water security.

These tropical trees extend their branches into issues of poverty reduction and food security in rural and local communities. By developing this alternative food supply system, Jansen argues, we provide opportunities for regional skills to be used and developed (i.e. producing and harvesting the foods). Jensen’s new research shows that supporting local food systems in this way is increasingly important in the face of pandemics like Covid-19.

If tropical tree-sourced foods are the superhero of foods, why aren’t we all eating kumquats, golden kiwis, and cherimoya for breakfast? In their study, Jansen and her team identified various interventions and obstacles. First, redesigning the system can’t happen without consumer demand for tropical tree-sourced foods. Jansen suggests that efforts must be made to inform consumers of the nutritional benefits of these foods, and to make these foods accessible. Thankfully, history shows us this is possible: the production of avocados has doubled over the last three decades thanks to the recent consumer demand.

Other factors to consider include honouring Indigenous land rights, as well as developing and incorporating new techniques and technologies in the planting and post-harvest processes.

According to Jansen, the largest concern in bringing forward this new system is ensuring sustainable production. In other words, the benefits of promoting tropical tree-sourced foods would suffer at the cost of large-scale deforestation or other unwanted side effects. Jansen notes that ensuring sustainable production requires consideration for the environmental, political, economic, and social implications.

If we can overcome these obstacles, increasing the production and consumption of tropical tree-sourced foods can provide substantial benefits to both humans and our planet. As Jansen and colleagues note in their study, we can create a system that is “more sustainable and socially equitable, provides better-quality diets, significantly contributes to tree-based restoration of ecosystem services, and helps to mitigate climate change.” If any food rises to this large task, it’ll come from above.