Volume 50, Issue 22

The Independent Student Newspaper of the University of To ro nto Mississauga since 1974 themedium.ca

AutoShow Reading week WWE

The 2024 Canadian International AutoShow came back and was better than ever. This past February, automotive enthusiasts had the chance to see the latest innovations and trends in the industry at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

>> read more on page 6

The first few weeks of the semester are often spent speedscrolling through lecture slides and cramming notes into some semblance of a coherent revision plan. After a grueling midterm season, reading week comes as a welcome respite.

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Seven free or budget-friendly spring activities in Toronto and Mississauga

Maryam Raheel Contributor

Dark winter days have everyone anticipating weather in the double digits. Springtime in Toronto and Mississauga is the perfect time to spend outdoors before the summer sun starts scalding our skin. Experience the city’s rejuvenated air with a variety of free or budget-friendly activities, as enchanting flora and fauna emerge from the depths of a dreary winter and outdoor festivals and patios open. Or, if nature isn’t your thing, relish the fact that you won’t have to lug around your bulky jackets anymore!

>> ACTIVITIES continues on page 14

Changing tides in Formula 1

Kuicmar Phot Contributor

Withseven world championships and the most race wins in Formula One (F1) history, Lewis Hamilton is one of the most recognizable figures in F1. Hamilton and Mercedes-Benz have become synonymous as the start of the 2024 season marks Hamilton’s 11 years with AMG Petronas Mercedes. However, the weeks ahead of the start of the 2024 season were struck with controversy when Hamilton unexpectedly announced that he will be moving to Scuderia Ferrari for the 2025 season. As the 2024 season begins—Hamilton’s last season with Mercedes—there is still speculation as to why he moved to Ferrari.

When Hamilton joined the Mercedes team in 2013, he had won one world championship during his six years with the McLaren team. Hamilton’s move to Mercedes seemed to be the right decision, as he won six world championships in just 11 years, paving the way for the era of Mercedes dominance.

With newer and younger drivers on the grid, such as Max Verstappen, the era of Mercedes dominance has since been replaced with the emergence of Red Bull dominance. This transition was best portrayed during the controversial and highly debated outcome of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in which the presence of a safety car, a breach of regulation, and a final pitstop led to Verstappen overtaking Hamilton, robbing Hamilton of what would have been his eight world championship. Verstappen has since won two more world championships since 2021, establishing the era of Red Bull.

>> FORMULA 1 continues on page 16

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a money-hungry corporation that commits unethical practices and covers them up. They have mistreated their employees, exploiting them for financial gain, and unethically blurred lines between on-screen and off-screen couples.

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Catching up with alumni: where are they now?

Rafiqa Zubair Associate Features Editor

You are about to walk up that stage, receive your degree, and exit those doors with a scroll in your hands. You may attend a few graduation parties and celebrate with your family and friends. The excitement will eventually simmer down, forcing you to choose your path. So, what’s next? Everyone’s path looks different. University creates inspiring, unique, and talented individuals who impact this world—and you are one of them. The Medium reached out to three different alumni to hear their stories and to inspire and excite you about this new chapter of life we call postgraduation!

Karanveer Dhanjal, Bachelor of Science, Applied Statistics and Communication, Culture, Information, & Technology (CCIT)

Dhanjal works for Keyence, a Japanese company, as a technical consultant. He says that his path didn’t end at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), but instead, university was the sole reason he found his job after graduating. It was through the UTM career fairs that Dhanjal had the opportunity to network and land his current position. Advice that he offers to recent graduates and applies to his own life is, “Never stop learning. Always be open to try[ing] new things, grow your own skills, and be curious to ask questions. Lastly, don’t feel down if you don’t know which direction to go in life. You will always find your path.”

>> ALUMNI continues on page 10

SARA

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief River Knott editor@themedium.ca

Managing Editor Jaros Valdes managing@themedium.ca

News

May Alsaigh news@themedium.ca

Opinion Aya Yafaoui opinion@themedium,ca

Features Louis Lam features@themedium.ca

A&E Hannah Wang arts@themedium.ca

Sports Omar Khan sports@themedium.ca

Photo Daanish Alvi photos@themedium.ca

Design Beatriz Simas design@themedium.ca

Copy Chris Berberian Chris@themedium.ca

Maja Ting maja@themedium.ca

Social Media & Online Belicia Chevolleau social@themedium.ca

Video

Nikolas Towsey video@themedium.ca

Mississauga grapples with increasing diabetes

The increased cost of living and reduction in green spaces may be what is behind the increasing rates of diabetes in Mississauga.

Karine Alhakim Associate News Editor

Mississauga is currently facing increased rates of diabetes, which are higher than Ontario’s average rate. According to CBC News, Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations found that most Mississauga neighbourhoods face diabetes rates of 13 to 16.9 per cent. In comparison, the provincial average among adults is only 9.8 per cent.

In November 2023, the City of Mississauga gave a presentation about diabetes at the Health City Expo to develop a strategy to combat the increasing trends of diabetes in the city.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the glucose levels in the blood are too high and a person’s body cannot properly produce insulin to mitigate these glucose levels. Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations is a diabetes research group at the University of Toronto (U of T) that collaborates with the community and the government to address these concerns. Novo Nordisk is famous for creating the diabetes drug Ozempic—which is perhaps more commonly known for its potential to help some patients with weight loss.

Ghazal Fazli, an epidemiologist at U of T, told CBC News that this “unprecedented” trend will be “on the rise in the region in the years to come.” Fazli states that genetic predisposition to diabetes can be amplified by living in environments that lack healthy foods and walkable green spaces.

Fazli further emphasized that an effective strategy to counter the rising diabetes rates must “[meet] people where they are at” while considering any barriers people face when trying to eat healthily and exercise.

One of these barriers is the rising food costs, which have made it more challenging for Canadians to maintain a healthy lifestyle. According to a recent Consumer Price Index report from Statistics Canada, the cost of food in grocery stores increased by 4.7 per cent. Meanwhile, the overall inflation rate rose to 3.4 per cent year-over-year in December 2023.

As food prices increase, sticking to a healthy and clean diet has become more challenging for consumers. Consumers often face a hard choice between prioritizing their health and maintaining their budget, according to CBC News.

Rob Trewartha, the director of strategic communications and initiatives with the City of Mississauga, says the city has been working to tackle diabetes since the pandemic. Staff are currently working on a draft strategy and action plan and will present it to the council later this year.

DAANISH ALVI/THE MEDIUM

Ontario announces C$1.3 billion in funding for postsecondary education

The funding is intended to help stabilize Ontario universities and colleges amidst the ongoing tuition freeze.

Celesta Maniatogianni Contributor

OnFebruary 26, the Ontario government announced nearly C$1.3 billion in new funding to stabilize the province’s colleges and universities while also maintaining the tuition fee freeze for another three years.

Jill Dunlop, Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities said in a press release, “It’s never been more important to keep costs down for students and parents.”

When the tuition freeze was first implemented in 2019, Ontario had the highest university tuition rates in Canada.

The funding will be allocated to different sectors. The new Postsecondary Education Sustainability Fund, which will begin this year, will receive C$903 million. This includes C$203 million that will be invested in top-ups for institutions requiring greater financial relief.

A total of C$167.4 million will be invested in capital repairs and equipment. This year, C$100 million will support STEM program costs at publicly funded colleges and universities with student enrollments surpassing existing funding thresholds.

Another C$65.4 million will be put towards research and innovation, and C$23 million will be used to enhance mental health support for students. The rest of the funding will be put towards other costs, such as grants and third-party reviews into how colleges and universities can save money in the long term.

This funding is intended to help students and parents afford postsecondary education while keeping colleges and universities financially stable enough to support student success and wellness.

The Ontario government is also introducing the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024. If passed, postsecondary institutions will be required to increase transparency when it comes to student costs. This would include ancillary fees and student costs including the purchasing of textbooks and learning materials. The act would also require postsecondary institutions to implement policies that support mental health and wellness while combating racism, antisemitism, and islamophobia on campus.

The new funding is in response to a government-commissioned report which found that low provincial funding combined with the 2019 tuition freeze posed a significant threat to the financial sustainability of Ontario colleges and universities.

The report also revealed that funding for publicly assisted colleges and universities in Ontario was at a lower level than in every other province. The Council of Ontario Universities has added that at least 10 universities in Ontario are struggling with operating deficits.

This effort by the provincial government has already been criticized by organizations that represent Ontario colleges and universities and the Opposition NDP, who say the new funding is still not enough to solve postsecondary institutions’ financial difficulties.

Alex Usher, president of the Higher Education Strategy Associates, criticized the new funding as not being a “serious attempt to put Ontario’s colleges and universities on solid footing,” in a CBC article.

On the other hand, Colleges Ontario, which represents Ontario’s 24 public colleges, said in a statement on February 26 that they are pleased the government is making an effort to support postsecondary institutions, but that further action is still expected and necessary for the sustainability of Ontario’s public colleges.

NATHAN DUMLAO/ UNSPLASH

U of T receives new funding from the Government of Canada to prevent elder abuse in Ontario

In collaboration with U of T and Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, RISE will work to prevent the mistreatment of older persons in Canada.

Yana Chopde Contributor

On February 22, the Government of Canada announced that it will provide almost C$800,000 in funding to the University of Toronto (U of T) to address the mistreatment of older persons in Canada. U of T will implement the RISE Model—which stands for repair harm, inspire change, support connection, and empower choice—to prevent and respond to the mistreatment of elderly persons.

RISE Collaborative has various locations across the US and Canada, including one upcoming site in Ontario that has partnered with U of T and Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario (EAPO) with funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The World Health Organization defines elder abuse as “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.”

RISE aims to change the relationship between the individual experiencing elder abuse and the person causing harm through the involvement of family and friends as well as formal support services. Its objective is to collect data on which kinds of strategies are efficient in preventing elderly person mistreatment and to determine how and where they can be most effectively applied.

Mistreatment of older persons takes many forms

Mistreatment can manifest in many forms, including financial exploitation, emotional or psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. According to a 2021 study by U of T Professor David Burnes and colleagues, financial abuse is the most common form of elderly mistreatment with a 10-year incidence rate of 8.5 per cent.

Other factors, including race and poor health, can increase the risk of an elder experiencing abuse. Elders with poor health are more likely to experience all forms of mistreatment while older Black adults face a higher risk of experiencing financial abuse specifically.

The rise of mistreatment of older persons

The mistreatment experienced by elders is only one part of the problem. Burnes reports that elderly people who are abused rarely report it. Victims are often afraid of being sent to a long-term care facility, or of harming their relationship with an abusive family member.

The Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, told the Government of Canada that “mistreatment of older persons inflicts deep emotional wounds, and can lead to feelings of fear, shame, and isolation.”

The consequences of mistreatment include “premature mortality, poor physical and mental health, diminished quality of life, and increased rates of emergency services use, hospitalization, and nursing home placement.”

The Government of Canada reports that cases of elder abuse will increase significantly over the next two decades. Meanwhile, EAPO predicts that the number of seniors over the age of 65 and above will more than double, surpassing four million by 2036—underscoring an urgent need to mitigate the risk of elder abuse in Canada.

Burnes told the Government of Canada that “One in ten older adults living in the community across Canada experience some form of elder mistreatment each year, which translates to nearly 900,000 older adults who fall victim.” According to Burnes, RISE and its partnership with EAPO represents an important step toward addressing this gap.

The implementation of RISE represents a significant step forward in addressing the issue of elder abuse in Ontario. With its comprehensive approach to applying evidence-based solutions, elder persons have a greater chance of receiving better support in the future.

BEATRIZ SIMAS/ THE MEDIUM

University unions demand livable wage over cost-ofliving crisis

The unions representing contract instructors and teaching assistants at York University and the University of Toronto are bargaining for better support.

Jacob Fu Contributor

Unions at York University and the University of Toronto (U of T) representing contract faculty, teaching assistants, and service workers have initiated labour proceedings due to the mounting cost-of-living crisis affecting their members.

On February 26, CUPE 3903, which represents 3,000 York University teaching assistants, contract faculty, and graduate and postgraduate students, went on strike over failed negotiations with the university to secure job stability and wage increases to combat the cost-of-living crisis.

Before the strike, in December 2023, reports revealed that some members of CUPE 3903, which stands for Canadian Union of Public Employees, were relying on food banks while struggling to keep up with the cost of living. While the university has maintained that they negotiated a fair agreement, CUPE 3903 has exposed their statement as misinformation and indicated that York University had no intention of submitting any proposals before the strike deadline of February 26.

Similarly, a coalition of unions from U of T collectively known as “We Are U of T,” has engaged in similar negotiations over the cost of living since October 2023, including CUPE 1230, which represents U of T library workers, CUPE 3261, which represents U of T service staff, and CUPE 3902, which represents U of T contracted faculty.

On February 15, the unions condemned university administrators as lacking urgency in addressing the concerns of We Are U of T. Soon after, We Are U of T voted for strike action to pressure the university to address worker compensation and offer better support structures for students and faculty.

On March 3, U of T reached a new tentative deal that addressed many of the concerns held by the unions, thus averting the strike.

Unravelling the negotiations of Bill 124

Both CUPE 3903 and We Are U of T have cited the repeal of Bill 124 as a rationale behind these negotiations.

Bill 124 was passed by the Ford government on November 7, 2019, and capped any annual wage increases in public sector jobs to one per cent. This prompted an outcry from various unions representing public sector workers, which challenged the bill in the Ontario Superior Court. On November 29, 2022, the court promptly struck the act down as unconstitutional because the law interfered with the unions’ negotiating rights.

While the Ford government appealed the ruling to the Ontario Court of Appeal, the court upheld the decision made by the Superior Court on February 12, 2024, asserting that the act “significantly restrict[ed] the scope and areas left open in the collective bargaining process.”

In response, Ford announced a repeal of Bill 124 on February 23. The Ontario Court of Appeal decision and Ford’s announcement of repeal prompted a new round of negotiations in both York University and U of T.

Throughout this process, the cost of living has been steadily on the rise. According to Statistics Canada, the Consumer Price Index—which measures the change in the price of consumer goods—increased by 2.9 per cent in the last year. The Bank of Canada’s Inflation Calculator indicates that the rate of inflation has increased by 15.72 per cent since January 2020.

With the repeal of Bill 124, the unions set out to renegotiate to ensure their wages can keep up with the increased cost of living. CUPE 3903 stated that a four per cent salary increase per year would return wages to parity with inflation.

On March 3, after many weeks of bargaining, We Are U of T reached an agreement with U of T on a new contract that promised to address cost-of-living issues. The new measures include a 12.8 per cent wage increase over three years, more healthcare benefits including mental health services, more time for appointments with students, promises of a transit discount, and extra paid personal time off.

In contrast, CUPE 3903 maintained its position of striking indefinitely due to the continued hostile environment exhibited by York University, including sending police to intimidate strikers.

On February 24, CUPE 3903 posted a page to address frequently asked questions regarding strikes for students. On the site, they clarify their demands by focusing on student-faculty working conditions and wage concerns following the fallout of Bill 124. They emphasize the importance of job security to student learning, noting that greater job security would “[give] instructors more time to plan courses and [create] an overall better learning environment” for students.

In a post last updated on March 3, the union identified wages and benefits as the main detractor of negotiations, accusing York University of not bargaining in good faith.

As of March 7, CUPE 3903 remains on strike, while We Are U of T is waiting to finalize its tentative deal by next week.

BASTIAN RICCARDI/UNSPLASH

OPINION

Editor | Aya Yafaoui opinion@themedium.ca

Revving up the future: the 2024 Toronto International AutoShow

How this year’s auto show is driving innovation and redefining marketing in the automobile industry.

Omar Khan Sports & Health Editor

THE MEDIUM

The2024 Canadian International AutoShow came back and was better than ever. This past February, automotive enthusiasts had the chance to see the latest innovations and trends in the industry at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Founded in 1974, the auto show is an annual display of the latest cars and has grown to become Canada’s largest auto show and one of the most important automotive exhibitions in North America, garnering hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

Given the significance of the auto show and the volume of eyes it can bring to a company, it is even more interesting that certain brands chose to skip this year’s auto show. Popular brands such as Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volkswagen all opted to skip the 2024 edition of the event. Even brands such as BMW have significantly scaled back their presence, displaying only one car this year.

Mercedes-Benz, who has been skipping the event for a few years now, believes that with today’s internet and digital marketing culture, the auto show is an outdated form of marketing and that the company’s time and resources are better used elsewhere.

For many fans of the auto show, brands skipping out on the event is disappointing.

I remember going to the show as a kid and looking forward to the Mercedes section since we’d have access to the VIP lounge because my grandfather worked for them. Experiences such as this were fun and seeing the cars in person inspired me as a kid, and I’m sure, inspired many others. Perhaps this shift in marketing approach is evidence of the growing trends of digital marketing, moving away from tangible or in-person forms of marketing toward a cheaper and sometimes more efficient form. However, for kids like me who grew up going to the auto show, it will always be a unique platform and a great experience.

Christopher Pfaff, Chief Executive Officer of Pfaff Automotive, believes that the auto show remains a valuable form of marketing and that having a presence at the show still has value.

“I can’t quantify the payoff for this [AutoShow display], but I really think there is a payoff. I think it’s really important that you see this stuff. So we’re really happy to be here,” Pfaff said in an interview for The Globe and Mail.

Pfaff displayed approximately C$30 million in cars from Pfaff dealerships, ranging from

McLarens to Paganis and even a pink Porsche Taycan with a rare body kit. It’s safe to say Pfaff had a distinct presence at this year’s auto show, garnering many eyes toward its brand and showing consumers how special its products are. Other standouts from this year’s show included Mattel, who had Hot Wheels celebrating five decades of its existence, and the famous 1957 Chevrolet Corvette from 2023’s Barbie movie. With these displays, Mattel aimed to connect with the consumer’s inner child, focusing on nostalgia for its showcase.

Jeep also had a strong presence this year. Dubbed Camp Jeep, its showcase included an interactive experience where participants were driven through a man-made, offroad obstacle course designed to highlight Jeep’s off-road capabilities and how fun its cars are to drive. Jeep leaned on an experiential marketing method for its showcase and judging by the length of the lines for the obstacle course, the company was extremely successful in this attempt.

While innovative marketing techniques were a standout for the 2024 auto show, the event also displayed the future of the automotive industry with a prominent selection of electric vehicles (EVs). This year’s show included an extensive indoor EV Test Track where participants had the opportunity to experience driving EVs and get a firsthand look at the future of automobiles. Meanwhile, an outdoor test drive option has been a popular attraction at the event since debuting in 2020. And the Electric City attraction also returned, serving as a comprehensive hub for everything consumers need to know about the future of driving and EVs.

The 2024 Canadian International AutoShow serves as a reminder of the divergent landscape of marketing approaches among automotive brands and a glimpse into the future of cars and the automotive industry. While some powerhouse brands chose to opt out of the event, others embraced it and leveraged the platform to showcase their models and allow consumers to engage with their products. Automotive enthusiasts can now look forward to next year’s show, where the multi-faceted experience will shed further light on the shared interest in cars and the automotive industry.

OMAR KHAN /

Protesting is not extreme, the ruling class is

The shame of the ruling class is translating into the villainy of protests.

Yasmine Benabderrahmane Associate Opinion Editor

Tohesitate protesting is to fall victim to the oppressor’s fearmongering tactics.

When I drafted my first ever article about Palestine back in October 2023, I hesitated to use my name, and considered a pen name. For a moment, writing in protest of the Israeli genocide in Palestine seemed extreme. The Medium made it seem extreme. The University of Toronto Mississauga made it seem extreme. And so did the world around me.

But there is no extremity in protesting for justice—not when extremity lies in the hands of our ruling classes. These were the words of Aaron Bushnell, 25-year-old US Air Force active-duty engineer, who self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. on February 25.

“I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

In true Western media fashion, the protest was hastily dismissed as an act of mental instability. And terrorism. And irresponsibility. And uselessness. And deification. And suicide glorification. And even suggesting that the self-immolation might trigger an anarchist witch-hunt. Because, to Western establishments, sacrificing one’s life for a cause is suicidal terrorism, but conscripting in the army to murder Indigenous people on Indigenous land is heroic. Self-immolation is an act of instability, but pointing guns toward a burning man’s body is an act of security.

Worst of all, some Western coverage of Bushnell’s death has conveniently disregarded his last words: “Free Palestine.” With many, in conscious avoidance, speculating the very reason for his self-immolation.

But although the coverage has been poor, Bushnell knew that his privilege as a white-American man would guarantee attention, regardless. For when Cedrick Nianza selfimmolated in Congo against the government’s active genocide of the Congolese people, the world stood in ignorance. Because our world, time after time, reminds us that the cost of life lies in the colour of our skin.

So, when asked to boycott and take the streets for Palestine, Congo, and Sudan alike, know that your actions are all but extreme. They are the very bare minimum of humanity, a humanity that has been lost amongst members of our societies.

In fact, the refusal to protest is an indignity of basking in one’s privilege. A by-product of Western individualism, taught to us as a (false) marker of civilization. To watch from afar, recognizing the existence of a power that rests in your voice, favouring the aesthetics of your social media page and the lies of neutral political stances.

You choose to redirect your power into a silence that muffles the echoing screams of the Gazan mother as she lies on the corpses of her sons. You choose to redirect your power into a silence that muffles the weeping heart of the Gazan father as his seven-year-old daughter hangs atop the rubble, lifeless and limbless. You choose to redirect your power into a silence that muffles the chants, turned into shrieks of pain, of a young man demanding a free Palestine.

And in return, there is a humility in sitting behind our screens, in the security of our homes, writing about the innumerate genocides occurring as though they are tragic stories of faraway lands. Indeed, there is humility behind every word I type, knowing that my protests stand minute in scale, hoping they are grand in effect.

It is then that the hesitancy to protest becomes less about fear and more about comfort. It is then that your efforts in dictating protests as an extreme become a weapon of your willful ignorance to lessen the weight of shame.

DAANISH ALVI/THE MEDIUM

What is “wokeness”?

The meaning of the term and how media gets labelled “woke.”

Yusuf Larizza-Ali Staff Writer

Theterm “woke” is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “[being] aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues.” However, the interpretation of the word has changed and is now describing a misuse of social themes in a way that becomes preachy, unjustified, and upsetting to other people. Your most recent encounter with this word was likely in a negative context where someone was describing the negative backlash associated with properties that receive the woke label. Such as the famous saying in our society “go woke go broke,” which essentially means that if your film, advertisement, or other entertainment property is “woke,” it will be automatically undesirable. Now, there is a great deal of evidence supporting the validity of this claim. Popular film franchises and commercials that are labelled as woke are known to perform poorly at the box office and show a significant drop in product sales.

A famous film franchise that was criticized for being woke is Star Wars. This started with The Last Jedi, the second film in the sequel trilogy, where the overtly progressive themes were noticed by audiences. The franchise was quickly labelled as woke, and this reputation appears to have caused major damage as this film failed to meet box office expectations. This was unheard of for a high-profile franchise like Star Wars which was previously considered an automatic success.

I found that the problem with this film was not the fact that women were playing a major role. In the original series, Princess Leia was integral to the story and became an iconic and beloved character. The issue was the writing of the characters. The main protagonist, Rey, had no character arc or struggles. From the start, she already possessed the strength to accomplish amazing things. In The Last Jedi she was even able to compete with Luke Skywalker, which within the story is completely illogical given the former’s experience and strength. The same goes for other major women characters, such as Rose, who received no development or reason for the audience to care about them the same way they did about Leia. This resulted in audiences not buying the stories and feeling that the film was prioritizing social messaging over what fictional stories are supposed to prioritize: story. Thus, they felt that a message was being unsubtly forced upon them.

Elsewhere, a famous commercial campaign from Gillette also showcased the dangers of wokeness. In January 2019, the razor company released a commercial with the tagline: “We believe in the best of men.” This commercial discussed the topic of toxic masculinity in depth and received major backlash and the woke label. The brand subsequently lost US$8 billion, which further shows the major stain that “being woke” brings.

While these properties deserved their criticism for being woke, I feel that this criticism is losing its meaning. The word typically refers to a misuse of social themes, but I have noticed it is starting to be misused itself. There appears to be a misconception circulating that anything that has even the slightest social messaging is “woke” by default. This idea has led people to automatically label new movies as woke because they appear to

be slightly progressive in their characters or themes, such as featuring a diverse cast. This is the crux of the viewpoint; it conflates the terms woke and progressive. But they are not the same thing.

A progressive property typically refers to a message that is built up properly for the benefit of all people. I rarely ever hear the word progressive used in criticisms the way the word woke is, which emphasizes their difference. Woke is the word that refers to social themes getting misused, but the mindset that all progressive themes are automatically woke is not accurate. According to this mindset, it would make much of the great entertainment of the past be considered woke. For example, the original Star Trek was known for its discussion of social themes. One episode, “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” featured two aliens who mostly looked the same with shades of black and white, but one had the black shade on their right and the other had it on their left. When we reach their home planet at the end of the episode, it has been destroyed from within. Additionally, the famous X-Men comic book series was inspired by racism in the ’60s, depicted through the conflict between the mutants and humans. According to this mindset, both iconic stories (and many more) would have to be woke due to their inclusion of social themes. However, as they demonstrate, merely having social themes does not make something “woke,” as social themes can be found in many stories without heavy backlash.

One of the basic functions of stories is to teach a lesson, hence the abundance of social themes. However, simply using social themes does not preclude a story from being “woke.” Based on my knowledge, I have created some criteria to help determine whether a property should receive the woke label:

1. It must be unsubtle. A key aspect to the success of social themes is subtlety, so that the audience can still view it as a story. If it is unsubtle, it will have an immediate negative effect, since the audience will feel the message is forced upon them. For example, the Star Trek episode has a moral about the illogical and deadly nature of racism. However, the message is depicted well, as we simply see the effect on the planet at the end as opposed to telling us or focusing heavily on it. This small inclusion of it is more effective by allowing subtlety and not letting the message dominate the viewing experience.

2. The message must be fundamentally broken, such as saying women are inherently better at everything than men. This is an inaccurate and toxic message that will not resonate with most audiences. The message itself must be truly rooted in equity.

3. It is aimed at the wrong audience. The infamous Gillette ad falls under this, as it contained a message that attacked masculinity. However, it was advertising a product aimed at mainly men, so this is another aspect of failure. A film planning to employ a specific message should know who its audience is and recognize how to appeal to them.

BEATRIZ SIMAS/ THE MEDIUM

features

Your guide

to a successful reading week

Editor | Louis Lam features@themedium.ca

Reading week offers students a mix of rest and stress, emphasizing the need to balance academics with enjoyable activities.

Katya Lee Contributor

Thefirst few weeks of the semester are often spent speed-scrolling through lecture slides and cramming notes into some semblance of a coherent revision plan. After a grueling midterm season, reading week comes as a welcome respite. A few blissfully empty days offer students the chance to catch up on sleep, indulge in extracurriculars, and finally address the laundry basket that’s been marinating for several weeks too long. Some find this the prime opportunity to network or seek in-depth academic advice, while others struggle to stay afloat with a host of at-home responsibilities. The diversity of career goals and living situations among students creates a vast spectrum of what reading week looks like for everyone.

Many of us might have every intent of being productive. It’s a familiar feeling: you set your alarm the night before, grumpily hit snooze when it startles you awake, then end up rolling out of bed in the late afternoon, disoriented and disappointed with yourself. Others jump at the opportunity to plan socials and end up having a blast with friends. But when the end of the week rolls around, the five readings you planned to do when you had a spare minute still haven’t been touched, and three of them are due tomorrow.

Those who struggle with overworking themselves rather than procrastinating might follow through with their plans of using the week to work on several assignments ahead. But all too soon, the break is over, and it didn’t end up being much of a break at all. So, what exactly are the benefits of reading week, and how can we plan our time to make it worthwhile?

A study by McMaster University assessed the benefits of reading week by having students complete a two-part stress survey both before and immediately after reading week. The first part of the survey measured the number of stressors recently experienced by students while the second part asked students to indicate their perceived stress levels. In general, the number of stressors decreased over reading week, but students’ perceived stress was higher following the break.

For most participants, stress before the break was related to general worries about the future whereas concerns following the break were tied closely to academics. On top of that, an analysis of students’ saliva samples after reading week showed a lower ratio of cortisol to other circulating hormones, indicating less stress.

The positive impacts of a break from school cannot be understated. Studies have shown that they give students the chance to rest and recharge, improving focus and

productivity. But while a break can reduce stress levels in a measurable sense, the empty days also provide ample opportunity for pondering school-related worries surrounding the second half of the semester. So, how can we make reading week a time of actual rest rather than nervous anticipation?

It’s important to remember that there is no set-in-stone model for a worthwhile reading week. A mental break can look different for everyone, so it’s always a good idea to keep your options open. Hang out with friends, invest in a new hobby, plan for the next few weeks of school—priorities will vary from person to person. Take some time to figure out what works best for you.

Staying realistic is another thing students can find themselves forgetting. If you spent the first half of term procrastinating—no judgement there—then a one-week break won’t be enough time to catch up while still consuming a safe amount of caffeine. Not only is it unrealistic, but it’s also unsustainable. The last thing you want to do during your break is burn yourself out. If studying is on your to-do list, set achievable goals and divide them into small, easy steps.

Of course, a break from school shouldn’t be spent thinking only about school, so be sure to plan activities you enjoy with as much care as you plan out your academics. We often tell ourselves we’ll have fun once we’re done with schoolwork, but schoolwork can easily sap your energy, and once it’s drained, planning an outing just becomes another chore. Next time you’re compiling a list of everything you need to get done, add a reminder to shoot your friend a text and check when they’re free. Or try to use your study breaks to research new places around town in which you can destress. Finding small ways to make the reading week enjoyable can go a long way in helping you feel motivated and well-rested.

If you find yourself at the end of the week having abandoned any kind of plan you had for rest and productivity, don’t beat yourself up. Learning to manage your spare time is a skill, and not one learned overnight. Even a reading week that feels wasted away can be a valuable learning opportunity. For instance, after spending the better part of seven days in bed, you might realize just how much more sleep you need to function. Use the break as an opportunity to see how you pass the time when you have so much of it and adjust your regular schedule accordingly.

AURORA PICCIOTTOLI/THE MEDIUM

Catching up with alumni: where are they now?

Three students share their journeys post-graduation.

Rafiqa Zubair Associate Features Editor

>>Continued from cover

Even though he’s not in university anymore, Dhanjal believes that learning is continuous. The CCIT program offered a wide range of courses, from graphic design to web development, because of the joint program with Sheridan College. He found this to be the most valuable experience from his program. Dhanjal was able to learn different creative skills and participate in hands-on workshops at Sheridan College. He cherishes his memories from UTM, stating that he made friends and relationships in courses that have lasted beyond university.

Sierra Peca, Honours Bachelor of Arts, Art & Art History and Professional Writing and Communication (PWC)

Peca teaches art classes at Visual Arts Mississauga as a resident artist. She also works as a marketing specialist for a Canadian publisher and is a blog writer for an art company. She has exciting plans for this summer, which involve an art residency in Malta. Alongside that, she plans to pursue her graduate studies in art history.

Peca is a passionate artist and published author who conveys powerful storytelling through her art pieces. The advice that she shares with recent graduates can be useful for most of us. “It doesn’t end when you graduate. Keep creating. Keep submitting your writing and art everywhere you can. Don’t be afraid to hear ‘no’ because at some point you’ll hear ‘yes,’ and it’ll be worth it. I feel like undergraduate was a time when we could experiment and not take life too seriously; risks didn’t seem as risky. If you can and life permits it, I’d recommend trying to keep that perspective when you’re out of school and do whatever it is you’re passionate about, as much as you can.”

During her undergraduate studies, Peca published her first novel, Mizia, in the PWC WRI420: Making a Book course. She found that both the Art & Art History program and the PWC program lacked diversity, stating, “When I started the Art & Art History program, though, I would say it lacked diversity in the art history courses offered. It’s improved a lot since I started, but I think that’s one area that I disliked,

even in the writing program—the writers we referenced seemed to lack diversity.” As a woman of colour and a Maltese artist and writer, Peca hopes to diversify the creative industry and give a platform and voice to people from underrepresented communities.

Sidra Sidra, Honours Bachelor of Science, Environmental Science and Geographical Information Systems

Sidra works Islamic Relief, a non-profit organization, as a Junior Project Coordinator. After graduating, she had many paths ahead of her and one dream she wanted to pursue: traveling. With Islamic Relief, Sidra travels to different countries around the world to contribute to charity work, build orphanages, and advance education in those areas.

Her time at UTM diversified her skillset. She found that both of her majors allowed her to learn core scientific research skills alongside her skills in mapping, programming, and policy making. Sidra wants to pursue further education within U of T in the Environmental Studies Master’s program. At UTM, she found that her program did not offer many paid internship options. “As a student, it can be difficult to land parttime paid positions in your discipline,” she explains.

Sidra’s passion for traveling, the environment, and helping people has led her to where she is today. She helps people around the world and makes the impact most of us hope to make!

The Medium encourages you to chase that goal even if it doesn’t align with your degree or what you studied. Open a small business, start a social media account, travel the world, apply to grad schools, or simply find joy in every passing day. Remember to constantly celebrate the small milestones. Your twenties are only the early years leading to an incredible life. The Medium and our entire team want to wish the best of luck to those graduating this spring. We hope future pieces will capture your stories and how it all started at UTM to where you will be in the future.

SARA LI / THE MEDIUM

Lecture Me! On pain and the social brain

Dr. Loren Martin discusses research based on emotional contagion and social interactions.

Pamela Prasetya Associate Features Editor

Asa neuroscientist, Dr. Loren Martin uses models to understand neural circuits and molecular changes to minor nerve responses and pain receptors in the human brain. He opened his Lecture Me! series by discussing vision and optical illusions and their impacts on brain activity.

“The brain is a fascinating organ that operates on a peripheral range, and depending on the amount and type of information it receives, it changes and modifies what is shown to us,” explained Dr. Martin. “Think of it as a puzzle. You start with one small piece, and it’s kind of hard to tell what the final product is supposed to be. But once you start piecing things together, the bigger picture comes into view. That’s kind of how the brain works.”

Dr. Martin is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). His research focuses on behavioural neuroscience, pain, stress, social interactions, emotional contagion, and empathy. Recently, he’s been studying the relationship between the brain, pain, and social interactions. Dr. Martin discussed how pain receptors function and how our brain interprets different forms of information: “We have specialized receptors in our skin [which can detect potential injury and/or harm], which… send signals into our brain to change and modify our understanding of pain.”

In other words, pain is not just a feeling but it’s also a way our body communicates through nerves and receptors. How do we know something is painful? According to Dr. Martin, pain revolves around different types of experiences, and there are multiple factors that affect our understanding of pain: it could be something we experience ourselves or could be heavily influenced by how we see others experience it. This creates a picture of what that could feel like for ourselves.

Dr. Martin discussed the different types of scenarios revolving pain; where pain is not only physical, but it invokes an emotional, psychological, and social response. Sometimes pain is altered based on our circumstances. “If you expect something to hurt, it’s going to hurt. Our bodies are equipped to detect threats, such as a hot stove—if you can feel the heat, your body braces itself for pain and it initiates a response to move your hand away [based on instinct],” he explains. When we anticipate pain, it’s almost as if our minds and bodies brace themselves for how painful something might be. If you keep telling yourself something is going to hurt, your expectations amplify the emotion—almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy—when in reality it might not hurt as much as you expected it to.

Another situation of pain is when our brain alerts our body to take precautions and be careful against personal danger. This creates an uneasiness within us, especially when we don’t understand the threat of the situation and how it can impact us. This is also shown in public situations with groups of people or communities and shapes what influences people’s response rate. “Sometimes it’s a matter of do they choose to help you?

Or is the situation too much that it invokes the behaviour of running away as a response?” How people choose to respond in certain situations is what creates this contagion, because it also influences other people’s behaviour based on the normal response. It’s almost as if we must decide whether helping someone is worth it—even if we are unsure what that threat could do to us. This is shown in our daily lives, like whenever there is a fight in public. Is our instinct to help people, watch, or walk away so we don’t get involved?

Social context also influences how we see pain, as it is possible to share pain with other individuals without experiencing it firsthand. “When you see a loved one going through a painful experience, it invokes pain in ourselves—and this is because the core of our beings is rooted in empathy,” explained Dr. Martin. “Altered pain processing involves psychological factors, which can modify our biological process.” This gives insight into the social bonds and relationships we have with people, and how that can psychologically influence the brain in how we process information in front of us.

Pain instigates empathy, sympathy, or care in observers. If you are around people who experience sadness, joy, fear, disgust, or anger, then this can influence your response to situations as well. Behaviours are constantly being affected by environments and surroundings, and depending on who you surround yourselves with, this can affect your emotions and behavioural responses.

Dr. Martin then brought up an important question: Can pain be contagious?

“Well, pain is categorized as both a sensory experience and emotional experience. When we think of situations where we see people in pain, or where they are struggling, it can be hard to generate shared empathy, especially on the Internet,” said Dr. Martin. “It is not because people are deemed heartless or the fact they don’t care, but it is difficult to share love or concern for people we have never met or have no understanding […]. It creates opportunities to reflect that if something has never happened to us, it is hard to imagine what that might be like for someone else.”

Dr. Martin and his colleagues conducted testing on human participants through a cold pressor test, where participants would submerge their hand in extremely cold water for around 30 seconds, and then rate their pain. In terms of measuring their pain, they observed three separate conditions: those who were friends, those who were strangers, and those who played a video game together. They found that those who were strangers showed a blocked stress response, whereas those who knew each other or collaborated showed more intense signs of pain or shared pain responses.

Dr. Martin’s research introduces how empathy and social interactions can coexist and work together to establish community and create meaningful impacts on how we interpret pain and painful experiences. “Sociological and psychological factors are able to manipulate and change the context of pain, depending on our environment and circumstances. It creates discourse on how we view pain from an individualistic approach to a community-based approach, which inherently can change the trajectory of how we view pain, how to treat pain, and how to live with pain,” Dr. Martin concluded.

DAANISH ALVI/THE MEDIUM

Qewy: your personal AI pal

How can we use AI to enhance learning in the classroom?

Louis Lam Features Editor

ILLUSTRATION

AMJAD HASSOUN / THE MEDIUM

“I’m challenging universities to reinvent and invest more time into delivering content,” states Amjad Hassoun, a final-year computer science student at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). Hassoun isn’t just another student at UTM. He is the person who created “Qewy,” a cute customizable pal in the form of a chibi philosopher that works within a learning management system, such as Quercus. “It all started with creating little tools that I learned to program and then I decided to combine it. Q-Tools is a buildup of all these little tools.”

“I see AI differently than a lot of people,” Hassoun explains as he discusses the use of AI in the world. “It’s a tool that can be molded into any domain/field. And I want to know how I can use it to improve the learning experience for the student and teaching experience for professor.”

Hassoun credits CSC398: AI Ethics, stating, “That course posed a great question: how can we use AI in an innovative and ethical way? And that started my journey of trying to integrate AI into Quercus to enhance the student learning experience.”

“AI integration isn’t new. There are plugins right now that use AI to modify your experience,” Hassoun continues, explaining the idea of a plugin for Quercus to customize the student experience. “My friend’s girlfriend uses a Google extension that changes the way Quercus looks visually. It just changes the aesthetics of Quercus for the user by adding task lists, better layouts, and colors. But when I saw it, I realized this is exactly how I can integrate AI into learning, via a Google Chrome extension for Quercus.”

Hassoun demonstrates two different components of Q-Tools. Q-chat allows you to select files, documents, and slides from your Quercus course and chat with them using AI. Not only does the student get to pick out which files to chat with, but also which parts of the files, improving the AI’s efficiency.

Q Notes, on the other hand, generates dynamic notes in the form of flashcards and text notes. Students can prompt it with what they want to learn, and it will create a flashcard based off their prompts or generate study guides and summaries. To gamify learning, it tries to add fun facts in the text notes and flashcards. Hassoun uses Q Notes to show the various ways students can use AI to improve their learning experience.

“I hope to make studying more enjoyable for students. That is my dream for this tool,” he adds. Hassoun explains the possibilities and capabilities of Qewy. His eyes brimmed with excitement and pride.

“The use and power of AI is very misunderstood because people don’t actually know what it is and what it can/can’t do. I want to show how powerful generative AIs are to leverage course material to their true potential,” says Hassoun when asked about how people would feel using AI as a tool in academia. “It’s a tool that increases efficiency and simplifies your workflow. Without the correct prompts and the person behind these prompts, the AI won’t be able to generate an answer that answers your question accurately.” For example, asking ChatGPT to solve a basic math problem works, but to correctly answer a 4th year math question, you need to help it out! This is a golden opportunity to educate students on how to use AI to learn, not just cheat!

Hassoun believes professors should not fear using generative AIs. It is a tool that they should use to their advantage. “Why should professors waste time trying to figure out how to create modules or pages on Quercus, they should simply focus on teaching the course. Imagine adding AI to their course creation? I understand plagiarism is a big issue currently with AI, but it’s an opportunity for them to push students to their limits and test them with the assistive use of these chatbots and generative AIs. How can I make learning more stimulating? How can I use AIs to deliver engaging content? It’s been 30 years since my father went to university, but virtually nothing has changed in terms of course delivery, and we really should be thinking about innovating the classroom. Especially for UofT as the leader of innovation around the world,” Hassoun explains.

AI redefines learning as we know it. With the power of these generative AI tools, opportunities are limitless. From simply organizing information to creating whole syllabuses to enriching information, using AIs can greatly elevate learning to a new level by improving the workflow for both students and professors.

“A sentence stuck with me in a book titled Deep Work by Cal Newport. In whatever field we are in, we need to improve our workflow for success. Generative AIs are just that. A tool that improves our workflow so we can aim for more success in our learning,” Hassoun concludes.

With the development of new technology, it’s a shame that education is still stagnant in its development. COVID-19 pushed forth a new age of online learning, but gaps are still found in the way students learn and the way educators provide their content. Thanks to people like Hassoun, there are ways to use technology to our advantage to reinvent and revolutionize education and learning as we know it.

Arts

Editor | Hannah Wang arts@themedium.ca

The WWE mistreats wrestlers and uses their real-life drama for ratings

Blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s fake with the corporation’s most popular love triangle.

Karissa Harrypersad Staff Writer

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a money-hungry corporation that commits unethical practices and covers them up. They have mistreated their employees, exploiting them for financial gain, and unethically blurred lines between onscreen and off-screen couples. WWE has committed some questionable business practices over the last few decades that have benefited their corporation and company image, which has resulted in their wrestlers paying for their actions.

An unethical practice that WWE has committed multiple times that negatively impacts wrestlers’ lives is using their real-life relationship problems for ratings and views. WWE is scripted and planned—like a soap opera, but it involves men hitting each other with steel chairs. The majority of the storylines are fictional, but in the 2000s, during their Ruthless Aggression Era, they decided to use real-life drama from the lives of wrestlers, Matt Hardy, Lita (Amy Dumas), and Edge (Adam Copeland).

In real life, Hardy started dating Lita in 1999 and the pair remained an offscreen couple until 2005, when they started to have some relationship problems. During this time, Hardy was best friends with Edge because they had many TLC (Tables, Ladders & Chairs) matches. Soon, Hardy became injured and had to take a leave from the WWE, while Lita continued to tour with Edge, and later, began having an affair with the “Rated-R Superstar,” who was also married at the time. This went on for a while before Hardy found out his off-screen girlfriend was cheating with his best friend. He then took out his frustration by exposing their love affair on the Internet, which resulted in the WWE firing him for unprofessional conduct on social media.

Soon after, the WWE saw this as an opportunity to put the wrestlers’ personal lives into an on-screen love triangle. The corporation has been using the love triangle trope for decades since the ’80s (Chris Jericho/Christian/Trish Stratus, Hulk Hogan/Randy Savage/Miss Elizabeth, CM Punk/Daniel Bryan/AJ Lee), but this time, it was based off a real-life messy relationship. Instead of addressing the problems that had arisen with their

employees, the WWE decided to create entertaining matches at their expense, blurring the lines between fiction and reality for profit. Feeding off their pain, the corporation forced Hardy to work professionally with his ex-girlfriend and ex-best friend who were now an on-screen and off-screen couple. They were all uncomfortable working together because their professional and personal lives had become one big storyline broadcasted for the whole world to see. While speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, Edge admitted that he didn’t enjoy anything about the feud.

While Hardy benefited from the WWE in the long run because of his matches with Edge, which were some of the best matches in his wrestling career, Lita didn’t benefit since the corporation mistreated her. It impacted her self-image and career because she was seen as just a “cheater” or “Edge’s girlfriend” and not as a real competitor by fans. She left the WWE in 2006 after this storyline because she hated it so much. The WWE impacted her to the point where she no longer wanted to work, and her mental health worsened. On the other hand, Edge got the most out of this storyline, becoming one of the most popular WWE superstars. He started to get other storylines and won many titles. Edge, the Rated-R Superstar has become one of the greatest heels in WWE history.

Hardy, Lita, and Edge’s storyline shows how the WWE is a corporation that only cares about its ratings. It doesn’t care if its employees are uncomfortable with or personally impacted by the manufactured storylines. When I was a kid watching this love triangle storyline, I thought it was real, but then as I got older, I found out the WWE is scripted. What I didn’t find out is that this segment was based on real events. It shocked me that the WWE was willing to use its employees unethically for monetary value and views. It shocks me that, even nearly two decades later, the corporation still does this. They used wrestler’s personal lives and mistreated them for television views, milking every second of it.

BEATRIZ SIMAS/ THE MEDIUM

Seven free or budget-friendly spring activities in Toronto and Mississauga

Experience spring in the city to its fullest with some of the best wallet-friendly activities.

Maryam Raheel Contributor

1. Cherry Blossoms

This springtime tradition has everyone excited about the beautiful cherry blossom trees to decorate the parks around Toronto. While High Park is the most well-known location to visit the blossoms during the short period of peak bloom, you can avoid the crowds by giving some love to the cherry blossom trees down at Riverdale Park, Cedarvale Park, and Toronto Island Park, to name a few.

Where: High Park, Riverdale Park, Cedarvale Park, Toronto Island Park

When: Late April – Early May

2. Toronto Flower Market

With the spontaneous downpour recently, it’s indeed true what Thomas Tusser said about how “sweet April showers do spring May flowers” with the annual Toronto Flower Market planning its vendor lineup for 2024. From May till October, plant yourself into the community of growers, florists, and gardeners who brighten up the city with their prettiest bunch. Admissions are free but be sure to bring some cash if you wish to take some home!

Where: CAMH, 1001 Queen St W, Toronto

When: 2024 dates will be posted on torontoflowermarket.ca

3. Allan Gardens Conservatory

If the outdoors isn’t your cup of tea, but you don’t want to miss out on the vibrant nature of spring, Allan Gardens Conservatory is the perfect place to visit. This indoor botanical garden has six greenhouses featuring lush flora from around the world. The conservatory is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the best part is that entry is free!

Where: 160 Gerrard St E, Toronto

When: Seven days a week, 365 days a year

4. Doors Open Toronto

Explore Toronto’s beloved architecture, history, and culture by touring 150 buildings and sites that aren’t typically open to the public for free. Each May, seize the opportunity to visit some beautiful places, including the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and Osgoode Hall.

Where: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Aga Khan Museum, Spadina Museum, among many others

When: May 25 – May 26, 2024

5. Lumière: The Art of Light

Experience the magical light-based art exhibition composed of unique artworks by Ontario-based artists for free. Spend the evening, anytime between sunset to 11 p.m., captivated by light installations that illuminate the park. When it gets chilly enough, gather around the Trillium Park fire pit for bonfires every Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Where: Trillium Park, 955 Lakeshore Blvd W, Toronto

When: March 12 – April 20, 2024

6. Stand-Up Comedy

While spring is all about appreciating picturesque nature, I can acknowledge that the sunny weather isn’t for everyone. So, stay indoors and have a laugh at some of the best standup comedy shows, hosted by some of Toronto’s best comics. Entry is free, so bring your friends, or enjoy a night to yourself, drowning out any thoughts of your hectic week with hysterics.

Where: The Cameron House

When: March – April 2024

7. Lvlup Board Game Café

Here is another fantastic indoor activity to get out of the house and spend time with friends or make some new ones! Lvlup Games is a board game café created by gamers, for gamers. Indulge in some great food while playing any of their in-stock games or purchase one to take home.

Where: 833 Westlock Rd Unit #9, Mississauga

When: opens 12 pm daily

With the constant change in weather, be sure to enjoy these spring activities before it’s too late!

Madame Web: the Spider-Man spinoff that wove itself into a disaster

Why Madame Web is a movie we love to hate.

Zainab Hassan Contributor

Warning: Spoilers ahead. Reader discretion is advised.

Madame Web revolves around the totally dynamic and not-at-all poorly written female protagonist, Cassandra (Cassie) Webb. Played by Dakota Johnson, (the only thing this character has going for her), Cassie is a foster system kid turned EMT in New York City whose workplace accident triggers her superpowers, allowing her to see into the future. Superpowers that, as the movie insists over and over, come from some sort of magical spider venom. These powers lead Cassie to try preventing the murders of three teenagers at the hands of the villain intent on killing them before they become spider heroes at some point in the future. For most of the movie, it seems like Cassie is debating killing them herself. After Cassie’s superpowers are used as the greatest deus ex machina (where a conflict is abruptly resolved by an unlikely event) to ever deus ex machina, Cassie comes to the realization that her mother did, in fact, love her, giving her the ability to master her powers, save the day, and lose the emotional constipation.

This movie has so many issues that if it were on life support, I would suggest pulling the plug. But what makes it terminally and incurably bad is the fact that it’s so boring Starting off strong with an over-clichéd backstory right in the introduction, Madame Web’s subpar world-building is a little too close to plagiarizing from Indigenous folklore for anyone with a modicum of media literacy or basic social awareness to be comfortable with. While I understand that the extended “Spider-Verse” movies require viewers to suspend their disbelief regarding the supernatural properties of spider venom, there is a line between genetically engineered toxicity that reacts to DNA, and what boils down to magical spiders in the Amazon. Madame Web has decided to use this line to swing across the gap from acceptable comic book science to plot-hole fantasy, Spidey style. The magical pond of timespace continuum hidden in a cave that’s used first as a birthing place and then as a portal isn’t really helping the case here.

This riveting introduction is, of course, accompanied by the extremely on-thenose motif of a spider web, which seems to appear in every other scene. We understand that this is a Spider-Verse movie. I promise, you don’t have to remind us with oddly placed webs in every direction. In fact, the only thing more obvious than the spider webs are the brand placements. I mean, hyper-focusing on a Nikon camera instead of any of the characters is one thing but focusing on a Calvin Klein ad instead of an action scene and placing the final battle in front of a giant glowing Pepsi board is taking it too far. For all that this movie is— essentially an hour and 40 minutes of hiding from the bad guy—keeping things on the down low doesn’t seem like Sony’s strong suit. Maybe if they kept the product placement as subtle as they did the dialogue’s emotional prosody, we could have paid a bit more attention to the actual plot.

Speaking of dialogue, can I just say that this movie had the driest, most stilted, and pointless script in the existence of cinema? I try to be as positive as I can with media, but you can really tell that whoever wrote this script has never held a conversation with anyone other

than the voice in their head. The point of any dialogue is to drive the plot forward, to give voice to conflict and resolution, and to create a counterpoint of personality to a character’s actions. The majority of Madame Web’s dialogue does none of this and is instead pointless filler. And half the conversations that do take place are immediately discarded because they exist in a tentative future that doesn’t come through, thereby once again making the dialogue meaningless. All of this is made so much worse by the terrible acting. Already dry dialogue is made harder to listen to by monotonous delivery, while the body language is completely stagnant and everyone’s facial expressions seem perpetually set in stone. Of the maybe three action scenes that exist in this movie, none of them have any dynamic or visually pleasing choreography. I mean, how bad do you have to be to make a fight scene boring, let alone three?

And this brings us to the plot of the movie. Madame Web, despite its incomprehensible failure to even exist properly, is a superhero action movie. Someone must have missed the memo, though, because there is a severe lack of action. Yes, there are approximately three fight scenes, but none of them are at all high stakes. Any issue that pops up is miraculously reversed thanks to Cassie Webb’s ability to see into the future. Nothing bad ever happens; nothing truly frightens or hinders the characters; and therefore, nothing excites the viewers.

And can I just say, Cassie Webb is the epitome of clairvoyance done wrong. It’s a deus ex machina used at every opportunity, making it lack any impact 20 minutes into the movie. For all that Cassie seems to struggle with regarding her lack of control, her clairvoyance conveniently kicks in at the perfect time, provides the perfect solution, and essentially kills off any opportunity for character growth. Not only that, but it makes Cassie’s new mastery of her powers even more anti-climactic than they already are.

Cassie herself is your typical aloof and emotionally distant strong female hero who needs to be shown the power of love exists to lose her emotional constipation and suddenly turn into prime mother material. Worse than Cassie, though, is our antagonist. This guy provides no actual reason—forget a justifiable one—for why he wants the spider. He just does. But that’s not even the issue here. No, the issue is that this nearly two-hour movie revolves around the plot point that no one in a crowded public space noticed the large guy in a weird costume attacking three teenagers in front of the police. What should have been a 25-minute affair turned into a movie that canonically lasted three whole days because reality stopped functioning for a whole scene. If your entire plot hinges on a plot hole so large you could fit a city into it, you know you’ve messed up.

All of this is not even taking into consideration how absolutely non-compliant this movie is to any comic featuring Madame Web ever in existence. But if I started on that, this article would turn into a thesis paper. The long and short of it is Madame Web is exactly as bad as you think it is, and really not worth the watch at all. If you want some character content, hit up fanfiction instead. Your brain will thank you for it.

AURORA PICCIOTTOLI/THE MEDIUM

sports & health

Changing tides in Formula 1

Editor | Omar Khan sports@themedium.ca

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has recently announced his controversial move to Scuderia Ferrari for the 2025 season.

Kuicmar Phot Contributor

During the 2023 season, Red Bull drivers won all but one grand prix, demonstrating the team’s and its drivers’ sheer power. Hamilton, who hopes to win an eight world championship, may have lost faith in Mercedes as it became clear that Red Bull Racing was operating at levels incomparable to any other team on the grid. Although Ferrari has consistently ended each season in the top six constructors, their ability to compete for world champion is questionable, as they haven’t won a world championship in 16 years. Possible feelings of stagnation at Mercedes may have led to Hamilton finally deciding to explore other options.

A more concrete reason Hamilton decided to move lies in the contracts offered by Mercedes and Ferrari. Hamilton’s primary request for his Mercedes contract was a pay increase to US$100 million per season. Hamilton’s current contract with Mercedes is worth US$55 million per year. In comparison, his contract with Ferrari allegedly offered US$100 million per year for two years and a joint investment of US$272 million into Hamilton’s Foundation, Mission 44.

In the famously quoted words of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, “Everyone is a Ferrari fan, even if they say they aren’t a Ferrari fan.” Hamilton expressed throughout his time karting as a child that his dream was to race for Ferrari. Ferrari, the oldest F1 team, has been home to many, such as Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, Niki Lauda, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel.

The news of Hamilton moving to Ferrari shocked its fans as they expected the current second driver, Carlos Sainz Jr., to remain at Ferrari until the start of his alleged Audi contract in 2026. Despite Sainz Jr.’s future remaining uncertain, his performance hasn’t staggered as he was the only non-Red Bull driver to finish on the podium at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.

During the first week of March, a rumor claimed that Verstappen might be moving to Mercedes. Verstappen’s current Red Bull contract expires in 2028. However, there is a clause that allows him to switch teams whenever Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko leaves the team.

Regarding his decision, Hamilton told AutoSport, “I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.”

Fans are happy to support Hamilton as the 2024 season continues. Whether or not he wins the Eight World Championship, he has already secured his spot as one of F1’s most legendary drivers.

Raptors Wrap-Up: Darko Days

The Toronto Raptors stay positive amidst a late-season rough patch.

Justyn Aleluia Columnist

Likemost of us, the Toronto Raptors have gone through a lot since January. The new year brought new faces and new dynamics to the team that some fans weren’t ready for, and the team continues to change with each game. Oh, who am I kidding—it’s basketball, and right now, the Raptors are nothing to romanticize.

It’s been a while since the last Raptors Wrap-Up, and so much—yet so little—has happened with the team. The Raptors are still outside of a playoff spot, hovering around four games back of the Play-In Tournament’s 10th seed. Normally, seeing your team outside a postseason position is disheartening, but fans (and secretly, team executives) should be hoping to see them drop even further in the standings. This sentiment becomes increasingly true when you remember that the Raptors will lose their 2024 first-round pick to the Spurs if they are not within the top six draft spots. I think they can get it done, and by it, I mean a last-place finish.

Things only got worse when star player Scottie Barnes suffered a fracture to his hand that required surgery and will have him missing the rest of the season.

The Raptors only bolstered their chances of a basement-level finish when, on trade deadline day, they traded away Dennis Schroder and Thad Young to the Nets for Spencer Dinwiddie and then proceeded to waive Dinwiddie the same day. To put that all together for you, they traded an excellent guard in Schroder and a decent depth defender in Young for essentially nothing. Yes, when put like that, it sounds terrible, but this is what’s needed to ensure a few more losses and a low finish.

Before this deal, the Raptors opened their trade deadline by trading Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and a 2024 first-round pick for Canadian Centre Kelly Olynyk, and young guard Ochai Agbaji from the Jazz. Some people were upset about this move because why

would the Raptors, who are rebuilding, send away a first-round draft pick? The 2024 draft is expected to lack talent, and they traded the worst of their three first-rounders in this deal. The Raptors also gained valuable leadership in Olynyk, who grew up in Toronto and has regularly starred for team Canada’s basketball team. Agbaji is the most interesting player in this move. He was drafted 14th overall in 2022 and has shown some glimpses of potential throughout his short career. Altogether, the Raptors did what they needed to do at the deadline by clearing cap space and getting worse.

If anyone were to ask me about the 2023-2024 Raptors, the one thing that I would be proud to tell them about is the energy around the team. I just wrote for twothirds of this article about how bad the Raptors are—because they are that bad—but the players have remained positive through it all. They don’t dwell on their losses but learn from their performances. A big part of this is because of head coach Darko Rajaković, who has completely turned around the squad’s synergy and atmosphere. Recently, the Raptors finally got their first three-game win streak of the season, meaning Rajaković will have to deliver on his promise of taking the team out for dinner.

I couldn’t write about the Raptors’ recent play without talking about Gradey Dick. Dick has seen more minutes since Schroder’s departure, and he has found his groove late into the season. He has been phenomenal from the three-point line, shooting a team-high 51 per cent from deep since the February 8 trade deadline.

Suppose you put everything into perspective, though they aren’t performing well. In that case, the Raptors have a roster with the potential to perform well when they fully develop. For now, the vibes are high and the wins are low, but at the end of the day, we should be grateful we still have a month left of Raptors basketball to watch.