The Stag Edition 2 23/24

stag@reddamhouse.com.au

EDITORS NOTE

21/8/2024

The Matildas, Barbie, Taylor Swift and more!

Welcome back to the Stag newspaper! We hope you enjoyed the revamped first issue of our project Thank you to everyone on the team who made this possible. The Stag Team is also thrilled to see the overwhelming amount of positive feedback for the Teacher Interview Column (Which unfortunately wasn’t possible this week, but life goes on).

Week 4 and 5 of Term 3 is a time when Cycle Tests and assessments come to haunt us. If you hate the pressure of cramming like me, you should get the exam prep started. Get home, rest up, sit down at your desk and Start. Trust me. Aside from the academic stuff, on behalf of the Stag team, I am excited to announce the Reader-Editor Interaction Form. This will be a multi-purpose survey where you can raise your opinions, pinpoint ideas for articles and make full-length submissions.

- Kayson Hu

WHATS YOUR OPINION ON THE STAG? LET US KNOW!

Want to share your ideas? Contact us!

stag@reddamhouse.com.au

hugo.bendeich@reddamhouse.com.au

kayson.hu@reddamhouse.com.au

From Eye Rolls to Elation: How the Matildas and the Women's World Cup Changed the Game

In the past, whenever my family switched on a soccer match, my typical response was a groan and an eye roll After all, who really wants to watch players rolling on the ground and chasing after a ball? Turns out that I did, when Australia were thrones chasing, and actually winning. As the games rolled on, a strange nationalistic spirit overcame my body and before I knew it I was jumping up and down with the rest of my family as the Matilda’s won the penalty shoot out against France.

Australia is and has been for a while, a nation of sport enthusiasts The popularity of sport in Australia can

partly be attributed to a warm climate that encourages people to get outdoors and be active. Not that my mother agreed when she was waking up on chilly Sunday mornings to cart me off to soccer Pulling on the infamous puffer jacket and cupping her hands around a coffee to stay warm in the face of Sydney’s winter mornings, sport seemed to lose a little of it’s appeal. Despite the occasional cold, Australian pride is kept going by our well-loved national values like, 'having a go ' , ‘sportsmanship and 'egalitarianism on the field'. To hate sport is to be deemed un-Australian

Unfortunately last year my soccer team was disbanded

Emily Moore

Sport

Despite the large number of players that played with us, we didn’t have sufficient members to fill the requirements for our girls team Shockingly, over half of teenage girls abandon sports upon hitting puberty. This exodus is fueled by persistent messages that they're "emotionally and physically fragile," unequal funding for their teams, and the prevailing idea that pursuing academics is the "safer, more appropriate" choice for young women. These misconceptions contribute to the false belief that girls simply aren't interested in sports.

This narrative began to shift this year, thanks to the FIFA Women's World Cup. The tournament showed the world that women not only possess the capability to play sports but also possess a fiery passion for it. Across the nation and the globe, young girls and boys alike packed stadiums, passionately demonstrating their love for soccer. By August 4th, an astounding 1,715,000 tickets had been sold, comfortably surpassing pretournament targets. In New Zealand, the country's record for the highest attendance at a football match whether women ' s or men ' s was broken twice in 12 days. Australia, too, saw a record for a standalone on women ' s football match, with 75,784 fans attending the Matildas' opener against the Republic of Ireland

Emily Moore

On the field, nations from every corner of the globe are crafting their own histories. For the first time, teams from all six Confederations secured victories in the tournament New Zealand made history by becoming the first Oceania team to notch a win The Philippines, Zambia, Portugal, Jamaica, South Africa, and Morocco also celebrated their first triumphs. The Matildas shattered television records; their nail-biting semi-final loss to England was witnessed by over 7 million Australians. At its peak, the match drew 6.9 million viewers on broadcast, amounting to 89.8 percent of the commercial television audience.

But why does all this matter?

Australia isn't merely cheering for a women ' s soccer team from their living rooms; they're rallying behind a squad of proud Australians that are paving the way for progress in female sport. Among them are nine first-team players and three reserves who are in same-sex relationships. The Matildas are proving that they're not just "partners of wanderers," but formidable powerhouses on the field. They're transforming soccer moms into moms who play soccer and even converting skeptics like me into tolerable soccer spectators Powerful stuff.

The Barbenheimer Extravaganza Movie review

Lily Klugman

New Hollywood releases Barbie and Oppenheimer have been an absolute smash hit over the past two weeks, with advertising and discussion that has surely caught the eye of even our most uncultured readers So, to give you the final push if you haven’t already, here’s why you should take the time (five hours!) and watch both films.

First on the list is Barbie If you’re looking for witty comedy, classic throwbacks and hard-hitting social commentary, this one is for you. Despite its disguise as a comedy, Barbie’s true colours come out through its allegory for feminist and patriarchal concepts The contrasting ideas of the matriarchal fake Barbie world and patriarchal real world hammer home the all too familiar concepts of sexism, discrimination and bias. While it can be a little heavy-handed at times, the commentary is accurate and well-placed, and feels fitting for the tone of the film

Feminist ideology aside, Barbie is a masterpiece of performance, composition and production. The colour and design of the sets and environments perfectly create the distinct atmospheres of the Barbie

world, with a fantastically plastic feel. With Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling (me), Will Farrell, Simu Liu, Michael Cera and any others, the all-star cast couldn’t ossibly miss in their acting prowess. An njoyable and unmissable experience y contrast, Oppenheimer is a serious, motional and thought-provoking journey. Traversing one of the defining events in modern history, the film spans three spectacular hours, portraying the father of the atomic bomb like never before.

Oppenheimer’s defining technique is the use of sound. Long stretches of silence give way to deafening moments of explosive noise, Geiger counters click menacingly in the score, and Christopher Nolan maximises it all to manipulate and master a dramatic and tense soundscape. The use of colour makes for a beautiful contrast of time, place and character, and the flow of events feels cinematic and engaging. Akin to Barbie, the cast spares no cost in the fame of their actors, with Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Florence Pugh consistently gracing the screen. Despite Murphy in the main role, I believe the show is truly stolen by Robert Downey Jr’s spectacularly powerful performance as Lewis Strauss. Overall, Oppenheimer is a cinematic masterpiece, the quality of which cannot be understated

So next time you have a few hours of homework to avoid, and some change to spare, don’t hesitate to head to the cinemas and catch one of these incredible films.

What's on in pop culture? Culture

Harriette Smith

Harriette Smith Culture

Eras tour - Australian leg: Attention all Swifties! There is still a chance to get your hands on tickets for Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’, at the Accor Stadium, Sydney in February 2024 In response to the intense demand for tickets, Taylor thankfully added an additional 2 shows for Australia and is now scheduled to perform 4 nights in Sydney and 3 nights in Melbourne. Unsurprisingly, these shows have all sold out However, Ticketek Marketplace, a secondary market owned by Ticketek, will host a ‘resale’ on September 4th Sellers will be able to resell their purchased tickets to buyers at a price no greater than 10% more than the original cost. If you are hoping to get resale tickets make sure to head to Ticketek Marketplace to ensure tickets are valid and avoid potential scammers on sites such as Gumtree and eBay If you ’ re lucky enough to secure tickets, it will be a night you won’t forgetwith special guest Sabrina Carpenter opening each night, you’ll be getting two extraordinary performances for the (steep) price of one

Olivia Rodrigo album: pop singersongwriter Oliva Rodrigo is due to drop her second album ‘GUTS’ on the 8th of September The release of the album’s preceding single, ‘‘Vampire’ became her 3rd No.1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, and already has a staggering 230 million streams on Spotify alone since releasing on June 30th. Rodrigo stated ‘this album is about growing pains and trying to figure out who I am at this point in my life.’ Her new songs centre on concepts such as the complexity of relationships, teenage angst, and the rollercoaster of emotions growing up entails. With Rodrigo’s debut album ‘SOUR’ (2021) receiving masses of love and praise, acquiring many awards including a GRAMMY for the Best Pop Vocal Album, and being one of the best-selling albums in 2021, eagerly awaited ‘GUTS’ is sure to exceed our great expectations.

Anna and Glen: Mum and Dad have divorced Yes, you heard me right Anna Paul and Glen Thompson have officially broken up after 8 years of dating and being in a relationship millions of TikTokers idolise. Anna Paul broke the news on her TikTok page, capturing the attention of 35.6 million viewers, and leaving all of us feeling heartbroken, to say the least. Rest assured, Anna confirmed to viewers that it was ‘the healthiest breakup on planet earth’ and that they ‘will always love each other.’ Vulnerable to the speculatory comments of millions, conspiracy theories surrounding the reason for the separation, including the assumptions that Glen cheated on Anna, have been damaging to them both and it is important to continue to show them nothing but love and sympathy The two will spend time with their supportive families, while fortunately continuing to remain active on social media Although it may seem impossible, I reckon we’ll get over it

Barbie: The Barbie buzz is in the air, as the colour pink paints the skies. Director Greta Gerwig transports us to Barbie Land, where Barbie, played by our very own Margot Robbie, and Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, navigate issues such as sexism and selfworth The blockbuster has already made an astonishing $1 18 billion (USD) at the worldwide box office, making back more than the budget of $145 million within the first weekend It has become the movie with the biggest opening by a female director and has the 5th biggest opening of all time This incredible amount of success can be partly accredited to the phenomenal Barbie marketing team, who pulled out all the stops to make sure it was the talk of the town. More than 100 marketing collaborations including Xbox Barbie consoles, Airbnb’s real-life Malibu dreamhouse, Hot Wheels Barbie Corvette, and Burger King's Barbie burgers, caught our attention and kept us wanting more Whilst for many the movie lived up to the hype and no doubt changed lives, for others, it just missed the bullseye and has received a predictable amount of criticism Whichever way you perceived it, I’m sure Barbie hopes you have the best day ever, and remember, you are Kenough

Music

ARTIST HIGHLIGHT - Pocketwatch

Music

ARTIST HIGHLIGHT - Seraphine Noir

LOOK OUT - music enjoyers and pretentious snobs alike, line up so you can say ‘I loved them before they got big!’ about Sydney’s newest up-andcoming teen aussie rock trio. Recently snatched up by a large management agency, Pocketwatch have been rapidly upping their activity, with three gigs at the Metro Theatre coinciding with their EP drop at Red Eye Records in Sydney CBD.

While their four released tracks carry the unique oz-rock charm of being produced by teenagers (read: without all of the bells and whistles of a fancy postproduction engineer, but with all of the enthusiasm and zest of youth), their consistent appearances on stages across Sydney showcase their everdeveloping sound and skills toward an exciting, tight presence within the Aussie music scene.

SERAPHINE NOIR is an avid mad scientist of music genres, grabbing his extensive experience as a jazz musician and smushing it around with whatever takes his fancy - psychedelic rock, breakcore, shoegaze, classical, the list goes on

For the more drum-and-bass inclined, Red Sun is SERAPHINE NOIR’s foray into breakcore jazz, with a vast soundscape and slow build perfectly crafted for you to lose yourself within.

Consisting of three highschool students from the Inner-West, Pocketwatch is infused with highenergy brit-influenced passion for ‘rock and/or roll’, evident in their explosive stage presence

Make sure to keep a watchful eye on this trio at @pocketwatchau on Instagram!

Since the release of Again last week, the anonymous musician has already announced new songs on their way. But for the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy the dulcet tones of Again’s lofi hip-hop beats, lounge-y and spacious saxophone solos and sweet melodic vocals

SERAPHINE NOIR is perfect for those of you who like sitting in warm, smoky rooms, those of you who enjoy confusion and sudden bangs, those of you who think listening to chill rap makes you more attractive, and those of you who just really adore saxophone and jazz chords

The world of Ai artwork

Hustle Harder - Adam Linder Art

Their endless stream of observers in the gallery, reportedly, don’t seem to know quite what to think about this Many hide their awkwardness at just…standing there while the dancers twist, contort and move robotically around the room by taking a video or photo, and in doing so create and reframe the dance from hundreds of angles This is exactly the point

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet: The New York Times

Art has long been regarded as a key element distinguishing humanity from other life on Earth – something exclusively ours. Yes darlings, we’re getting deep today Many argue artmaking proves life has meaning. I just say 42 (if you got that, consider this my official marriage proposal). Before presumptuously claiming “art” as categorically human, or that art’s intrinsic humanity collapses against some schmo named Roger who’s never made anything vaguely art-y, one must first define “art”. Many have attempted to challenge preconceived notions thereof, but setting that aside – what if a non-human creates “artwork”? Perhaps AI is harbouring repressed artistic desires, and ~nO mUM~ it’s not a phase. The first AIbased art was the 1973 system

“Aaron” developed by Harold Cohen, but I wasn’t around writing columns back then

Since Aaron’s birth, AI’s artistic skills have greatly improved, to the point that AI now scrapes an A- in the art world While all AI’s pieces are drawn from the human works the system was trained on, AI is not alone calling derivative work art – apologies, Justin Beiber. As a staunch neo-Luddite, (meaning someone who occasionally ponders the technological evils of our postmodern society while watching The Simpsons), I want to find generated art deeply disturbing, for being generated not created. But while I am yet to consider any AI work proof that the robots have become worthy of joining humanity, it would be hypocrisy to dismiss a piece at least capable of surpassing Justin Beiber. Farewell my precious fauns – I will still love you if you do weird things with technology, but if you name your creation Roger, this is war

Everyone can agree that one of the main facts about modern art is that, a lot of the time, it’s really weird. The pieces that capture attention must then be, in my humble opinion, both strange and interesting.

This is definitely the case in one of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s newer exhibitions, Hustle Harder (yes, it really is called that) In the wise words of the Time Out article written on the topic, “You know what Sydney’s gallery scene has been missing? A weird endurancestyle performance art piece with performers performing non-stop ” For a solid month, which ends August 20th, performers have been getting fully into the grindset, hustling 24/7 all day everyday (my bad, I’ll stop) to perform for the entire time the gallery is open

The entire performance is made to be a constantly changing tableau, asking to be photographed But - it’s also criticising that. Many parodies of digital life are seen in the different segments of the dance - during one part, a dancer’s arm moves robotically, held in place as her body desperately aims and poses itself, trying to get the perfect angle for a perfect picture

The soundtrack, which merits some attention, begs attention too It features, among other things, mechanical hums, rolling ocean sounds, electronic bops, visceral hisses and moans, woodwinds, and even the trills of rainforest creatures

We’ve come a long way from the era when gallery art was just something pretty mounted on a wall to be looked at. Now, we all have to deal with an unnerving fact - the art might be looking back at us

Politics

The Voice

The Voice

It’s time to vote. When I talk to people about ‘The Voice’ I have found that lots of people assume I’m talking about the TV show. I am most definitely not.

If you didn’t know (because a lot of young people don’t…) there is an upcoming referendum asking the question- do we need an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice in Parliament?

In this article, I’m going to cover the facts of the referendum and elements of our constitutional system. While I know that many people at our school can’t vote, it is crucial that everyone has an understanding of the situation. An educated youth means an educated future.

What is this referendum?

Essentially, a referendum is a vote held on a certain change to the constitution. This referendum is taking into consideration the creation an advisory body to the Parliament, the members of which would be chosen by indigenous communities. They would be able to make representations and suggestions to the Parliament and the Executive Government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This referendum would also simply acknowledge the community's existence. Currently, there is no constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the traditional custodians of the land, despite millennia of proof otherwise.

How will it help?

This change would give Indigenous communities a route to help inform policy and legal decisions that impact their lives. It would allow the government to have better quality information about First Nations communities and issues, which would ultimately lead to better outcomes for First Nations people across a range of sectors. Also 83% of Indigenous people want this voice, despite a large amount of propaganda that says otherwise

Why do we need a change to our constitution?

The Voice needs to be enshrined in the Constitution of Australia so that future governments can't easily overturn or remove it. The only way to do this is via a referendum Past Indigenous bodies set up through legislation have only been abolished when political priorities change

How to get involved?

So you want to start some activism in favour of the voice? That's great! There are lots of community-led groups, such as the one I’m a part of, Wentworth for the Voice which is run out of Allegra Spender’s office. Most of your electorates will have something similar and going to an info night is a great way to start getting involved or just to get more information on The Voice I have been recently involved in some door-knocking and pamphletting so if you see someone walking around Bondi wearing teal shirts and handing out flyers, come say hello! We’re good for a chat.

This upcoming referendum is so important for our nation, and it is vitally important to be educated before you vote. I implore everyone to talk to read more about it and talk to some friends or parents to get the conversation going.

Paloma Nicholas