October 29, 2019

The Concordian.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

LIFE // YUM or YIKES: Umami / Ode to coffee / Modern witchcraft / Overcoming fat phobia

ARTS // Fashion & inspiration / Night of the Living Dead / Sydney artist questions human impact on nature

SPORTS // Olivia Atkinson profile / Lebron James & China / Colour Commentary

MUSIC // Rockstar vs. rap star legacy / Quickspins / Tegan & Sara review

 // theconcordian  @theconcordian  @theconcordian theconcordian.com

OPS // Feminism & capitalism / Being politically informed / Lebanese revolution / Halloween costumes

*news pg. 2 VOLUME 37, ISSUE 10 TUESDAY OCT. 29, 2019

News.

NEWS EDITORS Jad Abukasm /  @JAbukasm Virginie Ann /  @LaVirginieAnn news@theconcordian.com

INDIGENOUS RIGHTS

Physical recognition of the land: A pilgrimage to Montreal Members of the Department of Theological Studies walked from Kahnawake to Montreal Jad Abukasm News Editor Students and faculty members of the department of theological studies trekked on Saturday from sunrise to sunset, from the south shore’s Indigenous community of Kahnawake to Montreal.

The event happened two days before t he Theolog y in t he Cit y conference and was a way to physically perform the land recognition opening speech for most events at Concordia University.

“We’ve made this walk before with students from old Montreal to Kahnawake,” said Concordia professor Matthew Anderson, organizer of the ma rch a nd con ference. “But we t hou g ht , w h at i f we s t a r t e d i n Kahnawake and we walk to the conference we would experience in our

own bodies what it is to cross this unceded territory.”

Christine Jamieson, a speaker at the conference and theology professor, was present at the march. She is native from an Indigenous community in the Frasier Canyon in British Columbia. Before the march, she performed a smudge; a traditional cleansing ceremony using sage smoke to get rid of any negative energy. In ma ny Ind igenous com mu nit ies, smudges are performed as a way to align what is called the seven grandfather teachings – humility, bravery, honesty, wisdom, truth, respect, and love.

“If you look at those seven teachings, each one is an important component of living, what I would call, an ethical life, but maybe what most Indigenous people might say is living a good life,” said Jamieson.

“Anything that we can do, whether it’s a smudge or a sweat lodge, these

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are really ceremonies that are meant to help us to walk more freely and more ethically in a sense.”

Jamieson said that recognition is a two-way path. According to her, there is a lot to learn from Indigenous cultures and their relation to land and nature.

“I t h i n k t hat Ind igenous people have always felt a deep relationship to the land and into the world around us,” said Jamieson.

“Not just to other human beings but to all beings, and that includes the lands and the plants and the animals and the water. I think that when Europeans came to Canada, there was an interruption of that relationship and there was no real acknowledgment of that relationship between Indigenous people and the land, and how their whole identity was rea lly connected to t his relationship.”

Since the first encounters, European settlers have always negotiated in favour of their economic interests rather than in harmony with Indigenous people’s beliefs.

Those beliefs have been ignored for centuries, long before the creation of the Canadian Confederation.

“I think when we acknowledge land, it’s really to try to bring us back to that relationship that we have with this land and with everything around us,” said Jamieson. “I really believe that if we can do that more consciously, we will be better able to live those seven sacred teachings which brings about that balanced life.”

She continued that it is primord ia l to ack nowledge t his relationship since it is paramount for the survival of humans. “We are so vulnerable, we are the weakest in a sense, and yet we have so much power to destroy what we are utterly dependent on,” Jamieson said.

Along the walk, the small group of seven came across many infrastructures marking centuries of colonial federal jurisdictions. The

Mercier bridge, inaugurated in 1934, and the Seaway, in 1959, for example, have forced hundreds to be relocated by the government in the early and mid-1900s and caused the death of many steelworkers. A 10-meter steel cross was raised in memory of the lost men.

Nowadays, the federal government can no longer act as such without legal backlash, something Anderson is grateful for; but this doesn’t mean that all problems are solved. Between 2004 and 2014, 400 out of 618 Indigenous communities were under at least one water advisory, reported the CBC. And that is only the tip of the iceberg.

However, Anderson is optimistic about the upcoming years.

A lt hough t he prev ious Libera l government failed to address many promises regarding reconciliation with Indigenous communities, last week’s re-election may bring changes.

Anderson explained that minority governments that work along more progressive parties – in this case, the NDP – tend to propose more changes to social issues such as reconciliation with Indigenous communities. He hopes to see the next government address those issues such as drinking water.

Photos by Alex Hutchins & Laurence B.D.

CANADIAN POLITICS

Experts unpack the federal election

On Oct. 24, Concordia organized a conference where six political analysts discussed the outcome of the 2019 election and how we got there Virginie Ann News Editor Three days after election night, six panelists took the D.B. Clarke theatre stage one after another to analyze and debate key aspects of the campaign. The panelists were Harold Clarke, Rachel Curran, Lawrence LeDuc, Kevin Page, Carole McNeil and Jean-Pierre Kingsley.

While most polls put Andrew Scheer ahead of Justin Trudeau, it might have come as a surprise that the Conservatives did not do as well as anticipated. To truly understand the outcome of the election, Clarke argued that people need to look at the three main drivers of electoral choice.

Firstly, social issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion usually get a lot of media attention. But, it is actually how the political party performs, in terms of what Clarke referred to as valence issues, that will drive the voter’s final decision.

“These are issues that everybody agrees on the goal,” said Clarke, a professor at the University of Texas in Dallas and veteran of Canadian elections studies. “Issues such as the economy, or healthcare, education, security, and now climate change as well. It’s hard to find people who want bad healthcare and so on.”

Accordingly, the fact that the vast majority of people want a healthy economy strongly played in favour of Trudeau, explained Clarke. Indeed, the latest Statistics Canada survey, released on Oct.11, showed that today’s economy held a steady 5.5 per cent unemployment rate, the lowest in 40 years.

“It’s a big plus. Prosperity is a big plus,” Clarke said.

The second driver in the electoral

choice, which explains surprises such as the NDP losing seats, is partisanship.

Partisanship in Canada tends to be quite fluid and people are more than willing to leave their favoured party. According to Clarke, this creates situations where there are always possibilities for last-minute, large scale changes.

Last, the third electoral driver proposed by Clarke is the leader image, which he believes played a major part in this election.

“Scheer simply didn’t make the impression he needed to make to win,” Clarke said.

Theme of the election

While affordability ended up being the main theme of this year’s election, issues put forward by the parties were somehow irrelevant, argued Curran, Former Director of Policy to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“The measures [the political parties] were offering were very cynical and very shallow vote line efforts, at best,” Curran said. “What the parties ignored was the much bigger issues that we need to grapple and resolve as a country.”

As a matter of fact, this can explain the low voter turnout of 65.95 per cent. None of the leaders actually addressed the true underlying causes of issues such as why some Indigenous communities still have no access to clean water or why cellphone charges are extortionate, Curran pointed out.

Curran also believes that the inability and, perhaps even more, unwillingness of the parties to take a clear stance on issues such as the climate crisis, led to a problematic outcome; deep, regional division.

Canada has actually been sending various, very divided messages which resulted in broken national cohesion

WORLD IN BRIEF:

Justice for Rafi, death of ISIS leader and a third extension for Brexit

Virginie Ann News Editor

Sixteen people have been sentenced to death for setting a 19-year-old girl on fire after she accused her teacher of sexual harassment in Bangladesh.

The verdict came after the country was left in shock, protesting for justice. It was one of the quickest sentences to be pronounced in such cases. Nusrat Jahan Rafi was murdered in April by classmates who urged her to retract her complaint. They lured her onto a rooftop 11 days after she came forward to the police with accusations of sexual harassment, as reported by BBC. Bangladesh has an alarmingly high rate of sexual violence. According to UN Women, more than half of Bangladeshi women have experienced some form of sexual violence from their intimate partner in their lifetime.

on election night.

“How do we reconcile resource development with environmental protection if we are in the business of fossil fuel, how do we address climate change in a credible way?” asked Curran. “And if we are not in the business, how do we fill the revenue hole and replace the hundreds of thousands of high paying jobs linked in the energy sector, particularly in Western Canada?”

Accordingly, we saw how cacophonic broadcasted debates were. It was arguably more of a who-can-talk-theloudest contest than discussions on meaningful issues. It led to questions raised by a lot of media outlets as to whether the broadcasted debates are to be changed and how much impact they really have.

Jagmeet Singh was almost unanimously declared the winner after the CBC debate on Oct. 7. Yet, the NDP only won 24 seats last Monday night.

“I think we should, when evaluating the debates in the electoral campaign, avoid separating them from all the other things that we talked about in the context of the election,” said Leduc, professor at the University of Toronto. “Because even if Singh benefited from the debates, he only benefited from

them being one of the several elements in the campaign.”

Leduc and Clarke both argued that the current form of debates won’t be seen again. A single debate between the two leaders of the main parties remains the innovation argued as the best.

Going Forward

Historically, minority governments never lasted more than two years.

And before the evening was over, the panelists all took turns, gambling the durability of this one.

Interestingly, Clarke pointed out that Scheer might not be around that long, and the process of replacing him is going to take a while. Curran gambled that it will last at least two years.

Therefore, Trudeau is actually in a good position to hold power for a little while. Yet, losing 27 seats showed that his government needs to do better with Canadian issues.

“Climate change, healthcare and going forward with affordability, these are going to be the defining issues going ahead,” concluded CBC journalist McNeil.

Photo by Cecilia Piga

On Sunday, Trump announced the death of one of the most wanted terrorists, Islamist State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Several media outlets reported that he died in a raid conducted by American troops in northwest Syria, on Saturday night. It was later confirmed by Trump that al-Baghdadi ran into a dead-end tunnel with three of his children, where he detonated a suicide vest. Yet, people are reluctant to link his death to the end of ISIS, as the terrorist organization is most likely to name a successor. Talking about a possible ISIS resurgence in a TIME article, Michael Downing, former head of the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau for the Los Angeles Police Department said: “Now is one of the most dangerous times, when you injure an animal, that is when it is most dangerous.”

Graphic by @sundaeghost

A new Brexit deadline has been granted to Boris Johnson’s government after the Prime Minister was forced by the parliament to request a further extension.

On Twitter early Monday morning, President of the European Council Donald Tusk referred to the setback as a “flextension” - meaning if a deal was to be made before February 2020, Britain could still have the opportunity to leave the EU. Johnson has repeated many times that a Brexit deal would happen by Oct. 31, but it has become increasingly difficult to reach a consensus with a minority government. Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, was first voted for in 2016 and has been extended three times since.

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ENVIRONMENT

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

Concordia mobilizes to combat wasting unsold food and clothes

In the city’s proposal, Mayor Valerie Plante and her team aim to ban stores from dumping unsold clothes and food, in an attempt to become zero waste by 2030. A plan released on Oct. 17 lays out their goal to reduce food waste by 50 per cent in five years, and reduce Montreal’s commercial textile waste.

According to Faisal Shennib, an environmental specialist who is managing Zero Waste Concordia (ZWC), they are already taking steps to reduce food waste.

“We’ve always aimed to reduce waste from landfills as much as possible,” said Shennib. “Organics are the top contributors of waste from our institutions, and they release a lot of methane when they go into the landfills, so it’s an easy target for us.”

ZWC plans to make compost bins accessible in each food consumption area at Concordia, and wants to figure out a program to process the organics that are composted in a sustainable way.

“But then what we realized is that we weren’t connecting usable food waste to people who could use it,” said Shennib.

Their pilot project, tentatively named Zero Waste Concordia’s Food Donation Program, was launched this September. It aims to get restaurants and cafes renting space at the university to move toward eliminating their food waste.

The project has three phases.

The first is to educate the tenants, such as Subway, Java U and, Jugo Juice, about basic sustainability, like recycling and

composting. The second phase is planned to launch next semester and aims to formally give them the opportunity to partner with organizations like La Tablée des Chefs. Their food recovery program redistributes surplus food to community organizations that provide food to the homeless. The third is to encourage tenants to rethink their food packaging and use of plastics in their businesses.

ZWC already informally contacted some tenants for the project, and most either expressed interest or are already involved in another food redistribution charity. Concordia as an institution already has a contract with La Tablée des Chefs. ZWC is also trying to get confirmation from the university to allow their tenants to be covered under their agreement.

“They use our landfill container at the end of the day,” said Shennib.

“They actually throw out all that food, potentially, unless they have their own program.”

The project is also working to reduce food waste from university

events by working with Hospitality Concordia, who organizes events at the institution. Hospitality Concordia already has a partnership with Tablée des Chefs but was targeting larger events.

ZWC wants to target smaller, student-run events that may also be wasting food.

“There’s also a smaller ecosystem we want to build,” continued Shennib.

“Say a student club serves food to 10 people, and then they have a lot of cookies leftover and nobody wants to take it from the group, it shouldn't have to go to waste either. We’re trying to collaborate with health food co-op Frigo Vert to potentially use them as a place where students can bring them their leftovers, and they can offer them to the community.”

School Stores: Unsold Clothes Melanie Burnett, the general manager for Concordia Stores, said they rarely ever throw away clothes because they almost always sell their apparel. Burnett said they have sales to sell unsold clothes and that they also recently donated

turns into a werewolf, how would your body react?

To tackle that question of paramount importance, let’s dig into what fear is.

SIMPLY SCIENTIFIC: SPOOKY SEASON Jad Abukasm News Editor

You probably costumed up this weekend for the yearly Halloween party where cats don’t look like cats and police officers lack clothing. The holiday of death and fear became a gathering event for university students to celebrate, for the most part, the end of midterms. But say your professor

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Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that causes physiological responses in your body.

Your professor is finalizing their transformation into a student-eating monster. This stressful situation would send a signal to your brain that will start processing the information. When this happens, all parts of the brain simultaneously work to establish whether your flesh-eating professor is a threat or nothing of importance.

There are two paths that the brain follows in evaluating the situation – the low road and the high road. The former evaluates every situation as the worst-case scenario; a loud sound from your kitchen at night is your end in this world. The latter, however, is your rational analysis of a situation.

The high road will evaluate every possible outcome

their apparel to a charity.

She explained the only time they throw away clothes from their stores is if they are damaged and unsellable.

Concordia Stores also have a partnership with Concordia University's Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR).

Burnett said they have donated some unsold art supplies to CUCCR for creative purposes in the past, and have given them wooden shelves the Stores were no longer using.

“By fixing ambitious targets and giving ourselves the means to attain them, our city will deploy the necessary efforts to make its ecological transition more concrete,” said executive committee member Laurence Lavigne Lalonde.

Lalonde is responsible for the ecological transition and resilience of l'Espace pour la vie et de l'agriculture urbaine.

Concordia has several other initiatives aiming to reduce food waste, such as the Dish Project, Waste Not Want Not and the Concordia Food Coalition.

Photo by Laurence B.D.

of a situation and link the stimulus to previous similar events in order to make sense of it.

This analysis of the situation happens in a blink of an eye and results in the biological reaction of fight or flight. Your reaction to your werewolf professor pouncing on their first victim will be either to fight them back or just get the eff out.

In both cases, your body will release chemicals like adrenaline and noradrenaline resulting in a racing heart, heavy breathing and activated muscles to be ready to either fight or flee the aggressor.

Now, don’t worry too much. Halloween is only two days away. So, cross your fingers and light up some sage in hope to avoid any encounter with life threatening monsters in the next 48 hours.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Marissa Ramnanan Assistant News Editor

Graphic by @sundaeghost

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

CONCORDIA

No food on Loyola campus

CSU looking into creating more food opportunities at the Loyola Campus, but is facing resistance with Concordia administration Fern Clair Assistant News Editor

Celeste-Melize Ferrus, CSU Loyola coordinator, wants to collaborate with student groups like the Concordia Food Coalition, an organization that focuses on sustainable food on campus, to use unused spaces on campus to give students more of a variety of food at the Loyola campus.

Ferrus explains that the decision to create more food on campus is not up to the CSU, but to Concordia administration and the Dean, who are open to ideas if they see a demand for it.

Arguably, the need is there. Ferrus argues that there is nothing to eat at the Loyola Campus.

But, she said that if Concordia does not see a need for more food at Loyola, the only thing CSU would be able to do is a petition.

“I need more variety,” she said. “I wouldn't eat Tim Hortons. Eating that every semester for your whole undergrad is really frustrating.”

Other students also feel that Loyola does not have adequate food on campus.

“I feel like it’s lacking in food in a way that doesn't make me want to stay on campus for very long,” said Avery Jane, a Concordia student who is lactose intolerant and celiac. “It’s a real bummer, having to go all the way out there and then not being able to stay for very long unless I’ve planned in advance and brought my own food.”

The Hive Café, a student-run cooperative that provides healthy and affordable food on campus, does have a location at Loyola and offers gluten-free and vegan options.

Yet, Antonia Neatby, an employee at the Hive, admits this is not enough.

“We are the only place that has gluten-free options, and I think the only place that has vegan options,” Neatby said. “But we don’t have that many options, and we can’t guarantee [zero] cross-contamination.”

Neatby said she has heard students saying

that they want more variety in food at the Loyola Campus.

“There is definitely a real desire in the student body to have student-owned and student led food cooperatives that don't contribute to things like Aramark,” she said.

Aramark is an American food service provider that has been in a five-year contract with Concordia to provide food services. Its contract is supposed to finish in 2020 with a chance of a twoyear renewal.

In a 2015 online statement, Concordia said that Aramark would focus on creating new cafes and restaurants on campus, promising more variety for students.

The statement also mentions how Aramark has created a Tim Hortons and a European-style Market in the Richard J. Renaud Science Complex at Loyola, which offers a variety of foods for students.

“The locations will also feature ‘Get the Good Stuff,’ Aramark’s daily prepared healthy-balanced meals and snacks for students on the go,” read the statement.

Ferrus said that these promises from Aramark never panned out, that all the variety Tim Hortons has to offer is bagels and cream cheese, and the rest of the options are very expensive and slim.

Elias Huckel-Fidalgo, another member of the CSU council, confirmed that the CSU committee is not actively looking into creating more food at the Loyola campus at the moment. Huckel-Fidalgo said that Ferrus is the only CSU member advocating for more food on campus.

Graphic by Victoria Blair

POLI SAVVY:

The Liberal “Victory” and the Challenges of a Minority Government Georges Habib Contributor It is no question that the Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau has achieved a considerable victory of sorts this month, namely the “privilege” of leading the entire country of Canada.

However, it is still a political step down from the party’s status prior to the elections; that of a majority government. So, what challenges will the Liberals have to face?

First, cabinet management. It is customary for all Canadian federal cabinet ministers to be representative of each province. Cabinet ministers are MPs chosen from among the winning party based on their province. However, given that the Liberals have lost all their representatives in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the party effectively has no representation in the two prairie provinces.

MPs from the other parties will have to be chosen for proportional provincial representation within the cabinet.

The second problem involves passing bills, specifically those related to the Liberal platform. Majority governments are formed when a given party attains 170 plus seats in the House of Commons and doesn’t face the obstacle of votes when passing a bill. Not anymore for the Liberals. They will now have to collaborate with other parties to get enough votes. Although, it is important to point out that Trudeau has ruled out any official coalition, according to the BBC.

The third and final problem, compromise. Looking at the platforms of some of the parties, it's easy to see where some overlap; the Liberals, Greens, and New Democrats sporting clear similarities in both social and environmental policy fields.

Regardless, the true success of a minority government lies in compromise, ensuring that their political partners have enough to gain to vote favourably. But where will it happen? On the matter of Quebec sovereignty with the Bloc? Doubtful, according to an article in Global News. By cancelling the Trans Mountain pipeline as encouraged by the NDP and the Greens? Not likely, reported CJME. Anything with the Conservatives?

When pigs fly.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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News.

NEWS EDITORS Jad Abukasm /  @JAbukasm Virginie Ann /  @LaVirginieAnn news@theconcordian.com

THERAPY

Furry friends have come to help us through the study blues Hadassah Alencar Contributor “I think everybody right now is stressed all the time,” said Synneva Furuli, a computer engineering student at Concordia.

“I think basically that's kind of life right now, and dogs are so good, you just look at them and they’re so happy. Just be near them and they make you happy.”

Indeed, they’re cuddly, soft, friendly, and sweet.

Many of these dogs come from the Blue Ribbon Therapy Dogs, a nonprofit and volunteer organization in Montreal that provides dog and handler (therapy dog owner) evaluations and training.

“Therapy dogs work with their owners to provide services that improve people’s physical, emotional and communication abilities,” reads their website, followed by pictures of some of the organization’s available therapy dogs.

Harriet Schleifer, the founder and owner of Blue Ribbon Therapy Dogs, said she started the foundation because of the experience she had with her mother, who in her last years suffered from

dementia and benefited greatly from having Schleifer arrive with her Shetland Sheepdogs.

“The only thing that helped her was my dogs,” said Schleifer. “And [it was] to the point where the people taking care of her would call and say we can’t get your mother to fill in the blank, take her bath, take her pills, eat her lunch, whatever; we need a dog. I’d go over there with the dog and whatever it was that we needed her to do and there was suddenly no problem.”

“We [humankind] kind of selected them for the dogs that relate best to people. Now it feels that they can read our minds, because in a sense they can,” said Schleifer. “When I took Brandy [to a hospice], there was a gentleman that hadn’t spoken at a nursing home for eight years and he started to talk to her, like what did she do? Nothing you could see, she just sat down beside him and he petted her and he started talking to her. And after that he kept talking and started talking to the other people at the residence.”

Charles Altman, an advisor at the access centre for students with disabilities, also believes that there's no doubt regarding the benefits of ani-

mal-assisted therapy in calming people down and centering them.

Altman described how at his previous work in HIV AIDS services, he began a service called “Therapets,” a program that provided help and training so patients could keep their pets, even when they had to stay at the hospital.

“We saw the real benefits, especially with people with immune system problems, it makes a huge difference in people's morale and sense of wellbeing.”

In the middle of the session, a student stared blankly at her hands and rubbed them together. Lee Ehler, the therapy dog handler, noticing the change in her posture, asked if she needed a wipe for her to clean off any residue from dog kisses.

“No,” she replied, “I just have to go back to real life now.”

Photo by Cecilia Piga

CURRENT EVENTS

The future is not flying cars, it’s bicycles Johanne Nedergaard Staff Writer Want to live smart? Slow down. That’s what Ursula Eicker, professor of Buildings Civil and Environmental Engineering said at Le Monde Festival 2019.

Le Monde is a climate festival held on Oct. 25 and 26, co-organized by French newspapers Le Monde and Le Devoir.

Different talks and debates were held, arguing how we can shape the most sustainable and hopeful future possible.

We have never been as busy as now when it comes to revolutionizing our use of natural remedies. But instead of rushing towards new methods and technologies, maybe we should just go back in time and get inspired by how things were before the industrial revolution.

Eicker is Concordia’s new Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities, and this year she was giving the keynote address for the French climate festival. According to Eicker, climate justice will not just take a few single actions, but several repeating ones that might conf lict with our incorporated and safe habitual life as we know it. Her take on this matter is that we need to change the infrastructures in cities, not necessarily by looking forward, but by looking backward.

“We live in a world where short term actions dominate,” Eicker said. She doesn’t see a bright future for sterile cities with a focus on expansion and financial growth. Instead, Eicker argues that we need a frame that can help us reduce our carbon

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footprint in the most efficient way possible.

A large and open space for pedestrians, bikers and green areas are key elements of these so-called “next-generation cities,” that Eicker gave us a virtual tour of. Besides these back-to-basics renovations of the cityscape, she also shared the importance of rethinking how we as consumers maintain ownership of, for example, our way of commuting. Why not drive together with your colleague to work, or go grocery shopping with your neighbour, in one vehicle?

Being smart is not just about being fast, evolving and building. Big changes have to be incorporated into city infrastructure, but you can also help a lot through individual actions. Maybe this simplified approach to sharing both transport and resources would be worth a try.

Photo by Johanne Nedergaard

Life.

LIFE EDITOR Kayla-Marie Turriciano /  @lifewithk_ay life@theconcordian.com

WITCHCRAFT

The magic behind witches

Modern practices of magic aren’t as dark as they were once made out to be Brittany Henriques Assistant Life Editor

Modern-day witchcraft is alive and practiced more than we might think.

Across Montreal, there are stores, schools, workshops, and more, that are dedicated to witchcraft and all its branches. Nowadays, the practice has been somewhat glorified with the popularity of shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed, and The Good Witch. Twentieth century witchcraft is far different than what it was back in the 1300s, but for those practicing witchy-religions like Wicca, it is no joke, nor purely aesthetic.

Witchcraft has a deep-rooted history, widely known because of the dark and devastating events of the past. Take the Salem Witch Trials, for example. According to an article on smithsonianmag.com, they occurred in Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. Over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, thought of as “the Devil’s magic,” a nd 20 people were executed.

According to historians on History4everyone’s website, the witchcraft craze extended from the 1300s to the late 1600s. Fearful and paranoid Christians believed the Devil gave people known as witches the power to harm others and cast evil spells. Historians estimate that, between the 16th and 17th centuries, over 100,000 people were prosecuted and over 40,000 were executed.

According to the same source, in the Middle Ages, the

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Christian Church was anxious about rebellion; new heresies (branches of Christianity) and printing information among the elites increased this paranoia. Over 80 per cent of victims were women and the suspicion of witchcraft often aligned with characteristics of being older, widowed or single, and poor. During the witch trials, the accused that were “tempted by the devil” would go through a list of elements that would “prove” to the judge that they were, in fact, a witch. Some of the elements would include an unnatural way of travel, odd behaviour, etc. The accused were subject to torture to elicit information/confessions. This would result in the victim inventing stories just to stop the pain.

Charme & Sortilège is a witchcraft store that has been catering to Montreal witches and the curious for over 20 years. Kim, who didn’t want to give her last name, is a witch and the director of communications at the store.

She said it took a few years before their products were of a quality standard to sell to White Magic practitioners.

“After multiple tests in dowsing, we were able to establish that the majority of these products did not undergo any energetic manipulation and had not received the “charge” a practitioner would expect,” she said. This created an issue that can still be seen today in various stores, where fake items are sold with the idea that they will help you practice witchcraft.

“[The items] were all just

ordinary items, often sloppy, and adorned with esoteric names designed for quick resale to customers more superstitious than the “connaisseur” with knowledge and needs,” said Kim. Their 600 products are “dedicated, lustrated, invested, consecrated, sanctified, energized, and prepared according to methods of High Hermetic Magic mostly with certain Druidic, Shamanic, and Alchemical additions for some.”

Most common witchcraft practitioners are Wiccan, a religion that focuses on the Spirit that exists in everything. According to the Wicca website, Wiccans celebrate the cycles of the moon, sun and seasons, and try to find harmony within nature and universal energy.

There are different paths and traditions a witch can choose from, like Druidism, Shamanism, and so on. For Kim, being a witch is a way of life.

“It’s a way of being, feeling and reacting to everything that surrounds us,” she said.

Some witches start their days with meditations, others light candles and incense, some choose to do Tarot or Oracle readings, and so on. “A Witch’s spirituality is beautiful in that way — we are free to practice the way we feel is right for us, as long as nobody gets hurt along the way.”

According to Kim, Charme & Sortilège has seen an increase in popularity and/or interest in

witchcraft. “Maybe it’s because of the movies, TV series, books,” said Kim. “But also, I find that more and more people are searching for spiritual answers outside of the ‘normal institutionalized spiritualities/religions.’”

There’s also an important distinction between the francophone and anglophone communities.

“A lot of practitioners in the french community are solitary practitioners and more practitioners in the english community are forming circles and groups,” said Kim. “We’re working very hard to unite the community and unite the practitioners.” Charme & Sortilège offers workshops, monthly full moon celebrations, and more.

Despite the increased popularity, the witch community is still working to combat untrue claims about t heir practice.

According to the Wicca website, witchcraft is not a cult, Wiccans do not worship Satan or consort with Demons, they do not sacrifice animals or humans, witches do not “steal or control the life force of another to achieve mystical or supernatural powers” and they do not use forces of nature to “hex or cast spells on others.” These false claims are a direct result of fears from the past and those who practice black magic, which Wiccans do not associate with.

According to Wicca, “witches have a very strict belief in the Law of Three, which states that whatever we send out into our world shall return to us three fold, either good or bane.”

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Life.

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

LIFE EDITOR Kayla-Marie Turriciano /  @lifewithk_ay life@theconcordian.com

CONFESSIONS

An Arab’s Ode to Coffee Youmna El Halabi Opinions Editor

Hi, my name is Youmna El Halabi, and I’m addicted to coffee. Cue the unanimous chants one gets when at a self-help group.

In pop-culture terms, if Spencer Hastings from Pretty Little Liars and Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls were to have a love child, I would be it.

However, these shows always emphasized on the amount of coffee consumed, whereas yours truly focuses more on the quality of this bitter, yet indispensable beverage.

Growing up in a Lebanese household, the smell of Arabic coffee was ever-present. And let me tell you one thing: one rakwa (coffee pot for Arabs) is worth 10 of your Americanos, and might just teach you a thing or two about good coffee.

As per my introduction, I genuinely believe my love for coffee is hereditary.

Although she might deny it if you ask, my mother is just as bad as I am, if not worse. You know how lent is supposed to be a time where you fast on one thing that brings you joy? You can bet my mother never fasted on her morning

YUM or YIKES! umami

Noemi Stella Mazurek Contributor Little Italy’s new vegan ramen restaurant is the perfect cold weather escape.

Little Italy’s new vegan ramen place may not have the best food, but it will feed your soul and make you feel like you just curled up in a duvet blanket on a cold winter evening.

What Umami Ramen doesn’t offer in flavour, it makes up for in cold-weather comfort. The moment my friend and I walked out of a crisp October evening and into the restaurant, I was flooded with relief; the atmosphere was welcoming and soothing, a lovely respite from the piercing wind outside.

We didn’t make a reservation but were offered a seat at the bar.

Under warm lighting filtering through wooden lamps, simple menus were brought to us. Umami has limited options; with only

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Graphic by @sundaeghost

“Mama, did you stop drinking coffee when you were pregnant with me or my sister?”

“No, but I should have, look how you two turned out.”

coffee. Why? “I just can’t handle the headaches.” But god forbid I go over my three-cup-a-day limit. Mothers are weirdly paradoxical.

But I can’t say I don’t understand where she is coming from. Whenever someone claims to have stopped drinking coffee, boasting about how much it improved their quality of life, I applaud them for taking these steps — because I could never do it.

Sure, the possibility of waking up in the morning without a headache, or any other obvious signs of caffeine dependency, sounds delightful. It might even sound like heaven to some.

But what about the old saying about

four types of ramen to choose from and a handful of appetizer options, even the most indecisive, such as myself, needn’t struggle too hard to choose a dish.

We settled on the Tokyo-style Shoyu ramen with the “chicken” Karaage and Kushikatsu panko-breaded veggie skewers as appetizers. Umami takes pride in their house-made noodles, tofu, and ferments, so I was really excited for the meal we were about to enjoy.

The Karaage was addictively crunchy, but without the spicy sesame mayo and lemon juice, a little bland. The veggie skewers were crisp on the outside and steaming on the inside. Aside from the sauce, this appetizer was delicious— the breaded eggplant’s succulent texture was perhaps the highlight of the whole meal— but microscopic! For $7, we were served three skewers with only two pieces of onion, eggplant, or okra each.

Then came the ramen. The noodles were tasty, but not spectacular, and the texture of yuba (tofu skin) was rubbery and unsettling. Sweet, sour, salty and bitter were ticked off by the shiitake, tomates confite, wakame and daikon, with the broth rounding off the palette with its decidedly umami quality. As a whole, the flavours of the toppings balanced each other off nicely, and I fell in love with the broth’s deep, rich, aroma.

not knowing what ‘good’ is until you’ve seen the ‘bad’? What could possibly be better than the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning, or afternoon caffeine fixes when you’ve struck out during an assignment? The warmth you’re filled with as you sip that hot liquid full of ephemeral productivity and energy?

Coffee might come in all shapes and forms, and I am not about to call out anyone who enjoys sipping on caramel frappuccinos throughout the year, but fellow coffee connoisseurs will attest to the fact that those unicorn drinks never satiate us.

To put it plainly: coarse and black, or don’t even bother.

Overall, the meal was immensely satisfying: not so much in regards to the food, but with how it made us feel. We left happy and comforted, full but not bloated.

I certainly intend on returning in order to try the other three ramen bowls (and the okonomiyaki cabbage pancake our table neighbours ordered) but, above all, to bask in the restaurant’s comforting ambiance.

Umami is a safe haven of warmth and spice, a dining-experience must during the cold weather months.

3.5/5 for food 3.5/5 for price 5/5 for service 5/5 for ambiance

Photo by Noemi Stella Mazurek

the art of being single

W/ KAYLA-MARIE TURRICIANO

It really be like that sometimes

Glances from across the room.

Shared shy smiles. Lingering looks.

Increasingly longer conversations. More time spent together. Shared jokes, conversations, moments.

A growing feeling in your chest when you’re around them, butterflies in your stomach; soon, they’re always on your mind. Finally admitting to yourself that you're starting to like them, that you want to spend more and more time together.

You think they might feel the same; you’re ready to test the waters and ask them out. But right as you gear up and get the courage to do so — as if by a cruel joke curated by the universe or god or whatever — you find out they’re taken.

You start to feel embarrassed for flirting with them, ashamed that you didn’t realize it sooner, stupid that you thought you were the only one in their life, and maybe, if you fell really hard really fast, like your life is over and there’s nothing left to live for.

Don’t think any of these things, though. Be kind to yourself in the moments and days after this realization.

There’s nothing to be embarrassed about liking someone and trying to show them, there’s nothing to be ashamed of if you didn’t know they were taken in the first place, there’s no reason to feel stupid for thinking you were the only one in their life.

The most important thing to do once you realize someone is not interested in you in that way is to make a decision: are you really going to let the fact that they’re taken/seeing someone come in the way of the relationship you’ve built with them? If you really like them as a person, the answer is likely going to be no. Obviously, though, just be sure to understand that there are boundaries because they’re taken. If your feelings still come in the way of maintaining a friendship with this person, call a timeout: spend some time away from them and try to forget about them in that way.

A lot of the time, when you like someone, your brain forgets to function.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the moments shared with another person, in the time spent together, in the attention they give you. It’s not too difficult to get wrapped up in the idea of liking them, wondering if they might like you too.

These are things that happen — and they will likely happen a lot — and it’s just part of life.

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If you have any topic suggestions or questions for advice, feel free to reach out to life@theconcordian.com

LITERATURE

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

La Grosse Laide: escaping fat phobia through comics Marie-Noëlle Hébert’s first comic book comes as an autobiographical take on fatphobia and self esteem Virginie Ann News Editor Wear black. Avoid horizontal lines. Put your hair in a bun. Drink tea. Eat less.

Considering weight gain like a plague has made us overlook the fact that comments made non-maliciously can still be traumatizing. Why are we so deeply afraid to become fat? Why are we so afraid of our loved ones being fat?

Six years ago, during a family dinner, Marie-Noëlle Hébert’s father told her that she had eaten enough. It was nothing like saying “you are too fat,” but the cruelty was, innocently, the same. While the then 23-year-old thought she was happy with her body, that comment left her deeply horrified and led to a spiral of doubt and depression.

You have eaten enough.

Yet, this painful feeling was not unknown to Hébert. This time, she wanted to understand how it all began. She started to investigate her old journals and asked her relatives to share memories regarding her weight.

“I asked my mother when did she first notice that I was fat, but also when she noticed that I started to see it too,” Hébert said. “It was as if I buried, deep down, all these episodes of being ashamed of my body. I had forgotten things and now I wanted to be reminded.”

As a result, Hébert embarked on a journey that led to the creation of her first comic book, La Grosse Laide, a redemption of self esteem and fat phobia. Reading through her old journals might have been inspiring, but it was still very hurtful for her. They were filled with dark and suicidal thoughts with a recurring theme: she considered herself to be a fat, ugly person.

La Grosse Laide.

The truth is, Hébert is not alone. Fat phobia represents the fear of being fat or seeing fat around you. According to the National Eating Disorder Organization, the phobia is strongly present in girls from ages six to 12, with 40 to 60 per cent concerned about their weight or are fearful of becoming fat. This time coincides with their bodies going through extreme changes, mostly due to menstruation shifting hormone balance. Yet, this time is often received with teasing by family and friends.

“I was surrounded by comments on my body either at home or school — it was inevitable,” said Hébert. “Comments about what I ate, what I was wearing and the infamous culture of shaming pasta-bread-potato.

In my family, there are a lot of women; it’s an entire network where you can’t be fat, nor vulgar. You can’t speak too loud or be spontaneous. You had to be feminine and delicate.

But these comments were often made as a joke or trying to help, never in a malicious way. Truly, it usually is a reflection of the person’s fear of their own body.”

Is fat phobia intergenerational then?

Hébert recalled her father often swimming with his t-shirt on. She realized how his own fight with body image was why he was verbally violent towards her. Undeniably, such vituperation and influence from Hebert’s family is palpable through her soft voice and tender laugh. Her kind eyes tell the story of a long fight against self-shame — an all-too-common look.

La Grosse Laide is not a way for Hébert to shame her entourage; rather, it is an autobiographical testimony. It is a way to finally redeem herself and transform her body issues into something artistic and beautiful. For someone who never published her drawings, it is an incredibly personal project, as the notion of being fat can be.

Indeed, it is difficult to have a single description of what it means to be fat. Categorizing obesity is easier since it falls under body mass index measurements, determined by the Heart Foundation. Body dysmorphia, which usually derives from fatphobia, can’t be calculated and fixed through a scale. A study at University College London showed that the brain believes the body to be two-thirds bigger than it actually is. Becoming comfortable with your body is not a one-day process and can take a lifetime to overcome, according to Hébert.

“While I was working on my comic book, I was living in Montreal with my grandmother, whom I love dearly,” said Hébert. “She is proud of her appearance and has always been obsessed with her image and weight. Living with her, I saw where [my own obsession] came from. At 80 years old, she was still hating her stomach. If there is a fight that I will drop, it is this one. I don’t want to find my old self still saying ‘goddamn stomach!’”

Ironically, while creating La Grosse Laide and working full-time for the STM, Hébert recognized having gained weight. As her comic book comes as a critique of fatphobia, she now finds herself having to tame and love her 29-yearold body. Yet, when she draws, she doesn’t think about her body rolls. Her focus is not on her physique anymore. There is no weight-loss plan in her life, no obsession.

There is only her graphite pencil and her drawings to achieve body reconciliation.

La Grosse Laide is available at XYZ Edition.

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Arts.

ARTS EDITOR Chloë Lalonde /  @ihooq2 arts@theconcordian.com

EXHIBITION

Fashion and Inspiration: A glimpse at designer Jean-Claude Poitras’ creative musings

Happening

in and around the White Cube this week...

CHLOË LALONDE | ARTS EDITOR

Lorenza Mezzapelle Assitant Arts Editor “Behind each and every item there is a story to tell,” said Jean-Claude Poitras as he entered the Jean-Claude Poitras: Fashion and Inspiration exhibition at the McCord Museum, on Oct. 22.

The exhibition, a product of Poitras’ life and work, brings the viewer inside the mind of the Montreal-born fashion designer and tells the story of his life through his creations.

It features over 140 pieces, accompanied by the designer’s sketches. Rather than being displayed in the chronological order of their concept, the garments are displayed in three sections; Childhood Memories, Muses and the Cinema, and Around the World – each marking a significant source of inspiration in Poitras’ life.

Each of the three rooms features a cubicle, the walls lined with screens wherein the viewer can enter and sit to enjoy a variety of video clips so as to put themselves inside the mind of the designer. This idea is meant to allow the viewer to experience the full fruition of the garments, from a plan to sketches, fabric samples, the photographic process and ultimately, the piece itself.

The simple silhouettes of the clothing contrast against vibrant prints, textures and fabrics; demonstrative of how garments that are reminiscent of the period in which they were created can still have their own personality. “[Through the exhibition] I discovered things that I did not suspect in my fashion,” said Poitras, speaking of inspiration drawn from

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cinema and attending church as a child; his silhouettes were greatly evocative of old Hollywood glamour and outfits traditionally worn to Sunday mass.

Rich and opulent tones fill this part of the show; every mannequin features items made of sheepskin, deep jewel tones and long coats constructed of heavy fabrics.

A collection of delicate, sheer blouses hang within a transparent box at the center of the room. Their wispiness makes them appear as though they are floating in the wind. Poitras described the garments as resembling kites or mobiles.

“La mode, c’est du cinema,” said Poitras, referring to the second section of the exhibition. He later described fashion as a passageway; falling hand-in-hand with love, cinema and humour – his main sources of inspiration.

Images of models wearing the clothes accompany the collection.

In one series of photos, numerous models are featured wearing the same item in a different way.

“Show me the possibilities that clothes can have,” said Poitras. He added that his aim was to create items that were personalizable, a desire that originated from his boredom of the monotonous repetition of outfits from the 70s.

“Orange is the colour of life, we bite into an orange,” said Poitras.

A bright tangerine colour was chosen for the walls of the Around the World section of the exhibition, which displays numerous designs inspired by his travels in Europe, North Africa and Southeast Asia, where he sourced the majority of his fabrics.

Poitras noted the significance of Japanese culture in his work, where he drew inspiration from the search

of the essential and purity, as well as a passion for material and texture.

One wall is lined with wide silhouettes featuring interesting details such as asymmetrical sashes. He noted how they share similar qualities to garments produced by renowned designers Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons, and Yohji Yamamoto, all of which are known for their attention to detail, use of organic lines and suppleness.

Another wall, inspired by his travels in Italy, features structured dresses in pastel tones or the colour of sorbet, as Poitras described them.

While this portion of Jean-Claude Poitras: Fashion and Inspiration is dedicated to Poitras’ travels, it is impossible to neglect the intermingling of inspiration stemming from retro cinema and the silhouettes reminiscent of those from his childhood.

“Thanks to you, I am remembered while I live,” said Poitras. The show, which guides the viewer through Poitras’ life and work through his depiction of a personal and collective history, marks the importance of the designer as a key figure in Montreal’s creative industry.

“Today, I am completely reassured,” said Poitras, speaking of his work as a designer. “This is not my job, it is my life.”

Jean-Claude Poitras: Fashion and Inspiration is on display at the McCord Museum, at 690 Sherbrooke St. W., until Apr. 26. The museum is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What does it mean to be human in an era where our destructive influence on our planet is quickly redefining the laws of nature? Justin Shoulder, an interdisciplinary artist from Sydney, Australia, questions just that.

His main body of work, Phasmahammer, is a collection of personas developed from queer ancestral myth, embodied by their own distinct gestures and carefully crafted costumes.

Phasma, referring to spirits, and hammer referring to the German word, wunderkammer, or cabinet of curiosity, are conjoined to give a name to Shoulder’s body or cosmology of spirits. The name, which sounds like it could be a metal band, uses recognizable symbols from popular culture to make it accessible to all audiences.

Working with traditional cyborg archetypes, Shoulder uses his body to forge connections between queer, migrant, spiritual, and intercultural experiences.

Carrion is one of many such shapeshiftingcreaturesnavigatingapost-Anthropocene world, trying to survive. Carrion, the name meaning rotting meat or flesh, begins as a tardigrade, a small microscopic organism that can survive extreme temperatures and transforms into various life forms throughout the piece.

Moving away from club scenes, short performances and installation work, Carrion will be performed at MonumentNational over Halloween in Montreal, as the last stop after a four-week long tour throughout Europe.

In such a setting, Shoulder’s work brings together worlds requiring a theatre space to see into its narrative language of spectacle, cabaret and opera.

Unlike club spaces with overt symbols and competing stimuli, the audience is able to witness the becomings and all the in-between moments of liminal transformations.

There will be no changing behind the curtain, pushing the function of multiple objects, removing all artifice, and revealing Carrion’s bare bones. Like a chimera, everything is reconfigured.

In Australia, Halloween is not the same cultural phenomenon as it is in North America. Though it has become more and more an applied celebration, mostly for commercial reasons, but also drawing in individuals to the potential to work with horror and community interaction. That being said, Carrion is not your typical Halloween party, nor is it your Rocky Horror Picture Show. Instead, it taps into ideas of horror, ritual and community spectacle, giving us something to see, something to witness, and something to think about.

For tickets and more information visit m-a-i.qc.ca/carrion

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

FILM REVIEW

Examining the socio-political influence behind Night of the Living Dead The evil now resides within our own region, we ourselves are the threat Cole Paquet Contributor

Romero’s first ever feature-length film was responsible for the creation of the modern day zombie; the shuff ling, re-animated, f lesh-eating ghoul killed only by a blow to the head. The filmmakers’ gritty, uncompromising vision helped usher in a new wave of horror f ilms that shifted their focus from the fantast ica l to t he more rea list ic, grounded and gruesome.

Night of the Living Dead

was released at the tail end of a decade marked by cultural phenomena and paints an acutely unsettling portrait of a country marred by civil unrest. In the years following the film’s release, Romero has spoken extensively on how Night was inf luenced by the era’s political climate.

In a 2010 interview with film critic Peter Keough, Romero called his zombie f ilms “snapshots of t he t i me t hey were made.” With Night, Romero set out to provoke and to ref lect on the qualms and anxieties of the American public, while simultaneously of fering a grim prediction of where things were headed.

The script for Night was developed by Romero and col-

In Nig ht, t he ev il now re side s w it h i n ou r ow n region, we ourselves are

the threat. Despite its reputation as the progenitor of zombie films, Night never outright refers to its monsters as “zombies.”

For Romero, the movie’s ghouls were always intended to be dead neighbours, fellow citizens turned violent.

Some, such as critic Douglas Winter, have even drawn parallels between the films’ zombies and soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War; violent, eager to k ill and lacking in individuality or moral values. This theory is supported by the f ilmmakers’ decision to film the movie in black and white, mimicking the realism and grittiness of wartime newsreels.

The socio-political context behind the film has also allowed for readings through the lens of race relations during the 1960s.

Of course, lending credence to this interpretation is the casting of Duane Jones, a person of colour, in the film’s lead role. With the Jim Crow laws having been abolished only a few years prior, this was indeed a bold move by the filmmakers.

Though Romero has stated t hat t h is decision wa s merely based on Jones’ acting abilities, having a person of colour in a lead role alongside a cast of white actors was incredibly uncommon at the time.

Night’s ending, in which Ben survives until sunrise only to be killed by a group of vigilante rednecks, remains star t ling to

t his day and, as noted by slate. com writer Caetlin Benson-Allott, is shockingly reminiscent of lynch mob photos.

Critic Ben Hervey, in his book Night of the Living Dead (BFI Film Classics), states that Romero shot the ending sequence with politics consciously in mind, suggesting t hat t his was a pa ra l lel made intentionally.

Over 50 years later, Night of the Living Dead remains a startling depiction of a society at war with itself, one fraught with distress and anger.

To dismiss it as your runof-the-mill zombie affair would be doing the film a great injustice.

Romero and company soaked in the inf luence of a tumultuous time to craft an enduring classic that still has a lot to say. In times as divisive and uncertain as these, Romero’s opus is still as relevant as ever.

Night of the Liv ing Dead i s playing at Cinéma Moderne as part of its “Halloween at Cinéma Moderne” series. Screenings take place on Oct. 30 and 31 at 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or at the ticket counter for $11.50. For more details, visit them online at cinemamoderne.com or on location at 5150 St-Laurent Blvd.

SCAN FOR MORE INFO Graphic by @joeybruceart

In the immensely vast and expansive canon of the horror genre, there are perhaps few films as significant as George A. Romero’s 1968 landmark title Night of the Living Dead.

laborator, John Russo, over the course of three days in 1967.

That same year, a series of 159 race riots exploded across the United States in what became known as the “Long, hot summer of 1967.” Concurrently, the Vietnam War continued to rage on, being reg u la rly broadcast to homes across America in vivid, graphic deta i l. As aut hor Geof f K i ng details in his book New Hollywood Cinema: An Introduction, the image of America as a place of freedom and democracy had been irreparably damaged, and lead to widespread anti-authoritarian and countercultural sentiments across the western world.

The collective impact of these events in a relatively short period of time inf luenced many filmmakers during the latter half of the decade, Romero included, whose criticisms come across in many of the film’s creative choices and thematic elements.

Perhaps most telling of all is Romero’s decision to have the film take place within America.

Horror movies prior to Night of the Living Dead had always been set in far-off, unfamiliar lands.

As film critic Robin Wood reflects on in his book Hollywood from Viet na m to Reaga n, t he foreign threat in horror during this time period suggests that, while evil does exist, it is certainly not American.

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Arts.

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

ARTS EDITOR Chloe Lalonde arts@theconcordian.com

FILM

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma 2019: Three Highlights

Olivier Du Ruisseau Staff Writer With the end of the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (FNC) last week comes excitement about the films we will have the chance to see this fall. The Concordian picked three of its favourites from the 2019 programming, which spanned Oct. 9 to 20.

Although some other impressive films also caught our attention, we decided to focus on the ones we will be able to see outside of the festival.

Bacurau – Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles, Brazil, 2019

This story of a small Brazilian town which finds itself in the middle of a bloody and spooky manhunt is a must-watch. It certainly deserves all the praise it has been getting this year.

Winner of the FNC Temps Ø Public’s Choice Award and Jury Prize at Cannes, Bacurau is a unique and provocative picture.

Named after the small and isolated village of Bacurau, the film starts as its inhabitants are grieving their matriarch Carmelita. As we get to know its strange characters, we begin to sense an imminent danger. More and more people mysteriously disappear. Even the village itself somehow vanishes from all maps and gets cut from civilization.

The inhabitants of Bacurau suspect extraterrestrial involvement or a divine intervention of some sort, but never what really causes their town’s disintegration.

The film manages to provoke one of the most surprising, exhilarating and funny finales of this year’s FNC lineup. The last 30 minutes of Bacurau are worth the movie ticket, encompassing murder,

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mystery, vengeance, psychedelic drugs and occult forces.

Although it might seem innocent and joyful at the beginning, Bacurau becomes a profound meditation on social inequality and colonial violence towards the end, while remaining coherent, unpretentious and entertaining.

Pain & Glory – Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2019

If Pain & Glory were to wind up as Pedro Almodóvar’s last film, it would end the filmmaker’s career beautifully. But after watching the Spanish artist’s last opus, one is undoubtedly touched and has to want to see more.

Pain & Glory relates the existential tribulations of Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), an old and deprived filmmaker who struggles to get past his health problems and to get to work again. It is very close to the director’s own life and ruminations. Antonio Banderas said it himself as he received his award for best actor at Cannes last year, “it is no secret that Salvador Mallo is Pedro Almodóvar.”

The film goes back in time, showing the young Mallo growing up in a small village in the south of Spain. We also see many characters of the director’s past reappearing in his present life. One scene is particularly moving and feels very personal to Almodóvar, as Mallo meets his ex-boyfriend who he had not seen in decades. They talk about love, sexuality, growing old and battling drug addiction in a thoughtful and beautiful way.

The movie also charms with the naïveté and liveliness emanating from its use of light and color, specific to the work of Almodóvar.

The very last shot of Pain & Glory feels like one of the most dazzling and bittersweet movie endings of the year. Probably our favourite picture of the entire 2019

FNC programming.

I lost my body – Jérémy Clapin, France, 2019

With I lost my body, Jérémy Clapin creates a poetic, yet relatable and universal first animated feature film.

It starts as Naoufel, a young man trying to survive by himself in Paris, remembers his childhood. He appears scared by the loss of his parents but also marked by a rigorous musical education from his mother. We see him fascinated with various sounds of nature as a child, recording everything he encounters.

In parallel, a lonely hand escapes from a lab, where it is being stored. We then embark on two journeys, which connect at the end of the movie. We see Naoufel doing everything in his power to seduce a young woman named Gabrielle, as well as the hand, roaming the streets of Paris in search of the body it was once attached to.

Although its narrative is sometimes predictable, and dialogue somewhat cheesy, I lost my body still deserves attention.

It shows beautiful poetic imagery, and impressive sound design. The sound effects and music immerse the viewer in the story and embellish the often dark and dirty streets of Paris suburbs.

While it does not have more screenings planned in Montreal yet, I lost my body will be available on Netflix later this year.

The trailer is already on the website and really inspires to see the full picture.

Praised Canadian content to follow

Canadian films from across the country were also very much put forward by the festival this year, some of which will be in cinemas in Montreal this fall.

The Grand Prix of the National Competition was won this year by The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open,

by Kathleen Hepburn & Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. With two First Nations women as its protagonists, it raises awareness about domestic violence issues Indigenous women face in Canada. Presented at the Toronto International Film Festival and Berlinale earlier this year, it has amassed considerable critical acclaim.

The Twentieth Century, which will be presented in Montreal theatres in December, has won the most promising Canadian feature film prize at FNC this year. It takes an original look at the life and career of Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.

Finally, the short film The Physics of Sorrow, winner of the Prix National Dada at FNC, would be another one to try to find. Theodore Ushev’s last film centers on a man remembering his childhood in the midst of an existential crisis.

Winner of an honourable mention for the Best Canadian Short Film at TIFF, it is sure to attract more praise for the already successful director.

Pain & Glory will be presented all week in Spanish with English subtitles at the Cinéma du Parc and Cineplex Forum. Bacurau has been presented again at a few screenings in Montreal last week, including at the Brazilian Film Festival on Oct. 28. It will be shown in Toronto on Nov. 3 for the same festival. More screenings should follow this year.

Concordia students have a discount at Cinéma du Parc, setting the price of a ticket at $9.75. Many FNC films will be in their programming in the next few weeks.

SCAN FOR MORE INFO

Music.

MUSIC EDITOR Immanuel Matthews /  @immanuelmatt music@theconcordian.com

THINKPIECE

Where’s your loyalty?

A look at fan loyalty in rock versus hip hop

Spotify’s measurement of loyalty was the number of streams divided by the number of listeners, and under this criteria, the streaming platform is telling us that metal fans mostly listen to metal music.

While this comes as no surprise to me, I had a question of my own: which fanbase is most loyal to their favourite artists?

As an avid hip hop head and rock ‘n’ roll fanatic, I ask myself this question because I’ve seen both sides of the spectrum.

Although I love rock ‘n’ roll, I’m a man who tends to revisit the classics instead of trying to dig through the crowd of ‘meh’ artists that we label as rock stars these days, to find something worth listening to.

That being said, there’s no shortage of classics, as the golden age of rock that was the 60s and 70s have left us with an infinite amount of lifelong jams. The best part of it all is that these rock stars remain legends to this day, despite the material they may have released in their later years, which gained no significant traction in the music industry.

Paul McCartney. The Rolling Stones. Bob Dylan. John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Elton John. KISS. Ozzy Osbourne. The list goes on and on.

While some of these artists have released newer material in the past decade, the large majority continue to tour and sell out stadiums while playing through the same recycled songs that they wrote decades ago; some as far back as half a century. These men are legends

and can do no wrong. Even if any were to hypothetically release an album in 2020 that completely flopped, their legacy would not be tarnished. They’d continue to sell out arenas fast, and would be absolved of all their sins, courtesy of their loyal fan base.

I don’t think the same can be said about the rap industry…

As an avid hip hop head, I’ve seen how quickly the tides can change and bring a hero to zero in mere months. Chance the Rapper’s most recent album, The Big Day, may be one of the best examples of a praised artist who developed a cult following after a string of successful albums, only to make one mistake and be persecuted in the hip hop community. Chance’s decision to dedicate an entire album to his newlywed didn’t sit well with most fans and he went on to say that he believed they wanted him to kill himself for releasing it.

reigning as the queen of hip hop for quite some time.

Rock stars seem to be free to experiment with their works and make below-par projects once they have reached legendary status – no one seems to mind. The same cannot be said for rappers. Unfortunately, it seems like they’re only ever as good as their last release and there is little room for mistakes. Tough crowd, to say the least.

While rock fans treat their favourite artists as best friends in good times and in bad, hip hop heads seem to treat them as mere acquaintances no matter how close they once were.

bility of music in the streaming era where artists are easily disposable and replaced by one of their peers? Does this accessibility create a generational gap that takes away from the attachment older generations once had with artists after waiting for their vinyl, physically going to the store to purchase it, and finally spending hours in awe as the record was spinning? Both are possible.

There seems to be only one definite solution to maintaining a lifelong legend status in the rap world. Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur remain the game’s most respected rappers of all time, but both of their legacies were cut short by their untimely deaths. Biggie only ever released two albums, while Tupac had time to drop five.

Their careers were not long, but maybe that was for the best.

Who knows the hit their legacy could have taken had they released a less than spectacular album.

Maybe the only solution to guaranteeing eternal legend status in the rap game is to die on top.

Is it possible that this change in loyalty is due to the accessi-

While this is the most recent example that comes to mind, this lack of loyalty that comes along with the unwillingness to let rappers experiment in their works is not new.

Kid Cudi, the “lonely stoner” who opened up doors for hip hop artists to address the struggles of mental health, and who connected with millions of youth on a personal level, gradually faded from the spotlight with the release of his experimental works Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven and Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon. T-Pain, the pioneer of autotune, announced last week that he would be cancelling his upcoming tour due to low ticket sales. Last year, Nicki Minaj cancelled her joint tour with Future for similar reasons despite

Graphic by Zeze Lin

In 2015, a Spotify employee released statistics related to genre consumption and fan loyalty. Of the 1,300 genres that were analyzed, metal heads were found to be the most faithful to their genre.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Jacob Carey Assistant Music Editor

SHOW REVIEW

Part concert, part book tour: Canadian twins Teagan and Sara put on a unique show at the Corona Theatre Chris Iannotti Contributor Most artists releasing their ninth album might feel the need to forget the early awkward days when no one would pay attention to them, but Tegan and Sara do not see their messy, formative years that way at all. The twins have embraced and celebrated their roots through the release of their new album, Hey, I’m Just Like You, and first memoir, High School.

by Susan Moss.

Photo The Corona really felt like a theatre last Wednesday, as Tegan and Sara brought their Hey, I’m Just Like You tour to the city. They had set up chairs on the ground and had ushers in the alleys directing everyone to their purchased seats, already hinting this would not be your typical concert. The stage was simply decorated in two halves: a keyboard and guitar amps on the right, and stools and a bookcase on the left with about a dozen journals on it.

By 8:10 p.m. everyone had found their seats. As the lights went down, Tegan came out, and began reading the first memoir excerpt: a vivid childhood memory about her sister’s night

terrors. Afterwards she revealed how she had only recently found out it was her and not Sara who this story was actually about, and wondered aloud how many of her memories were really her own.

Tegan made her way over to the right side of the stage as the LED lights illuminated the keyboard and amps. Sara joined her sister for their first acoustic performance of the title track “Hey, I’m Just Like You.” This sequence would repeat itself throughout the night: memoir excerpts from each sister, followed by a song with a similar theme.

Every few tracks, archive footage of them in their highschool bedrooms would show up on screen, with Tegan or Sara narrating or cracking jokes over it.

Even the smallest cough could have been heard over the acoustic tracks and readings, yet the crowd was totally silent except when time to cheer. They were laughing just as much as they were tearing up, as the chapters covered everything from their first kisses, water beds,

Quickspins REX ORANGE COUNTY

PONY

RCA Records

Simplicity isn’t a bad thing on Pony There’s sweet innocence to be found in Rex Orange County’s latest album, Pony. The project basks in simplicity and it wouldn’t be a stretch to compare him to Ed Sheeran, albeit a much more endearing version of him.

BENNY THE BUTCHER & SMOKE DZA

7.5/10  TRIAL TRACK: Pluto Projector

 STAR BAR: “The great protector Is that what I’m supposed to be?

What if all this counts for nothing Everything I thought I’d be?”

Songs like “Pluto Projector” sound like his best attempt at recreating a Frank Ocean song and he pulls it off with success.

However, more often than not, Rex is comfortable making clear-as-day, indie pop-rock songs that could be played at both a high school prom and at your grandparents’ house.

Pony is a decidedly simple album, and one could mark that as a flaw given how many deep, complex, and layered pop projects have been released this year. Sometimes, though, simple is nice. The album doesn’t require much thinking, it’s just a lovely Sunday afternoon neatly packaged as a 30-minute listening experience.

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and acid trips (“don’t do drugs kids,” they giggled. “It was the 90s.”), to bad reviews, internalized homophobia, and the fear of how coming out would ruin their careers.

The tracks from the new album worked with just the two of them on stage, and made up half the setlist. With just guitars and keys, it sounded like polished versions of the original demos, and let the lyrics and storytelling shine. Songs covering the feelings of fearing the future, and messy first relationships like “Hello, I’m Right Here” and “I’ll Be Back Someday” felt like two teenage girls wrote them in their bedrooms. Unfortunately the sin-

Rex on “Pluto Projector” — LOUIS PAVLAKOS, STAFF WRITER

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS RFC Music Group

Benny the Butcher has spent the last few years turning heads alongside his Griselda Records labelmates. Smoke DZA has spent the better part of this decade being one of Harlem’s premier lyricists.

This EP sees the pair exchanging verses over a handful of fantastic instrumentals produced by none other than the legendary Pete Rock, giving this project a classic feel.

Statute of Limitations embodies the signature boom-bap sound of 90s east coast hip hop, without sounding dated or relying on nostalgia as a crutch.

Benny and DZA feel at home over these masterfully-produced instrumentals, going back and forth and bringing the best out of each other on every track.

The barrage of bars kicks off almost immediately on the album’s opener “By Any Means.” The track features the pair weaving in and out of each other’s verses with ease, taking turns every few lines. The duo displays great synergy throughout, both together and with guest features, including Conway the Machine who delivers a show-stealing verse on “Bullets.”

Overall, this EP delivers great bars and fantastic beats, and its short

gles from previous albums they incorporated onto the setlist like “Closer” and “I Was a Fool” left me missing the live drums and band they usually tour with.

After two hours and upon reaching the end of the memoir, Tegan and Sara wished us a wonderful night, summarizing their show as an invitation to “visit [our] younger selves more often and be more compassionate to them.” While it is tough to define exactly what this show was, and I still hope to get the chance to see them in concert with the band one day, they really do have something special, raw and vulnerable on their hands.

Photo by Susan Moss

runtime makes it prime for repeat listens. Benny and DZA are at the height of their abilities, and Pete Rock showcases the skill set that proves why he is considered an all-time great in the genre.

8.5/10  TRIAL TRACK: DRUG RAP  STAR BAR: “Me and Smoke like weed and Coke Hundred keys of dope hit the port of Miami, via boat If it’s ‘bout paper, we approach I’m stretchin’, John Legend, pressin’ keys and seein’ notes” Benny the Butcher on “By Any Means”

— WESLEY MCLEAN, STAFF WRITER

Sports.

SPORTS EDITOR Matthew Ohayon /  @MatthewOhayon sports@theconcordian.com

PROFILE

Olivia Atkinson trades in her Martlet uniform for the Maroon and Gold

After playing three seasons for the McGill Martlets and one for Les Canadiennes, Atkinson finds a home with the Stingers Matthew Ohayon Sports Editor It’s not everyday a player goes from one team to their greatest rival. Names that come to mind are Carlos Tevez, Mark Recchi and Terrell Owens.

Now, Olivia Atkinson joins that list along with her teammate Erica Starnino.

The fourth year player began her U Sports career with the McGill Martlets in the 2015-16 season. She transferred to Concordia last year but was unable to play because of U Sports eligibility rules. The season did not go to waste by any means for Atkinson, who ended up playing 17 games for Les Canadiennes de Montréal.

“It was a learning experience,” Atkinson said. “The pace of the game is much faster. Decisions need to be quicker. The physicality was the thing that showed me what my play lacked, I tried to focus on [improving] that aspect of my game.”

Atkinson joins a talented Stingers team with expectations sky high. She says to be a better, more impactful player for the team, she’s been focusing on her defensive play.

“Offensive [play] was something that I focused a lot on in the past,” said Atkinson. “Coming here with the knowledge of the coaches, I want to learn how to be a better defensive player.”

Nobody can dispute Atkinson’s offensive

abilities, having been a top scoring RSEQ player during her time with McGill. Head coach Julie Chu had nothing but high praise for Atkinson when talking about her willingness to improve.

“She works hard all the time, wants to learn and wants to get better,” said Chu. “Even as someone who coached against her for three years, I saw that on the ice through her intensity and compete level.”

Atkinson, enrolled in psychology, says that she made the switch from McGill to Concordia because Concordia offered more specialized courses of behavioural neuroscience that she’s interested in.

It also helps that the Stingers women’s hockey program is year after year regarded as one of the top in the country.

It can be tough coming on to a new team, especially when playing for that team’s greatest rival.

However Atkinson says that her new teammates have been nothing short of spectacular in helping her adjust to life with a new team and school.

“In the first couple of games, she had to get back into the swing of playing at the U Sports level,” Chu said. “The truth is when you’re playing for Les Canadiennes, [Atkinson] probably wasn’t given the same amount of ice time and opportunities that she’s been getting at our level. From day one she’s been such a hard worker and teammate. It’s been great to watch.”

Chu was excited when Atkinson approached her about joining the team but she says she didn’t make any promises to her when it came to her role on the team.

“We don’t talk about roles, it’s about our culture,” said Chu. “What we promise here is that you’ll be loved and supported. You’ll get every resource possible to be successful on and off the ice. We don’t promise anyone a certain role or position on our team. That’s not who we are and it’s not [a] reality of life. We promise opportunities

if you work hard and execute.”

Offensive execution is what Atkinson is known for. As a second year player in 2016-17, Atkinson was second in goal scoring and in points, lighting the lamp 12 times that season and finishing with 25 points. In her last year of university hockey in the 2017-18 season, before making the jump to the CWHL, she finished eighth in the RSEQ in points with 16 on the season.

Adding Atkinson and a number of other recruits, along with the team’s returning players makes this squad an incredibly talented one. They started the season ranked as the fourth best team in the country, and after going undefeated in the opening weekend of the season, have shot up to the top ranked team in the country.

“Polls are always a funny thing. It’s so early on in the season and no one really knows how they stack up [against other teams],” said Chu. “It’s a nice compliment, we know we’ve been playing great hockey but we also know that

where we stand at the end of the season is what really counts.”

Atkinson shares the same sentiment when it comes to the ranking and says that the teams approach along with her own hasn’t changed.

“Every day we’re coming to the rink and putting in the work,” Atkinson said. “We haven’t been taking our success [for granted].

We’re in a really competitive league and anyone of the teams can win on any given night. We have a target on our back and we need to be prepared for every game that way.”

Atkinson and the Stingers will face one of their other crosstown rivals, the fifth nationally ranked Carabins on November 1 at 7 p.m. at the CEPSUM.

Photos by Laurence B.D.

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Sports.

SPORTS EDITOR Matthew Ohayon /  @MatthewOhayon sports@theconcordian.com

POLITICS

R ARY U LO ENT O C MM thew t O a C w/ Mayon

China and the NBA: Lebron enters the fold

In light of the events leading to a frigid disconnect between the NBA and its connections with China, Lebron James was once again the one left to speak up for the players.

James publicly reprimanded the timing of Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who on Oct. 4, tweeted “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” The problem with Morey’s tweet is not that he was supporting freedom for a foreign country under a communist government, but rather that he did so while two teams, the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, were in the thick of that very regime in China; where they were to play two exhibition games.

Ever since James spoke publicly about Morey’s terrible timing, he’s been under fire for being a supporter of censorship. People are saying his comments are financially motivated, as he doesn’t want to lose all the endorsement money that Nike makes him in China. Fox News paints him as “unamerican” in his position against Morey, who is simply speaking freely, and supporting freedom, as Americans do.

HURRAH. This is so typical in more ways than one… Leave it to the USA to impose their constitution on countries halfway across the world, and to dumb down the issue at hand, using ideology as an excuse.

Let’s take a step back and look at this in a rational, practical way.

James doesn’t hate free speech – all of his actions say otherwise. The man founded and funded a public elementary school in his home town of Akron, Ohio, and promises free college tuition to every graduate. He is constantly a voice for the disenfranchised, a philanthropist to those in need, and is openly liberal. What James hates is loose-lipped executives sitting in their ivory towers far, far away, who stir the pot while he’s sitting in it. Despite the tweet only existing for several minutes before being deleted, it sparked a controversy in a country with a population of over 1.3 billion people.

The controversy caused outrage, and hostility. Lebron and his team, as well as the Nets, were simply there to play basketball, and grow the game on an international level.

All of a sudden, they’re on the front lines of an international conflict and media storm, where they could have potentially been in political, or even physical danger. What if the Chinese government wouldn’t let them leave? What if Chinese loyalists became violent?

Now, thankfully, those things didn’t

16

Oh

happen, but they very well could have. Instead, they experienced a different kind of backlash: The wrath of corporate China. The Chinese broadcast of the two games on their network, CCTV, was cancelled. Tickets became hard to come by. All corporate logos were taken off the hardwood.

Community events involving the players were cancelled. Chinese apparel brands suspended their relations with the NBA. The Chinese Basketball Association, run by Rockets legend Yao Ming, severed all ties with the Rockets. Chinese streaming service Tencent banned Houston from their service.

The team’s official apparel is no longer available in China. China has basically censored the hell out of the NBA.

Like many NBA superstars, Lebron James has been visiting China in the offseason for over 10 years on behalf of Nike, who carries his signature shoe and apparel lines. Of course it benefits him financially, why shouldn’t it? Would you spend weeks in China doing promotion for free? I didn’t think so. I assure you the league doesn’t mind either, because it popularizes their sport in a massive market.

More important than money, James is the most impactful ambassador for the sport since Michael Jordan made the NBA an international phenomenon. He cares more about the state of the game than he does his bank account, which is doing fine, I promise. The complete destruction of all the inroads the NBA has built into China is more likely what doesn’t sit well with him. All that time spent globalizing the game, and instilling its values in parts of the world that need them, evaporated in a moment’s notice with a seven word tweet.

But wait, here’s the cherry on top: In an attempt to either limit the damage, or save face with China, the NBA has censored the game in their own way. Fans holding up “Free Tokyo” signs in Philadelphia and Washington have had their posters taken from them by stadium officials.

Reporters have been silenced in asking questions about the controversy in Houston. Hypocrisy at its best, right? How is James the one being criticized for being an advocate of conciliatory speech, when the league is clearly guilty of that very thing?

Winning is a universal language

It seems like we have this conversation every couple of months, and I’m sick and tired of it. But since seeing the signs some people decided to put up all around the streets surrounding the Bell Centre, I’ve been really pissed off.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, there are a bunch of signs hung up on lampposts in the design of a Habs jersey that read “Minimum 10 Québécois.” The signs were paid for and authorized by Stefan Allinger of La Fondation Équipe-Québec.

Really? We’re doing this again?

This is why sports and politics should never intersect. Sports bring people together, politics have a tendency to be divisive.

James wants Morey to let the game speak

Graphic by Salomé Blain

Dean Bertoia Contributor

Before I rant on this subject, let’s think about this logistically for a second. Including goalies, there are 38 active players in the NHL that are born in Quebec, two of which play for the Canadiens. Some of these players have played most of their careers with the same team; Patrice Bergeron, Jonathan Huberdeau and Kristopher Letang. Yes, the Canadiens had the chance to draft two of those players, but they didn’t, and 29 other teams passed on them as well.

Traditionally the Canadiens have always had a French-speaking coach; this has apparently turned into a prerequisite for the job as they need to be able to address the French media in the city. Even with that reasoning, I don’t understand the need for it.

The Montreal Canadiens are the only team in the world that limit themselves to hiring a coach and general manager from a single region of the - one that isn’t the most highly populated. Now some people are calling for a minimum amount of Quebec-born players.

In 2013, Gareth Bale, who could have been argued as one of the top footballers on the face of the planet at that time, signed with Real Madrid in Spain. He did not speak a lick of Spanish, so what did the club do? They hired a translator for him to answer questions because they have millions of dollars at their disposal.

There are countless other examples of teams signing foreign coaches and players. It’s okay with fans because they are proven winners.

Winning is a universal language that everyone understands.

I couldn’t care less where a coach or player is from - if they bring a team success, they're good enough for mine. Let’s stop this debate right now, because frankly I’m not alone in being absolutely sick of it.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

FOOTBALL

Stingers football finish season 2-6, squeak into playoffs Concordia will play Laval in the RSEQ semi-finals Matthew Coyte Managing Editor This wasn’t the ideal season for the Concordia Stingers football team.

After Brad Collinson finally had a full offseason to recruit, build a game plan and create a culture, there were some raised expectations.

The team finished the year 2-6, the same record as last year. There were strong positives from the team. Quarterback Adam Vance passed for 2,014 yards this year, becoming the sixth Stingers quarterback to do so. Receiver James Tyrrell caught 52 passes for 779 yards and two touchdown receptions, the second-best season for a Stinger in the school’s history. Defensive back Khadeem Pierre had three interceptions, linebackers Sam Brodrique and Jersey Henry had 43 and 37 tackles respectively. This wasn’t a season without highlights.

But despite these strong individual performances, the team struggled. The offense had games where just nothing worked. The defense had games where they couldn’t get a stop. Turnovers cost the team in critical moments. The team finished the regular season last in the following categories: scoring offense, pass defense, rushing defense, sacks, penalties taken, sacks against.

The team’s last game of the season at home against McGill was a good example of this.

Down by a score with less than a minute left.

We’ve seen this situation before. The Concordia Stingers managed this type of exciting last-minute victory against Sherbrooke a couple weeks ago.

Alas, no resurrection this time.

The Stingers dropped their last regular-season game to McGill 23-17, finishing the year 2-6. But after the Sherbrooke Vert et Or lost to Laval Rouge et Or earlier in the afternoon, the Stingers still claimed the fourth and final playoff spot. They’ll play against defending U Sports champs Laval on Nov. 2.

As for this game, well, the Stingers didn’t make it easy on themselves all season, so why would this game be any different.

If you just looked at the offensive stats, you saw those familiar trends to close out the season. James Tyrrell, who despite taking a nasty

hit in the first quarter, managed four catches for 75 yards. Rookie phenom Jeremy Murphy led all receivers with six receptions for 100 yards and two touchdown catches.

“I mean, I played a great game,” said Murphy. “But at the end of the day, we didn’t win so I don’t care.”

Finally, the individual performance of quarterback Adam Vance, who went 24/42 for 334 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and two fumbles.

The offence struggled to gather momentum until the final minutes of play. A good run? Next play was a fumble. A nice completion? Sike, penalty flag. Luckily for the Stingers offence, its defence was there to bail them out, time and time again.

“Defence was the only reason we were in this game,” said Vance. “You gotta tip your cap to them because that’s a good football team. I know it’s discouraging to have to go out and play defence every five minutes, so you gotta respect it.”

Linebacker Sam Brodrique led the way for the Stingers with 7.5 tackles in what could be his final game at the Stingers Stadium. After playing in last year’s East-West Bowl, Brodrique is one of the top draft-eligible players on this team.

“It’s been great. I’ve had a lot of coaches,

a lot of changes,” said Brodrique. “I hope this last change was for the best and I hope the team builds from there. Even though we lost a lot of games this year, we’re a better as a team honestly. I hope they build from that.”

With McGill up by six points late in the 4th quarter, the Stingers began their march downfield. Vance evaded sacks, made great reads, found his receivers, and even made the runs himself. This put his team with a 1st-and10 on McGill’s 11-yard line with three attempts to win the game. First down, an Adam Vance run for six yards. Second down, an incomplete pass to Tristan Mancini. Third and final down, with only 20 seconds left on the clock, a corner pass to Tyrrell that was knocked out of the air by the McGill corner. Turnover on downs.

No one was happy about the way this game, or this season ended. But at the end of the day, the Stingers are still in the postseason.

Speaking of which...

We talking ‘bout playoffs???

“Back to the drawing board,” said Vance post-game. “We still have another game, we gotta go back to Quebec City and play a good football game. We’ll sob about this one tonight and get into the film room tomorrow. We got to game plan against them, we’ll probably see something similar because obviously it worked.”

“One of our goals was to make the playoffs,” said Collinson. “Now we just need to go out there and compete.”

“I think today we only played one half,” said Brodrique. “Next game, we gotta focus up and play two halves. Last time we went there, it wasn’t really great. We have to bounce back from that. For the team, having a good game against Laval would be good to follow up and this season. They have a good running game, so we gotta have a great gameplan.”

“We can’t afford to just play one half,” said Murphy. “That’s it. We gotta play better than the last time we played them that’s for sure, we can’t get stomped again.”

The Stingers will play Laval on Nov. 2 in Quebec City at 2 pm.

Photos by Arianna Randjbar

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Opinions.

OPINIONS EDITOR Youmna El Halabi /  @HalabiYoumna opinions@theconcordian.com

HALLOWEEN

Don’t mess up your dress up

Just because it’s a costume doesn’t mean it isn’t offensive Kayla-Marie Turriciano Life Editor

Halloween: the time of year that’s filled with candy, ghost stories, horror movies and haunted houses. While all this makes it spooky season, the only really spooky thing about Halloween are some of the costume choices that people make.

In my almost four years of working in a party store that turned extra Halloween-y during the month of October, I have seen a lot of things happen and a lot of things change. When I started that job at 16 years old, to be quite honest, I was not as culturally aware of what was right or wrong, or what cultural appropriation was. Working that first Halloween, I witnessed a lot of people buy some relatively inappropriate costumes: sexy geisha, Pocahontas, “gypsy,” and more.

It was during a time when people didn’t really speak out about what was right or wrong in terms of what to dress up as for the holiday.

I was young and naive and, while I knew it wasn’t necessarily right, I thought “it’s just a costume,” so I didn’t say anything to those customers. Over the next three years, that definitely changed — as much as it could, and I would try to con-

vince customers to go with an inoffensive costume while also keeping my job.

Over the following Halloweens, I’m sure there have been more times than I can remember where customers bought costumes that are homophobic, islamaphobic, promoting or presenting domestic violence, cultural appropriation, or were just plain insulting, but there is one instance that I remember vividly.

A white couple came in last minute to find costumes for a friend’s Halloween house party.

They wanted to find accessories so they could be Lil’ Wayne and Nicki Minaj. When I asked how they planned on not just looking like a woman with a neon wig and a guy with a grill and a white tank top, both said they would just apply a

REVOLUTION

lot of bronzer to “look black.” I was older, I was wiser, having gone to cegep where I became much more woke about social issues and, at this point I’d been working there so long I could run the place. So I told them, straight up, not to do it and it was wrong.

After explaining to them why it was wrong, I was a little shocked that they might still go through with their plan of essentially portraying blackface, despite them looking like they were in their late 20s, early 30s. Even though I grew up and became more aware of all these horrible costumes, I realized that not everyone has.

I don’t work at the store anymore, but I’m sure the same costumes that have been coming out year after year are still there. While people may become more aware of

what is and what isn’t appropriate to wear as a costume — hint, someone else’s culture is not acceptable — there is blame to place on the companies and manufacturers for what comes out in stores.

If people don’t realize something is inappropriate about a costume being made available to them, that’s another problem. Sure, there might be lack of education and conversation about what makes a costume offensive, but that isn’t an excuse, because it can be as simple as just asking a few people for their opinion. That being said, people that still choose to wear offensive costumes when they know they’re offensive have no real reason other than they are insensitive or have no functioning moral compass.

On that note, if you’re reading this and you’re wondering if your Halloween costume is offensive, here’s a little checklist of what you shouldn’t wear: anything to do with Indigenous people; black or brown or whatever colour face; anything that pokes fun at or promotes domestic violence, sexual harassment or assault; anything that makes fun of people with disabilities.

If you’re really unsure, literally just think of whether or not your costume’s concept has been part of any ridicule, harassment, genocide, etc. at any point in time.

And if you’re still not sure, I don’t know if you’re ready to be anything other than a cat or Superman.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Diary Entry: An Immigrant’s Prayer

A single tear escapes my eye. I don’t want to be here.

Youmna El Halabi Opinions Editor

As the clock struck midnight on Oct. 17, my spirit answered the long-awaited call for riot — seeming to forget where it actually was.

No responsibility seems too dire, no task too urgent — nothing matters but the uprising in my native country.

I know I should be stronger than this. I know I should be mindful of my surroundings. I know now is not the time to long for home.

Yet more than ever, the pull is strong.

The ache in my heart is unbearable.

I can’t sleep without gritting my teeth.

My mind is racing, traveling miles away.

I can’t focus on anything but the constant rapid beating of my heart.

This sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach hasn’t left me for over a week.

This constant anxiety seems to never leave me.

Nothing holds my attention anymore.

I haven’t had a decent work day in over eight days.

I seem to be existing rather than living.

What is wrong with me?

Why does my daily routine suddenly seem so exhausting and futile?

I hear nothing — not even the sound of city streets, nor the sounds of my supervisors urging me to get myself together.

If I close my eyes, I can picture it perfectly.

Flying colours of red and white, the green cedar standing out. The ground vibrating as the dabké nears the corner. Exhausted chants of revolution filling my eardrums.

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Montreal is now at its most glorious days, with fiery replenishing colours invading its every corner. And all I want to do is throw myself into the burning fires of the Lebanese revolution.

My people are tired, my people have had it.

They took to the streets, and said “no more,” and with that made all my lost hopes soar.

It wasn’t three weeks before I was asked if I had witnessed any change in Lebanon’s youth, and if I anticipated any sort of uprising. I had chuckled dryly, and shaken my head. “Not in my lifetime,” was always my answer.

And I was never happier to be proven wrong. And god knows I love being right.

So hear a broken immigrant’s prayer: Do not let your foes fool you once more.

Do not let them lay further traps.

We are now louder than ever before, and hold the whip on their fear.

Fight, and rise from the ashes of corruption, my beautiful phoenix. It was long overdue.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

FEMINISM

Feminism is not for sale

When companies try to profit off of feminism, they miss the mark Callie Giaccone Assistant Opinions Editor As trendy as it is, the fundamentals of the feminist movement in no way translate to lotion sales, hair products or even a new pair of running shoes. Industries are taking the ideology of feminism and exploiting the heck out of it.

This is not new. We’ve seen this with many brands geared toward women. Whether its Nike or Dove, these companies have endorsed women empowerment, and it’s working for them. This isn’t to say that everything they are doing is wrong, but it is important to analyze the oversimplification of patriarchal structures that are at play.

Sometimes these messages are backhanded, anti-feminist ways to enforce beauty norms and sell products that will both empower you, erase your wrinkles and minimize your pores. Other times, these messages feel aligned with the core values of feminism and hit us right in the feels.

As we move forward, predictably, large companies selling products to women, move with us.

When I watch a Nike Ad geared for women with an uplifting and emotional song playing in the background, empowering language and

impressive glistening olympians, this is good advertisement.

It is masked by a message that makes me feel like I have agency and strength even though I know that Nike is just trying to make money. I’m hungry for this representation.

I know that companies need to understand the social climate in order to sell things, that’s how marketing works (after all, I took marketing 101 in first year). Perhaps this means that these feminist advertisements, though oftentimes hollow bandwagon tools, are more or less harmless, and I need to calm down.

First of all, don’t tell me to calm down. Secondly, let’s take a closer look at what modern feminism actually looks like. This movement was born out of necessity for human rights. It needs to encom-

pass intersections of marginalized groups in society, such as racialized people and members of the LGBTQ community. These groups have been advocating for the rights of those around them for years. This is something that white women have been benefiting from, as they move through society with much more ease, representation and safety.

Intersectional feminism is not mainstream. The rights of nonwhite, non-cisgendered women are still largely lacking, stigmatized or pushed out of the main conversation. Ironically and unfairly, it’s because of the work of these communities that feminism has gained enough traction to be used commercially. This amplifies a pattern of exploitation and alienation.

Let’s get back to advertising. The reality is, it’s becoming

cool to be politically correct. Historically people have hesitated to bring women’s rights to the forefront of mainstream media, but now it’s profitable.

If you’re thinking that this is the most obvious thing in the world, I urge you to observe the next time an ad comes out, with inspirational music and a tear jerker narrative about a girl overcoming her oppression. We’re all guilty of retweeting it, making it our instagram story, and being fooled by the companies who play a large part in our oppression in the first place.

Engaging in a feminist conversation takes energy and patience.

It takes listening, learning and being humbled by the stories of those that are affected by gender inequality.

It takes analyzing the system that causes the oppression. These industries are biting off more than they can chew. At the core, they are just selling products.

Listen, I’m not trying to take on every industry that ever used feminism in their campaign. Surely we can argue that some good probably has come from a Dove Beauty ad or a period commercial. I’m sure that within these trends lies some authenticity and people who actually care about this fight.

I just think it’s important to keep a critical lens and remember that at the end of the day, feminism is not perfect, still evolving and most definitely not for sale.

Photo by Britanny Clarke.

POLITICS

Apathy isn’t trendy Skye Legault Staff Writer

I remember not really caring about politics when I was younger. I wasn’t fazed by the faces of political candidates plastered on posters all around my area, and didn’t understand why party leaders were shouting at each other during a debate on TV. This was before I was of age to vote, so consequently I wasn’t super involved.

My family members seemed pretty passionate about who they were voting for, and I was eager for the day I’d be old enough to understand their interest and partake.

We all know that one person who backs out of a conversation involving politics because they claim “they just aren’t political people.” Well, I’ve got news for you: everything in your life is political whether you care to be aware of it or not. If you aren’t taking part in the decisions being made for your country, someone else will make those choices for you, and it will directly affect your life.

I think I am right to assume that an intelligent, cognizant person would want to know what is going on around them — to understand the

events that affect their way of living; from the f luctuating gas prices to healthcare costs for them and their family. When one isn’t aware of their country’s political situation, they are accepting the terms that have been set for them. They are refusing to question, and challenge the institution in place; admitting defeat in a sense. In other words, igno-

rance isn’t bliss, and if it is then that means you are most likely in a privileged position. Realizing that you are privileged makes it just as important for you to fight for others who are not as fortunate.

Now, however, I would say I am much more involved in politics.

Even if I didn’t want to be, it’s kind of hard not to when the media incessantly bombards you with the topic.

Though, as I got older I began to realize that political opinions are sensitive things to discuss.

People share different views, come from diverse backgrounds and are just as defensive over their beliefs as they are of their children.

It can cause arguments, relationships to end or in the extreme, instigate war.

When talking about politics with loved ones, convincing them to support your political views can sometimes feel like converting someone to a religion.

However, that shouldn’t mean that people who don’t share your political ideologies need to be cut out of your life, quite the opposite actually. Although you

may be tempted to go right ahead and cyber-block that one family member who constantly posts political content you disagree with, hold off. In fact, as a journalism student who needs to practice impartiality, my professors encourage us to read material that is wildly contrary to our beliefs at least once a day. It allows you to break out of your echo chamber and see things from another perspective. It truly makes you realize that not everyone thinks like you.

It isn’t good to shield yourself from opposing views and only allow partisan news organizations to feed your already solid conviction. Personally, I believe social media was intended to open up the world to us, not seal us more firmly inside our own narrow groups.

Politics is about you and your community. It’s as simple as that.

Deciding to opt out of the conversation is opting out of your own life, and your own future. It’s signaling that you don’t really care about people who are less fortunate than you. Growing up means taking responsibility for your life, and assuming your role as an educated citizen in society is a part of that.

Graphic by Victoria Blair

19

Editorial.

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

With Halloween just two days away, we at The Concordian would like to take a second to remind everyone to be mindful of their choice for costumes.

While this holiday has come to represent fun, spookiness and candy, it has also been used as a free pass to (intentionally or not) belittle certain groups of people by wearing their identities as costumes without reprimand because "it's just a costume," or "it's not supposed to be offensive."

For starters, privileged people shouldn't get to decide what is and isn't offensive. Second of all, the impact people face as a result of their identity being reduced to a costume carries more weight than whatever the intent was.

Another person's identity just... Isn't a costume.

A little louder for the people in the back?

Another person's identity is not a costume.

Seriously, guys, even Fox News gets this.

If you have to ask yourself "is this offensive?" the answer is probably yes.

Some inoffensive yet marvellous suggestions include, but are not limited to: CRAZY FROG, A COCA COLA BOTTLE, SHAWN MENDES, A CRAYON, YOUR FAVOURITE FROZEN CHARACTER, A LIZARD, OUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF'S DOG, OUR CREATIVE DIRECTOR'S CAT...

You get the point. Literally anything that isn't borrowing a person's identity for a day without considering the systemic struggles they face, or reducing that identity to one stereotypical symbol.

The Concordian is looking for an assistant life editor to join the masthead.

If you're interested, please send a CV and three examples of your work to applications@theconcordian.com

This is The Concordian.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KATELYN THOMAS editor@theconcordian.com

LIFE EDITOR KAYLA-MARIE TURRICIANO life@theconcordian.com

MANAGING EDITOR MATTHEW COYTE managing@theconcordian.com

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