Janaury 29, 2018

theconcordian

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY’S WEEKLY, INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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

VOLUME 36, ISSUE 17 | TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2019

Illuminating the past Blackout explores the Computer Riots 50 years later Life p. 7

also in this issue...

news

arts

music

sports

opinions

Concordia offers The VAV welcomes Femcees against Let's Talk about Bullying is an free Pap tests p. 3 tenderness p. 9 categorization p. 10 mental health p. 13 issue of gender p. 15

news

NEWS EDITORS /// news@theconcordian.com IAN DOWN & MIA ANHOURY ( @IanDown1996 @mia_anhoury)

ADVOCACY

The psychology of stigma Gender advocacy lawsuit concludes a week of expert testimony

CITY IN BRIEF MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR Last Friday, Altius, a Montreal real estate developer, discontinued a marketing campaign illustrating Jacques Cartier making contact with First Nations after getting criticized on social media, according to The Globe and Mail. A Mohawk citizen from Kahnawake called it “cultural appropriation” in a post including a photo of the advertisement.

A 15-year-old boy from Montreal pled not guilty in Youth Court on Friday after being charged with making an online threat, which caused six schools to close in Pennsylvania last week, according to The Montreal Gazette. The threatening tweet, sent to the school’s superintendent, also opened up an FBI investigation.

On Friday, Mayor Valérie Plante asked for a revision of the Royalmount mega-mall project in the Town of Mont Royal, according to Global News. She said the project’s ambitions would have a regional impact, agreeing with recommendations given at an agglomeration committee on Thursday.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR Françoise Susset has devoted her career as a psychologist and social worker to the trans community. She has trained doctors, psychologists and other healthcare professionals to care for transgender and gender non-binary patients. She has testified at multiple provincial parliamentary commissions on gender-related causes.

Susset was one of several experts who testified last week in the lawsuit the Centre for Gender Advocacy (CGA) is pursuing against the provincial government. The CGA, a Concordia fee-levy group, is seeking to overturn 11 articles in the Civil Code of Québec that it says violate the rights of transgender and gender non-binary people.

On Friday, Jan. 25, during a week devoted to exper t testimony, Susset answered questions from Plaintiff Attorney François Goyer about her work with the trans community and about the mental and emotional struggles they face.

Some of the stigma faced by transgender people, Susset said, comes from their

peers at school. “It’s hell. And that’s not a hyperbole; it’s what [transgender youth] say in the studies,” she said.

Sometimes, the ostracization comes from their parents. Susset cited a recent study by Trans PULSE Project, a think tank that studies “the impact of social exclusion and discrimination on the health of trans people in Ontario,” according to its website.

There were 433 responses, an unusually high number for such a survey. “What it showed us is that parental support is a key factor” in the well-being of transgender people, Susset said.

One of the articles of the Civil Code of Québec up for debate is article 62, which states that people under the age of 18 may have their name and gender markers changed if their legal guardian approves of it. Susset argued this law must be changed to give full autonomy to young people to change their personal information. When young people can’t change their gender markers, they “don’t have an affirmation of their identity,” she said.

Susset has spent a lot of time working in schools, where she said there is much work to be done to educate teachers and

administrators. In her experience, both tend to be more open and understanding of children who identify as the opposite gender t han t hose who are gender non-binary. For schools, when it comes to gender, “it’s one or the other,” she said.

Parents also lack concrete information about their transgender child’s needs, which can lead to worry and uncertainty when they notice their child displaying gender atypical behaviour, according to Susset. That’s why she helps organize workshops for parents of children under seven years old. In this age range, she said, stunting the expression of gender can cause psychological damage.

Susset said many children of transgender parents also face stigma as a consequence of their parents’ gender identities. These parents already a victory in the trial on Jan. 15, when the Directeur de l’état civil announced it would allow parents to change their own gender markers on their children’s birth certificates. The bureau also announced that they would allow gender markers to be removed from personal identification upon request.

Beyond the social consequences of

Montreal businessman Tony Magi died in hospital after being found unconscious with at least one bullet hole to the upper body in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on Thursday morning, according to CBC. Magi has known ties with the Montreal Mafia, and his death mark s Montreal’s first homicide of 2019.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

being transgender, Susset criticized what she sees as a lack of medical services for trans people. “Services for trans people are so inaccessible, we find ourselves in a situation where most frontline services are provided by the community,” she said, adding that Quebec is in need of more community clinics to provide these services.

Susset said these are not problems she can solve using her own skills. “A large part of the suffering of my clients comes from forces external to them,” she said. “I can’t fix those problems using psychology.”

The nex t hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the Montreal courthouse. Proceedings are expected to run until the end of February.

JANUARY 29, 2019

theconcordian

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HEALTH

Pap test Mondays at Concordia

The university's Health Services offers students free Pap and STI testing EITHNE LYNCH ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The government of Canada has reported that cervical cancer has been steadily declining and they believe this is directly connected to an increase in Pap tests Anne-Marie Lanctôt, manager at Concordia University’s Health Services, said there are slots reserved every Monday for Pap tests. The timing for these appointments depends on the patient’s needs as well as the physician’s availability. “Paps can also be done throughout the week with any of our physicians, not only on Mondays,” Lanctôt said.

“Students don’t need to pay any out-ofpocket fees if they are covered by Quebec medical insurance (RAMQ), they have out of province insurance or Blue Cross coverage which is up to date,” said Lanctôt. “These exams are covered by health insurance and available to students as per the Canadian guidelines, every one to three years.”

Thinking women are screened for all STIs is a common misconception about Pap tests, according to Lanctôt. “The screening guidelines for Pap tests are distinct from the screening guidelines for STI testing, and they depend on a number of factors,” said Lanctôt. “This is a screening test for abnormal cells on the cervix.” Abnormalities could indicate precancerous or cancerous cells caused

by Human Papilloma Virus.

Emma, a student who used the clinic’s services said she was advised to book

an appointment when she went in for an STI screening. “I had just turned 21 and it’s highly recommended to get it done after that, in case of health risks,” she said.

Concordia’s Pap test page advises women to get Pap screenings every one to three years as of 21 years of age depending on a woman’s risk factor.

“High risk groups might include: women with very early onset of sexual activity, women with multiple partners and immunocompromised women,” said Lanctôt.

These tests can be conducted as part of a standard checkup or a pelvic exam. Before her exam began, Emma was asked about her sexual history, if she had had all her vaccinations, about her medical history and whether or not she has noticed any unusual symptoms.

Emma said the whole process lasted about 10 minutes. During a Pap test, a nurse or doctor will insert a device called a speculum into the vagina and scrape a sample of cells from within the cervix. “It was uncomfortable at first, but then became painful,” said Emma. “I could manage it, but it wasn’t something I would like to feel again.”

The sample is then tested for any

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

abnormalities.

“What I wasn’t aware of is that it takes three to five months to get Pap test results back, so that threw me off a bit,” Emma said.

According to Lanctôt, people often assume abnormal Pap test results means they have cancer, which isn’t the case.

In some cases, abnormal cells return to normal. However, if the results come back as abnormal, a follow-up exam will most likely be scheduled.

The Canadian Cancer Society outlinesseveral follow-up tests and/or treatments for abnormal results, which include another

Pap test, an HPV test and an endocervical curettage, “a type of biopsy that removes cells from the endocervical canal which is the passageway from the uterus to the vagina.”

Students can book an appointment any day of the week through Concordia’s Health Services by calling the office or visiting the clinic on the second floor of the GM building on the Sir George Williams campus. Health Services is also located at AD 131 on the Loyola campus.

To protect our source’s privacy The Concordian used a pseudonym.

RESOURCES

The QPIRG Alternative Library reopens The library has a collection of more radical books, zines and magazines MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR With fairy lights bordering the edges of the ceiling and three walls full of literature, the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) Concordia’s Alternative Library reopened its doors the week of Jan. 7.

QPIRG Concordia is a resource centre for students and community research to support activism around social and environmental justice issues. The Administration and Communications Coordinator for QPIRG, Adrienne Pan, described it as a community centre linking students to outside community pools of resources, and vice-versa. “We have almost 30 working groups, which can be organized by students and non-students, to attack some sort of issue that they are interested in,” said Pan. “We help groups form and then we help them with funding,” said Pan. “Then we give them a space and provide them with resources.” Pan, one of three full-time employees at QPIRG Concordia, said the longer the groups have been part of QPIRG and the more active they are, the more eligible they are for funding. Solidarity Across Borders, Food Against Fascism, and Queer Between the Covers are among QPIRG’s working groups.

QPIRG Concordia moved offices last summer and now shares an office space with Concordia’s Centre for Gender Advocacy at 2100 Guy St., suite 205. The Alternative Library is one of their larger projects, which started around six years ago, according to Pan. A collection with more radical materials, Pan said that most books available at the Alternative Library may not be available in other libraries. “We thought there was a need for more radical materials and more social justice-based materials and especially all in one space,” said Pan. “Also, not everyone has institutional library access, so this is a library that is open to anyone,” said Pan. “It’s self-serve, so once you have a membership here, you can check out books yourself and it’s pretty simple. If you don't have a membership, you just have to fill out a sheet.” Pan said people have two weeks to return books, however, there are no fines if they extend past that period.

“People can get alternative information

that they wouldn't necessarily be able to find elsewhere,” said Library Coordinator Amanda Murphy. “I’m trying to design it to be welcoming and usable for people so they can be comfortable and spend time there,” said Murphy. Most of the materials have been bought by QPIRG, but Pan said some have also been donated. The works have to fit QPIRG’s social and environmental justice mandate, which is why Murphy said many of the subjects found in the library also align with the working groups at QPIRG.

They also share their online database with sister libraries, such as the libraries of the Centre for Gender Advocacy, QPIRG McGill, and the Union for Gender Empowerment.

“The library is such an awesome thing that I hope it continues to grow,” said Pan. “We’re working on having a library committee and a meeting for volunteers.”

There will be an Alternative Library training session on Jan. 31. People interested in becoming volunteers can find more information on Facebook.

Books are organized by their subjects, such as feminism, anarchism and Indigenous Peoples. Photo by Mia Anhoury.

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theconcordian

JANUARY 29, 2019

WORLD A chance encounter with history IN BRIEF FACULTY

How Max Bergholz uncovered a violent but obscure piece of Bosnia's past

MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR Three UN agencies appealed to Italy on Saturday to allow 47 rescued migrants into Catania, according to Time. This happened after Italian Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, refused to allow private rescue boats in Italian ports. The migrants, including 13 unaccompanied minors, have been at sea in the cold for about a week.

At least 34 people were killed at the Brumadinho dam collapse in Brazil on Friday, and at least 300 are still missing, according to the BBC. The cause of dam failure at the iron ore mine is not yet clear.

Palestinian officials and the Israeli military confirmed that a 38-yearold Palestinian man was killed

by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to The Guardian. He was killed after a confrontation near the city of Ramallah, where nine other people were also injured.

More than 50 mass graves were unearthed in the Democratic Republic of Congo by a UN rights group on Saturday, according to Al-Jazeera. This comes after the UN said more than 890 people were killed in the same region earlier this month after multiple violent confrontations between the Banunu and Batende ethnic groups.

“There was this kind of deafening silence that has been going on for decades,” said author Max Bergholz of the violence in Kulen Vakuf. Photo by Sarah Boumedda.

SARAH BOUMEDDA STAFF WRITER “You have fifteen minutes to look around.

I'm going to coffee with my friends in fifteen minutes. So that's all the time you get.” Those were the words Max Bergholz heard in an archive in Bosnia, moments before making the discovery of his career: the origin story to his award-winning book, Violence as a Generative Force: Identity, Nationalism, and Memory in a Balkan Community.

The book is set during World War II, in the small town of Kulen Vakuf, in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the border of Croatia. During two eerie nights in early September 1941, nearly 2,000 people were killed—many of them women and children— in what had been a peaceful, multiethnic, religiously diverse community up until that point. While focusing on this one incident, Max Bergholz, associate professor of history at Concordia, explains how violence itself enabled these events to unfold, especially in a town that had never seen such cruelty in nearly all of its history.

“It was, in some ways, ver y much by chance that I even ended up writing this book,” Bergholz said about his first book—one that has won many awards, the latest being the 2019 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies

awarded by the University of Notre Dame.

Bergholz got involved in the project in 2006, two years into his doctoral field research in the Balkans, while enrolled at the University of Toronto. “My original subject was the memory of intercommunal violence in several local communities,” he said.

After travelling through Serbia and Croatia, Bergholz made it to Bosnia, his final destination. “I was really trying to finish everything up. My supervisors had thought I'd been doing research for too long at that point,” he added with a laugh.

This last step later revealed itself to be surprisingly conclusive—but back then, it did not feel that way. Archives in Bosnia, while not damaged, were neglected following the war that tore the country apart in the 1990s, making it difficult to get ahold of documents.

Bergholz knew, however, that those relevant to his research were available—and therefore kept insisting.

“After several weeks, [the staff of the archive] realized I wasn't leaving, and I just kept coming and annoying them every day,” Bergholz said. One day, they gave in, and he was given 15 minutes in the basement of the archive building.

“It was this weird window of opportunity— that shouldn't really happen,” Bergholz said.

Allowing researchers into storage facilities is against regulations, he explained, and those 15 minutes were all it took for him to get lucky.

That’s how the professor learned of this small town, Kulen Vakuf. The documents indicated that several thousand people had been killed by their own neighbours, amidst rising tensions between local Serb nationalists, aided by fascist forces, and local Croats and Muslims. There was no recognition of the victims. No monument was ever built. That was enough to spark Bergholz’s interest.

“There was this kind of deafening silence that has been going on for decades,” the professor said, adding that the documents were only produced in the 1980s—nearly 40 years after the events took place.

From that point onward, Bergholz embarked on a journey that would ultimately last a decade—visiting the town many times, gathering interviews and documents, writing and rewriting the book. His doctoral dissertation went from discussing many cases of violence in the Balkans, to just this one event, miraculously uncovered in a basement in rural Bosnia.

Violence as a Generative Force stems from that dissertation, though it has “transformed tremendously” from what it originally was, according to the historian. While narrowing the focus of the project and staying true to the history, Bergholz was also driven by a desire to write the most interesting story possible—which was heavily influenced by his work as a teacher at Concordia.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

“I teach a class on the rise and fall of Yugoslavia and the Histor y of the Balkans. And these are t wo courses that are narrative-driven,” Bergholz said. “I'm telling a story over a period of centuries, or at least a century. I do a lot of lecturing, and I always try and learn from looking at the reactions of students as I'm lecturing.”

Bergholz has found that going from broader, theoretical concepts right down to precise storytelling is what worked best both in class and when writing. Bergholz said it’s “not just talking about the political development, or economic development, but you know... What does the place look like? What does the air smell like? How does it feel to be there? How do people talk? All of these things are what, in a classroom, keep the dynamic moving, and in a book, keep the pages turning.”

Bergholz will embark on a book tour in April, promoting the Bosnian translation of the book in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia. “It's a book that I'm still excited to talk about, because it took up a huge part of my life, and it's a topic that is very close to my heart,” the professor said. “It's a book that has changed me as a scholar, but also as a person in many ways.”

It all started with 15 minutes, right before a coffee break. “Without those fifteen minutes, this book wouldn't exist,” Bergholz said.

JANUARY 29, 2019

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NATION CSU, GSA to propose insurance plan IN BRIEF The university's plan for international students expires in the spring INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR The Canadian ambassador to China, John McCallum, was fired by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday in the midst of a diplomatic crisis between the two countries, according to CBC. The firing is likel y relate d to a s er ie s of statements made by McCallum about Wanzhou Meng , a top business executive in China, who was arrested in Vancouver by U.S. justice officials for fraud.

The U.S . is now seek ing the extradition of Meng Wanzhou and thanked Canada for upholding the rule of law.

B ra d M cL e llan , a m ass a ge therapist from Calgary, has been sentenced to four years in prison for sexually assaulting six women, according to The Calgary Herald. Charged in 2015, he agreed to plead guilty as part of a deal.

The Government of Canada announced they will be giving $15 million to Toronto to tackle the shortage of shelter beds, according to City News. The ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said this shortage is due to the number of asylum seekers.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

MINA MAZUMDER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The Dean of Students Off ice is renegotiating the university’s health i n s u r a n c e p l a n f o r i nte r n at i o n a l students, according to John Hutton, finance coordinator for the Concordia Student Union (CSU). The students’ existing health coverage plan expires this spring, according to Fiona Downey, the Concordia’s interim spokesperson.

Currently, Concordia has a separate health plan for international students. This contract is managed by Andrew Woodall, the Dean of Students, and Blue Cross, the private health insurance company that covers all international students.

The health insurance plan for undergraduate Canadian students is managed by the CSU and Studentcare/Alliance pour la santé étudiante au québec (ASEQ), the largest collective insurance plan administrator for student health and dental care in Canada.

For graduate Canadian students, it is managed by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and Studentcare/ ASEQ, according to Hutton.

“Concordia international students currently pay for the single most expensive international student health plan in the country,” said Hutton. He speculated that the high expenses are due to the fact that there isn’t much competition between

different health premiums in Quebec.

Hutton added the university was more focused on simply providing a healthcare insurance plan for international students than it was on making it affordable.

According to Hutton, the contract is run on a multi-year basis ‑usually three years‑ but sometimes can be extended for an additional year.

“They are not getting the best health insurance plan in Canada at Concordia,” Hutton said, adding that the CSU received complaints from international students related to the co-payment for medications, lack of access to certain services like hormone therapy, and lack of dental coverage.

Tallie S egel , a s econd-year PhD student in social and cultural analysis at Concordia, is an international student from the United States. “I would love to have dental insurance and vision coverage,” said Segel. “I have a really strong prescription that changes often.

Especially with student life, the type of work that I do, it causes a lot of eye strain and I am worried about my eyes all the time.”

Segel said the administration never told her how her insurance worked in terms of what is covered and what is not. “I don’t have a clear understanding here how the plan works and what is covered,” she said.

Segel added that the process for

prescription reimbursement with Blue Cross is a bit of a hassle, and therefore, she does not make the effort to have it refunded, especially since her monthly prescription is inexpensive. Last fall, Segel paid almost $1,200 for her health insurance plan as part of her tuition fees.

According to Amir Molaei, the president of the GSA, the cost of the insurance for international students varies based on their status whether they are single, married or have a family. Molaei said that from 2015 to 2018, there was a 17 per cent increase for the single student plan and a 32 per cent increase for the couples and families plans. He added that this had affected a large number of graduate students.

Molaei explained that since some fees are not covered, such as dental insurance, many international students prefer to go back to their home country for the treatment they are unable to receive in Canada.

Molaei s aid he had s ome is sue s accessing Concordia’s Health Services.

“I asked the receptionist that I want to have a [general] check-up,” he said.

“They told me that if there is no problem with you, we wouldn’t refer you for the check up.” When Molaei went back home for the holidays, he visited his doctor and found that he had a deficiency in certain vitamins.

Hutton said the CSU and the GSA are

pres ent ly prepar ing a pitch for t he administration asking to put student associations in charge of the insurance plan for international students. “We would have a more transparent plan that would have more information easily available to students,” Hutton said. “We would be both able to negotiate a better deal in terms of lower premiums, more coverage, and have more incentive to do so.”

Molaei and Hutton said the GSA and the CSU will be meeting Woodall on Feb. 1 to discuss their proposal to manage the international students’ health plan. Although Downey did not confirm who was meeting with Woodall and Kelly Collins, the manager of the International Students Office, she did confirm they were meeting with student groups this week to start a consultation process. The aim will be “to gather information about what’s needed in a new health plan and what options exist going forward,” said Downey.

Both the union and the association have already reached out to many insurance plan providers to seek additional advice concerning this proposal. “As the current international student insurance plan is with the administration of the university, student organizations don't have control over it and we hope to be able to take the control over the international students insurance in the near future,” Molaei said.

life

Finding food around Loyola

LIFE EDITOR /// life@theconcordian.com ALEX HUTCHINS ( @alexhutchinns96)

FUNDRAISER

Sharing food over tales of strength SPHR Concordia is keeping Palestinian culture alive and atmospheric

There may not be many, but here are some off-campus resto options JAD ABUKASM STAFF WRITER

Among everything else on Sherbrooke St. W, the Loyola campus seems out of place. Isolated from Concordia’s buzz, the campus has few food options: Tim Hortons, the Hive Café and two food stops in the CJ and SP buildings. If coffee and BLTs aren’t what you’re looking for, there are many other options just around the corner.

SOUVLAKI GEORGE

Jamil Mokadi (center), the finance executive of the SRHR, getting ready to serve food to event attendees. Photo by Mishkat Hafiz.

MISHKAT HAFIZ

CONTRIBUTOR

During an evening of food, music and conversation on the seventh floor of the Hall building on Jan. 25, the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights Association (SPHR) at Concordia aimed to raise money to donate to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Palestinian refugees.

Tickets were sold for $15 each and the group managed to raise over $1,000.

T h e e ve n t, c a l l e d E a t L i ke A Palestinian, began with a buffet of traditional Palestinian dishes like fatouch s alad, f rekeh soup, and msakhan. The food was prepared by Om Ossama, a Palestinian woman dedicated to supporting Palestinian c o m m u n i t y e ve nt s t h ro ug h h e r cooking skills. Many of the event's at te n d e e s we re l e a r n i n g a b o u t Palestinian dishes for the first time.

Syrian-Canadian student Marya

Akkad, who attended the event, said "it's very atmospheric and cultural.

Ever yone is ver y welcoming, and the music reminds me of home," adding that she was pleased with the strong cultural identity at the event.

After dinner, a live band played traditional Arabic songs with a combination of instruments; an oud, a saxophone and drums. Guests clapped to the music and sang along. A few even got up to dance. After the band finished, people continued to dance to Palestinian songs played over projected images of Palestine and symbols of its culture.

Later, one of the team organizers started a Palestinian trivia game. The prizes were traditional Palestinian accessories, which were also sold at the event. The trivia game also provided an opportunity for people to contextualize Palestinian hardships through historical facts. The dinner party reflected Palestinian culture through the hospitality of the orga-

nizing team, and tales of endurance of the Palestinian people.

Many of the organizers believe this type of event keeps the Palestinian culture alive, instead of focusing on the political disputes surrounding the country.

President of the SPHR Concordia, Houda Kerkadi, spoke about the motivation behind hosting the event. “We were thinking of ways we can help, [rather than] simply [asking] people for money,” Kerkadi said. She also hoped to provide an interactive experience that combined raising money with a cultural experience.

“We asked ourselves, ‘What would combine people of all ethnicities and backgrounds together like food?’

Arabs don’t always agree on political leanings when it comes to Palestine, but we can all agree that we love the food,” Kerkadi said.

SPHR Concordia is planning a few more events this semester, including Israeli Apartheid week and an end of year celebration.

6995 MONKLAND AVE. Feel like Greek food? This place will definitely have what you’re craving. Only one block East of Loyola, Souvlaki George serves traditional Greek plates such as pitas, plates, or even Quebec delicacies such as poutine. Their soft bread, well-seasoned meat and creamy tzatziki will never get old.

“Souvlaki George has this depth of flavour that reminds me of my grandmother’s food,” said Elias Grigoriadis, a Concordia student of Greek origin. “I like how you can grab something and go, as well as sit down with friends and enjoy a good meal.”

COMPTOIR KOYAJO

6963 SHERBROOKE ST. W If greek isn’t your style, a few doors down from Souvlaki George is Comptoir KOYAJO. The restaurant offers an array of soups, noodles, rice bowls and dumplings.

The cozy restaurant (just a short walk East from Souvlaki George) serves a plate of six pork or vegetarian dumplings for $7.99. These juicy, crispy exterior, soft interior dough balls are worth the snowy trek to Comptoir KOYAJO, trust me.

NDG HOTDOG & PIZZERIA

7363 SHERBROOKE ST. W. Comfort food anyone? On the other side of Loyola, right off the corner of Westmore Ave., NDG HotDog & Pizzeria will offer you a variety of fast food options. The smell of charred pizza crust mixed with day-old frying oil will take you right back to late nights out with friends.

NDG HotDog & Pizzeria is a great spot for all circumstances; $1.25 for a steamed hot dog, $3.99 for a hamburger or a 10-inch pizza for $10.60—ideal for sharing amongst friends or for a grab-and-go meal on the way to a late night study session.

“It’s good comfort food!” said Casandra Bentivoglio, a Concordia journalism student.

“It’s cheap and it’s great when you’re in a rush and hunger strikes in the middle of class.”

CAFÉ BISTRO BANO

6929 SHERBROOKE ST. W. With Persian tapestries and colourful lampshades as decor, coming into Café Bistro Bano feels like entering an Iranian living room.

The smell of freshly infused sweet tea with hints of saffron signals to the authenticity of this Persian-Iranian coffee shop.

This is the perfect stop to enjoy a wellearned warm drink after combating the freezing cold outside. With most of their authentic teas and desserts under $10, Café Bistro Bano is worth the two-block walk from campus.

Eat Like A Palestinian, which sold out on Facebook, took place on the seventh floor of the Hall building on Jan. 25. Photo by Mishkat Hafiz.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

JANUARY 29, 2019

theconcordian

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COVER STORY

Reframing a difficult history through hope

Exploring the Computer Riots 50 years later: how have race relations changed in Quebec?

ALEX HUTCHINS LIFE EDITOR Fifty years ago today, on Jan. 29 1969, the Sir George Williams Affair began—also known as the Concordia Computer Riots.

According to CBC, about 200 students occupied the ninth floor computer centre in the Hall building and engaged in a peaceful sit-in protest for 14 days. The occupation was organized following the administration's mishandling of racism complaints lodged by a group of six students against their biology professor, Perry Anderson, who they accused of unjust grading. Negotiations between the administration and the students fell through on Feb. 11. The peaceful protest turned violent after the administration handed the case over to the police, which resulted in 97 arrests, a mysterious fire and $2 million worth of property damage.

Blackout: the Concordia Computer Riots, organized by production company Tableau D’Hôte Theatre, is a play that explores the events that led to the student occupation and questions how race relations have changed in Quebec over the last 50 years. Blackout will essentially explore and interrogate the historical events of the Sir George Williams Affair through fictional characters.

About a year ago, Mathieu MurphyPerron, the creative director and owner of Tableau D’Hôte Theatre, gathered a team of uniquely talented artists, poets and writers to start researching the history of the protests for Blackout. “We were trying to identify with these students who experienced injustice and, when they spoke out against it, realized the root of the problem was much bigger,” said Tamara Brown, a Concordia graduate as well as assistant director and part of the writing unit for Blackout. “We realized that the moments we read about were all too painfully familiar.”

Brown said that while they were exploring archived media coverage of the peaceful protests-turned-riots, the team also tried to look at what wasn’t covered. “When you do research on the event, you find images of the destruction and the $2 million of damage,” said Lydia Dubuisson, part of the writing unit for Blackout. “You don’t read about the events that led up to the riot.” Students were blamed for the mysterious fire that started after police got involved. However, according to the CBC, some believe police set the fire as a means to sidebar the protest.

Blackout invites viewers to question how different the events that unfolded in 1969 are in comparison to current events. “[The students] didn’t have support from the population, or from the media, or from society,” said Dubuisson. “Today, when people

On Jan. 29 1969, approximately 200 students occupied the ninth floor computer centre of the Hall building to protest the mishandling of racism complaints lodged by six students against one of their professors.

of colour express their same frustration, the response is the same.” The intersection of theatre, politics and education is unique to this performance in relation to its context and relevance within our current political state of polarization. “There is a terrifying racist rhetoric circulating now that makes people afraid,” said Brown. “We’re so polarized and it makes people afraid to stand up against injustice.”

In 2014, former Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) Executive Mei Ling, a pseudonym, filed a complaint against the administration after experiencing sexual and racial discrimination from two ASFA executives. Despite Mei Ling winning the case in 2015 and ASFA supposedly reforming its harassment policies to be more survivor-centric, the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) filed a sexual harassment complaint in 2018 against then ASFA president, on behalf of Harris Turpin.

“I observe how much things have changed, but also how they have not changed,” said Dubuisson. “I hope students take pride in knowing that it’s part of your job to fight your administration.”

Brown, Dubuisson and Kym DominiqueFerguson, part of the writing unit and one of the lead performers, all touched on the importance of re-examining history in order to fully understand where we are currently.

During the peaceful sit-in protests, students created a barricade of chairs in the stairwell leading to the ninth floor of the Hall building.

On Feb. 11 1969, after 14 days of student occupation in the Hall building, the situation was handed over to the police and 97 arrests were made.

“It’s time to start looking at the folks that have experienced oppression and look at the groups—white people—who benefitted from this,” said DominiqueFerguson. “We need to look at that, acknowledge that, respect it and respect the individuals that are still affected by this.”

“I find what these students did to be so remarkable,” said Brown. “Everything we do matters, and the administration tried to tell [the students] otherwise, but they knew better.” Despite the 97 arrests and property damage, the protests led Concordia to revise its policies and procedures, which resulted in the creation of the Ombuds Office, according to CBC. According to Concordia University’s website, “the Ombuds Office’s role is to assist in the informal resolution of concerns and complaints related to the application of university policies, rules and procedures.” It is allegedly independent of all the administrative structures of the university, and impartial.

“We’re trying to frame extremely difficult events with a lens of hope, and I think that will inspire people to not be afraid,” said Brown.

“They weren’t afraid, and we can learn from what they did.”

Blackout will show every evening from Jan. 30 to Feb. 10 in the DB Clarke Theatre from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Photos courtesy of Concordia University Archives.

arts

Happening in and around the White Cube this week…

ARTS EDITOR /// arts@theconcordian.com CHLOË LALONDE

EXHIBITION

For the sake of painting and photography Student-run artist collectives collaborate in first exhibition DAISY DUNCAN ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR

To add a comedic element essential to Katherine Parthimos’s playful intentions, she has lined up all the heads on the right side of the canvas in Copy Cat . Photo courtesy of Katherine Parthimos.

CHLOË LALONDE ARTS EDITOR

and McKindsey’s vibrant colour palette, familiar imagery and multi-dimensional style. She has also curated and exhibited in ANTES is an artist-based curatorial collective many exhibitions since 2015, including the run by third-year painting students and Art Souterrain festival in 2017. partners, Alexia McKindsey and Jose Parthimos is interested in portraying people Guillermo Garcia Sierra. Garcia Sierra, who and relationships in motion, questioning the is also the financial coordinator at the VAV physicality of space between them. “When Gallery, revealed that ANTES has been a dealing with the figure, I believe composition long time in the making. to be a key element that every artist is aware After six months of planning, their first of,” explained Parthimos. “In my case, to go exhibition is around the corner and they have along with my thematic, I like over emphasizing already begun plans for their second show, the composition and turning the figure into scheduled for later this spring. Contre-Sens is shapes.” For example, in Copy Cat, to add a collaboration with For The Sake of Analog, a comedic element, essential to the artist’s another student-run artist collective developed playful intentions, Parthimos has lined up all

by Tyra Maria Trono and Edson Niebla Rogil. of the heads on the right side of the canvas.

Both groups chose to highlight their fasciHer environments are active, candid nation with traditional methods of painting spaces which are thematically similar to and analog photography. But Contre-Sens is the work of figurative portrait artist, Emily much more than a process-based collection Spooner. Much like Parthimos’s, Spooner’s of work. The exhibition presents work from work is also based on photography, a softly the collective leaders themselves, as well as spoken link throughout all the pieces in this four other students with drastically different exhibition. approaches to their craft.

Painting from old family photographs, Katherine Parthimos, currently in pursuit Spooner sometimes purchases used albums of her BFA in studio arts, has a much more on eBay to shake things up. Her paintings post-modern approach to traditional painting may merge elements of multiple photographs than Garcia Sierra or McKindsey, according to create a new image, or zoom in on one to Garcia Sierra. Her brush strokes are much particular detail. Her portraits often obscure softer and facial expressions quirkier than the figure’s face, leaving their expression Garcia Sierra’s ultra-detailed, surreal work entirely up to the viewers’ interpretation.

Spooner is captivated by fleeting moments and subtle emotions of the everyday, which converses nicely with Parthimos’ collection in Contre-Sens.

“Working with photographs I have taken as reference, I then focus on altering it for painting with intensity in colour theory, placement of shapes and pattern, to make it interesting,” revealed Parthimos, w herea s A N T E S Co-Founder Garcia Sierra works “half and From left to right, Alexia McKindsey, Edson Niebla Rogil, Emily Spooner, Jose Guillermo Garcia Sierra, Irela sarah, John Mendoza, Katherine Parthimos, Penniel half.” “Some elements Benjamin Hong and Tyra Maria Trono.Headshots courtesy of ANTES.

are based on images, to make sure I get the details right, while others are completely imaginary,” revealed Garcia Sierra. The artist often uses himself as a model, making lots of his paintings self-portraits, even though he doesn’t consider them as such. “They aren’t about me,” he said. “They’re about everyday absurdities, time, mechanics and engineering, chance, history, life cycles….”

Garcia Sierra is engrossed not only with astronomy and science, but also boardgames, which are all recurring elements in his work. His latest painting depicts absurd events taking place on a street corner. A lobster waits on the sidewalk and a man, pondering something that has cracked the cement street, is accompanied by a seal wearing what looks like a large watch, or perhaps this form is the man’s shadow? A plastic family van, from The Game of Life, is parked by the side of the street, and behind it are ice cream sundae mountains, which look entirely like storm clouds, with a cherry on top.

Woven in among these painters are the work of analog-abstract photographer, Irela Sara, large-scale graphic artist, Peniel Benjamin Hong, documentary-purist photographer, Trono and film production student, Rogil.

Co-Founders of For The Sake of Analog, Trono and Rogil are selective when making prints of their work, ensuring they are not mass-produced. Trono’s work is surprisingly small compared to that of Hong’s, which drags on the floor of the gallery, bringing the exhibition to life and breaking away from traditional means of exhibiting 2D artwork.

This is a theme that both collectives intend to emphasise in their spring show, which will aim to break down painting and photography as strictly 2D concepts.

Contre-Sens will be exhibiting at Atelier Galerie 2112 until Feb. 8. Their vernissage is on Friday, Feb. 1 from 6:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m. Follow @ANTES and @forthesakeofanalog on Facebook and @an.t.e.s and @forthesakeofanalog on Instagram.

For more information visit the artist’s websites: EMILYSPOONER.COM KATHERINEPARTHIMOS.COM ALEXIAMCKINDSEY.COM GARCIASIERRART.COM

DRAMA HIVE: MINIATURE WORLDS EDITION Similar to the Art Hive, Concordia’s Drama Hive provides a safe and fun space to create! Through drama practices, participants can get creative, experiment with materials, interact with others, and relieve stress. For this edition of the Drama Hive, the focus will be on miniature worlds—participants can create their own miniature environment, evoking their imagination, and translating this into physical, material form.

Drama Hive will be taking place on Jan. 29, at Concordia’s Art Hive (EV 5.777), from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.

INTERLACING: FIBRES STUDENT ASSOCIATION LACEMAKING EVENT Concordia’s Fibres Student Association is hosting a day long event, centered around lace-related activities. The day will include a workshop, a talk and a lunch. The lunch will allow participants to interact and mingle with one another, the guest speaker and workshop facilitator. The workshop, led by MFA fibres student Etta Sandry, will look at bobbin lace, which will be followed by a talk by artist Veronika Irvine. The talk will focus on digital lace making, based on Irvine’s practice in creating lace patterns, through the use of bobbin lace techniques and computer algorithms.

Interlacing will take place on Jan. 30, from 12:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in various locations in the EV and VA buildings. Admission is $15—contact the Fibres Student Association at fsa.concordia@gmail.com if you want to attend, but can’t afford the fee!

MOVING GENDER: THE CASE FOR HOME MUSEUMS IN ISRAEL AND GERMANY How do home museums, specifically in Israel and Germany, incorporate gender into their art, and how are they influenced by it? In a presentation

by Dr. Vered Vinitzky-Seroussi, this question is considered, based on research in nine home museums in the two countries, over the span of three years. Dr. Vinitzky-Seroussi is a sociologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who studies collective memory and commemoration.

In this presentation, she considers the nuances of the private and public spheres in connection to home museums, and how gender plays into this relationship.

The presentation will be held on Feb. 1, from 12 p.m. to 1.pm., at LB 671. Admission is free.

GALLERY DAY MONTREAL Interested in visiting some of the galleries around Montreal, and learning about their art, in depth?

Gallery Day Montreal is providing a day of free art focused talks around the city, given by Canadian Art Magazine’s editors and contributors. Each talk is approximately thirty minutes long and each gallery visit is about an hour. Participants can make their own itineraries, and drop-ins are welcome. At the end of the day, there will be a launch for the Winter 2019 issue of Canadian Art Magazine, which is also open to the public.

Gallery Day Montreal will take place on Feb. 2, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and will occur at various art gallery locations around the city. It will conclude with the Canadian Art launch party at Parisian Laundry (3550 Sainte-Antoine St.), from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. More information can be found in the Facebook event.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

JANUARY 29, 2019

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9

FILM

The new iteration of fan-favourite Broly hits all the marks Dragon Ball Z Super Broly reveals another side to newly redesigned villain

JASON LAM CONTRIBUTOR Explaining the origins of Broly, Goku and Vegeta: Dragon Ball Z Super Broly takes its time to illustrate their dramatic backgrounds. Establishing Broly as the main character, this movie places him in the spotlight, providing insight into the villain’s past and allowing the audience to justify his actions.

The original iteration of Broly was a straight up villain. He wanted revenge on the protagonist of the Dragon Ball Z series, Goku, for crying too much as a child, which made it impossible for him to sleep and led to his mental instability. Broly made it his sole goal to destroy Goku.

The new iteration of Broly is more of a tragic character, newly redesigned by the creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama.

Already revealed earlier in the series, as a baby, Broly was exiled to a barren planet, where he was held captive and brainwashed by his father. His power was controlled, as it was greater than Vegeta’s father's, the king of the planet where Broly was kept. The king feared a mutiny, which led to Broly’s father failing to rescue his son and ending up stranded there as well.

Broly’s father then manipulates his son in order to exact his revenge on Goku and

Graphics by @spooky_soda

Vegeta. When saved, Broly is revealed to be much more than a big, heartless brute.

Toei Company, a Japan-based studio, did an amazing job bringing the television series to the big screen. Their techniques allow the film to shift between flat 2D and dynamic 3D animation, allowing for very detailed graphics in the background and in the main scenes. The fight between Gogeta—a fusion between allies Goku and Vegeta—and Broly was the highlight of this film, as it featured some of the best animated fight choreography. The

energy attacks were well-represented with immense shimmering orbs to show just how powerful the fighters are.

In the movie theatre, the audience cheered when Gogeta unleashed the Stardust Breaker, which is a little easter egg throwback to Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995). It was in this movie that Gogeta first used the technique to destroy his enemy. Goku exposed his shining silver hair and aura, better known as his Ultra Instinct Form, which not only increases his power tremendously, but does not

require thought, giving them more time to attack. The Dragon Ball fan base was hoping Goku had finally mastered the form’s transformation to use it against Broly. This was the first time the creators have given the audience detailed transformations throughout the entire Dragon Ball series.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is now playing at the Pepsi Forum and other select theaters.

You can catch a new episode of Dragon Ball Super dubbed in English every week on Adult Swim, or buy episodes 1 through 78 on Blu-Ray and DVD at Sunrise Records.

EXHIBITION

i feel tender comes straight from the heart Artists explore vulnerability and gentleness through their respective practices LORENZA MEZZAPELLE STAFF WRITER The right-hand wall of the VAV Gallery is plastered in various mementos; post-it notes, handwritten letters, and novel excerpts. Obser ving Joshua Jensen’s work, With Love , has the viewer taking a peek at someone’s private life, leaving them with a certain warmth, or as the exhibition title suggests, tenderness.

What does it mean to feel tender?

The VAV Galler y ’s first exhibition of 2019, i feel tender, features the works of ten undergraduate artists exploring tenderness in a variet y of ways. The exhibition’s curatorial statement reads, “it requires something specific... Some sort of warmth? Maybe it’s the artists’ approach, or the feeling that arises from encountering their work?” While the works are not assembled by a common theme, they all share a particular physicality.

With little given context, other than the notion of tenderness, the materiality of the works impacts the relationship between art and viewer. Ranging from sculpture to multimedia installation, the artworks engage the senses and lead the viewer to find the projected “tenderness” in the pieces exhibited.

“I've been told by viewers that the piece made them ponder why they are looking at such a sensitive moment, especially that of a body in a bag. So I think that of course,

the viewer's experience develops their perception of the work,” said Jacqueline Beaumont, whose piece, Sodic Bodies serves as a memorial for trans women.

While all artwork is certain to evoke a reaction, the experience of the viewer will greatly differ from that of the artist.

“Each viewer will have their own experience, depending on their own knowledge and understanding of the process of ceramic art, their knowledge of the history of painting and sculpture, and countless other things that they may know or think of when they see the pieces,” said Markus Denil. Putti, created

by Denil, consists of fragile ceramic putti, which are cherub-like figures. The work explores toxic masculinity through juxtaposition; the fragile putti each wear leather harnesses.

Despite the artwork and its meaning being entrenched in its physicality, the viewer’s interaction and interpretation of the piece will constantly change; the materiality serving as a means of understanding. “As we gain more information we are able to interpret the situations we are presented with,” said Denil. i fe el ten der dem on s t r ate s h ow objects, art and their materiality embody experiences, ideas and beliefs. “I think the feeling of tenderness mainly came from the subject, that being letter writing and long distance relationships,” said Joshua Jensen, whose work, With Love , delves into memory, distance and the

Markus Denil’s cherub-like Putti wear delicate, ceramic harnesses. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

documentation of life. “ Through this reappropriation of imagery I create a sphere of ambiguity to project my own experiences in relation to memory,” the artist said.

Denil’s innocent Putti wearing harnesses and Jensen’s mementos both provide the viewer with very different representations and experiences. The work s exhibited provide a physic al understanding of “tenderness” and, through juxtaposition, reframe what the viewer perceives it to be. i feel tender is on display at the VAV Gallery until Feb. 1. The gallery is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The vernissage will be held at 6 p.m. on Jan. 31. Admission is free.

Jacqueline Beaumont’s created Sodic Bodies using a trans person’s bedsheets. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

music

MUSIC EDITOR /// music@theconcordian.com SIMON NEW

OPINION

No prefix, call them rappers One s t ud ent 's a rgu ment against the categori za t ion of Fe mce es

LOUIS PAVLAKOS STAFF WRITER Hip hop has long been considered a boys’ club. While many women have become popular in the genre, there are still more men in mainstream hip hop. In the 90s, during the golden age of the genre, rappers such as Queen Latifah, Lil Kim, Lauryn Hill, and Missy Elliot were among the most popular women in hip hop, but that didn’t compare to the number of popular male rappers.

Nas, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., André 3000, and Snoop Dogg are merely some of the biggest names in hip hop, not only from the 90s, but of all time. The women, however, don’t get as much recognition.

In 2018, we saw the two biggest women in hip hop go at it in a feud that was, well, meaningless. But aside from Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, there aren’t any other female mainstream rappers. Sure, Noname, Rapsody, Tierra Whack, and Azealia Banks exist, but they are still considered outside the mainstream.

When a woman sees her career rise, however, people are quick to point out that she’s either the female equivalent of a male rapper or on her way to take the throne from whichever rapper has it.

DJBooth writer Donna-Claire Chesman’s appropriately-titled article, “Stop Calling Rapsody the ‘Female Kendrick’” explains how Rapsody’s most recent album, Laila’s Wisdom, is her own body of work that plays to her own strengths. It is not Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, nor does it intend to be. It’s Rapsody’s album and it should be viewed as such.

Furthermore, such comparisons only boil down artists’ strongest talents to simple correlations of gender, race or sexuality.

By calling so-and-so the new version of this other rapper, it not only discredits their art, but also their personality. Every album an artist puts out is supposed to be a reflection of their life through their eyes, not those of their contemporaries.

“Why can there only be one dominant woman in rap?” asks Kiana Fitzgerald in an article for Complex. That’s a good question. Before Cardi B’s meteoric rise to fame in 2017, Nicki Minaj was the only popular woman in rap for years. Cardi was looking to change that as, up until recently, she had no issue with Nicki Minaj. When they fought at New York Fashion Week, it brought yet another divide among hip hop’s only two popular “female rappers.”

It all boils down to calling women in hip hop “female rappers.” If a woman is a doctor, we don’t call her a “female doctor.”

If a woman is a lawyer, we don’t call her a “female lawyer.” Unless there’s a specific need for a woman to be known as such in her line of work, the term should be axed.

“Although I do understand and recognize that hip hop is an industry where the majority is cis males, I still think that the

way to change the system isn’t in labeling women in the industry as the ‘male version’ of so-and-so,” says Toronto artist Witch Prophet. “My gender expression has nothing to do with my ability to rap and shouldn’t be the focus when talking about my talent.”

And she’s absolutely right. Some of the best hip hop albums this year have been released by women. Cardi B, Noname, Tierra Whack, and Rico Na st y, among many others, have released gripping bodies of work.

Bottom line, these albums are good.

“And y’all thought a bitch couldn’t rap huh? / Maybe this your answer for that good pussy / I know n****s only talk about money and good pussy” raps Noname on her track “Self,” the intro cut on her newest album, Room 25. On the album, she speaks on her gender, sexuality, and being black in America in a way that is as captivating as it is undeniably Noname.

But the fact that she is still referred as a female rapper puts her back into the same box that all women in hip hop end up in.

“By saying ‘female rapper,’ you imply that rappers can only be men and we have an “My gender expression has nothing to do with my ability to rap,” says Witch Prophet. exception on our hands Photo by Corey J. Isenor. when a woman steps to the mic,” said Chesman.

The past year has seen a few steps B. Nicki Minaj and Cardi B are featured on “The greater issue is around breaking down the conception that rap is men-only. That for ward. Instead of having just one two other songs. Where are all the other starts with many things, and our language mainstream “female rapper,” there are women? Spotify needs to rectify this by two. It’s not a lot by any means, but the adding more women to the playlist. is one of them.”

“When you’re referred to as a female fact that Nicki can share the proverbial There is a Spotify playlist called “Women rapper, you’re usually put in a box, and throne with Cardi shows that hip hop in Rap,” however, in order to access it, you you’re not allowed to do the same things is embracing women more than ever. would have to search it by name or go into However, it doesn’t feel like it ’s the hip hop section, scroll down, click “see male rappers do without it becoming some sort of thing about women not being able enough. Articles from HotNewHipHop more” in the popular playlists section, and to work together,” said Toronto rapper still refer to women in rap as “female then scroll down further to find it. There DijahSB. Hip hop has always been about rappers,” as seen in a recent piece about is some effort to put these women in the collaborating, and if the most popular Asian Doll. The Billboard Awards have spotlight, but it is half-baked and lazy. women in rap fight with each other, like a section dedicated to the “Top Female It’s not like there is a lack of women Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, then DijahSB’s Rap Artist,” in which they nominate not in the industr y. Simple s earches on only established rappers such as Cardi B the Internet can lead to many great argument only solidifies.

Hip hop is also rampant with ‘biting’ or and Nicki Minaj, but 15-year-old meme discoveries. However, male rappers copying someone else’s sound. Though rapper Bhad Bhabie. continue to dominate the charts. The Rap Caviar, Spotify’s most popular hip hop segregation between men and women it might be overlooked amongst male rappers, female hip hop artists are under playlist, currently has 10 million followers. in hip hop is a barrier that needs to be more scrutiny if they share a simple Out of 54 tracks, only two are by women: broken down. Women can rap and they characteristic with another woman in rap. “Twerk” by City Girls and “Money” by Cardi can rap well.

JANUARY 29, 2019

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OPERA REVIEW

Champion hits the stage at Opera de Montreal Ja z z m e e t s ro m a n c e , o p e r a a n d c o n t rove r s y i n C a n a d i a n p re m i e re o f C h a m p i o n IMMANUEL MATTHEWS ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR “I kill a man and the world forgives me. I love a man, and they want to kill me.”

While many know the opera to be the platform for musical renditions of traditional works such as The Phantom of the Opera and The Barber of Seville, Champion delves into more modern themes, such as sexuality and immigration.

In it s C anadian P remiere, Champion , which is based on a true story, recounts the life of prizefighting welterweight champion Emile Griffith. Griffith was born in St. Thomas, of the U.S. Virgin Islands, but immigrated to the U.S. in the 1950s as a teen in search of a better life. He had a deep desire to reconnect with his estranged mother, who left for America on her own. As well, Griffith dreamed of becoming a singer, baseball player, and hat designer hooked in by the American dream. Griffith worked in a hat factory before being introduced to the world of boxing after the factory manager noticed his physical potential.

Griffith saw major success in the spor t, though the fame and money did not come without its downsides.

As his popularit y grew, Griffith was was ushered into a new world. The newfound attention and stardom he faced brought him to terms with the feelings he had once tried to suppress.

Though, after accidentally killing an opponent in the ring—one who taunted Gr if f it h’s presumed s e xualit y prefight—Griffith’s inner demons began to reveal themselves.

“It isn’t the opponent you wanted to kill, it’s yourself,” said Griffith during a flashback scene to his younger self.

Throughout Champion , Griffith is portrayed by three different actors, each

Griffith feels the horror of his devastating knockout win. Photo by Yves Renaud.

of whom are present in different scenes of the opera’s non-linear plot. Griffith as a child, adult, and senior illustrate the protagonist at different integral stages of his life. Young Griffith demonstrates the molding of the prizefighter as a child in St. Thomas; Griffith as an adult highlights his battles with his sexuality and fame; Griffith as an old man represents the consequences of his profession, as dementia begins to set in.

As the opera unfolds, Griffith as an old man appears in various scenes, speaking to his younger selves through a type of monologue: he can hear them, but they cannot hear him. This creative way of carrying out flashback scenes demonstrated Champion’s well-thought-out plot.

The opera’s music was composed by the Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter,

Terence Blanchard. With a smooth blend of jazz and blues, the production’s musical aspect embodies all the events that unravel and the emotions that go along with them.

The production’s cast expertly brought Griffith’s trials and tribulations to life, both musically and theatrically. Their unwavering vocal performances and hypnotically realistic acting transformed the 2h25min show into what felt more like an explanation of Griffith’s life than a musical dramatization.

Aside from the actual performance by the cast, a theatrical production’s technical aspects share equal importance in making the show. Champion’s technical expertise clearly shined through in its execution.

Two jumbo vertical screens on either side of the stage displayed different images and designs throughout, adding to the precise,

yet creative props and set design.

Together, they set the ambience for each of the opera’s scenes, whether it was a boxing fight or at the nightclub Griffith frequented. Paired with crisp set changes, the combination of the digital and traditional aspects of the set transformed Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier into Griffith’s world.

With the themes of immigration and sexuality arguably more relevant today than ever before, Champion is an opera that, aside from its great execution musically, technically, and theatrically, is a contemporary representation of the future of opera.

Champion has three more showings with the Opera de Montreal on Jan. 29, 31, and Feb. 2. Tickets are available for purchase on the Opera de Montreal website.

Quickspins MIKE POSNER

A REAL GOOD KID Universal Island Records Mike Posner has grown since his Lil Wayne-assisted track “Bow Chicka Wow Wow” and his 2015 Canadian 7x-platinum hit “I Took a Pill in Ibiza.”

His newest album, A Real Good Kid, shows a slower, more sombre Posner with a deeper focus on lyricism. His album begins with instructions, asking listeners to listen to the album in one sitting with no distractions. Categorized

as Alternative on streaming platforms, Posner’s shift in sound may be attributed to the hardships he faced over the last few years, namely the death of his father, the death of his friend, Avicii, and a hard breakup. Posner addresses all of these instances specifically, demonstrating a very personal level of vulnerability that he felt comfortable sharing with his fans. For the best experience, listen to A Real Good Kid as Posner intended for it to be heard.

7.5/10  TRIAL TRACK: Move on  STAR BAR: “Call up girls that live in my hometown To help fill up the minutes Lit a match and saged my house down It didn't make a difference” Posner on “Move On” — JACOB CAREY ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR

BRING ME THE HORIZON

AMO Sony Music Entertainment UK Opinions on British band Bring Me the Horizon vary along with their style, transforming drastically through each release since their debut, Count Your Blessings, in 2006. Some, attached to BMTH’s chaotic post-hardcore roots, will snob the softer, melodic, pop-influenced sound they’ve taken on ever since Sempiternal. They’ve even got a new song about this, “heavy metal”—but the truth is that this change in style testifies of the band’s surprising versatility. On their latest opus,

amo, the band pushes their boundaries even further by entirely reimagining their sound through the 13 songs on the album.

This creativity is more than welcome, allowing for the birth of an impressively imaginative pop-rock sound.

However, that creativity is both the album’s strength and demise, and ultimately amo fails to impress.

Though some songs stand out nicely—namely, the powerful “MANTRA,” or the laid back, surprisingly sweet “mother tongue,”—others feel a little clumsy, especially lyrically, and might make one yearn for the refined product that was Bring Me the Horizon’s last album, That’s the Spirit. Despite it all, Bring Me the Horizon can only be applauded for taking that creative step forward, and amo remains worthy of a listen.

7/10  TRIAL TRACK: medicine  STAR BAR: “You need a taste of your own medicine Cos I’m sick to death of swallowing” Oli Sykes on “medicine” — SARAH BOUMEDDA STAFF WRITER

sports

SPORTS EDITOR /// sports@theconcordian.com NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI ( @n_digiovanni)

ESPORTS

Finding chemistry and having fun Second League of Legends team aims to qualify for playoffs in first season

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

JAD ABUKASM STAFF WRITER Concordia’s new League of Legends Esports team is heading full speed towards the 2019 playoffs.

This is Concordia’s second League of Legends team, or the B team, which currently sits in third place in its division in the Collegiate Starleague (CSL). The team still has the winter semester to qualify for playoffs.

“We can definitely make it to quarter finals at least,” said Charles Morin, the team’s coach. “It all depends on how dedicated we are and how much we play as a team.”

League of Legends is an online role-playing video game in which a very large number of people participate simultaneously. Two teams of five players—who occupy different roles—play against each other until a final objective has been destroyed by one of the teams.

After a summer internship in management at StyroChem, Morin linked his passion for League of Legends to the knowledge he had gained at his internship. Since he didn’t play as much as he used to but still understands the game well, Morin approached the president of the Concordia Esports Association, Dimitri Kontogiannos, to be a coach. He offered Morin that position—a status Morin claims suits his personality.

“I always found myself more of a coach,” Morin said. “Even with my friends, I was like a leader.”

After two weeks of tryouts in September 2018, Morin filled the five spots on the team.

Since players usually master one of the five roles, the coach was lucky to find players who practise different positions on the map.

The map is divided into three lanes—top, middle and bottom—that are separated by jungles. Three players occupy the top lane, the middle lane and the jungle respectively, while the two last players fight for the bottom lane.

To be part of the team, players had to meet certain requirements. They needed to be full-time students at Concordia and had to be dedicated to multiple practices during the week, including one game per week.

A key skill players needed was communication rather than raw talent for the game. Just like other team sports, League of Legends is based on a team’s ability to synchronize their movements around the map, and act upon different situations to win.

“At the beginning, it was tough because no one knew each other,” Morin said. Every player came from a different department of the university, but it didn’t stop them from meeting, because they practice from the comfort of their own homes.

“One day I was like ‘guys we’re not doing practice, we’re going to a bar’ and that was the first time we actually met up,” said Morin. “I think that after that day, we became more friends than just a team.” After that, the players quickly built chemistry, which inevitably made them a better team.

As the fall season progressed, the players started practising on their own, taking initiatives without the coach’s intervention. Since coaches can’t talk to their players or watch competitive games live to avoid cheating, players have to put their communication skills into practice to coordinate plays. Thanks to his deep understanding of the game, Scott Dejong quickly became the voice of the team.

“[Dejong] looks in the future of the game and tells us what we’re supposed to do in two minutes, five minutes or ten minutes,” said Luca D’Ambra, the team’s mid lane player. “As long as we follow his calls, we should win the trades with the other teams.”

Dejong also became the centre of the team’s jokes. As a support, his task is to assist one of his teammates, called the attack damage carry (ADC), to put him at an advantage on his counter enemy. However, Dejong showed a better understanding of the game than most of his team, which is ironic considering his job is to support rather than attack the opponents.

“All the stupid things come from the ADC and the support,” said Arthur Tourneyrie, the team’s top lane player. “We just always tease the bot lane because, in terms of rank, our support is much better than our ADC.” By joining a team, the players found themselves setting personal goals, and improving on aspects they didn’t think needed tweaking.

“When I play alone, I usually don’t communicate,” D’Ambra said. “I hope to increase [my communication skills] way more, like try to get a more macro sense of the game, not just single player skills but more how everyone should be doing on their team, who should be doing what at what time.”

Even though the team wants to qualify for playoffs, the players’ main goal is to have a blast with their friends playing their favourite game.

“It’s just a hobby kind of thing,” Tourneyrie said. “If we make it to playoffs and if we just play to our full potential—at least feel like we’ve done our best—it would be really great.”

COLOUR COMMENTARY WITH NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI It’s pretty incredible to think quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick are taking the New England Patriots to Super Bowl 53, their ninth together.

Just like when they started together in 2001 and won three Super Bowls in four years, they’ll be playing in their third-straight title game when they take on the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta on Feb. 3.

The 41-year-old Brady and the Patriots have had an underdog attitude all season. I would think they’re the favourites for this Super Bowl, even though the Rams’s 13-3 record is better than the Patriots’s 11-5 record from the regular season.

In the playoffs, and especially in one-and-done title games like this, experience plays a pivotal role. Brady is older than L.A.’s head coach, Sean McVay, who turned 33 on Jan. 24, and 17 years separates Brady and his quarterback counterpart, Jared Goff. Not to mention, Brady and the Patriots have won five championships together, while the Rams have two playoff wins since McVay took over as head coach in 2017.

The Rams proved those numbers mean nothing in the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints. Up against 40-year-old Drew Brees and Sean Payton, who also won a title together in 2009, the Rams delivered an upset on the road—albeit a controversial one, but let’s not open that can of worms.

In last year's Super Bowl, we saw how much the Philadelphia Eagles were underdogs against the Patriots.

Even though Brady threw for over 500 yards and three touchdowns, the Eagles simply outscored them and won 41-33. If the Rams want to win this year, they just need to score a lot of points.

Even with a strong defence that features defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, the Rams likely won’t stop Brady. If L.A. needs to rely on their defence, they won’t win this game.

Instead, Goff is going to have to step up and make big plays. McVay also has to use this season’s third-leading rusher, Todd Gurley, more than he did against the Saints and at the same time give touches to back-up running back C.J. Anderson, whose experience winning a Super Bowl in 2016 may be invaluable to a young team.

For the Patriots to win, they just have to stick to their game plan. They know whatever they do works, because it’s brought them to four Super Bowls in the past five years. The Patriots had the 11th-best run defence this season, so if they can shut down the Rams’s running game, Brady and Belichick will be collecting their sixth ring together.

Prediction: 31-27 New England Patriots. Eight people from our staff predicted the Patriots to win, with three choosing the Rams.

JANUARY 29, 2019

theconcordian

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FOOTBALL

Joel Slavik opens up after losing friend to suicide

Receiver wants to continue the conversation about mental illnesses NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI SPORTS EDITOR The Concordia Stingers hosted their annual Bell Let’s Talk game when the men’s hockey team played the Queen’s Gaels on Jan. 18.

In past seasons, Stingers men’s hockey team captain Philippe Hudon has made his struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder public. He’s been the Stingers’s ambassador for the Bell Let’s Talk campaign in the past, and has seen his teammates open up.

Though an arena might not be the most common place to have a conversation about mental health, Hudon has seen people opening up. “Not in my locker room,” said Hudon when asked if there’s still a stigma. “I think we’re pretty open about it. No matter the sport, I think it’s becoming more normal in a sense.”

This year, Joel Slavik, a slotback on the football team, opened up on social media with his own personal story. He lost a friend to suicide last March, and wanted to share his friend’s story.

“It’s the first Bell Let’s Talk day since he passed, and I just wanted to bring a little bit more awareness to the issue itself,” Slavik said. “I found the best way with dealing with it is just to talk about it, and bring it to light.”

After Slavik lost his friend, he started asking a lot of questions about mental illness to better understand what his friend went through. “How I dealt with it was talking to his family, and his brother reached out too,” Slavik added.

“When someone is dealing with depression or suicidal thoughts, it’s really easy [for them] to think that their problems [are] the end of the world, and will never get better,” Slavik said.

The Stingers host the Bell Let’s Talk game every year with the men’s hockey team. Photo by Nicholas Di Giovanni.

“But I would just let them know it’s just a rough patch and won’t be something they will be going through for the rest of their life. It’s something I wish I could have told [my friend] at the time, but not many people knew about it.”

Bell Let’s Talk aims to end the stigma around mental illness and encourage conversations surrounding it. Clara Hughes, a former Summer and Winter Olympian, battled depression and helped start Bell Let’s Talk in 2010. Since then, more athletes have become involved in the campaign, including former Montreal Alouettes safety Étienne Boulay and Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock.

“With sports, there’s the whole, ‘Get over it, next-play’ mentality, which is great in sports,” Slavik said. “Overall, when something that significant happens,

it’s really important to see how it affects you and how it affects others, instead of trying to sweep it under the rug.”

Slavik wants to see people be more open to sharing, but he wants to see it throughout the whole year, not just on Bell Let’s Talk day.

“If you’re feeling this kind of way, there are resources and there are people who want you to talk about it and be vocal,” Slavik said.

After Slavik’s video was published on social media, he received support from friends in his hometown of Calgary, and from other Stingers athletes. “I just wanted to do it for [my friend] and just to prevent it from happening in the future,” Slavik said.

Bell Let’s Talk day is Jan. 30. Concordia students struggling with their own mental health and wellness can visit the counselling services offered by the school, or call Concordia Students’ Nightline.

Joel Slavik just finished his second season playing for the Stingers football team. Photo by Kyran Thicke / Concordia Stingers.

HOCKEY

Canadiennes in tight battle with Calgary for first Montreal returns from all-star break ready for last push before the playoffs NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI SPORTS EDITOR Seven members of Les Canadiennes de Montréal played in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL)’s 2019 All-Star Game in Toronto on Jan. 20. Forwards Ann-Sophie Bettez, Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin and Jill Saulnier, defencemen Erin Ambrose and Lauriane Rougeau, and goalie Emerance Maschmeyer all took part in the league’s festivities.

“It was awesome,” said Ambrose about her second All-Star Game appearance. She was a rookie at the 2017 All-Star Game, as a player for the Toronto Furies. She said it’s enjoyable to play with other players from around the league, and some of the best players in the world.

After a three-week break for the holidays, Les Canadiennes only played four games in January before the All-Star Game.

Ambrose said it was a bit tough to have those two breaks so close to each other.

“It’s going to be good to get going all the way through until the end of the year,” said Ambrose, who’s also an assistant coach for the Stingers. “I know we could get on a good roll here and keep that momentum going through the playoffs.”

Coming off the all-star break, Les Canadiennes play nine games to finish the

regular season, with five played at home.

They played the Markham Thunder this past weekend, losing 2-1 on Saturday, but bounced back with 6-2 win on Sunday. The team knows that every game is important in a tight playoff race; four of the six teams in the league make the playoffs to battle for the league’s trophy, the Clarkson Cup. Currently, the winless Worcester Blades are the only team not in the hunt.

“All the teams that we’re playing

now, they also have games that matter for playoffs,” Ambrose said. “The level of intensity is going to increase, and there’s going to be some good quality hockey coming up.”

Les Canadiennes are in a battle for first place with the Calgary Inferno. With a 17-3-0 record, the Inferno sit in first place, two points ahead of Les Canadiennes. The two teams play each other this coming weekend, on Feb. 2 and 3, at the Bell

The Canadiennes’s biggest challenger this season is the Calgary Inferno. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

Sports Complex in Brossard.

Last season, both Les Canadiennes and the Inferno had many players participating in the 2018 Olympics. Over a dozen players between the two teams’ current rosters played in the gold medal match between Canada and the U.S.A., only returning to their teams in the CWHL towards the end of the season. Both teams lost in their first round of the playoffs, with Montreal losing to the Markham Thunder, and Calgary to the Kunlun Red Star.

“It was just nice this year going into it; we knew who our team was and who the group [of players] was going to be,” Ambrose added. “The players we added this year are not only the best in the league, but best in the world, so we’re really fortunate to have them here in Montreal.”

One of those players is Knight, who joined Les Canadiennes late last season.

She has seven goals and 15 points this season. Poulin leads the league in scoring, with 39 points, while Ambrose has the most points by a defender with 23.

With some of the top players in the league, Ambrose knows the team’s expectations are high. “Our main goal is to win the Clarkson Cup,” Ambrose said.

“We expect to be the best, we want to be the best, and that’s something we hold each other accountable for every single day.”

opinions OPINIONS EDITOR /// opinions@theconcordian.com SANIA MALIK

Remember: Unpaid is unfair Picture this: you’re scrolling down Indeed, aimlessly searching for a job that fits your criteria—or more accurately, a job where you meet the criteria. Your eyes land on something that almost sounds too good to be true. Eagerly, you click on the posting and, with hope, cross your fingers. You’re gleeful as you read the responsibilities and requirements—they’re all things you can actually do. Suddenly, you read the last line of the post: “This is an unpaid internship, but we reward our interns with exposure and experience!” As if exposure and experience can put food on the table, pay the rent, or a massive amount of bills.

On Jan. 16, the Journalism Student Association (JSA) voted in favour of going on a week-long strike against unpaid internships.

Some of the goals of this protest, outlined by the JSA, are to pressure the Quebec government to include interns in its Labour Code, and to send a message to Concordia that they are opposed to mandatory, unpaid internships, specifically, the journalism course JOUR 450.

Of course, striking and protesting against unpaid internships isn’t a radical idea. In November 2018, more than 50,000 Quebec students went on strike against unpaid internships, according to CBC News. The protest highlighted how Quebec’s labour laws don’t protect student interns, who are often exploited and left without remuneration. Those of us who are familiar with unpaid internships are well aware of the many downsides that

come with embarking on one. But it seems that there are a lot of students out there who don’t really know about unpaid internships—or more importantly, why they suck.

When news broke of the JSA voting in favour of the strike, many anonymous students took to the Spotted: Concordia Facebook page to vent about how much they disagree with the strike. Specifically, one post mentioned that the university can’t do much about journalism students’ unpaid internships, and that they don’t decide if unpaid internships exist or not. Well, we hate to break it to you, anonymous Spotter, but Concordia actually does have a say in unpaid internships. In the journalism department, students can’t get paid if they’re earning credit for their internship (see JOUR 450 above). This university policy is a hassle to deal with, and

leaves students feeling trapped between two daunting choices: exert all of your energy and produce the best work possible without pay, or choose an unrelated job that pays but forever be left behind in the competitive race to the top.

We also need to stress that unpaid internships in general affect a lot of different people, in a lot of different ways. In fields like mechanical and industrial engineering, internships are paid—but 79.3 per cent of students in that field at Concordia are men, according to a poster published by the CSU about unpaid internships across various departments. The same can be said about finance, where 70.12 per cent of students are men, yet that field holds paid internship opportunities. Meanwhile, fields like art education, where 90.0 per cent of students are

women, and applied human sciences, where 78.29 per cent of students are women, offer mostly unpaid internships. And it’s noteworthy to remember that women that work full-time still earn 74.2 cents for every dollar earned by a man, according to Maclean’s.

Unpaid internships also affect those who are already struggling financially. People with physical and mental disabilities are twice as likely to live below the poverty line in Canada, and nearly 15 per cent of people with disabilities live in poverty, according to the non-profit organization Canada Without Poverty. One in five racialized families live in poverty in Canada, whereas one in 20 non-racialized families live in poverty. According to the same source, racialized women earn 32 per cent less at work.

These same people, representing these facts and figures, are trying their best as students at Concordia. Not only are they studying hard, they’re also trying to find an opportunity outside of their schooling that lets them add something to their resume. At the same time, they’re juggling numerous responsibilities; some might have children, others might need to pay rent. The last thing they need is an unpaid internship. So, to all of you anonymous Spotted users: try to ditch the misplaced anger, and instead, read up about unpaid internships. Oh, and maybe invest in some sympathy—it seems like you can afford it.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

ILLNESS

There is nothing funny about losing your memory Alzheimer’s is more than just the punchline to a dark joke, and should be taken more seriously YOUMNA EL HALABI STAFF WRITER I started my year by reading Lisa Genova’s critically acclaimed novel, Still Alice.

Mostly known as the motion picture that awarded Julianne Moore with a long overdue Academy Award, Still Alice is the story of Dr. Alice Howland, a linguistics professor at Harvard University, and her journey with early onset Alzheimer’s.

I remember watching the film for the first time in 2015. I was completely awed by Moore’s performance, and how she perfectly conveyed every bit of pain, confusion, and disorientation Alice felt once diagnosed.

Throughout the movie though, all I could think about was wanting to read Alice’s feelings, rather than watch them. I wanted to read through her thought process, and how she was deeply affected by her diagnosis. I wondered how a linguistics professor goes from retaining every bit of information concerning language, to forgetting where she was while out for a run.

The reason why I wanted so desperately to read about Alice’s journey was partly for my love of books, and partly because I wanted to understand Alzheimer’s, and see beyond the defeated expression people sport on their faces once the topic

is brought up.

What struck me most was Alice’s stream of thought when she was first diagnosed.

“She wished she had cancer instead,” Genova writes. “She’d trade Alzheimer’s for cancer in a heartbeat… and while a bald head and a looped ribbon were seen as badges of courage and hope, her reluctant vocabulary and vanishing memories advertised mental instability and impending insanity. Those with cancer could expect to be supported by their community. Alice expected to be cast out.”

My initial reaction was horror and dis-

belief. Why would someone ever wish upon themselves a disease as daunting as cancer?

But as I continued to read on, I started to understand where the character was coming from. With cancer, there is always a slight chance of survival, of beating the odds, of overcoming the dying cells and coming out victorious. Compared to that, Alzheimer’s seems like a dead-end.

When cancer is brought up in a conversation, voices become hushed and superstitious people begin knocking on wood, almost burning incense to avoid an Evil Eye wishing this disease upon them.

Well, that’s how they do it back home in Lebanon anyway.

When one forgets the definition of a word, why they opened the fridge in the first place, or finds themselves repeating something they said not too long ago, people chime in, joking about probable Alzheimer’s.

As I get older, I realize how unfortunate it is that mental illnesses are either joked about, ignored, or never taken seriously. Most of the time, anything regarding a person’s mental state is brushed off, which explains why a disease like cancer is considered more worrisome than Alzheimer’s.

In my opinion, it all stems back to the fear of the unknown. Personally at times, when I find myself in fearful situations, sarcasm and jokes help me cope. While it certainly explains why mental illnesses are often made fun of, it does not excuse it one bit. Because let’s face it, Alzheimer’s is a monster. We do not know how to deal with fluctuating sadness, memory loss, and everyone looking at us, urging us to be ‘normal,’ whatever in the world that means.

Cancer is believed to be easier, because tumours are visible and can be treatable, lest they be metastatic. Alzheimer’s is a hopeless case. Once you’re diagnosed, as Genova writes, “your brain is oatmeal.”

Graphic by @spooky_soda

JANUARY 29, 2019

theconcordian

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GENDER

How bullying is a gendered issue

The Gillette ad that broke the internet is what women have been taught their whole lives MEGAN HUNT STAFF WRITER It was the advertisement that spurred a million Twitter threads. In early Januar y, between public outrage over the stupid things that disgraced YouTuber Jake Paul said and the disrespectful behaviour of students at Covington Catholic School, people on social media got very riled up about a two-minute Gillette commercial that suggested men can be better. From bemoaning the use of “boys will be boys” as a blanket excuse, to invoking the #MeToo movement, the ad argued that men will only be the best they can be when they hold each other accountable and, you know, show basic decency to women and each other.

Of course, this caused men on the internet to go absolutely bananas. The ad was called leftist propaganda by some, and opportunistic corporate virtue-signalling by others. I have no desire to debate either of these stances—it should be painfully obvious that toxic masculinity is very much a real and prevalent issue, and that corporations will never stand for progress if they truly believe it will hurt their profit margins. But one idea that gained particular traction from the more misogynistic corners of social media is interesting: the Gillette ad could not exist if the gender roles were reversed.

If a brand urged women to correct their

behaviour, we would not celebrate it or even tolerate it. This opinion has been posed (almost solely by men) on subreddits and angry blog posts, with even right-wing favourites like Piers Morgan agreeing that a gender reversal would lead to “all hell[...] break[ing] loose.”

The only problem with Morgan’s opinion is that it’s completely untrue.

On the contrary, from a very young age, women and girls are explicitly taught to address the issues of bullying, respect, and self-esteem from a gendered lens.

From Disney Channel special episodes to sleepover go-to movies such as Mean Girls, Clueless, and Legally Blonde, plenty of media targeted towards young women includes the not-so-subtle message that women should be lifting other women up, not tearing each other down. Advertising for everything from skincare products to tampons focus on the need for girls to love their bodies and believe in themselves.

As positive and important as this message is, these discussions of body image and empowerment rarely focus on any social—dare I say patriarchal—factors that contribute to these issues in the first place, instead treating insecurity as a behavioural shortcoming that women can overcome with the right encouragement.

That’s not even beginning to touch all the brands that don’t even bother trying to capitalize on self-love, and instead encourage women to just change everything about themselves. If men

are truly upset about being discouraged from schoolyard fights and workplace sexual harassment, they should spend a day being told that their weight, hair, skin, teeth, face, fashion sense, and personality (in no particular order) need a makeover.

Although the intentions of chick flicks and airbrushed advertisements are very different, one thing is clear: women and girls spend their whole lives being told how they can and should be better.

It’s even being incorporated into public school curriculum. When I was in middle school, the girls in my class and I spent one recess per week in “Go Girls,” a program run by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. Highlights included naming things we liked about ourselves and making a pact that we would never let one of our fellow girls sit alone at lunch.

Although this program runs nationally, it has a lot of competition with non-profits like Girls Inc., Girl Guides of Canada, and Young Women on the Move offering similar services.

The names may vary, but most of my female peers remember participating in similar programs in public school, and being taught specifically about women-centered issues, like catfighting and body image as part of their health curriculum. Very few of my male friends, however, can remember anything comparable. They never had to invest free time each week to participate in all-boys programs or make a pact to not get into physical altercations with their

friends—some cannot even remember learning about consent in school.

I frequently hear people speak about how, while men tend to fight physically, women fight with words. I can’t speak to how accurate this is universally, although in my own experiences, it would seem to be true. So why are we teaching girls that female catfights are an unhealthy way to handle conflict, but not teaching our boys the same for roughhousing? Gender indisputably affects where we stand in this world, and girls have been taught that their entire lives. The tragedy is that men have not, leaving them woefully unprepared to reflect and grow in the age of #MeToo. Ultimately, the problem here is not that Gillette took a gendered approach when exploring violence and bullying.

The problem is that it’s easy for men to see this ad as an attack on their entire gender because, in the past, they’ve never had to see bullying for what it is: a gendered issue.

The solution might not be any more Gillette ads. After all, it would be hard to argue that a major corporation like Procter and Gamble saw their own ad as anything more than a smart marketing move. But we are definitely one step closer to finding a solution when we stop being afraid to discuss how our gender affects the ways in which we need to grow and improve. After all, women and girls have already been doing it for years.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

16

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