The Cord October 6, 2022

HISTORY OF

BANNING BOOKS

What do you think will be the most popular Halloween costume in 2022?

"Something from Stranger Things."

-Kari Beeson, fourthyear criminology & French.

"A nurse."

-Obi Labi, second-year computer science.

"Anything Stranger Things related, Chrissy or Eddie."

-Chloe Herron, sec ond-year policing & psy chology.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH FROM THE ARCHIVES

"A pirate."

-Leah Finelli, first-year health sciences.

"Maddy or Cassie from Euphoria."

-Ava Moser, first-year psychology.

An

affairs of our newspaper.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to

We

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY

SADIYA TEEPLE/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

WINSLOW

Laurier honours Truth & Reconciliation Day

MADALYN MOSTACCI NEWS INTERN

On Friday, Sept. 30, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was recognized across Canada. The day honours survivors of residential schools and the lost children who never returned home.

“The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is for all to reflect and think about both the historical and ongoing impacts to consider how we make a better Canada for all. Reconciliation is not the re sponsibility of Indigenous Peoples, it is the responsibility of Canadians to reconcile with Canadian histo ry,” Darren Thomas, Associate Vice President of Indigenous Initiatives and a professor of Indigenous Studies at Wilfrid Laurier Universi ty, said in an email to The Cord.

The Truth and Reconciliation Committee of Canada outlined 94 Calls to Action for the Canadian Government.

National Day for Truth and Rec onciliation fulfills Call to Action 80. Although, according to CBC News’ Beyond 94, only 13 Calls to Action have been completed.

“... we have a long way to go in Canada for fully reckoning with the past treatment of Indigenous Peoples across the country but also the continuing impacts that colonization has on our commu nities to this day …” Lianne Leddy, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts, said.

Nationwide, Canadians showed support for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by wearing

orange shirts; a practice that developed because of Phyllis Jack Webstad’s story.

The Orange Shirt Story is a chil dren’s book by Webstad in which she outlines her experience of be ing taken to a residential school at six years old and having her brand new orange shirt stripped away.

Orange shirts and Webstad’s book can be found at the Laurier Bookstore, with proceeds going towards the Woodland Cultural Centre, an Indigenous culture cen tre in Brantford located on the site of one of Ontario’s former residen tial schools.

Decolonization and decoloniz ing education are also featured in the 94 Calls to Action. This is an important issue that affects insti tutions across Canada, including Wilfrid Laurier University.

“ ... this isn’t something that can only be done by Indigenous peo ple. We have to have the support of administrators and our colleagues to be able to support Indigenous students through their learning journeys,” Leddy said.

This year, Laurier offered resources and support across dif ferent sectors for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which

can be found on the university’s website.

“For me, as an Indigenous per son, a member of our community

We have a long way to go in Canada for fully reckoning with the past treatment of Indige nous Peoples across the country but also the continuing impacts that colonization has on our communities to this day.

LIANNE LEDDY, PROFESSOR IN THE FACULTY OF ARTS

here at Laurier as a professor, I was really heartened to see the messag ing that was sent out in advance of this important day ,” Leddy said.

Multiplevents were held this year; some put on by Laurier and some by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives.

“Last year and this year many have asked why we did not do more public events, the question is who will plan and host these events? If we would rely upon the Indigenous staff and faculty to do plan and coordinate such activi ties, it is a bit of asking veterans to plan their own events on Remem brance Day,” said Thomas.

“... [the events held this year] really show a variety of and amplify Indigenous voices,” Leddy said.

On Sept. 27, a book launch for O da gaho dḛ:s by Elder Norma

Jacobs was held on both campuses.

“ ... [Elder Norma Jacobs] engaged with many of her Cayuga teachings with other faculty mem bers and students including myself who sat with those teachings and we worked together on them,” Led dy said in regards to the event.

On Sept. 28, The Robert Langen Art Gallery hosted a reception featuring art by Christi Belcourt at the Laurier library

“[Belcourt] is a very well-known Metis artist and brings a lot of knowledge to her artwork that is based on the land and water …” Leddy said. The exhibit titled Take Only What You Need is running until Dec. 6.

On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, events were run around all Laurier campuses.

The Every Child Matters Walk, hosted by The Healing of the Seven Generations, took place in Kitchener.

“This legacy will be hard to overcome, which is why I feel our role at the university is to bring this content into all of our program ming at Laurier. We as a university and those that are in a position to impact change have a role, duty, and responsibility to aid in the efforts of truth and reconciliation,” Thomas said in regards to the lessons that the WLU community can take out of the National Day for truth and Reconciliation.

To donate to the Indigenous Knowledge fund and the Indige nous Student Emergency Fund, visit give.wlu.ca

Canadians cut food purchases due to rising prices

of eight per cent, it can be expected that Canadians will continue to face challenges with high grocery prices.

The second factor is related to energy prices.

ASHLEY BARRY LEAD REPORTER

A new survey has found 24 per cent of Canadians have cut back on the amount of food they are buying due to rising prices at grocery stores.

The survey, conducted at Dal housie University’s Agri-Food An alytics Lab on Sept. 8 and 10 and included 5,000 Canadians across the country, found that: eight per cent of participants have changed their diet to save money on food; seven per cent skip meals to save money for groceries and 15.5 per cent have started growing their own food as a result of inflation over the past year.

“We are going to see increases in inflation to be higher than what we were observing two or three years ago,” Christos Shiamptanis, asso ciate professor at the department of economics at Wilfrid Laurier University said.

With inflation at a 40 year high

“There is a high probability that we will continue seeing higher food prices. However, it’s really hard to pinpoint the duration, and it’s also really hard to identify if these increases could amplify or shrink as we go into the future,” he said.

The lifting of COVID-19 restric tions has contributed to the reality of the economy: high inflation caused by three big factors, accord ing to Shiamptanis.

The first factor is supply chal lenges.

“The pandemic, unfortunately, has forced a lot of individuals to stop working, especially in coun tries, states or provinces where there’s a lot of manufacturing. Once you close down a particular region, you create a sequence of events where items cannot be produced on time and then cannot be shipped on time,” he said.

“That’s the supply chain chal lenges: producing things and then moving these things around the world.”

“One of the key reasons energy has gone up is the war in Europe between Ukraine and Russia. It also drove up the prices of gas and oil, and given that gas is a world commodity, the prices are affected throughout the world, contributing to inflation,” Shiamptanis said.

The third factor is government policies.

“Government policies now can break into the monetary policy––the central bank, and fiscal poli cy––the Ministry of Finance. What the central bank has done during the recession, is they’ve lowered the interest rates, making it easier to borrow,” he said.

“On top of that, in order to help during the pandemic, the Min istry of Finance provided differ ent programs––stimulating the demand. When you’re stimulating the demand too much, it drives up prices.”

These three factors attest to the difficult times of COVID-19, and the struggles Canadians will continue to endure- particularly families and individuals already struggling with food insecurity.

“There are always certain socioeconomic status and income status struggles and that, unfor tunately, is going to continue. We know that the federal government has made some announcements to support and treat them, but this is a group that is going to be hit the hardest by inflation,” Shiamptanis said.

Additionally, higher inflation will cause the central bank to increase interest rates.

“We are expecting them to con

tinue to increase the interest rates, so they’re going to reverse what they’ve done during the pandemic. The main reason is to slow down the demand of people borrowing to curb the price increases, but that is also going to have a negative ef fect on some individuals,” he said.

As the last months of 2022 approach, inflation will increase the price of groceries, which could force Canadians to continue cutting back on the amount of food they buy.

ABIGAIL HECKBERT/ CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

SADIYA TEEPLE/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

Laurier professor informs UN through documentary

the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in the Canadian Arctic.

JAMES WINSLOW

Last year, Mark Terry premiered his documentary film The Chang ing Face of Iceland in front of some of the planet’s most import ant decision makers at the United Nations’ COP26 climate summit.

Terry is an award-winning documentarian and explorer, a contract faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Department of English and Film Studies and an adjunct professor at York Universi ty’s Department of Environmental Studies.

This was Terry’s third time screening a film in such a presti gious context. His 2009 film The Antarctic Challenge: A Global Warning and his 2010 follow-up film The Polar Explorer were also shown to UN COP attendees at previous conferences.

The latter film documented climate impacts in Antarctica. The former covered the first docu mented crossing of the Northwest Passage, a sea route connecting

The Changing Face of Iceland explores climate-driven changes across a warming Icelandic ecosys tem – a captivating topic, according to Terry, for two primary reasons.

“There is the melting ice and there’s also the volcanic eruptions that happen there quite frequent ly,” Terry said.

The interaction between these two events unfolds in a fascinating, though complex, dance between water, land and magma.

“Whenever the glaciers melt, the weight of that ice comes off the ground and that causes an isostatic rebound effect. All the magma that’s kind of packed down with the ice on top is now free to flow,” Terry explained.

This newly freed magma might lead to an increase in volcanic activity on the island. Such an in crease, Terry explained, is not just a problem for Icelanders.

In 2010, for instance, the Ey jafjallajökull (ay-uh-fyaat-laa-yowkel) volcano erupted in Iceland and grounded most air travel throughout Europe for six days due to a vision-restricting ash plume.

The UN screens documentaries like Terry’s at climate conferences as a sort of conduit for digestible

information.

“These films serve as a data delivery system which allows the policymakers to see first-hand the data that’s usually given to them in the form of academic reports,” Terry said.

“What we have to remember is that policy makers are not scien tists … there is some difficulty, a little bit of a communications gap between the scientific community and the policy-making community

in understanding this complex science.”

Creating these documentaries gives filmmakers like Terry a rare glimpse into some of our planet’s most unique ecosystems.

“They have 10,000 waterfalls [in Iceland], so everywhere you look there’s some beautiful waterfall … and usually you see a rainbow associated with that as well,” Terry said.

Filming in Iceland also gave Ter

ry the opportunity to see, and swim in, Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon, a geothermically heated swimming area that serves as something like an Olympic swimming pool-sized hot tub.

Terry said that his favourite part of experiencing Iceland during the film’s production was “seeing such an untouched and natural country that’s very very beautiful in a raw state.”

Laurier plans safety precautions for homecoming

nity, as well as being good citizens and community members, is a priority,” Joseph said.

ASHLEY BARRY LEAD REPORTER

On Saturday, Sept. 24, Wilfrid Lau rier University students attempting to celebrate homecoming weekend with day-drinking and partying in the streets, were restricted by law enforcement.

With COVID-19 hindering the festivities of homecoming weekend for the past two years, this year’s Homecoming was in full-swing, and included a football game, wel coming back alumni, and a concert featuring Loud Luxury.

Not only was it a big deal for students who anticipated the party to resemble previous years of thou sands of people gathered at Ezra Street, it was also a big deal for the university, by-law and emergency responders, as the concern for students’ safety and well-being was their top priority.

“It was my first homecoming, so I didn’t know what to expect, but

I knew there was a lot of concern. We’ve had as many as 20,000 to 30,000 students that have gathered in town.

We saw what happened during the opening weekend of the university season,” Ivan Joseph, Vice-President of Student Affairs exclaimed.

Unlike previous years, more

safety measures were implemented this year to prevent large gather ings in the streets from material izing.

“We cordoned off Ezra Street, where students like to gather, and increased our special constable unit and police presence. [Addi tionally], we hired security guards and locked down public access

to buildings, and instituted a no guest policy––all things to try and to keep our student community safe,” he said.

The increased amount of sur veillance and support was a crucial step towards protecting students and the community.

“The health and safety of our students and neighboring commu

The extra restrictions and safety measures resulted in less destruc tion to the streets and homes surrounding campus, and by-law charged fewer people with alcohol and noise related violations.

“You know, the intent is to not to say, ‘students don’t party.’ We’re not going to wag a finger at you. It’s “be responsible, don’t gather and shut down streets, party safely––look out for each other”,” Joseph said.

Going forward, WLU will eval uate the effectiveness of adding these safety precautions and restrictions.

“We’re going to take a moment and assess and evaluate the things that we did this past weekend that went well, where we missed it, and what we can do to improve. Our next big challenge will be Saint Patrick’s Day, so we’ll reevaluate, reassess, and apply the lessons learned here to that effect,” Joseph explained.

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Got a Moment? We have a few questions…

Would it be fair if the person in the next room was paid more than double what you were being paid to do the same job?

Would it be okay having to apply for the same job every four months for years and years even decades – with no hope of ever getting stable work?

Would it be fair if almost every person at your workplace had good, employer paid benefits, but you didn't?

Would it be fair if your employer waited until just before your start date to tell you whether or not you had a job? Every. S ingle. Year.

Each 'would it be' is a reality for Contract Faculty at Laurier: the same Contract Faculty who teach more than half of all students at Laurier year after year after year

We have been trying to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement with Laurier's Administration for months, but they have rejected almost everything we have put on the table We deserve to be treated with fairness, equity, and respect for the important work we do, for the quality we bring to your education, and for the value we contribute to your university experience

For these reasons, you will begin to see posters and information regarding a Contract Faculty Strike Vote around campus. This does not mean Contract Faculty will be going on strike but rather that we have had to begin a process that may end in a strike if Laurier’s administration does not deal with us fairly and equitably at the negotiating table

You can support us and help avert possible job action (including a strike) by letting the Laurier administration know you support a fair and equitable deal for your Contract Faculty Follow and retweet us on Twitter: @PrecariousWLU Be informed about the issues: www.wlufa.ca/contract faculty negotiations/

As Contract Faculty continue to pursue a fair and equitable contract that respects our qualifications and experience, be sure of one thing: we remain committed to you and your education You are the reason we do what we do. We wish we weren’t in this position, but here we are.

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Robin goes costume Shopping

The Good, the Bad and the Kitty

All hail the pumpkin king!

Waiting to choose the next dragon warrior...

Gotta go fast!

The One Piece is real!

Hot-dogs are out, hot-cats are in

Photos by Abigail Heckbert, creative design by Yasmeen Almomani, modelling by Robin

Halloween

TODAY, THE IDEA OF celebrating Halloween in any way other than trick-or-treating or hosting a party for your closest friends may seem inconceivable. After the pandemic shut down or restricted Halloween plans, this year’s celebrations will mark a return to normalcy.

While stores peddle boxes of decorative squash and pile boxes of various candies skids high, buying into traditional Halloween celebrations is tempting. However, where did Halloween celebrations originate from? How have they changed and developed over time?

Speaking with Nicholas Rogers, research professor in the Department of History at York University, Halloween’s origins are far more elaborate than many believe.

“Well, there are two versions of this”, Rogers elaborates. The first version of the celebration’s origin, Samhain, was an “old pre-Christian Celtic festival that celebrated the turning of the year.”

“The Celts had two seasons rather than four. So as the winter came in, they celebrated this. And there were all sorts of superstitions associated with this holiday - with that particular festival about fairies and malevolent spirits coming out of the countryside and killing off the crops,” said Rogers.

In this version, the celebration “really related to the dying of vegetation” which contributed to the “supernatural twist” of the holiday.

“A lot of the rituals associated with the holiday really come from the Christian festival, because it offered prayers and hopes for the dead on the assumption that if you prayed hard enough, the deceased would go to heaven” Rogers said.

One of these rituals, “Souling,” had individuals going door to door offering prayer. In addition, “soul cakes” and ale were shared.

“So that’s the original threshold encounter that took place in the 14th and 15th

In the second version, Halloween was said to be the “Eve of all Hallows” or the “Eve of all Saints.”

“It was associated with Christian celebrations for the dead in what in the medieval times was called ‘Hallow Mass’ and then became, in its more secular variant, Halloween,” Rogers explained.

With these two different origin stories for Halloween, Rogers illustrates how some individuals wish to “emphasize the original Celtic” in a way that sensationalizes the “Macabre mystique” of Halloween itself.

How, then, did trick-or-treating become a common Halloween practice?

“It was something that was introduced in the 1950s in America,” Rogers elaborated.

“The original Halloween of the interwar years was fairly raucous, a lot of mischief making, and there were raids on corner stores and things like that. It wasn’t trickor-treat, it was ‘shell out.’ That was the imperative that was given to people. People were held hostage for a night and it was a kind of young person’s night rather than a kid’s night, actually.”

It wasn’t just America that was having issues with vandalism on Halloween - the problem extended to Canada as well.

“It was a very rough one here, actually, on the beach in Toronto. People put gasoline down the tram lines and set them on fire, and the cops were brought in. They arrested people, and then the police

Behling for a trip through time, all the The original Halloween the interwar years ly raucous...It or-treat, it was NICHOLAS ROGERS, RESEARCH DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

“

In this version, the celebration “really

“A lot of the rituals associated with the century.”

Halloween History

the way back to the origins of everyone’s favourite October holiday.

station was pursued by about 200 or 300 revolters and so on. It was pretty heavy.”

To help curb vandalism, the practice of “Youth Honour Day” attempted to quell young people: “The US Senate in 1950 changed Halloween to ‘Youth Honor Day,’ in which they would get high school kids to pledge to behave themselves on the 31st of October.”

Unfortunately, the practice didn’t work. However, from this point the “candy people” got a hold of the holiday: “They tried to sort of infantilize the holiday and make it more of a “kiddies” holiday,” Rogers explained.

Halloween of years was fairraucous...It wasn’t trickwas ‘shell out.’

“

However, it was a positive change: “[the change to a more ‘kiddie’ holiday] was accompanied by charitable collections at the door, initially for UNICEF, for children associated with the United Nations,” Rogers elaborated.

“So that’s how trick-or-treating came in. Trick-or-treating is really a relatively new phenomenon to Halloween in the long scheme of things.”

However, in the 1960s, Halloween had a distinct “social edge.”

“In the 60s, it had a gender twist to it, and there was a lot of demonstration and celebration of alternative sexualities. And it was a gay night.”

This didn’t last long.

“The gays are now an established feature of metropolitan living, so the holiday lost its social edge, if you wish. In the 1970s it became just more of a sort of consumer event, really, in which kids dress up.”

The 70s were also full of the wrong kind of Halloween scares, where stories surrounding Halloween treats being laced with poison were rampant.

Today, Rogers details how he believes that the holiday has become more tame: “I don’t think there’s much to it at the moment, really. Is this a celebration? It’s an interesting celebration. It’s a good celebration for kids and for neighborhood solidarities. But beyond that, you know, it’s lost a bit of its purpose.”

Despite the continuing “tameness” of the holiday, it continues to be an interesting point of conversation due to its role as an “unofficial” holiday: “I mean, it’s just a holiday that’s hung around for a long period of time. It’s kind of like an early mob festival - it’s interesting anthropologically but it doesn’t generate much excitement from me now” Rogers said.

As university students continue to make Halloween plans, the “holiday” continues to live on in the hearts of all who love itfor better or for worse:

“In most small towns and particularly in big cities it’s an interesting event that sort of has become segmented by age - so you have the trick-or-treating which lasts from when the sun goes down at sort of 6 o clock or so.”

“That’s the ‘kiddies’ Halloween. Past 9:00 or 10:00 o’clock is the young person’s night.”

Interested in learning more about the history of Halloween? Rogers’ book, Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, can be purchased to provide an even more in-depth look at the holiday.

Happy Halloween, Golden Hawksstay safe, and make the most out of the spookiest day of the year. Don’t let the ghouls or goblins bite!

Arts & Life

FILM

ARTS EDITOR AMICHAI ABRAHAM arts@thecord.ca

LIFESTYLE EDITOR CRYSTAL XUE lifestyle@thecord.ca

Frightening films for this sinister season

JACK O’KEEFFE ARTS CONTRIBUTOR

The transient days, shadowed by the expansive nights, the decay ing foliage and, most notably, the plunging temperatures all signal the approach of Halloween - un doubtedly the scariest time of the year. To accelerate the switch from your frightening midterms to the somehow less frightening advance of Halloween, below are my picks for the most terrifying, spine-chill ing films I’ve seen within recent years.

The Vanishing (1988):

What I would call ‘the perfect thriller,’ a combination of horror, psychosis, and adrenaline, is fueled by the eminent ghoul of tragedy. Rex Hoffman accompa nies Saskia, his girlfriend, on a trip across France. When they stop at a gas station to refuel their car, lodged halfway through a tunnel, Saskia goes missing. What ensues is the most horrifyingly procedural demonstration of the duality of man when faced with the recogni tion of his own free will. The film, only running in at 107 minutes, was heralded by legendary director Stanley Kubrick as “the most ter rifying film he had ever seen” and contains, what I would declare, one of the greatest endings in all of cinematic history.

Make sure to view the 1988 ver sion of The Vanishing, not the 1993 remake which ruins the perfect

ending.

Spook Score: 8/10

Funny Games (1997):

Often regarded as director Michael Haneke’s magnum opus, the 1997 version of Funny Games isn’t too funny. When Georg, Anna, and their son venture to their vacation home, two unexpected visitors, only looking for four eggs, end up causing a physical strain unforeseen on this ill-fated family. Haneke’s nihilistic view of hope and optimism provides a dark yet novel watch.

Spook Score: 7/10

Possession (1981): Polish director Andrzej Żuławski created possibly the strangest

marital relationship ever situated on screen. After Helen reveals to her husband, Mark, that she is cheating on him, she disappears into secrecy. Mark hires a private investigator to probe into her actions. What he finds marks this grimy search for love as one of the most disturbing yet utterly intrigu ing films on this list.

Spook Score: 9/10 Suspiria (1977):

Dario Argento’s most main stream entry into the Giallo film genre is a plethora of neon lights and pleasing palettes. The seem ingly cheap and campy production of this ballerina-horror flick is known for accelerating the adop

tion of neon-lighting in Hollywood and revolutionizing the scores of films, with the Italian progrock band Goblin’s unforgettable soundtrack. Is it very scary? Not really, but it’s a horror film whose influence has spanned decades and, at moments, is laughable in its narrative techniques.

Spook Score: 5/10

Eraserhead (1977):

As the master of surrealism, David Lynch’s first feature length film – and “most spiritual” - is always worth a watch, creating its chilling dystopian environ ment with the aid of Alan Splet’s haunting ambient soundtrack. The film, produced on a measly $10,000

by the thirty-year-old painter, is backed by some to be an overdra matized autobiographical look into the mind of Lynch. The haunting absurdity of Jack Nance’s portray al of Henry Spencer, the father plagued with the premature birth of his defect child, whose crying slowly descends him into a surreal nightmare accompanied by the woman inhabiting his radiator, is widely regarded as a horror classic 45 years later.

Spook Score: 8/10

Climax (2018):

Like any film by Argentine filmmaker Gaspar Noé, this rec ommendation is accompanied by my strong content warning. When a select group of street dancers gather in a warehouse for an endof-season party, surrounded by the chilling, snow-laden landscapes of France, all goes to hell as they discover their sangria has been laced with LSD. A disturbing who dunnit mystery ensues along the lines of Noé’s experimental style of epileptic lighting and intense cam era sequences. This electrifyingly experimental take on psycholog ical horror will have the viewer watching between their fingers.

Spook Score: 10/10

Each of these films, selected with care from a list I aggregated, wishing I could include all of them, are each, in their own way, scary, disturbing, and blend creative cin ematography with narratives that are sure to keep you up at night.

Ghouls, goblins and climate change

KAYANNA THOMPSON ARTS CONTRIBUTOR

October ushers in crisp autumn air, lingering with scents of pump kin spiced lattes and freshly baked Pillsbury Halloween cookies. But it also raises some concerns about an eminently developing nightmare: climate change.

Few have considered the rippling effects of this ghoulish season. Many of us are eager to purchase a new Halloween cos tume this year. It’s rare for most of us to reuse our Halloween cos tumes from last year, and it’s even rarer that these costumes become part of our daily wardrobe.

We typically turn to quick and cheap options when purchasing a Halloween costume, but at what cost?

Issues concerning climate change continue to reach frighten ing heights. In fact, recent reports display alarming developments within North America. Strikingly, they suggest an increased risk of droughts of fresh-water, hurricanes and wildfires.

Fast fashion retailers are a sig nificant factor in climate change; and what many are prone to in search of affordable Halloween costumes.

Fast fashion is the designing and marketing of inexpensive yet trendy clothing. It’s certainly a bewitching option for students working with a tight budget around this time of year. However, the consequences of fast fashion are far more chilling than any costume you may run into.

This industry alone emits approximately five per cent of the total global carbon emissions, a considerable element in climate change as it absorbs and radiates heat.

Halloween has begun to appear all the more sinister. Don’t worry, there’s no need to hide beneath the covers; we’ve got you covered with our guide to creating a sustainable Halloween costume!

1. Raid your Closet

A shift of perspective, and you’ll be surprised with what you discov er in your closet. Start with a few costumes in mind to help broaden your search. Experiment with styling techniques like layering and upcycling by reworking the clothes you never thought you’d wear again. Of course, all of this with the assistance of a TikTok video.

2. Trade Costumes

A lot of the excitement during Halloween is the chance to try new and daring looks. Get together

with friends, try on and trade each other’s costumes from previous years, and get ready to strut down that imaginary runway. Don’t get discouraged if you’re not too keen on the entire look. You might just find the perfect accessory or prop to go with your new costume.

4. DIY Your Costume with Re cyclable Items

This one is intimidating. Rest assured, all will run smoothly, assuming you can work a glue gun. Hunt for simple online tutorials and unleash your creativity as you think outside the box.

ABIGAIL HECKBERT/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

3. Go Thrifting Kitchener-Waterloo offers plenty of thrift stores with student-friend ly prices. Find the perfect piece for your Halloween costume by exploring second-hand stores like Thrift on Kent, Value Village, and Talize.

SADIYA TEEPLE/PHOTOGRAPHY

How to do Halloween right in Waterloo

EMILY ANDERSON LIFESTYLE CONTRIBUTOR

It’s officially Spooky Season! Time to prepare yourself for the cool weather and the bone-chill ing events happening in Waterloo region this month. Kitchener-Wa terloo region is making the best of fall, and you should too! Allow time in your schedule to experi ence the following Spooky Season activities.

The smell of apple pie in the oven while studying is a must. Kick off your fall season with apple picking at Downey’s Apple Farm in Breslau. Downey’s offers apple picking, a corn maze and tractor rides daily from 9:30am-5:30pm.

What is Spooky Season if you don’t carve a pumpkin? Waterloo region has many pumpkin farms waiting for you to come to pick your favourite from the patch; check out Benjamin Tree Farm, Fall Harvest Farm, or Stroms Farm!

Oktober Fest has returned to Waterloo region this year! Check out downtown Kitchener on Oc tober 6-9 to experience the streets turn into a Bavarian Village with vendors, food entertainment and drinks.

With Thanksgiving in mind, take some extra time to give back to your community. Participate in the Halloween Fun Run in Kitchener in support of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region on Oct. 15 at 11:00am. You can participate in this event by walking or running the five-kilometer route

and by raising donations for sexual assault awareness.

After your race, head to Homer Watson Museum between 4pm10pm where you’ll feel a chill down your spine as you discover your fate by psychic, card or medium

reading!

After you’ve set the mood with these daytime activities, Snyder’s Farm is host to some spooktac ular night-time events, ongoing throughout October. Snyder’s has six different terrifying outdoor

haunts that make up Fear Farm Haunted House: a hay bale ride, “The Hiller House”, “The Stalking Dead”, “Hillbilly Hike”, “Carnevil” and “The Visitors”. Snyder’s also offers a campfire package that includes a s’mores kit, a pre-lit fire,

chairs for 2-14 guests, and food or beverages from “The Sweet & Spir its Bar”. What better way to spend a fall night with friends than at a private campfire?

On Oct. 15, St. Jacobs Village has arranged a free pumpkin pick-up! You must bring your pumpkin home to carve and return it as a jack-o-lantern on October 28-29 from 6pm-8pm to be displayed at their Halloween market. At the return of the jack-o-lanterns, wear your Halloween costume and check out the lit-up pumpkins and evening shopping at St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market!

If that doesn’t sound spooky enough for you, Bingemans in Kitchener will knock your socks off at Scream Park Haunted House, running October 7-9, 13-16, 20-23 and 27-30. Scream Park has six horrifying attractions: “The Lot”, “Soulless Swamp”, “Devil’s Hal lows”, “The Slaughter Sled”, “Canni bal Carnival” and “The Blood Bar”.

End your spooky season right by attending the Night of the Living Halloween Party at the Kitchener market on Oct. 29 from 7pm-10pm! Offering vendors, appetizers, a photo booth, and more. At dusk, the market is devoured by the dancefloor and DJ! 19+ event only.

For more information, check out the event websites.

While October may be the month that school picks up speed, don’t be afraid to do spooky season the right way by letting yourself en joy the fall entertainment, vendors, apple pie and screams of terror!

Monster isn’t just another crime show

in his crimes, or if it was merely a backdrop for him to become who he was all along.

CRYSTAL XUE LIFESTYLE EDITOR

In a world where a serial killer is more well-known than the 17 boys and men whom he dismembered, cannibalized and used to fulfill his necrophilic desires, it’s under standable that there’d be backlash from the victims’ families over Netflix’s decision to release a series about the murders.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is a new Netflix series about American serial killer and child molester Jeffrey Dahmer, who committed his murders between 1978 and 1991.

It’s the latest of many movies and shows that major production companies have created about Dahmer. Since 1992, there have been at least 20 Dahmer projectsmore than the 12 Batman movies and shows that have been pro duced in the same amount of time.

In its first full week, Monster drew 196.2 million viewing hours and is currently the top TV show on Netflix in over 60 countries.

In a way, the series’ popularity is unsurprising; as much as society loves our heroes, we’re equal

ly- if not more- fascinated by our real-life villains.

Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the series stars Evan Peters as Dahmer, alongside other famous actors such as Richard Jenkins and Molly Ringwald. The ten episodes explore Dahmer’s personal life and the murders he committed.

Monster also offers insight into Dahmer’s victims in a way that oth er movies and shows on the topic haven’t In a particularly harrowing episode, we’re introduced to Tony

Hughes, a deaf and mute man portrayed by Rodney Burford. The episode brings us through Hughes’ brief life before he was murdered by Dahmer at 31.

We learn about Hughes’ up bringing, close family relationships and dreams of modelling, which he moved to Wisconsin to pursue while attending college. The epi sode shows his life for what it was; rich and worthwhile not because of Dahmer, but in spite of him.

By delving into the lives of some of Dahmer’s victims, Monster

brings home the extent of his cruelty. Instead of wondering who Dahmer might’ve been if he had had a better home life, friends, or psychiatric help, viewers are prompted to wonder who each of the 17 boys and men he murdered might’ve been if their body parts hadn’t ended up dissolved in acid in his apartment.

That said, Monster doesn’t shy away from the classic ques tion of nature versus nurture. It asks viewers whether Dahmer’s environment was a deciding factor

The series offers background on his mentally unwell mother, who abused prescription pills during pregnancy. It also shows Dahmer’s attempts to share his dark thoughts with his father, who promptly dismisses them.

Of course, that’s no justifica tion to murder anyone, let alone dismember or cannibalize 17 boys and men and sleep with their corpses. Plenty of people have had similar or worse upbringings without becoming serial killers.

Monster shows the well-inten tioned actions of Dahmer’s father, who encouraged his taxidermy hobby and saw it as an innocent love for science. His love for his son is undeniable in the series, as he repeatedly tries to nudge Dahmer in any direction other than the one he ended up taking.

Monster is a gripping series that shows Dahmer’s progression from an alcoholic, sexually-repressed high school outcast to one of the world’s most notorious serial killers.

It examines the social structures and police incompetency that allowed his crimes to continue. It re-emphasizes the evil that exists in some people- an evil of which we’ve heard over and over, yet continue to be engrossed by.

CONTRIBUTED

SADIYA TEEPLE/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

House of the Dragon dazzles old GoT fans

the show’s central family.

Alongside a riveting plot, House of the Dragon also features mas terful cinematography, acting and costumes.

Game of Thrones fans around the globe held their breath as the premiere of the new series set in George R. R. Martin’s iconic universe took flight on Aug. 21 of this year.

With an 8.7/10 on IMDb and an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it is clear that the show has made a profound impact on its audience. However, what makes House of the Dragon so great?

After the internet dumpster fire that the end of Game of Thrones left, can House of the Dragon live up to the massive expectations of its fans?

Of course not. However, it can expand the Game of Thrones universe in a way that Game of Thrones could not - with more creative license and interpreta tion available, it can grow from its source text without the same resis tance Game of Thrones faced.

Based on a history book called Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon takes place 200 years prior to the events of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

With a primary focus on the Tar garyen family, the show features a consistent focus on a smaller central group of characters.

Conversely, the Game of Thrones series focused on members of mul tiple families in Westeros - leading to some getting more screen time

than others.

By following the Targaryens, the episodes available of House of the Dragon feel like more of a coherent unit - while the series features time skips, the focus on one key family makes it easy for viewers to “catch up” with the years lost in between.

After episode 5 , the series will feature new, older actresses in the central roles of Rhaenyra Tar garyen and Alicent Hightower. By recasting these roles, the story will continue to move at a rapid pace that is sure to keep viewers fixated on the continual strain placed on

Each actor is clearly passionate about their role - helping the script and world come alive alongside calculated cinematography that fluctuates from sweeping halls to claustrophobic chambers.

In addition, the costumes for each character assist greatly in asserting their rank as well as their personality - members of the Targaryen family frequently clad in red to symbolize their power and connection to their dragons.

Of course, the dragons featured on the show are another large pull for audiences - while Game of Thrones also had dragons, they did not feature as prominently as the ones shown on House of the Dragon.

This fact was a pull to the show for many former Game of Thrones fans, making them curious to see how the creative team behind the Game of Thrones prequel would show the connection between the Targaryen family and their dragons - Daenerys Targaryen being the only central example prior to this.

Excited about the upcoming episodes of House of the Dragon? Wishing to give the show a try? New episodes release on Sundays and can be viewed on HBO max.

Anthony Potero: the remaining YouTuber

people with fat yoshi’ in which he hangs up and hands out pictures of… fat Yoshi.

Perhaps the most important things these videos accomplish for Anthpo’s channel is establishing Anthony’s personality and sense of humor. Anthony is established as someone who both isn’t afraid to put himself out there, nor someone who takes himself too seriously.

He also has a distinctive Gen Z sense of humor through his use of pop culture references that appeal to a Gen Z demographic (in the aforementioned videos; Phin eas and Ferb, video games, and memes).

Most YouTubers who have surprise hits fail to capitalize on them and turn those viewers into subscribers.

Whether he was trying to or not, Anthpo did this by taking the biggest risk possible.

often played all of the different characters in these parodies, but in others, he began incorporating more of his friends into the skits. Eventually, it would be not only Anthony but his College buddies that began to define the channel.

Anthony began using the col lege setting to his advantage by incorporating his friends and their personalities into his videos. He is very talented in thinking up fun concepts for videos and imple menting them seamlessly.

Usually, the results are pretty funny, and I think this is largely due to the chemistry Anthony and his friends share on-screen. Often his silly videos have some genu inely organic, heartfelt moments rarely seen elsewhere on YouTube.

YouTube is pretty big these days, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s a channel for every niche, uncommon interest, and preference for entertainment anyone could ever want.

Rarely seen anymore, however, are channels that capture the true spirit of YouTube.

Back in the day, creators had lit tle more than a camera and some buddies, and while some of the content may not have aged well, the free-range creative attitude is timeless.

There’s something to be said for these videos’ simplicity; with simple concepts come surprising and memorable results.

While this form of video-making has largely died out, there’s one channel that not only exhibits this same attitude but has modified it for a contemporary audience.

Anthony Potero (his channel’s name is Anthpo) isn’t a YouTuber who was posting in those early

days of YouTube, though I suspect he draws a lot of influence from that time period . He began posting videos in early 2019 at his high school. It was these formative vid eos that would become the most viral on his channel.

His most popular video, netting him an impressive view count of just below fifteen million views (currently), is titled ‘Disturbing Students as Perry the Platypus.’

He spends the three-minute video running around his high school in a Perry the Platypus onesie goofing around with his classmates.

His next most popular video is (in a similar vein) titled ‘Harassing

He made several more videos in a similar style, running amuck at his high school.

But by the time he began attend ing college, Anthpo took his con tent in a wildly different direction.

He continued dressing up and goofing around on his college campus, but he also began making other types of videos. He began making commentary videos before a green screen, giving comedic takes on various topics.

Notably, he also used his green screen to make short parodies of popular Gen Z properties like Av atar the Last Airbender, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, iCarly, Attack on Titan, and many more. Anthony himself

Also, it’s important to draw attention to the impressive editing that has been steadily improving throughout Anthony’s journey. It really gives the videos a seamless flow and often manages to make a funny moment even funnier.

Overall, I think Anthpo is one of the best channels on YouTube right now. His recipe of taking something old, something new, and mixing some personality in there for flavour has yielded some of the best feel-good content I have ever seen.

Nobody really knows what An thony is going to move on to once his time at college is over.

If there is one thing that’s certain, it is that if Anthpo decides to continue making videos, it will continue to be must-watch content.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

AMICHAI ABRAHAM ARTS EDITOR

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BRONTE BEHLING

If you’re not already tired of reading stories about Halloween from our Arts and Life section; here’s another one. ere’s a hard line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and we should always be mindful before we cross this sensitive topic.

Dressing up as any culture, ethnicity, religion, or identify is so beyond o ensive and I cannot fathom how it was ever okay for grown people to throw on cultural clothing or paint their skin another colour and go to Halloween parties where they would be praised for said costume.

Considerering the history that Canadians have with Indigenous Peoples, it is unacceptable to dress up as “native person” (a Halloween costume I have literally seen online with that exact title).

And considering historial oppression and how blackface was used in the past (which you can just look up without me explaining it in the few words of my Editor’s Note), it is also completely unacceptable to paint your face Black and cosplay as another race for Halloween (or during any time at all).

is is not exactly a hot take; people have become much more aware and cognizant of cultural appropriation over the last decade and how harmful it is to portray someone’s identity as a costume or as cosplay.

Dressing up for Halloween is fun and creative, you can choose between a wide variety of things to portray, ranging from scary creatures, cartoon characters, TV show characters, or even public celebrity gures.

You can also dress up as a character who belongs to a race

di erent than yours, as long as you are not appropriating their racial identity.

ese things are nuanced but easy to grasp with a quick Google search to compare a Halloween costume that’s o ensive, and one that’s light and fun.

It’s hard sometimes to imagine the damage that something like this can cause, but if you think about how important representation is, the same kind og logic applies - seeing yourself representated as a costume and as a joke cannot feel good.

Having fun at the cost of someone else’s well-being and livelihood is not having fun anymore, it’s just being hurtful.

Identity is vital to who we are and turning that into a joke or a costume is not okay.

is is your friendly PSA to call out cultural appropriation this when you see it this season. I think learning and growing is important for our community so telling your friends when they’re being harmful is not a wrong thing.

Just a small thought that I was having as Halloween creeps up on us this season.

Otherwise, be safe and respectful, and have fun this season, Golden Hawks!

Staying inside with movies during spooky season

students (*cue thunder*).

AMICHAI ABRAHAM ARTS EDITOR

Growing up Jewish and living a relatively sheltered life, Halloween never meant much to me. Some of the non-religious kids at Jewish school (aka heathens) would talk about going trick-or-treating, dressing up in cool costumes, and eating unkosher candy (as I said, they were heathens).

I ignored all of this and stayed excited for Purim in March. Like Halloween, during this Jewish holiday, everyone dresses up in costumes and goes to synagogue to hear the reading of the megillah of Esther. ere’s usually a carnival, everyone sends each other gift baskets, there’s a tradition of getting drunk, overall it’s a very fun holiday. I never really experienced Halloween until I came to university.

Since Purim isn’t quite as popular in Waterloo, I’ve tried to embrace Halloween a little more.

I do this mostly through my lm choices, but I occasionally venture onto the ominous streets surrounding Wilfrid Laurier, surrounded by the most terrifying ends of all… inebriated university

Many people party on Halloween, which, while valid, also involves being social and meeting new people, so for myself and my fellow introverts, it’s unacceptable.

Still, if you want to go out and be around people outside of a party setting, I recommend catching a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening over at the Princess Cinema. If you’ve never been to one, you’re really missing out, everyone is dressed up like a weirdo and acts like a weirdo, so you really don’t have to be self-conscious if… you’re a weirdo.

Last year was my rst time attending; watching the movie with and without an audience is like watching two completely di erent movies. What really caught me o guard was how playful, but also aggressive the lmgoers could be. I’d describe it as the two minutes of hate from the book 1984 if the thing being yelled at were a queer horror-musical lm from the mid70s.

If you’d rather get into the spooky spirit while staying at home, I have some horror movie suggestions for you. If you’re looking for a classic campy Halloween lm, might I suggest Creepshow (1982). is horror anthology has several horror short lms within them.

While none are particularly hor-

rifying, they really have a Halloweenie vibe perfect for this October. While I know it got plenty of critical acclaims, you should really see Hereditary (2018) if you haven’t already. A truly scary lm full of great performances, interesting concepts, and some magni cent gore.

If you’re looking for an overthe-top psychedelic horror lm (and why wouldn’t you be?) I would suggest Mandy (2018). I’d imagine that watching the lm is similar to being on a bad acid trip as you watch Nicolas Cage get into chainsaw sword ghts with bizarre demons in a strange and colourful setting.

As one nal recommendation, for those who want to become more cultured with their horror selections, might I suggest Ringu (1998). e original lm that would spawn the more well-known American remake, e Ring (2002), sometimes you just can’t beat the original. Ringu is one movie so scary that it’ll be sure to have you crawling away from your TV.

While I do miss Purim back at home, I still enjoy Halloween in Waterloo with the company of some of my favorite horror movies.

e 31st of October is right around the corner to remember; be scared or be square.

KASH PATEL/MULTIMEDIA

Opinion

Diversity in the LOTR: Rings of Power

NATASHA SHANTZ OPINION INTERN

Prime Video’s new series, e Lord of the Rings: e Rings of Power has sent many fans into a racist backlash frenzy over the series’ casting of several Black characters.

While the show’s diverse representation has indeed made headlines and red up new interest in JRR Tolkien’s universe of noble quests, evil powers and magical elven kingdoms, it has also incited the fury of certain longtime fans, who expect only white characters to be front and center.

Let’s unpack why the on-screen depiction of Black elves and hobbits has become the most recent (and irrational) pop culture controversy.

e Lord of the Rings universe was created by author JRR Tolkien, an academic writer in mid-1900s England.

e series was written during the Second World War, with Tolkien drawing from the war’s horri c events. His books have since become some of the most beloved classics in the world, establishing the development of the fantasy genre in the following subsequent decades.

As one would, Tolkien wrote the characters based on his own understanding of the world; namely, the Western European middle-class experience of a heterosexual man. Obviously, most of the characters in his books are going to be as white as one can be.

e producers of e Lord of the Rings (LOTR) lm trilogy, made in the early 2000s, depicted the char-

acters as exactly how they were written. I’ve adored the storytelling and the morals behind these lms since I was a kid, but as a white person, I’ve had the privilege to not think twice about their lack of representation.

However, the individuals behind e Rings of Power have luckily moved into the 21st century. A signi cant number of the leads, including an elf, a dwarf, several harfoots (ancestors to the hobbits) and many human characters are people of colour.

Certain Tolkien purists have lashed out in response, making claims that casting non-white

actors is somehow disloyal to Tolkien’s writings.

Many of the superfans have also done a deep dive into Tolkien mythology, demonstrating that e Lord of the Rings universe and its environmental conditions literally do not allow for darker skin.

While this piece of research may in fact be true, I beg the question: is the strict maintenance of integrity to a ctional story really worth more than basic equality in the media industry?

e show’s producers obviously aren’t attempting to pledge absolute loyalty to the LOTR mythology, and I applaud them for

their creativity and willingness to progress such a beautiful universe into something more inclusive.

By including people of colour in major roles usually taken by white individuals, the creators are taking a major step towards fuller representation in lm and television.

And what are e Lord of the Rings “fans” doing in the meantime? Having an internet debate over the races of ctional elves and dwarves, I suppose. at speaks for itself. I emphasize the word “ ctional” again for everyone’s sake.

Indeed, this is racism, at its most illogical. Not only are these debates useless, but they also undermine

the identities and hard work of the POC actors involved in e Rings of Power.

e controversy over the series’ newly multicultural world is even more unreasonable when you bear in mind how diversity has been present in e Lord of the Rings since the beginning.

Species of humans, elves, dwarves and even orcs all exist in this ctional universe, sometimes clashing, sometimes forming alliances. JRR Tolkien literally created a multicultural society in LOTR, re ective of humankind itself.

I don’t think he would be too upset about its most recent developments.

e cast and creators of e Rings of Power put it best when they wrote, “fantasy has never been all white.”. In ction, anything goes.

Such representation broadens the appeal of Tolkien’s magical universe for many who may not have felt connected to it before. We create fantasy stories to expand our imaginations and to form re ections of ourselves in a hopeful reality, not to stay oppressed by dominant, racist narratives.

e Rings of Power is one such marker for signi cant change in the white-dominated fantasy television industry. e series’ goal was never to be expected or traditional.

It wants to be revolutionary.

Monster fails to capture Dahmer’s crimes

KAYANNA THOMPSON OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

e romanticization of Je rey Dahmer in Net ix’s new series

Monster: e Je rey Dahmer Story has been in mass circulation on the internet for the past two weeks. Whether it was my for you page on TikTok, Instagram or Twitter feed, the series almost felt inescapable.

In anticipation of an outstanding performance after discovering Emmy award winner and heartthrob Evan Peters was to play the role of Dahmer, I nally caved in and watched the rst episode. As expected, Peters did an excellent job and, in actuality, maybe too much of a good job.

Although a self-proclaimed horror fan, the show was far more unnerving than most lms I’ve seen. I summed this up to the knowledge that most of the depicted events have actually occurred. Yet, despite the inner con ict within my mind, I sought to know more with little to no hesitation to begin the next episode.

In the face of disgust, I was indeed engaged. Flattering shots of Peters made it slightly more stomachable in contrast to the

more gruesome scenes. My inner con ict consistently rose as scenes only seemed to get more morbid with each episode. But still, like many other views, I couldn’t turn it o .

So why was it that Net ix was able to break records, with 196.2 million hours of streaming of the series within ve days? While I tried to rationalise this casual viewership of gruesome violence, philosopher Edmund Burke’s notions of the sublime quickly came to mind. e sublime combines strong, complex feelings, from happiness and excitement to feelings of fear and terror, working as a balancing act. It produces adrenaline without putting ourselves in danger, enabling us to identify pleasure and beauty.

Without spoiling too much, the series certainly evokes these feelings. It takes its viewers through periods of justice and malevolence. It probably doesn’t help that Peters’ body is in impressive shape. In fact, due to the nature of some scenes, the show is ooded with aesthetically pleasing montages of him. It was no longer a depiction of the events but instead an idealised version of them. e series felt meticulously composed

with a provocative appeal to stir-up complex feelings. Re ecting on all this, I thought that the sublime was present with the romanticisation of Dahmer as one of its elements.

Regardless of the series’ inclusion of gory scenes and the word ‘monster’ in its title, I think the series failed to wholly capture the results of Dahmer’s crimes and, in

some ways, took a neutral point of view in their illustrations.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Book banning is moving us backwards

NATASHA SHANTZ

Although book censorship seems to be a practice of old, associated with violent regimes, it is seeping back into practice in the United States.

In a globalized era when understanding other perspectives and seeing oneself represented in the media is all the more important, book banning restrains the full educational and personal development of students.

In 2021 alone, the American Library Association (ALA) recorded 729 attempted bans of books, most of the instigators being parents of children in school. is is an enormous jump from the 156 attempted bans in 2020 and the 377 challenges in 2019.

In fact, the number has never been so high in recorded history.

e ALA has noted that complaints against books have consistently involved concerns of o ensive language, sexually explicit material and material that is deemed inappropriate for the age group.

ese challenged books, however, also tend to follow the stories of people of colour and LGBTQIA+ individuals, which is where the concern over censorship lies.

e literary representations of marginalized groups is absolutely essential, and when their content is eradicated, there is no guidance and education for them or anyone

else.

e Hate U Give, written by Angie omas, has been one of the most challenged books over the past few years. A story about a teenager who witnesses her unarmed friend be brutally killed by a police o cer, it sends an important message inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Yet, the book has been subject to complaints of profane language, violence, sexual references and the promotion of an “anti-police” attitude.

e top targeted book of 2021 is a graphic memoir titled Gender Queer, about the experience of coming out as nonbinary, by author Maia Kobabe.

e book is directed mainly towards teenagers and was challenged because of its sexually explicit drawings, as well as its LGBTQIA+ content.

Many Texan school libraries banned the book entirely, after much pressure from parents concerned about their childrens’ exposure to such overt depictions.

While sexual imagery is a valid concern for parents of young students, making the book inaccessible for everyone is not a good solution. It only results in the erasure of an important source of representation for young individuals questioning their gender identity .

Such censorship has evidently been an increasing trend over the past few decades. While there are

indeed many books with di cult content, the few truly problematic ones must be di erentiated from the rest.

Certain books are problematic because they use discriminatory language or target groups of people in ignorant or malicious ways, which are legitimate reasons for censorship.

However, the vast majority of challenged books are merely stories that the general public is unaccustomed to reading.

ey are di cult to swallow because of their painfully honest content. ey touch on complex topics including racism, gender

and sexual identity, religion and violence.

Essentially, these subjects have to be portrayed in an unpleasant manner in order to convey their importance.

e authors of these books receive criticism because they do what many others have not: address, in one way or another, the consequences of hate, discrimination, war and crime. But more importantly, they bring to light the often-ignored realities of marginalized groups in society.

ose who challenge such books are uncomfortable with the change and education literature is

able to encourage. When we ban controversial books, we prevent discussions about their topics entirely, especially for young people who are in school to learn, not to ignore.

Yes, not all books are meant to be read by every age group, and it is useful to be aware of mature subject matter.

However, it is senseless to entirely censor novels that educate on topics with the power to transform minds. ey are capable of enlightening not only students, but people from all walks of life.

Next on my to-do list, read some controversial books.

Animation trumps real life horror movies

unique in every movie, like in the Nightmare Before Christmas with Jack’s skeletal gure and Sally’s mismatched rag doll body.

YASMEEN ALMOMANI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

One of the best parts about the Halloween season is settling in to watch scary movies or TV shows (as other writers have already mentioned in this issue).

Horror movies come in a variety of di erent genres and types –ranging from possession, haunted houses, serial killers, etc., but the ones that I nd to be the most chilling are animated.

Although I appreciate any well-done lm, especially horror, there are a few (admittedly basic) ones that stand out to me.

Get Out (2017) stays a classic with the plot twist at the end and the symbolism present throughout the movie, and IT (2017) still gives me chills considering how Georgie was killed within the rst 10 minutes of the movie — in the most gruesome way possible.

I would probably still get scared if I saw a photo of the girl from e Ring (2002) climbing out of the TV or Bughuul from Sinister who killed all of those families. Also, seeing Nope (2022) in theatres recently was an amazing experience. Again — all pretty basic lms.

Despite all of this, I believe that the horror and thriller genres have the best potential in animation or cartoons.

First of all: let’s be real, the villains are much scarier. I would easily ght Pennywise from IT over the Other Mother from Coraline (2009). And honestly, Courage the Cowardly Dog villains would still spook me today. Between the Stitch Sisters’ unique style of animation, and the creepiness of

the Spirit of the Harvest Moon, I don’t even blame Courage for always screaming and running away throughout the show.

Second of all: there’s way more creativity that can go into animated horror. For example, Monster House — where the villain is a literal brick house with a sad back

story. is also ties into the animation aspect where anything can be done without the need for CGI or green screen.

ere’s nothing impossible about what can be done with a cartoon or animation (which is why animators should be paid more). Even the character design is

Finally, the comedy that animated shows provide is lighthearted, not cringe-y, and actually funny. e Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror episodes start with Marge on a stage warning parents against letting their kids watch the show.

As a kid watching the show, I thought that was always pretty funny, and the best parts were when they would use regulars on the show as the villains of the Halloween episodes — like when Mr. Burns was a vampire for an episode.

Another classic would be the old Scooby-Doo Halloween episodes (A Scooby-Doo Halloween), always include smart puns that actually make you laugh. e consistency of the characters, splitting up to nd clues, Scooby and Shaggy ending for Scooby snacks, and Velma losing her glasses, are always fun to watch and comforting amongst the “horror” of the show.

Jordan Peele’s horror lms have been favourites of mine, so seeing that he is bringing that creativity into the world of animation with the upcoming Wendell and Wild is very exciting.

Real life horror movies are fun to watch but given the limitless creativity that can be employed by animated shows or lms, and I’m excited to see what else can be brought into the world of horror through animation.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Sports

Golden Hawks’ Homecoming defeat

The Laurier Golden Hawks men’s football team continued their season in a Homecoming matchup against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Hawks got on the board early, but were not able to keep the Gee-Gees at bay on Saturday Sept. 24.

The Hawks came into the game with two wins and one loss, a week after the blow-out 32-1 win against the York Lions. There was much anticipation coming into this game as third ranked Ottawa rolled into town looking to extend their two game win streak and mellow the Homecoming festivities.

The last time the Gee-Gees played Laurier was in 2019 in Ot tawa, where the Hawks lost 25-22. Their loss on Homecoming reflect ed the previous defeat: leading until the fourth quarter, and a great comeback effort demonstrated by the home team.

With a loud University Stadium housing approximately 2,746 fans, the Hawks started strong with Dawson Hodge scoring a 40 yard field goal 2:17 into the game, and adding a rouge point mere minutes later to make it 4-0. However, the Gee-Gees’ defensive line remained solid, shutting down hand-off

rushing plays. Coach Michael Faulds explained the team’s posi tion facing the visitors, “We respect this opponent. Ottawa is an all out defensive battle.”

Laurier quarterback Taylor El gersma connected on a touchdown pass to put the Hawks up 10-1 in the second quarter with Hodge converting the extra point.

The third quarter started with a scary injury, hushing the stadium.

“We are concerned for the Ot tawa player and hope he’s alright. We just told the guys you know, it’s going to be a 30 minute break and then when you know he’s in the ambulance and safe on his way to the hospital that we were going to warm it up.” Faulds said in

response to the injury of Ottawa’s Sam St-Jean.

When play resumed, Ottawa avoided multiple tackles to score, cutting the deficit to 11-8. The pres sure rose for the Hawks to close out the game. On the next Ottawa possession, a 44 yard field goal tied the game at 11.

A pass interference flag hit the

turf nearing the end of the fourth quarter giving Ottawa a first down in which the team would convert for the score.

After timeouts taken by both teams, the Hawks came out strong, scoring an extremely late touch down at 29 seconds from an El gersma pass to Quentin Scott. Fans tensed as the game became leveled once again with the score of 18-18.

Faulds gave his team credit, say ing, “I was proud of how our guys bounced back offensively with that last drive when we were down 8-11. So that showed a lot of heart and a lot of desire.”

In the dying seconds against the odds, Ottawa kicker Campbell Fair made an impressive and heart breaking 55 yard field goal to win the game 21-18. An unfortunate outcome for a hard fought game by the Hawks.

After the game Faulds broke it down.

“It’s a tough way to lose anytime you lose with a 55 yard field goal at the end of time … But at 2-2 we got to pick ourselves up. We’ve got half the season remaining.”

Construction continues on Alumni Field

YASMEEN ALMOMANI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Alumni Field, located between the science building and the Athletic Complex on the Waterloo campus, has been under construction since the summer.

“It is a complete overhaul of the previous field,” Kate McCrae Bristol, acting director of Athletics and Recreation, said.

“The footprint is significantly larger than previous, and it’s baked into the Campus Master Plan, which has a goal of creating more pedestrian friendly walk ways in throughout the core of campus.”

The previous field was not reg ulation size for any of the sports played on campus, so the new Alumni Field is an opportunity for Laurier to have a FIFA-regulated size soccer pitch.

“It will be large enough to allow us to meet all our recreational and intramural needs for all of our students,” McCrae Bristol said

Furthermore, the field is set to have spectator areas with seating for students and will be an open space for community events.

“It gives us the opportunity to host other types of events on the space because we’ll have the

proper infrastructure to be able to do that sort of thing,” she said.

The new scoreboard current ly being installed will be large enough to be seen from all over the field.

During the process of the new field being set up, the Science Building parking lot has lost a few rows of parking spaces, which has sparked irritation among students.

“I certainly understand that losing parking spaces can be a frustration for students, staff and faculty. I think in this particular

situation, we’ve actually removed very few,” McCrae Bristol said.

“...It really is about fitting into the campus wide master plan, which is aiming to make the interi or of campus a pedestrian safe and pedestrian friendly zone.”

The Alumni Field is meant to be a welcoming space in the middle of campus for students to go to, and McCrae Bristol emphasized the importance of safety around the field.

“There are considerations

around putting that type of facil ity in the middle of a campus or surrounded with parking around safety and vehicle safety of people walking to and from the field, balls flying, equipment being traced in and out, that were also part of con siderations around what’s safest for our students and vehicle owners who are parked right beside the facility,” she explained.

The goal is for the field to be open in November, but this could be pushed back due to the supply chain shortages post-COVID-19.

“We’ll wait until the absolute safest moment to be able to open it without sacrificing some of the other infrastructure pieces, so it may look ready, but we’re going to make sure it’s totally ready for use with no issues,” McCrae Bristol said.

McCrae Bristol said the field is an exciting opportunity for students to have access to a new facility to care for their wellness, while their navigation of campus is safe and pleasant.

ABIGAIL HECKBERT/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

SADIYA TEEPLE/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY