The Georgia Straight - Fringe Festival - September 10, 2020

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020 | FREE

Volume 54 | Number 2746

JOY JOHNSON

SFU PRESIDENT PROMOTES INCLUSION

FRINGE

POST MALONE

RAPPER INVESTS IN ESPORTS

FESTIVAL

Executive director Rohit Chokhani organized a local theatre extravaganza from halfway around the world

CA N N A B I S D R O N E S

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VIFF LINEUP

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BEER BUZZ

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SETH KLEIN

BOOKS

CONTENTS

Author Seth Klein wants us all to wage Good War for climate

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It’s tough enough organizing local events during a pandemic. Imagine how Fringe Festival executive director Rohit Chokhani felt doing it from Mumbai.

by Charlie Smith

ancouver public-policy analyst Seth Klein has a problem with many books about the climate breakdown. They’re too wonky.

And he believes that many of the authors scrupulously avoid linking the fight to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to struggles for social justice and against inequality.

So he set out to do something radically different in his new book, A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency. Drawing upon the country’s experience in the Second World War, he proposes to replicate the same can-do mindset to enlist masses of Canadians, as well as governments, to seriously confront the existential crisis generated by a warming planet.

“This is a life-and-death struggle,” Klein tells the Straight by phone, “and it deserves to be told with some passion. I tried to bring some of that into it. I tried to write something that would touch the heart as well as the head.”

During the Second World War, the government, led by Mackenzie King, threw out the rulebook. It created more than 28 Crown corporations to meet the needs of the war effort, which was led by munitions and supply minister C. D. Howe.

Howe, in turn, hired more than 100 “dollar a year” men from the private sector as managers. Klein reports that during the Second World War, Canada produced more than 16,000 military aircraft and more military transport vehicles than the three Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—combined.

And the public was extremely supportive, notwithstanding intense inequality before the war. In fact, Klein points out, the greatest income inequality in the 20th century occurred in 1938—just one year before the war began.

The war effort made great use of posters, public radio, and the National Film Board to generate public support. Klein discovered in his research that the King government modified its message over time to woo more Canadians to fight fascism.

Initially, government officials relied on traditional propaganda, with messages like ”Go get Hitler!”

“Then they realized in ’41 that they actually had to shift gears,” Klein says.

“If they were going to get the enlistment numbers that they needed, they had to engage people in a conversation about what kind of society they were going to come back to.”

That led to economist Leonard Marsh’s 1943 Report on Social Security for Canada, which called for social insurance and pub-

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

COVER

September 10-17 / 2020

By Janet Smith

5

EDUCATION

Cover illustration by Nicole Iu

SFU’s new president, Joy Johnson, has big plans to address diversity, racism, and inclusion at all three campuses.

By Charlie Smith

6

ESPORTS

Post Malone teams up with Envy Gaming to send a message that ESports isn’t just for the hyper-successful one percenters.

By Mike Usinger

e Start Here

Posters whipped up support for wars, so why not do it for the climate? Illustration by Meital Smith

lic-welfare supports. It formed a blueprint for the creation of a welfare state after the war. Klein points out that the first income transfers occurred during the Second World War. And Tommy Douglas was elected premier of Saskatchewan in 1944, putting that province on the road toward creating the country’s first public healthinsurance program.

While researching his book, Klein commissioned Abacus Data to survey Canadian attitudes toward climate action. And he found that the public responds better to the climate crisis when it’s linked to creating a more just society in the future.

Hence, the appeal of the Green New Deal south of the border.

“What the polling clearly showed is that, you know, when you link a bold climate plan to tackling inequality, support doesn’t go down,” he says. “It goes through the goddamn roof.”

Klein proposes a new federal program called the “Climate Emergency Just Transition Transfer” to offer a strong financial inducement to provinces to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

“Such a transfer could be specifically linked to funding green infrastructure projects that would create thousands of jobs, along with training/apprenticeships,” he writes. “It could be a mechanism to renew confederation while rising to the climate crisis.”

And, yes, he also believes that—just like during the Second World War—an onslaught of posters, art projects, music, and fi lms about the climate crisis would also help the situation. g

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

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BEER BOOKS CANNABIS CLASSIFIED CONFESSIONS FOOD HEALTH MOVIES REAL ESTATE SAVAGE LOVE VISUAL ARTS

Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly Volume 54 | Number 2746 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 T: 604.730.7000 F: 604.730.7010 E: gs.info@straight.com straight.com

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Here’s what people are reading this week on Straight.com.

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Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. must reduce COVID-19 cases before flu season.

City of Vancouver staff note seen to suggest land lift for controversial tower.

Coun. Jean Swanson’s three-point plan to tackle homelessness.

B.C.–set Trickster is an electrifying adaptation of Eden Robinson’s book.

Dwayne Johnson reveals that his entire family tested positive for COVID-19. @GeorgiaStraight

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

3

EDUCATION

Declining international enrollment will take a toll

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by Charlie Smith

here’s a line item in UBC’s 2020-21 budget that reveals one aspect of the pandemic’s impact. Under “Student fees-International”, it shows $550.2 million in anticipated revenue without the global outbreak of COVID-19. But due to the pandemic, this revenue is expected to fall to $473.5 million—a drop of more than $76 million. And that doesn’t include the lost revenue from student housing, food services, parking, and events from having fewer international students being on campus.

UBC’s consolidated budget, pre-pandemic, forecast a $60-million surplus in 2020-21. The recently approved consolidated budget, on the other hand, anticipates a record $225-million operating deficit.

Imagine the pandemic’s impact on all B.C. postsecondary institutions, which have relied increasingly in recent years on international tuition to balance the books.

A 2018 report by the B.C. Federation of Students pointed out that international tuition fees in B.C. were the second-highest in Canada for full-time study, averaging $23,331. It noted that four years of study at UBC would set an international student back $210,00, based on tuition fees, ancillary fees, and a cost of living adding up to

UBC’s Point Grey campus feels more desolate than usual this month, thanks to a pandemic that has more students, including those from other countries, studying from home. Photo by UBC.

$52,500 annually.

“International student tuition fees vary widely based on the type of institution,” the report states. “For Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) programs, popular among international students, international student tuition fees range from $14,000 to $37,000 at universities—the average university tuition fee is $20,230 with colleges charging an average of $13,122.20.”

According to Statistics Canada data, the number of new study permits for students

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FEB 28, 2021

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY

APPLY BY

APPLY BY

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headed to B.C. was down 27.5 percent for the first six months of 2020, compared to the first six months of 2019. Nationally, the six-month figure fell 23.7 percent.

The Straight examined percentage changes for the 10 largest source countries in the first six months of 2019. All but three showed declines in the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period a year ago. The only exceptions were Vietnam (up 28.6 percent), Iran (up 2.6 percent), and Nigeria (up 1.4 percent).

The three countries with the most new study permits in 2019 all had double-digit declines in 2020: India (down 25.5 percent), China (down 35.5 percent), and South Korea (down 25.9 percent). The fifth-largest source country for new study permits in the first six months of 2019, Brazil, experienced a 33.7 percent decline in the first six months of 2020. But the largest fall was the eighthplace country, Japan: its number declined by a whopping 46.5 percent.

The largest gainer, Vietnam, has only recorded 35 deaths from COVID-19, despite having a population of 95 million. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Fraser International College, which supplies international students to Simon Fraser University, posted a video earlier this year on YouTube encouraging students from Vietnam to enroll.

In testimonials in Vietnamese, computing-science student Andrey Pham and business-administration student Hannah Mai lavished praise on the school, which enables students to transfer in their second year to SFU. Earlier this month, new SFU president Joy Johnson told the Straight that her university is in “pretty good shape with international student enrollment right now”. g

garnet.grosjean@ubc.ca

garnet.grosjean@ubc.ca

edst.educ.ubc.ca/future/algc

edst.educ.ubc.ca/future/edd

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

EDUCATION

New SFU president tackles inclusion, pandemic

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by Charlie Smith

imon Fraser University’s new president is already laying a foundation for making her institution more inclusive.

“We’ve got a lot of education to do across the university, both on anti-Black racism and also on equity issues writ large,” Joy Johnson told the Straight by phone on the third day of her five-year term. “So we’ve got some plans to do some educational work from the executive on down.”

She feels it’s imperative to ensure that people who face challenges related to discrimination and racism are made aware of where they can go for support. One of her goals is for SFU to eventually appoint an associate vice president for equity, diversity, and inclusion.

“We don’t really have a clear statement for the university on inclusion,” she added.

As a result, Johnson said that the university will develop a process whereby this can be created as a signal to the three campuses that this issue is a central concern.

Prior to being hired as SFU’s vice president of research in 2014, Johnson was scientific director for the Institute of Gender and Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. In that position, she devoted a

SFU president Joy Johnson wants graduate students to be back by January. Photo by SFU.

great deal of attention to ensuring that medical researchers focused more attention on the effects of different medications and treatments on people of different genders.

She’s going to continue addressing these types of issues in the future, too.

“I’m going to actually be cochairing a panel of experts looking at equity, diversity, and inclusion for the granting councils in Canada,” Johnson revealed.

As president, Johnson also hopes to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, describing this as a “top-of-mind issue”. She pointed out that some recommendations from the university’s Aboriginal Reconciliation Council still haven’t been implemented.

In addition, she plans to focus on the student experiences at SFU. That includes ensuring that students make the most of learning in the community, though she concedes that there will be some face-to-face instruction. “We are looking at trying to increase the opportunities for our graduate students to be on campus in small seminars, in particular, starting in January,” Johnson said. “It is essential that we look at ways to safely bring people back.”

Moreover, she wants students to feel comfortable seeking advice about careers and help with their mental health.

“We also want to make sure we have

great services in place for them in terms of just supporting their well-being,” she said.

“So that’s another priority area.”

All of this will have to be accomplished within a tight funding envelope. That’s because Johnson succeeded Andrew Petter as president just as SFU is coping with financial challenges created by the pandemic.

She’s well aware that the board of governors of B.C.’s largest research university, UBC, recently approved a $225-million deficit in a $2.9-billion budget. That shortfall was due to UBC’s board anticipating lower-than-expected tuition revenue and far less income from events, parking, housing, and investments.

“We’re just starting our budget cycle,” Johnson said. “We’re looking at where we stand right now. We are going to have a deficit this year. There’s no question about it.”

However, she added that it won’t be as large as UBC’s.

When asked if the Ministry of Advanced Education will allow an operating shortfall, Johnson replied that university officials are in discussions with ministry officials about this. “That whole issue hasn’t landed yet,” she said. g

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

5

ESPORTS

Post Malone proves that ESports is for everyone

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by Mike Usinger

s a branding-improvement move, it couldn’t have been more badass. Hold that—actually, it could have.

Envy Gaming could have hooked up with “Fuck ’Em”-era Geto Boy Willie D, circa-’98 50 Cent, or a pre-stool-pigeon Tekashi 6ix9ine. But sometimes you have to be happy with who you’ve got, not who you could’ve had.

And right around the time the calendar was flipping from August to September, Envy made an important hookup. Suddenly, Post Malone was officially in the house.

First, a little refresher on what qualifies as ancient history in these hyper-accelerated, information-overloaded times.

At the end of last month Envy announced that Austin Richard Post had decided to come aboard as an investor. More importantly, the rapper and walking argument for regular bathing was quick to celebrate his new relationship with Envy. Taking to Twitter, he proudly trumpeted, “Happy to announce i’m now part owner of @DallasEmpire. Let’s take this throne and win these playoffs:).”

For those that wouldn’t know the Dallas Empire from Dallas Green, the Empire is a Call of Duty League team operating under the Envy Gaming umbrella. The gaming and lifestyle organization also owns squads in Rocket League (Team Envy) and Overwatch League (Dallas Fuel).

Post Malone suggested that his involvement makes sense on a number of levels.

Chief among them is that when he’s not in the studio, he tends to be glued to the couch in front of a Sony 85-inch 4K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV, gaming controller in one hand and a baseball-batsize blunt in the other.

Recall, if you will, his Rolling Stone

By stepping up as an investor in Envy Gaming, hard-gamer Post Malone has given hope to those who’ve long been convinced that ESports are only for those who have their act together.

profile from 2017, where the opening line was this: “Last night, the new Call of Duty came out, and Post Malone was so stoked about it that he parked himself in front of his Xbox until 6 a.m. Right now it’s 4 p.m. and he’s back at it.”

In the press release announcing his partnership with Envy Gaming, Malone stated: “I grew up in Texas and I’ve been gaming my whole life, so this just really felt right. I have always wanted to be a part of bringing gaming into the professional sports world so to be involved with what Envy is doing in my hometown feels like such a perfect fit.”

Envy meanwhile hailed Post Malone as a “cultural icon” who brings a massive fan base to whatever he does, whether it’s music or ESports.

“I first met Post at Posty Fest in Arlington

E sports GEARHEAD

Or at least we assume the collection will drop in time for the Worlds. The tournament, which takes place in Shanghai, kicks off on September 25. Nike, however, has not actually announced a release date for the new line of gamer gear.

Nike has launched a brand-new footwear collection for the LoL World tournament.

d THIS IS GOOD NEWS for sneakerheads and League of Legends fans alike. Nike has announced a new footwear and apparel collection, just in time for the LoL World Championship.

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

Nike is introducing a number of new sneakers for the capsule. These include LoL-inspired versions of the Air Max 90, Blazer Mid ’77 Vintage, Air Force 1 Low, Air Force 1 High, Air Max 270 React, Joyride Dual Run 2, and Air Max 2X. The highlight of the new collection, however, is arguably the Air Jordan 1 High Zoom.

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

by John Lucas

last November,” Envy Gaming owner and chief gaming officer Mike Rufail said. “We had a very real chat about his love for video games. He’s a genuine gamer who brings a lot of effort and personality into everything he does. I couldn’t be happier to have him invest and build with us.”

So what does Post Malone bring to Envy, other than 6.6 million followers on Twitter, 22.6 million on Instagram, and 17 on MySpace?

That’s easy: his involvement helps address an image problem that continues to hang over ESports.

Rightly or wrongly (which is to say mostly wrongly), there’s still a perception that ESports tends to attract those who majored in math, computer science, and the audio-visual club during high school.

Deny that all you want, but not before you google “Call of Duty League 2020 champions” and take a good look at the Dallas Empire team. “Clean-cut” and “respectable” are good starting descriptions, along with “already richer and more successful than you’ll probably ever be”. They also look like they’ve got their shit together, which gives them everything in common with their procalibre ESports brothers and sisters.

No one in sports—gaming or otherwise— rises to the top without endless hours of razor-focused dedication to their craft.

And that makes it easy for those on the outside to play hater. The sad reality of life is that the burnouts and cool kids always feel superior to the straight-A students in high school.

And that persists well into adulthood. It doesn’t matter that you’re renting a South Surrey basement suite, with a life-size Snoop Dogg bong being your most prized possession—at least you didn’t spend high-school

playing Minecraft in the computer lab.

As ESports has taken off across the planet, it’s attracted overachievers on the investment side of things. Think the legendary Jimmy Iovine spearheading a $40-million round of funding for FaZe Clan this past April. Google “celebrity ESports investors” and you’ll get an instant shortlist that includes heavy hitters like Michael Jordan, Drake, Kevin Durant, Sean Combs, Steph Curry, Ashton Kutcher, and Mark Cuban.

You know what all those folks have in common? They’ve gone their entire lives not only proving they have their shit epically together, but also somehow looking like it. Which is why they’re celebrities and you’re not.

None of those high-watt success stories look like you or your people. Which is to say the odds of achieving what Combs, Curry, or Cuban have are roughly the same as you making the world forget about Johan Sundstein, Jesse Vainikka, or Topias Taavitsainen. All of whom also look like they have their shit together.

The brilliance of Post Malone is that he sends a message that ESports isn’t just for those rolling through life as loud-andproud members of the one-percent club.

He’s a new ESports poster boy making a statement that ESports and Envy Gaming are for everyone, including the common rabble. Secretly convinced of your complete worthlessness as a person? So is Posty, whom you might remember sheepishly telling Nardwaur a couple of years back “I still only have one good song.”

Got a weed addiction or a drinking problem? So, evidently, does Posty, and that hasn’t held him back one bit from overachieving in his field.

Post Malone is here to say it’s okay if you have a life-long aversion to bathing, and don’t see anything wrong with tattooing the shit out of your face.

Mostly, he’s sending a message that there’s only thing that’s holding you back from joining the Envy Gaming family, not as a PR flack, or an office grunt, but as a shining star on the Dallas Empire, Dallas Fuel, or Team Envy.

Here’s what he once told Nardwuar: “Believe in yourself even if no one else does.”

The message? The only person stopping you from realizing your own ESports dreams is you. Take that throne. g

MORE ESPORTS ONLINE AT ECENTRALSPORTS.COM

REAL ESTATE

Borrowers assessed by unrealistic interest rates Mortgage economist says failure to consider rising incomes is also a “major flaw” in stress testing

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by Carlito Pablo

ast month, people wanting to buy a home saw their purchasing power increase. They can now borrow more money because they have to pass a lower “stress test” for their mortgage. This is because the Bank of Canada dropped its benchmark five-year mortgage rate to 4.79 percent in August.

The rate serves as the basis of what is called a stress test.

To pass, home buyers have to prove that they can afford to make payments based on an interest rate higher than what a lender is giving them.

The slash in the five-year mortgage rate constitutes the third cut made by the central bank since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The rate fell from 5.19 percent to 5.04 in March. Later in May, it went down to 4.94 percent.

“It’s very good policy to do some testing of a mortgage borrower to make sure that they’re going to be able to afford payments in the future,” Will Dunning, chief economist of Mortgage Professionals Canada, told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview.

The economist said that it is sensible to test people against an interest rate that is “reasonably possible”.

However, Dunning pointed out that while new borrowers are now evaluated using an interest rate of 4.79 percent, the actual rates available in the market are below two percent.

“This is an impediment to many Canadians achieving their reasonable homebuying goals and is also an impedi-

NEW LISTING

A report said that interest-rate disparities would disqualify 20 percent of home buyers. Photo by Tierra Mallorca/Unsplash.

ment to the broader economic recovery,” he said.

For him, this means one thing: the stress test needs to be updated to reflect current realities.

The economist argued that there doesn’t seem to be anybody who believes that rates would rise by almost three percent in the next five years.

In addition, Dunning said that the stress test “implicitly” does not consider rising incomes. According to him, incomes have been increasing in Canada for decades.

“It is omitting one of the most important factors that will affect people’s ability to make their future payment, and so that’s a major flaw in the testing system that exists today,” Dunning said.

In March 2020, Dunning released a report titled “Annual State of the Residential Mortgage Market in Canada: Year End 2019”.

At the time, the central bank’s benchmark five-year mortgage rate was 5.19 percent, while lenders were offering rates ranging from 2.5 percent to 2.85 percent.

With those rates, almost 20 percent of potential home buyers would not qualify, Dunning wrote.

In the same paper, Dunning said that the government has “not justified the assumption that in five years interest rates will be two (or more) percentage points higher”.

Because the stress tests do not take into consideration income growth, Dunning said that the government assumes there will be none during a five-year period.

On the phone from Toronto, he proposed a formula for what he considers a “reasonable stress test”.

“If you think interest rates might rise by two points over the next five years, and you also have an expectation that incomes will continue to rise the way they have in the past, then the way to simulate that combination is to say that the test should be the contracted interest rate plus threequarters of a point,” Dunning said. g

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SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

7

FOOD & DRINK

Two changes coming to the dining scene in Chinatown

MILA COMES TO CHINATOWN d VANCOUVER LOVES plant-based dining, and it’s about to get a new restaurant option in the heart of Chinatown.

Coming this month, MILA is a sister restaurant to Virtuous Pie, an eatery specializing in vegan pizza and ice cream.

Some examples of what to expect on Red Seal chef Jim Vesal’s rotating menu: a signature sushi roll consisting of heart of palm–crab mix, avocado, cucumber, black sesame seeds, sambal crunch, spicy mango mayo, and shredded nori; wild-mushroom-

A

by Mike Usinger

and-sausage tagliatelle with pistachio-pesto cashew cream; and aburi-lox oshi with cured carrot lox, aburi sauce, shiso, and serrano peppers.

MILA is in the former home of Juniper Restaurant and Bar at 185 Keefer Street and will be open for lunch and dinner.

s a valuable public service, we taste the latest in Lower Mainland beers and then give you a highly opinionated, pocketsized review.

SAI WOO UP FOR SALE

Coconuts, a hazy, dry-hopped IPA from Superflux.

by Gail Johnson

Chef Jim Vesal plans to create dishes with Asian flair at MILA. Photo by Hakan Burcuoglu.

Superflux gets it right with cleverly complex Coconuts

b IN THE SPRING of 2015, Sai Woo opened its doors in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

The pan-Asian restaurant represented the modern incarnation of its historic predecessor, Sai Woo Chop Suey, on East Pender. In 2017, Sai Woo resurrected a piece of the old establishment’s history. It installed a replica of the diner’s distinctive green and yellow neon rooster sign. The original neon sign was believed to have been lost after the chop suey place closed in 1959.

For $399,000, a new owner can carry on with this fusion restaurant located at 158 East Pender. Realtor Jean Seguin’s Restaurant Business Broker listed the establishment, which comes with two dining floors.

by Carlito Pablo

ON TAP

THEIR WORDS

“This is a full-blown, legit Superflux IPA (contains the usual heavy hand of dry hopping that we became low-key-beer-nerd famous for) and then we add a massive amount of toasted coconut (less famous for this). The result is something 10 percent of you will hate but the rest will thank us for this delicious treat.”

TASTE TEST

As promised, “heavy-handed” is indeed a fitting description for the hoppiness of this IPA, which packs a soft seven-percent ABV punch. That’s another way of saying that if Mexican lager is about all you can handle for postgame beers at the East Van baseball diamond, then you’re part of the 10 percent hater’s club.

Unfortunately, being a hater means that it totally sucks to be you. Because, holy sheep shit, this is one incredible beer. Here’s the funny thing about most coconut beers: almost no one gets it right. And things don’t stop there. Ever been to Hawaii?

Everything from suntan lotion to cigarillos are made with coconut, but it’s often hard to tell. If you’re going to make something out of the only living species of the genus Cocos, why would you go the safe route?

What’s amazing here is the coconut undertow, which manages to be right up front yet somehow subtle. Think delicate, floral, and lingering with each sip. Which is dangerous, because the second you’ve

An East Vancouver–produced IPA, Coconuts delivers a delicate, floral, lingering undertow.

had one sip, you immediately want the flavour hit of another.

DEEP THOUGHTS

Can we talk design and aesthetics for a second? Quite rightly, Superflux has built a cult following for the art on its cans.

(Speaking of beautiful, check out the enterprise’s newly launched, white-light-whiteheat space on Clark, which is now open for takeout—with not only beer but also gourmet hotdogs.)

Anyhow, Superflux’s cans are typically works of art, with Double Infinity every bit as retro-cool as Evel Knievel’s circa-’70s jumpsuits, and Backcountry Boombox Superflux Twin Sales making the most out of bold type and stark-white/coffin-black backgrounds.

The Coconuts can features, um, a coconut image, but the young, fresh, green, found-ona-Thailand beach kind rather than the classic Donny-and-Marie Goin’ Coconuts variety.

Yes, some folks can’t help doing everything better than others. g

IT’S TIME TO SUPPORT LOCAL. Shop direct with BC farms and producers at our six weekly farmers markets.

More info at eatlocal.org

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SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

HEALTH

Many parents use booze to lessen pandemic stress

I

by Gail Johnson

n news that will surprise no one, it appears that Canadians with at least one child under age 18 at home were more likely to report using alcohol early in the pandemic to cope with distress than those without kids.

That’s according to a new study out of York University that was published on September 1 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. The research also found that people who experienced greater depression or a lack of social connectedness said they were consuming alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Jeffrey Wardell and Matthew Keough, assistant professors in the faculty of health’s department of psychology, used an online crowdsourcing platform to survey 320 alcohol-drinking Canadians over a 30day period, beginning within one month of the start of the COVID-19 emergency response. The mean age of respondents was 32, and 54.7 percent were male.

Participants reported moderate drinking, on average, during the early stages of the pandemic, consuming two to four drinks once or twice a week—a frequency that was similar to their alcohol consumption prior to the pandemic. Some, however,

Today, mother’s little helper isn’t always a pill.

Photo by the Creative Exchange/Unsplash.

said their alcohol consumption increased later during the pandemic.

Those with children, people whose depression was exacerbated, and those experiencing social disconnection said their

alcohol consumption increased during the pandemic.

Drinking to cope was related to increased alcohol use after the onset of the pandemic as well as alcohol-related problems.

“While the pandemic has been challenging for everyone, our data suggest that parents’ well-being was especially impacted,” Keough said in a release. “Parents have been coping with many stressors and responsibilities during COVID-19, which potentially include working from home, homeschooling young children, and managing their own negative emotions. Our data suggests that drinking alcohol may have been a main coping strategy among stressed out parents.”

The findings also show that income loss was associated with increased alcohol consumption early in the pandemic, whereas living alone was associated with solitary drinking behaviour. However, these links were not explained by the use of alcohol as a coping strategy.

“Using alcohol to cope with distress is a clearly established risk factor for alcohol use disorder,” Wardell said. “This is concerning because these alcohol problems could worsen over time, suggesting it may be important to help these individuals find

more positive coping strategies rather than using alcohol to cope.”

According to the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, alcohol and tobacco imposed greater financial costs on the Canadian economy and the public-health system in 2017 than all other substances combined. This was despite more than 5,000 deaths that year linked to opioid use, according to data in the Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms 2015–2017 report released in July.

“Alcohol and tobacco use contributed 89 percent of the 277,060 hospital admissions and 76 percent of the 751,356 years of life lost due to substance use in 2017,” Tim Stockwell, director of CISUR and a principal investigator for the study, said in a news release. “Policies around alcohol in particular have been relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic with evidence of increased consumption. Costs and harms will likely have increased also as a result. More effective policies are urgently required in order to achieve effective harm reduction for these two widely used legal substances.” g With files from Charlie Smith.

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SFU.CA / WELCOMEJOY

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

9

CANNABIS

Pro-legalization group uses drone to drop weed

T

by John Lucas

he citizens of one of Israel’s most populous cities got rained on during the afternoon of September 3. It wasn’t water falling from the sky, though, but cannabis.

The Jerusalem Post reported that a drone dropped hundreds of bags of what was apparently cannabis over Rabin Square in Tel Aviv. The Post says the falling weed attracted “dozens of confused people, who rushed to pick up as many bags as they could carry”.

A pro-legalization group called Green Drone hinted at the drop before the fact.

“The time has come,” the group said on its Telegram web-messaging channel. “Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the Green Drone sending you free cannabis from the skies.”

Israel has a relatively liberal attitude toward cannabis. It is decriminalized for medical use, for instance. The country’s Ministry of Health supports medical cannabis research and innovation.

Recreational use, though, remains illegal. However, authorities tend to turn a blind eye to home use and possession of 15 grams or below. Citizens caught using weed in public for the first or second time cannot be arrested if they have no prior record of cannabis use. They can be fined, however.

In its Telegram message, the Green Drone group indicated that the September 3 drop was just the beginning. “We’re launching the

An Israeli organization dropped hundreds of bags of cannabis by drone in Tel Aviv recently and said it would continue the campaign on a weekly basis . Photo by Immortal Producciones.

‘rain of cannabis’ project, that will include a weekly delivery to different parts of the country of 1 kilo of cannabis divided into free 2 gram bags,” the message stated.

Shortly after the incident, police in Tel Aviv announced that they had arrested two suspects for allegedly operating the drone.

According to Reuters, police said they suspected the baggies contained “a dangerous drug” and recovered dozens of them.

CANNABIS AND DEPRESSION

In other news from the world of weed, a repeated cross-sectional study of 16,216 U.S. adults aged 20 to 59 found that those with depression increased their rates of cannabis use significantly faster than those with-

out depression.

Researchers from New York State Psychiatric Institute looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They found “a marked increase in the association between any and daily or near-daily cannabis use and depression from 2005 to 2016”.

“In 2005 to 2006, individuals with depression had 46% higher odds of any cannabis use and 30% higher odds of neardaily cannabis use,” the researchers noted.

“In 2015 to 2016, individuals with depression had 130% higher odds of any cannabis use and 216% higher odds of daily cannabis use. These results suggest that over time, a higher proportion of individuals

with depression are using cannabis.”

Did they smoke weed because they were depressed? Or were they depressed because they smoked weed? A good question, albeit one with no definitive answer. According to the study’s authors, however, the former is more likely.

“This could be the case if an increasing number of individuals with depression are using cannabis to self-medicate, potentially influenced by media and advertising presenting cannabis as beneficial to health,” they stated. “These results could also be interpreted as indicating that an increasing proportion of individuals who use cannabis are developing depression.

“However, if this were true, we would expect to see that as the prevalence of cannabis use increased, the prevalence of depression increased as well. However, depression stayed relatively stable during the study period, not supporting the latter interpretation.”

The researchers published their work at JAMA Network Open. g

MORE CANNABIS ONLINE AT CANNCENTRAL.COM

NDP, Greens backing decriminalization petitions

T

by Carlito Pablo

he push to decriminalize drugs in Canada continues amid the ongoing overdose crisis.

Advocates have started new petitions in the House of Commons calling for drug decriminalization. This covers substances other than cannabis, which became legal in October 2018.

One petition initiated by Ryan Painter of Victoria urges the federal government to establish a task force to study the measure. Randall Garrison, NDP MP for EsquimaltSaanich-Sooke, agreed to sponsor the petition.

It notes that the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police shares the same position, having endorsed the decriminalization of personal possession of illicit drugs on July 9. Vancouver police chief Adam Palmer headed the CACP at the time.

In a news release, Palmer said criminal enforcement should give way to an integrated health approach to drug use.

Earlier this year, B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry released a report showing that drug decriminalization could stem the overdose crisis. Henry titled the document “Stopping the Harm: Decriminalization of People Who Use Drugs in B.C.” .

A media release about the health officer’s report noted that in 2001, Portugal decriminalized drug possession for personal use.

People who agree with the Painter petition can sign on until December 12, 2020.

Another person from B.C. initiated the second House of 10

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, supports decriminalization measures. Photo by B.C. government.

Commons petition.

Joanne Hall of Nanaimo also called for the decriminalization of drug possession for personal use. Hall’s petition urges the federal government to “reframe the overdose crisis in Canada as a health issue rather than a criminal issue”.

Advocates of drug decriminalization maintain that this policy removes barriers to safety measures, such as testing for contaminating substances.

Health authorities have linked drugs laced with powerful fentanyl to overdose deaths. B.C. recorded 909 drug deaths up to July since the start of 2020. In July alone, 175

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

people died due to illicit-drug use.

Across the country, the federal government recorded 15,393 “apparent opioid-related deaths” between January 2016 and December 2019.

The Hall petition remains open for signatures until October 10, 2020. Paul Manly, Green MP for NanaimoLadysmith, agreed to be the sponsor.

In media interviews Wednesday (September 2), Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated that the government is not inclined to decriminalize drugs.

Trudeau said that drug decriminalization is not a “silver bullet” solution to the overdose crisis. Trudeau has repeatedly said during the past two years that his government is not looking at full decriminalization of so-called hard drugs.

Canadians currently enjoy a measure of protection against drug laws.

The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, which became official on May 4, 2017, provides an example. The law protects individuals who experience or witness drug overdoses from charges for possession under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The legislation’s intent is to encourage people to report overdoses in order to save lives. The law also protects anyone else present at the scene when first responders arrive.

However, the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act does not provide legal protection for serious offences like production of drugs. g

ARTS

With lockdown, Fringe Fest was formed from afar

New executive director Rohit Chokhani has created a pandemic-ready event from the other side of the planet

by Janet Smith

I feel like there’s an opportunity for change in all of this.

– Rohit Chokhani

While working from his parents’ home in Mumbai, Rohit Chokhani found ways to realize some of his long-term plans for the Fringe Festival, even in the face of COVID-19. Photo by Raymond Kam.

I

t speaks to these bizarre times that the Vancouver Fringe Festival’s new executive director should find himself running the annual theatre event from 12,243 kilometres away.

The unique situation has called for a personal pivot as dramatic as the one being made at the Fringe itself, as the fest moves to a staggered series of performances— indoors, outdoors, and live-streamed— throughout the fall.

Back in February, Vancouver theatre artist, producer, and cultural leader Rohit Chokhani decided to visit his elderly parents in Mumbai before he dived into his new position. India went into full lockdown in March, and until recently he’d been stuck there. In the last few weeks he’s watched his populous home nation’s COVID-19 numbers skyrocket.

“One sixth of the world lives here and numbers are high, but I’ve felt like I’ve been safe in my parents’ home,” he told the Straight philosophically over What’s App when he was still quarantined in India.

“But it’s been difficult for the folks out there on the street.

“Once I started in the job, I had this huge sense of disconnect between being here and majority of my team being in Canada,” he admitted. “I am born and raised in India, but I’ve been gone for two decades, so my entire social life and professional life was in Canada.”

Still, like the rest of the world, Chokhani learned to adapt—starting with his sleep patterns. Mumbai sits 12-and-a-half hours

ahead of Vancouver. “In India, my work day starts at 9 p.m. and I go to 3 or 4 a.m.,” he said. “I sleep from 4 to 8 and then take more calls. I sleep again for four hours in the afternoon.”

The Fringe team had some months to prepare for the new pandemic reality, so it started with its artists, sending out surveys to find out how they wanted to proceed— acknowledging that any troupes travelling long distances internationally or nationally were off the table.

“It was clear we were not going to find a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Chokhani, whose diverse credits include heading up the Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts, codirecting an Indian-set All’s Well That Ends Well at Bard on the Beach, and directing Pick of the Fringe award-winner Bombay Black.

“There were artists who were not wanting or comfortable with live performance. What we also heard was there were significant concerns about productions that were [created to be] live and how significantly they’d have to be translating that over to the digital realm.”

The manifold solution is a far cry from last year’s celebration, which hosted more than 700 performances around town by more than 90 artists over 11 days. This year, the Fringe allows artists to withdraw applications and get a refund, and reduces fees for those who want to take part in a few concentrated series over the autumn. Events are going to happen live in several limited-audience indoor and outdoor venues, and digital content will be largely offered for workshops and gatherings.

The first block of programming takes place

from Thursday (September 10) to September 20 on Granville Island at Performance Works, the Picnic Pavilion, and the Yellow Crane Pad. Further intimate programming will be announced for blocks running October 1 to 10, October 29 to November 8, and November 26 through December 6.

“We managed to do certain things I would have done even pre-COVID—longterm visionary ideas,” Chokhani said.

One of those pillars—equity, diversity, and inclusion—has been a mandate the Fringe has been working aggressively toward since about 2017. Though it also encompasses structural changes at the organization, it plays out immediately in 2020 Fringe programming such as Advance Theatre: New Works by Diverse Women. The staged readings curated by Métis, Cree, and Haudenosaunee artist Tai Amy Grauman feature pieces by Quelemia Sparrow, Yvonne Wal-

lace, and Lisa C. Ravensbergen.

“I’ve been an artist at the Fringe and I was already a part of the conversation as a community representative and consultant, so these lenses give me a certain understanding of the festival,” said Chokhani of the diversity push. “We want to include these folks and invite them in, but also we want to do it right. The last thing we want is folks who are marginalized to come here and not have a good experience.”

He’s also committed to turning the Fringe into even more of an incubator for new work than it already is: “If a show is successful at the Fringe, what happens to get it into another city, what does the second show look like?”

For the present moment, however, the intricacies of health and safety measures may pose the biggest logistical leaps. The shows’ limited capacity will meet the guidelines in the B.C. Restart Plan for patrons, volunteers, and artists.

“It’s been quite a ride,” Chokhani reflected.

“Of course, I’m saddened by the impact and deaths. But I feel like there’s an opportunity for change in all this. And the amount of love and support from volunteers and donors and community is really heartwarming.” g The Vancouver Fringe Festival runs at various Granville Island venues and online from Thursday (September 10) to September 20, October 1 to 10, October 29 to November 8, and November 26 through December 6.

Fringe TIP SHEET

detector to high and help solve this case.

THE VANCOUVER FRINGE FESTIVAL

kicks off with the first of its live, smallscale series, from Thursday (September 10) to September 20 at Granville Island venues both indoors and out. Here are some of the highlights: c ART HEIST (September 11 to 13, and 18 to 20 starting at the Yellow Crane Pad) A group of 10 or fewer will meet the suspects and investigators in an art heist based on a true story—and valued at a whopping half-billion dollars. TJ Dawe and Ming Hudson get audience members to find clues and figure the mystery out. Set your personal BS

c JUDITH FAIR: AN OUTDOOR VARIETY NIGHT (September 12 and 13 at the Picnic Pavilion) Alley Theatre presents an evening of everything from Egyptian folk music to queer burlesque and African-diaspora storytelling. Expect the unexpected. c WOMEN OF PAPIYEK (September 16 at Performance Works) Magnetic performer Quelemia Sparrow tells the story of three Indigenous women at Papiyek, now known as Brockton Point, before they were forcibly removed to make way for Stanley Park. c HARD 2 KILL (September 15 to 20 at Performance Works) Comedian and theatre artist Richard Lett has told us about surviving alcohol addiction and testicular cancer on-stage before; now he gives you the inside scoop on what it was like suffering through COVID-19. g

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

11

ARTS

The Other Side of Mask reveals beauty and ugliness Taiwanese artist Lady Hao Hao returns to Canada to explore what lies hidden beneath cultural surfaces

V

by Charlie Smith

isitors to TAIWANfest’s online gallery presentation of The Other Side of Mask are greeted with an intriguing line: “When you intend to capture beauty, it is torture to admit that beauty is also the source of evil.”

Created in partnership with 2- and 3-D animator Walter Kao, artist Lady Hao Hao’s series of images demonstrates that indeed, there are two sides to a mask. The inner part of her versions resemble colourful imagery of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Lady Hao Hao, a Taiwanese-born artist, first came to Canada as a homestay student in high school. After returning to Taiwan and graduating from university there, she returned to Canada to pursue her passion for art.

The Straight interviewed her through a translator to find out more about this series and a second series of sketches in blackand-white called People and Mask, which are also in TAIWANfest’s online gallery.

Georgia Straight: How did you get the idea for The Other Side of Mask?

Lady Hao Hao: I had just returned from Taiwan in February and I was shocked to see the cultural differences on mask-wearing. A mask is meant to protect people, but the mask-wearing has become a way for me to observe the behaviours of people. It’s human nature to self-protect, but our behaviours, especially what comes out of our mouth, is sometimes more hurtful than the virus we are guarding against.

People tend to forget to see our own problems or ask ourselves difficult questions because we worry about losing what we already have or what we could have in the future. Moreover, we don’t ask ourselves tough questions because we don’t dare to open up the darker selves. We learn to disguise words and pretty images.

The most challenging part of this work is that beauty and ugliness have to coexist.

I want to make sure people are attracted to the beauty and discover the hidden message within the beauty. If we can’t reflect together, we can’t move forward together.

GS: What are you hoping to convey?

With the works of People and Mask, Lady Hao Hao moved from lush colours to a black-and-white scheme reflecting the highly charged emotions and attitudes toward others in current times.

LHH: Every artist is always full of emotions and desires toward the place we live or grow up. Our thoughts and ideas are shaped by these experiences.

The Behind the Mask series is my way to open up deeper conversations for our society. To wear or not to wear isn’t really the question; our attitude toward others is really the focal point.

We are facing these challenges because of our past attitude toward nature or people. The lockdowns and shutdowns are forcing us to think if there is anything we should change.

GS: How did you adapt to presenting work virtually rather than in-person at this year’s TAIWANfest?

LHH: The artistic vision for each edition of TAIWANfest is always very clear. I was fortunate to be able to work with a former colleague who did the 3-D modelling and a group of computer-science students from BCIT who did the transformation to the website. Together, we turned the two-dimensional work into a 3-D project. If there is a blessing with the pandemic, it makes us explore new ways to do things.

This project would probably be hard to present in a physical art gallery, but the virtual platform is the best, as people are able to interact with the work directly through their own computers or mobile devices. I also learned a lot from others during the process.

GS: Much of your work is lush with colours. Why did you choose a different approach with People and Mask?

LHH: Sketch in black and white, to me, makes it easier to show emotions in people; everyone has emotions and those

12

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

emotions are real regardless of their meanings. Sometimes these emotions are discriminatory, but we have to face them. We live in a free society but we often choose to be silent even though it is wrong to do so. Black and white are quite comparable to right and wrong; there isn’t a lot of separation sometimes.

GS: What were you trying to convey with this work?

LHH: I am interested to share with others that we should allow our eyes to see more—see through the surface to find out what’s hidden. Arts sometimes can be the medium to bring our perspective and reality closer together. I, of course, wish people can echo the spirit of my work so our diversity can be a healthier one.

GS: Why is Taiwanese art, including yours, so vibrant and expressive?

LHH: I wasn’t born here and I sometimes found myself limited in the way I express.

Language is definitely not my forte. To Taiwanese artists, arts are about telling people who you are and what I want to share. I think the passion and the courteous nature of Taiwanese artists are why they are eager to share. You can easily find that characteristic in every corner of Taiwan if you go there.

When I have had the opportunities to see the arts scene in Canada, I have always admired the scope and timeless power exhibited by Canadian artists.

I started to learn and appreciate the humour and the connection to nature; these are elements that don’t disappear with time. I think this has a bigger impact on me as an artist. I am trying to be a Taiwanese artist with Canadian inf luences. g

MOVIES

VIFF spotlights activist visions and animated gems

T

by Janet Smith

he Vancouver International Film Festival has unveiled a mix of streamed fi lms and in-person screenings for its COVID-era fest from September 24 to October 7.

The 39th annual celebration will offer streamed films from here and around the world, geoblocked to be exclusive to British Columbia on a new VIFF Connect platform.

The opening fi lm is the world premiere of Loretta Sarah Todd’s Monkey Beach, based on Eden Robinson’s book. And special guests in the event’s talks include writer-director Charlie Kaufman.

Aside from the Cinematheque, there will be in-person screenings at the newly renovated VIFF Centre, a $2.8-million overhaul that boasts a new 41-seat Studio Theatre, a dedicated Education Suite, a New Media Lab, and a redesigned atrium.

It was designed by Vancouver-based mcfarlane biggar architects + designers.

The fest is selling a $60 all-access subscription to bring the programming into B.C. homes. Sales start at noon on September 24. Elsewhere, VIFF Talks, VIFF AMP, Totally Indie Day, and VIFF Immersed will be available across Canada and internationally. Single tickets and subscriptions are available at viff.org/, where you can also find the complete program.

Among the more than 180 films on offer, global programming includes the world pre-

With both online and in-person screenings, 2020’s Vancouver International Film Festival features Monkey Beach by local director Loretta Sarah Todd (left) and the documentary Citizen Penn.

miere of Ecuador’s Yellow Sunglasses (from director Iván Mora Manzano), the Canadian premiere of Golden Bear winner There Is No Evil (directed by Mohammad Rasoulof in an Iran/Czech Republic/Germany coproduction), the Canadian premiere of the found-footage film My Mexican Bretzel (by Spain’s Nuria Giménez), the German documentary Merkel—Anatomy of a Crisis, about the critical moments of the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, and Danish master Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round.

Special programs include Impact, about activism and featuring highlights like Sundance Grand Jury and Audience Award winner The Reason I Jump (directed by Jerry Rothwell in a U.K./USA coproduc-

tion) and Citizen Penn’s portrait of Sean Penn’s activism. Meanwhile, the M/A/D program of music, art, and design fi lms has profi les of everyone from Frida Kahlo to music lover Jimmy Carter.

True North spotlights Canada, with Bruce LaBruce’s Saint-Narcisse and the B.C. premiere of The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel by Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott.

Insights, “nonfiction fi lms that investigate essential subject matter”, will boast the world premiere of Belgium-France coproduction My Voice Will Be With You and the North American premiere of Anerca, Breath of Life.

In Gateway, the series focused on East

Asia, look for highlights including the international premiere of Japan’s The Town of Headcounts (directed by Shinji Araki) and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival official selection Beauty Water, from South Korea.

There are full programs of shorts, including animated gems and the female-focused Tell Us About Her Life compilation.

“While audiences will find the same quality of films, they’ll represent a greater diversity of perspectives,” pointed out Curtis Woloschuk, associate director of programming, in a statement. “Of the 24 Canadian features at the festival, 14 are by female creators and 11 are by BIPOC filmmakers—including must-see works by emerging and established Indigenous directors.”

On the streamed speaker list, look for Watchmen cinematographer Greg Middleton and director Stephen Williams; Lovecraft Country cinematographer Rob McLachlan; and a panel of showrunners that includes Bruce Miller from The Handmaid’s Tale.

VIFF AMP, which explores the essential role of music in movies, hosts a virtual Music in Film Summit on October 3 and 4, with such big names as Terence Blanchard, composer for Da 5 Bloods, and Nora Felder, music supervisor at Stranger Things.

VIFF Totally Indie Day talks and workshops happen September 26. g

Restored classics celebrated at Taiwanese Film Fest

N

by Charlie Smith

ormally, the Vancouver Taiwanese Film Festival showcases contemporary fi lms with actors from the democratic island nation off the east coast of China. That tradition will continue with this year’s 14th annual TWFF, which runs for free online from Friday (September 11) to September 20, with the Canadian premiere of the psychological drama Nina Wu. Directed by Myanmar-born Midi Z, Nina Wu was screened at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and was written by and stars Taiwanese actor Wu Ke-Xi. Her character, Nina Wu, endures pain, exploitation, and humiliation as she tries to launch an acting career.

In addition, Wu will participate in a videotaped panel discussion with Carleen Kyle, president of Women in Film and Television Vancouver, to discuss how women are treated in the fi lm industries in Taiwan and Canada. The audience size is being limited to 300, with free registration through twff.ca/.

The festival’s assistant director, Ian Lin, told the Straight that in addition to this relatively recent release, the TWFF will present two restored fi lms from a bygone era, as well as two shorts made in 2019 that were inspired by these classics. He explained by phone that the organizers were curious to examine the origins of Taiwanese cinema. And they soon realized that there were about 100 fi lms per year produced in the Taiwanese language in the 1950s and

Wu Ke-Xi plays the title character in Nina Wu, a new drama in a program rich with forgotten treasures of Taiwanese cinema.

1960s that were largely forgotten.

That’s because the ruling Kuomintang dictatorship of that era discouraged use of the Taiwanese language, preferring to push the population to embrace Mandarin. And that made it difficult for directors to screen their movies.

“Suddenly, the policy forced them to not play those fi lms in the theatre,” Lin said. “So they didn’t have any value anymore.”

According to Lin, only about 200 of these fi lms survived. One of those being screened by the TWFF is The

Fantasy of Deer Warrior, made in 1961 and directed by Chang Ying. It depicts animals, including deer and lambs, living harmoniously in the forest when a pack of wolves appears. The characters are played by human beings in animal costumes, which has made this a cult classic among younger Taiwanese movie lovers. And because it was fi lmed while Taiwan was under martial law, it’s easy for viewers to conclude that the animals under siege represent the Taiwanese people who are being persecuted by either the ruling Kuomintang or Communist China, as represented by the wolves.

The second restored fi lm being screened is Foolish Bride, Naive Bridegroom, a 1967 romantic comedy directed by Hsin Chi. In addition, the festival will screen a short fi lm about a same-sex romance, “Like Father, Like Daughter”, which was inspired by Foolish Bride, Naive Bridegroom. And the opening short fi lm, “Archiving Time”, shows how 16mm fi lms from that era were restored. Tainan National University of the Arts professor Ray Jiing will join a panel discussion on video during the festival to talk about his 30-year career restoring historic fi lms.

The festival is also shining a spotlight on production staff in the closing film, A Foley Artist, focusing on master foley artist Hu Ding-Yi. He will join Goro Koyama, a foley artist and Japanese Canadian, in another panel discussion. g

SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

13

SAVAGE LOVE

Risky choking trend probably originated in porn

by Dan Savage

b I’M A 29-YEAR-OLD straight woman in Pennsylvania. My question is to do with choking and consent. I’ve had two experiences in the past six months or so where someone has tried to choke me without my consent. The first time this happened, I coughed immediately, but he tried multiple times during sex. I was caught so off-guard that I didn’t say anything until the next morning. I told him I wasn’t okay with that and that it was too much. The second time, I shook my head as soon as he put his hand on my throat and he stopped immediately. I told him, “That scared the shit out of me.” He apologized for startling me and said he wouldn’t do it again.

My question is, why is this a thing? The fact

Scan to conffess

that this has happened to me more than once in a short period of time kind of shocked me. And what is the appropriate thing to do when this happens? What should I do with the person who does this?

- Concerned Hetero Over Kinky Entitled Dumbasses

“I would also love to know why choking has

become a thing,” said Debby Herbenick.

“And it is a thing, especially among young adults.”

Herbenick is a professor with a PhD in health behaviour at the Indiana University school of public health and the author of numerous books on sexuality and sexual The Georgia Straight Confessions, an outlet for submitting revelations about your private lives—or for the voyeurs among us who want to read what other people have disclosed.

obscure quote Work for a cause, not for applause. Work to express, not to impress.

Very appropriate for some situations where shameless self promotion is all too evident, for me. I admire people who can remain low key yet very charitably extend themselves to others, who blow off fame like it was an unnecessary accoutrement of present day activities; some people love to help others, but keep it private to avoid any fuss, others cannot wait to toot their own horns on every occasion and remain self centred in their every action. Even “helping others” sounds more altruistic than it really is, in most cases. Altruism accompanied by numerous social media articles and highlighting specific individuals is part of an overall trend for people to self-promote and become famous for what, maybe ten minutes?

Subway I usually say no to any extras because they cost too much for what you get. Today I said yes to add bacon and extra cheese and I can’t taste any of it. What a waste of $4! I knew I was doing something right.

Accomodations After the first 6 months of the pandemic, I am completely burnt out of helping others. Delivering food, groceries, masks, gas cards, sanitizers, making business cards for their next venture, driving them so they don’t have to transit, etc etc etc. I feel like I’ve gone above and beyond like 300% but the next 6 months, I’m dialing it back to take care of me. Totally exhausted and want to live in a cave for a bit.

That’s two thus far It happened again! For the second time in my life, someone other than my mom called me handsome. I am 38 years old.

Visit 14

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

to post a Confession SEPTEMBER 10 – 17 / 2020

pleasure. She’s also the lead author of a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, CHOKED, a study that looked at the sort of behaviour you’ve been encountering recently: people engaging in spanking, choking, face-fucking, et cetera.

Though some of this is, no doubt consensual, much of it is not.

“We found that 21 percent of women had been choked during sex, as had 11 percent of men,” said Herbenick. “We also found that 20 percent of men and 12 percent of women had choked a partner. But choking during sex was much more common among 18- to 29-year-olds—almost 40 percent of whom had choked or been choked—leading us to believe that choking has really changed in the U.S., over probably the last 10 to 20 years.”

Men who choked women were the biggest single group of chokers, CHOKED, followed by men choking men, women choking women, and trans and gender nonbinary individuals choking and being choked. Straight cisgender men, perhaps unsurprisingly, were the least likely to report that partners choked them during sex. Trans and gender nonbinary participants in Herbenick’s research more often reported that their partners established consent prior to choking, but across the board there was still a great deal of nonconsensual choking going on.

How did we get here?

“Probably porn,” said Herbenick. “We found that many people into choking remember growing up and watching porn with choking in it—and in a country where porn stands in for sex education and family conversations about sex, some young people do what they see in porn.”

It is scary to be suddenly choked by a sex partner. When asked if something scary had ever happened to them during sex, numerous women Herbenick surveyed for a different study cited someone choking them without asking. Even if you were into being choked, CHOKED, which you’re not, suddenly being choked by a new sex partner would still be scary. Because if someone chokes you without asking first, they’re essentially saying—they’re clearly saying— that they have extremely shitty judgement (and didn’t think to obtain your consent) or that they’re an extremely shitty person (and didn’t care to obtain your consent).

“Now, I’m not one of those people who says explicit verbal consent is needed for every hug or kiss or breast/chest touch,” said Herbenick. “I’m well aware that sex often involves verbal, nonverbal, and other shades of asking for something. But no one should choke another person without their explicit verbal consent.”

That goes double-triple-infinity for aggressive and/or high-risk kinks, not just choking.

“And choking is really risky,” added

Even consensual choking can cause trauma.

Photo by Oxanan Kuznetsova/Unsplash.

Herbenick. “Even though people call it choking, external pressure on the neck— like from hands or a cord or necktie—is technically strangulation. In rare cases, choking/strangulation causes people to pass out, leading to probable mild traumatic brain injury. And choking/strangulation sometimes kills people. Even if the person who was choked consented to it, even if they asked to be choked, the person who did the choking is often legally responsible in the event of injury or death.”

I’ve interviewed professional Dominants who will, literally, stick needles through men’s testicles—sterilized needles, consenting testicles—but who refuse to choke clients or engage in other forms of breath play.

“There is truly no safe way to choke someone,” said Herbenick. “As part of my research, I’ve sought advice from several kink-positive physician colleagues, none of whom feels confident in a ‘safe’ way of choking, as there is too much that can go wrong: from seizures to neck injury to death.”

So what do you do the next time some dude grabs your throat? (And there will, sadly, most likely be a next time.) You immediately tell them to stop. Don’t cough, don’t deflect, don’t prioritize their feelings in the moment or worry about ruining the mood and derailing the sex. Use your words: “Don’t choke me; I don’t like that. It’s not sexy to me and it’s not safe, and you should’ve asked.”

If they apologize and don’t try it again, great. Maybe you can keep fucking. But if they pout or act annoyed or insist you might like it after you’ve just finished telling them you definitely don’t like it, get up and leave.

And if someone tried to choke you during sex and you shut it down and they pivoted to mutually enjoyable sex acts, CHOKED, be sure to raise the subject after sex. Make sure they understand you don’t want that to happen again and that you expect them to be more conscientious about consent the see next page

next time—if there is a next time.

“I would be very up front about it from the get-go,” said Herbenick. “When you’re first talking with someone or moving things forward, say something like, ‘I’m not into choking, so don’t try it,’ or, ‘Whatever you do, don’t choke me.’ If you can both share your hard limits, you’ll be better prepped for good, fun, exciting, pleasurable sex—not scary stuff like nonconsensual choking.

“And for everyone reading this, seriously, stop choking people without first talking or asking about it. Just stop.”

Employment EMPLOYMENT

Follow Debby Herbenick on Twitter @ DebbyHerbenick. b I HOPE YOU’RE getting a lot of mail from people uncomfortable with your response to DISCORD, the woman whose cheating husband blew up when a man she was merely chatting with forwarded their correspondence to her husband.

My first question was whether the sadistic creep who baited her into telling him she had an affair wasn’t actually her POS husband playing some sick game. I mean,

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