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ALICE BOULIANNE Visual Arts Editor
Is 29 Too Old For 17?
ROKHAYA RODRIGUEZ Voices Editor
Disclaimer: This article does not discuss these subjects in-depth nor provides a frame for same-sex relationships in the case of the sugar industry. Many celebrities have recently opened up about their experiences in age-gap romantic relationships. Many seem to regret them, like Demi Lovato. Did I quote her song title? Yes, I did. Moving on, the wildly anticipated new album, “Midnight” by Taylor Swift, also featured an age gap relationship story in one of her songs. But honestly, when Leonardo DiCaprio only dated girls below 25 years old until Gigi Hadid, people asked questions. And some may have wondered why older men dating younger girls are called sugar daddies and older women dating younger men are called “cougars”. To top it all off, we need to address the elephant in the room: sugar daddies and sugar mommies (not sugaring, the Egyptian practice I kept on finding on the internet when typing sugaring because I thought the industry was called sugaring, my mistake. Though I have learned and now know better).
Coming up with the specific details of this article was challenging. I had the not-so-brilliant idea of interviewing students about their opinions. Don’t get me wrong, the views of others are valuable and should be heard. Not so brilliant because the beauty of gathering your “samples’’ while analyzing a subject is to discover something new about it altogether. I thought I was in for a time of exploration filled with straightforward answers. However, early on, I realized that the line was VERY blurred. It is hard to give your opinion if you have never found yourself in an age-gap relationship. What truly astonished me was how, in the grand scheme of things, we should not care about the relationships of others. Age gap relationships remain an enigma to me, so they deserve to be understood at their core value, without judgment. Hence, I invite all Dawson students into my research process/messy brain to get to the root of the stigma against age-gap relationships and much more.
By definition, age gap relationships refer to relationships with a 10+ years gap between individuals. The narrative of heterosexual relationships seems to turn around the idea that women are attracted to older men and men are more attracted to younger women. Why? I’m not too sure. It is essential to state that through gender discrimination, women are pressured to reproduce early in their lives. However, unlike their counterparts, men have the luxury of not being pushed to reproduce. Some articles have highlighted possible challenges of being in age-gap relationships. One, individuals are at different stages of their life. Although it does not make their relationship less valid, it can sometimes create a power dynamic where one is more dependent on the other. In that sense, one can become the provider and the other the receiver. In capitalist societies, we put so much importance on age. You can get your driver’s license at 16 in Quebec, or even vote at 18. Thus, there is an “age” for everything. We time ourselves based on age. The older you are, the wiser, but the younger you are, the more naïve you are. You’ve probably heard this before; I certainly have. The phrase “in my time” has likely made its way into the conversation too many times. Several people fear that age-gap relationships are this power dynamic that can prevent an individual from self-actualizing. Disclaimer: all relationships can have power dynamics, but in age-gap relationships, it seems “easier” for these situations to occur since the older person can be in a position of authority.
Two, age-gap couples constantly feel pressured to justify their relationship with others. So many agegap couples feel like they need to explain their relationship decisions since there are many questions about it. The constant questioning can be annoying. Please don’t do that. We should all be respectful of others’ decisions, no matter the context. Statistics have shown that age gaps are more prominent in the LGBTQ+ community than in heterosexual relationships. According to the BBC, approximately 8 % of male-female relationships have an age gap of 10 years and more. 15% of female-to-female relationships are age-gap relationships. Finally, in male-male relationships, 25 % are age-gap relationships. Hence, statistics show that more accepting societies where there is no frame of a perfect relationship, where different types of relationships are normalized, have shown an increase in agegap couples. Age-gap relationships have always been around, but now that women have more rights and freedom of speech, they seem more taboo. Before, many women were married off to older men. Though it still happens today, the practice is not very popular in North America. On another note, dating apps have sped up the dating process, making it more accessible and even less time-consuming since you do
not have to go out of your way to meet someone. Similarly, the popularity of apps for sugar daddies, mommies and sugar babies has increased. “Sugar babies” are on the receiving end of the “relationship.” They are showered with gifts: objects, money, etc. Sugar daddies or mommies give them gifts in exchange for the “services” of the sugar baby. While sugar babies can keep company to their “benefactor,” some have to participate in sexual activities in exchange for “payment”: gifts. The profile of a sugar daddy is as follows; rich (way too rich), lonely, in need of company, and in need of feeling like they are helping someone with their money. These relationships usually have age gaps. The role of sugar babies has been a growing job prospect among young adults in financial difficulties (aka broke students since education is FREAKING expensive). Many sugar daddies confess to having seemed to have a savior complex. Sugar daddies are more common than sugar mommies. Many have compared it to sex work or escorting. However, according to sugar daddies interviewed on Vine, there is mutual respect between the sugar daddy and the sugar baby, where both have equal rights. But doesn’t being paid for services seem like sex work? We all know the sex industry is curated for men and objectifies women’s bodies. Who creates these money-profiting industries? Men. Who benefits from them? Men. What kind of societies do these men live in? Patriarchal societies. Doesn’t it feel like the roles of sugar daddies/mommies and sugar babies are an excuse to justify actions? I don’t know. Age-gap couples are not different from others. The only difference is that they do not respond to societal standards and therefore are more often shamed. We must stop perpetuating this idea of “good” and “bad” relationships. We should instead try to understand the experience of others and listen with an open mind. Still working on the last one, but I am proud to say it is a work in progress. I learn every day, and so do many of you. Enjoy this chance and ability to continuously learn, for it allows us to be aware of societal issues and inequalities that prevent our world from being peaceful. p p
The Jewish Experience
Why being a Jewish student at Dawson is not a five star experience
EMMY RUBIN Copy Editor
TW: themes covered in the article such as antisemitism and the October 31st costume may be triggering to some. I’m a Jew. I have been for my entire life. Before coming to Dawson, I was immersed in Orthodox Jewish schooling from the age of three when I was enrolled in the CPE program at Hebrew Academy. That is where I stayed until I was seventeen, finally graduated, and finally free from the immensity of my Jewish upbringing. And I was happy about it. Or so I thought at the time. Last fall was my first semester at Dawson. Coincidentally, it was also the first time that I’d attended a learning institution where my religion was not the dominant one. At first, I was giddy with the sensation of diversity, meeting so many people of different backgrounds. In my first-ever class at Dawson, Dance Fitness, I and a handful of other wide-eyed first-years sat in a circle and exchanged backgrounds. Upon hearing that I was Jewish, one of the girls in the circle exclaimed, “Wow! I’ve never met a Jew before! This is why I love being here: the diversity.”
Entering this new world of public education, I felt like a celebrity for being part of the fraction of Jewish students on campus. Then, the holidays rolled around, and my differences didn’t make me feel special anymore; they made me feel ostracized and disadvantaged. Dealing with the start of the year at a new school at a higher academic level is trying for any student, but coming from an Orthodox Jewish background made it so that I had to shoulder that burden along with seven days of classwork and assignments I had to make up from merely observing my religion.
However, I am not the only Jew that is forced to trudge through the holiday season that reigns over the Fall semester. In a recent survey taken by members of the Dawson student body, ten out of ten Jewish students stated that they celebrate the Jewish holidays and that the celebration of these holidays meant that they could not attend school. Ninety percent of the students who celebrated the holidays and were subsequently obligated to miss seven days of school reported that the assignments and tests they had to miss took a significant toll on their mental health. And it’s no wonder: as one student put it, “I need to learn double the amount of work in half the amount of time. While my classmates are all ahead. Even if I manage to catch up on all of my classes before the next lecture, it’s hard and messes with my sleep schedule, but still, I can’t complain; it is what it is. We just have to do the best we can.”
This is the mindset that every Jewish student on campus has; we are bludgeoned with setbacks until we are stuck three feet below even standing, and then we rebuke ourselves for being incensed. Why? Because we’re not the popular religion and we can’t expect to be given special treatment. We are made to believe that we should feel lucky that teachers don’t outright penalize us for missing class or assignment due dates and sometimes grant us extensions that make it so that we have to complete missed work at the same time as currently assigned work. That is not equity - it’s barely receiving equality. Melenie Segev, a Jewish Dawson student pointed out: “I had two midterm exams the day after Yom Kippur. My high holiday was spent studying two subjects. What are people doing on December 26th? Watching The Grinch in their PJs and going boxing day shopping. No one would even think to take out their school books on such an important holiday. Why should I?” This year’s Yom Kippur, a day of fasting, was on October 5th.
It is one thing to try and be a normal student while being made to endure the academic ramifications of practicing a minority religion. It is quite another feat to tolerate hate for being a part of that same religion.
Most of you who are reading this will probably immediately associate the words “Jews” and “hate” with the now infamously known Halloween costume incident. Moreover, you readers are probably still hungry for information on the incident, either to have some new opinion to condemn or to try and sort this whole thing out for yourselves.
For those of you who don’t know, along with being the copy editor for the Plant, I am also the president of Dawson Hillel, a club that every cegep and college in North America possesses to foster a sense of community and education for Jewish life on campus. As the representative for the Jewish Dawson student body, I sent an email to the Director General of Dawson in collaboration with the advocacy
manager for Hillel Montreal condemning the Halloween display. I was then immediately contacted by the Director General’s office. Fast-forward two days later and I was attending the listening session most of you read about in the document sent from the college, giving the opening remark on behalf of all of Hillel Montreal. Aside from dealing with the Dawson administration, I was contacted by several concerned students who divulged to me their experience with the student who wore the costume and their individual opinions on the matter. In a nutshell, I am the closest you readers will get to the truth behind the second-most notorious Halloween in Dawson’s history. So let’s talk about it. The facts of the incident that everyone agrees on are the same ones you’ve heard a thousand times before; that the student was dressed up as a post-WWII East German soldier wearing a gas mask and performing a goose step in front of a crowd of cheering onlookers in the lower atrium on October 31st. What most of you probably don’t know is that an anonymous source who attended the costume contest went up to the person dressed up as the soldier and pointed out to them that what they were doing was “super f—- up”. To this, the soldier responded, “Oh, so you must be one of those people who don’t like Nazis.” However, there is another point of view that is held by many: that the student in question had not been aware of how his costume came across. These people, some of whom personally know the student, assert that he simply hyper-fixated on military history and wanted to display a fully accurate rendition of a soldier from the Eastern German Communist Party, who donned gas masks during chemical warfare. This is what the student himself claims is what happened.
At the listening session on November 4th moderated by the academic dean, Rob Cassidy, and the head of the Jewish studies department, Leila Roiter, it was announced that the student would, as a consequence, be made to take a tour of the Montreal Holocaust Museum to learn about the event that triggered many of the Jewish student body after seeing his costume and goose step on Halloween. They also stated that in the case that new information reveals itself with respect to the Oct. 31 incident, they will reopen the investigation on the student. For now, though, they are treating the incident as one of misunderstanding and are rehabilitating the student through education which, as Robert Cassidy put it, “is an opportunity that, as a learning institution, we cannot pass up on.”
No matter which perspective you choose to align yourself with, one thing is clear: regardless of intent, this incident elicited severe emotional responses from the student body and therefore they reacted with hurt and anger. As is their right. Tone policing, the act of invalidating an individual’s opinion based on their emotional reactions stemming from past trauma, is alive and well throughout this ordeal. However, I will be the first to admit that the reactions that crescendoed into threats on the student’s life are unacceptable. He is still a human being that has a right to safety, just as we are. Even though many of the Jewish student body felt unsafe themselves after the events of this year’s Halloween.
At the listening session, several students spoke up about how they felt unsafe on campus when they presented as Jews. This means that they no longer wear their Star of David necklaces or other religious symbols for fear that they will be targeted for their Judaism. This fear began before Halloween; it was the result of years of subtle antisemitism and micro-aggressions that Jews face every day on campus but don’t report because they either seem too insignificant to make a big deal out of, or they are a one-time occurrence that will absolutely be reported if it ever happens again. But then it does, and there it lies: unreported.
Before the events of Halloween, a teacher, during a philosophy lecture on the creation of a city (a polis), stated that a polis cannot be just any human gathering because that would be a concentration camp. Mindlessly referring to the Holocaust and concentration camps during lectures instead of acknowledging that the Holocaust was a traumatic and horrifying part of a nation’s past can be triggering for students who have personal connections to the Holocaust. Jewish students have reported that they face antisemitism every day: in the form of people walking away from conversations when the fact that they are Jewish has been brought up. In the form of basing their opinion of Jews on one bad experience with a Jewish individual. In the form of feeling uncomfortable disclosing their pro-Israel opinion as a lot of the student base appears to have polarizing views on the matter. These polarizing views are, in part, a consequence of the particular facet of performative activism that manifests itself in brief infographics that might not capture the nuances of the situation, or necessarily cover both sides. Being a zionist does not immediately categorize you as a murderer-sympathizer. Antisemitism has spiked to an alarming peak over the last few weeks. Kanye’s antisemitic remarks are taking over the news. And yet, the number of followers on his Instagram account outnumbers the amount of actual Jews that are on the planet. It’s a scary time. A time that has the potential of either imploding into something resembling early 20th century Germany or strengthening the Jewish people and embodying the phrase ‘never again’. For students reading this that are feeling confused and scared, there are ways to find support. For one, there is your trusty Dawson Hillel that you can always turn to when you need a sense of community. Federation CJA along with Stand With Us can help you deal with antisemitism on campus and Jewish empowerment. Being Jewish doesn’t have to mean being perpetually afraid; it can mean community. Identity. And, most of all, it can mean pride. p p
One Year Anniversary of The Atwater Pantry
ASPEN CRICK Staff Writer
“People showed up despite the cold, and there’s this mix of students and community members and people who give to the pantry, who take from the pantry, and none of that matters right now. Everyone is just here sharing a meal which is the exact idea,” said John Nathaniel Gertler, one of the founding students of the ` and a Dawson College graduate.
The Atwater Community Pantry, or ACP, was inaugurated on October 27th, 2021. It is an initiative in the sphere of mutual aid. Many volunteers keep it going by bringing food from different places to put in the pantry. Ultimately, this allows people to take things for free without having to sign up or face judgment. Thursday, October 27th, 2022, was a celebration to commemorate the start of the ACP initiative. Rather than the newly implemented Thursday meetings at the pantry to discuss the community’s needs and concerns, at 4 pm, community members came together two hours earlier than usual. There was soup and stew, provided by the People’s Potato, a nonprofit organization that makes vegan food from scratch to give to community members from Monday to Thursday. People from all around had food for the soul while coming together to honor the first anniversary of the very pantry that united them. People stopped by and gave their best wishes, i.e.; someone commented that those helping with the pantry, the mere here-and-there volunteers, are doing great work, and they wished these people to be blessed by god. It was heartwarming to witness, being a volunteer for the ACP myself. “I’m just super filled with gratitude and like a feeling of fullness,” expressed Gertler. “It’s a magical spot,” said a community member who admitted to being thankful for the existence of the Atwater Community Pantry, which is situated at 2111 Atwater Avenue.
It was inspirational to see the person who felt positive emotions about the pantry bringing homemade pasta to share with others. It amplified this idea of non-judgment and that of sometimes needing a little extra time; in some instances, you can do your bit for others. This community member wanted to give back, and with the timing of the first anniversary, there could not have been a more uplifting moment.
“We could just disappear, and it would still be there. I think that’s what I’m the happiest about,” emphasized Luka Vincelli, a new addition to the pantry team as well as a student studying environmental science, during an impromptu interview at the event, having previously mentioned being generally pleased about the good day they’ve been having.
Maybe now you’re inspired to do your bit for the Atwater Community Pantry or even to create your own mutual aid project. Do not feel pressured to fix the issue of a minimal amount of food redistribution which, unfortunately, is not implemented by our governments whether it be at a national or federal level.
Best explained by Mia Kennedy, now a Dawson College graduate and a fellow student founder of the ACP: “This doesn’t solve the problem of food insecurity across Quebec. It acts as a band-aid to this major issue that can only really be solved through policy and law-making.”
The ACP is a great project and shows that our generation is seeing issues and acting on them to find solutions. As stated by Mia, “It takes more than a communal pantry to fix the issue at hand. There’s no harm in keeping it going; since community members benefit from it.” @atwatercommunitypantry p p
From hobbyist to professional
To choose or not to choose a career in the creative field
SANAD HAMDOUNA Staff Writer
Choosing a career path can be one of the most challenging decisions of a person’s life, and it’s one that can change along the way. There are many factors to consider including income, interests, passions, skills, and education. Interest and passion tend to have a lot of importance in this choice, considering a person’s career will stick with them for most of their lives. According to recent research on career changes and work, the average person spends almost 100 000 hours of their lives at work. That’s just shy of 11.5 straight years at work. It’s a lot of time to spend doing something unpleasant, which can damage workers’ and students’ mental health. In fact, in a 2014 Dutch study on 17-24-year-olds struggling with psychological problems, a successful intervention with a career choice counselor helped significantly decrease said problems. One way to avoid getting stuck in an unfitting career choice (and by extension, the field of study), is by turning a creative skill that’s already enjoyable, aka a hobby or passion, into a career. Though not all hobbies can be successfully monetized, many can, and making this choice comes with its own list of pros and cons. The most commonly discussed con is potential income. The stereotype of the starving artist may not be completely true, but it’s a constant possibility for career artists. Indeed, many jobs in the creative field tend to take the form of freelancing and shortterm or seasonal contracts. This can lead to lower job security and unstable income, which is an important factor to consider, though its weight will vary by individual. Another con is the fear of that hobby turning into just another dreadful task, especially considering it’d be going from relaxing and enjoyable to doing it under pressure and with a paycheck or grade on the line. For some people, the added stress to something that could be enjoyable just isn’t worth it. This is the case for Hiyam, a visual artist who decided to pursue social sciences at Dawson instead of photography or illustration, which are simply hobbies for her. “I don’t like being told what to do, I hate deadlines, I can’t see myself drawing for someone else, drawing is just for my pleasure” she says.
Despite these cons, many artists have made a choice to pursue a creative career. Miyuka, an illustration student at Dawson explained her choice by saying: “Of course money is really important for like… living. But, if you don’t feel anything from doing your job, then it’s just gonna be sad for the rest of your life. At least when you turn your passion into a job you can even enjoy the little things.” One of her classmates, Robin, who had dropped out of illustration several years ago and went on to graduate from McGill with a degree in social sciences only to come back to illustration, added: “No matter what you do you’re gonna suffer, so might as well do something you enjoy.” This sentiment is echoed by Adam Savage, former co-host of the TV show MythBusters, on a YouTube video where he talks about work and fun. “Work is boring. Ninety percent of what you will do for a living is a crushing slog.” He shrugs and goes on to highlight the enjoyable side of freelancing. For him, and many less famous freelancers, it’s worth it despite the cons.
For some artists, viewing art through a professional lens actually brought about positive changes in their relationship with their craft. Such is the case for Neal Armstong, a former student and now professor in Dawson’s Illustration program. As someone who went from painting for fun and studying graphic design before choosing illustration, Neal says: “Once I was introduced to illustration, once I started getting into it, I really got obsessed with it. […] The big change for me was coming to school and being introduced to a system of techniques and knowledge that would prepare me to make money as an artist in the industry. So without going to school, I would be completely lost, and there’s no way I would ever become an artist.”
At the end of the day, everyone will have a different priority for their career choice, and there’s no shame in changing it. This is just one path to an enjoyable career, and it may not be for everyone. But with the necessary knowledge and skill set, it can kickstart a life without regrets. Sources:
Zippia. “21 Crucial Career Change Statistics [2022]: How Often Do People Change Jobs?” Zippia.com. Sep. 15, 2022.
Kunnen ES. The effect of a career choice guidance on self-reported psychological problems. Front Psychol. 2014 Jun 4.
Ailluri94. “Job Security in the Creative Industry .” Film and Digital Media A Multi-Author Discussion of the Creative Industries in the Digital Age, WordPress.com, 7 Sept. 2015.
Savage, Adam. “Ask Adam Savage: On Turning a Hobby Into a (Still Enjoyable) Business”. YouTube, Adam Savage’s Tested, 2021. p
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