The Strand | Vol. 65, Issue 4

‘Too Little, Too Late’: PEARS protests for a safer campus after reviewing UofT’s sexual violence policy

The survivor-led initiative voices concerns across UofT’s three campuses

MAX LEES CO-NEWS EDITOR

Content warning: sexual violence and rape culture.

The Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, Re sponse, for Survivors (PEARS) Project is a grass roots initiative at UofT that works to support and advocate for survivors of sexual violence across the tri-campus. Over the past year, PEARS has con ducted reviews, held town halls, and organised protests regarding UofT’s Policy on Sexual Violence, which was reviewed mid-July 2022. Most recently, a survivor-led protest voiced concerns about the university’s actions being ‘too little, too late’ while promoting collective care and action.

not be further from the truth—this is why we fight every day to make changes on our campus and in our broader communities.”

Last year, PEARS released a review of the Policy on Sexual Violence titled We Deserve Better before the university began its consultation process. Earlier this year, the group consulted policy analysts and lawyers and held three town halls to collect addi tional feedback over the course of the university’s review and consultation process. After the univer sity released its review of the policy, PEARS com piled an analysis titled Too Little, Too Late includ ing feedback on the university’s recommendations. Although Kalisch spoke briefly at the meeting of the academic board, and the university held sever

vocacy. The triumph was ours in strength, vulner ability, resilience, and collective voice. [UofT has] brought us to mourn and demand more from the institution that claims to care about the well-being of all of its students.”

We Deserve Better offers 39 policy recommenda tions while Too Little, Too Late analyses all 12 of the university’s recommendations and offers ad ditional PEARS recommendations. Major themes include using clear, survivor-centric, and trau ma-informed language, prioritising the safety and confidentiality of survivors, and employing com munity resources rather than relying solely on the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre (SVPSC). PEARS recommends working with the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, the Barbra Schifler Commemorative Clinic, the Dandelion Initiative, Students for Consent Culture Canada, and others.

Micah Kalisch, director of PEARS, spoke to The Strand about major concerns: “The prevalence of campus rape culture and systemic disbelief causes immense harm for survivors. The insufficient pol icy and practices at the university actively put us in danger and do not prioritise our autonomy and well-being. Survivors and students feel unsafe on our own campus: we miss class to avoid our perpe trators, and yet we are still dismissed, belittled, and ignored by the university. UofT’s unwillingness to prioritise survivors not only perpetuates rape cul ture but also speaks volumes to survivors: it tells us we are disposable, burdens, and liars. This could

Pay-to-work

al other consultation sessions, PEARS found that “based on the recommendations they put forth, very [few] of our recommendations seem to have been incorporated.”

The tri-campus protest on October 7 demonstrat ed a strong sense of community care and support, while demanding that UofT do better. According to PEARS’ Arts and Advocacy Lead, Klark, “[the protest] brought survivors and members of our community together to fight for a cause. It will be a triumph for us even if UofT doesn’t accept our demands because it shows community care and ad

According to Kalisch, most support work is done on a volunteer basis: “The majority of survivor ad vocacy work falls onto survivors. It is led by Indig enous women, Two-spirit people, and women of colour. Within the university, survivors leading the call-to-action and providing resources receive zero compensation and are actively opposed by the ad ministration. This work cannot be sustained with out relying on our community and allies to care for one another. While mutual aid, peer support, and student-driven policy change is crucial, our voices need to be heard by the university.”

Despite frustration and dissatisfaction with the university’s response, PEARS has created a col lective voice for survivors and continues to do meaningful work. “My hope is that the university starts listening and taking action. As survivors, we have been voicing concerns and demanding justice since before the policy was even implemented,” says Kalisch. The policy was implemented in 2017 as a result of Bill 132 and must be reviewed every three years.

How having a head start in life gives you a head start in academia

JEVAN KONYAR CONTRIBUTOR

If we accept that the jobs that look best on a resume often pay less than those that don’t typically stand out, then it doesn’t take any mental gymnastics to see how people from more affluent backgrounds have an advantage from the outset.

Let’s assume three premises: (1) people will pursue jobs that look good on a resume; (2) people will not work jobs that don’t pay them enough to live/ sustain themselves; and (3) students who come from wealth will receive more money from their family and therefore will not spend as much out-of-pocket on necessities. Combine these three with the fact that handsome jobs don’t pay especially handsomely. A research assistant in the Work-Study program will

likely only make minimum wage, whereas a waiter at a place like Boston Pizza will make that plus tips. Hence, it’s clear that students from lower-income backgrounds will be deterred from taking more CV-friendly work, hindering their prospects in the long-run.

While this issue plagues the entire workforce, it hits hard in academia, where the order of advancement is fairly set in stone and the competition is fierce.

For those hoping to work in academia after they graduate, low-paying or even volunteer positions during an undergrad degree are often critical, as they give students a competitive edge over other graduate applicants. Work like this is also a great compliment to undergraduate research, which—despite initiatives like research opportunity programs (ROPs)—is often too taxing for students to invest in. Adding to that,

funding for undergrad research often concentrates in STEM or related fields, with those looking to work in the humanities or social sciences left in the dust.

In essence, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds simply can’t afford good jobs as it’s far easier to work in a valued position that pays minimum wage when you don’t have any obligation to help provide for your family and yourself. In the grand scheme of things, this holds them back from work in their intended field. It’s hard to climb a ladder when you can’t even reach the first rung.

Additionally, UofT’s Report on Employment Equity incorporates categories for race and gender, but not class.

PHOTO | JADINE NGAN VIA THE VARSITY

Pierre Poilievre YouTube channel linked to misogynistic tag

Poilievre YouTube revelations come at a time of increased awareness of online misogyny

MAYA HUTZUL CONTRIBUTER

Earlier this October, the new federal Conservative Party leader, Pierre Poilievre, made headlines after YouTube videos uploaded to his personal channel were found by Global News to include the tag #MGTOW. ‘Men going their own way,’ or ‘MGTOW’ for short, is a movement where men attempt to cut off contact with virtually all women in their lives. On mgtow. com, women are viewed as parasites who attempt to ride the coattails of men and their achievements—and it’s only by ridding themselves of most women that men can truly be free.

The #MGTOW movement is a part of the larger ‘manosphere,’ a collection of misogynistic groups that engage in a wide variety of activities, from venting about progress in gender equality to explicitly planning acts of violence against women. When describing why Reddit banned r/MGTOW, it was relayed that “while the movement was ostensibly about men ‘going their own way’ without women or relationships, the subreddit was obsessed with denigrating and hating women.”

The tag was found on 50 of Poilievre’s recent videos dating all the way back to March 2018. The tag was invisible to viewers, and helped promote Poilievre’s videos on topics ranging from the death of Queen Elizabeth II to messages on housing affordability. An internal probe as to how this could have happened was started and then called off by the Poilievre team, claiming that Poilievre was unaware of the tag and couldn’t determine how it was added.

Anthony Koch, a spokesperson for Poilievre, stated that “because Mr. Poilievre has had many staff upload videos who have passwords over the years, including in 2018, his office is unable to determine who exactly added the tag[s].”

The revelation caused swift political and public backlash, with Prime Minister Trudeau publicly calling on the Conservative leader to apologize in the House of Commons. This backlash is reflective of the increasing mainstream awareness of misogynistic behaviour online, such as when American influencer Andrew Tate was banned from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter last August due to misogynistic remarks.

Tate first gained notoriety by appearing on the reality show Big Brother, and getting kicked off after a video of an alleged assault was circulated. His short videos on TikTok, which propelled him to viral fame, contained offensive and sexist remarks about women. His virality is partly due to his extreme statements,

PHOTO | REUTERS

which include comparing women to property and blaming women for sexual assault.

The ‘manosphere’ culture and misogynistic content are closely intertwined, and some are worried about Poilievre’s popularity with such groups. Victoria College student Anasofia Florez told The Strand that although she wasn’t sure if the Conservative leader was directly involved in adding the tag, “the fact that anyone thought it might be politically advantageous to align with anti-feminists is horrifying.” She added that “Canadians too quickly forget how this rhetoric impacts our public safety, from the Montreal Massacre in 1989 to the Toronto Van Attack in 2018.”

Though the backlash towards Poilievre is fading, the issue of tackling misogyny, both online and in day-today life, remains a pressing question.

Reactions at UofT to Iran protests

University students and faculty respond in solidarity to protests in Iran

On September 13, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by police in the Iranian province of Kurdistan over a law requiring women in Iran to adhere to strict religious dress codes, alleging Amini had worn her hijab too loosely. Amini died in police custody three days later, sparking large-scale protests, beginning at Amini’s funeral before spreading across the rest of wider Iran. Protesters have called for changes to the enforcement of religious dress codes in the country, with some protesters going further to call for their abolition entirely as well as the end of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s reign in Iran.

Marches in support of the movement have also appeared in several other countries around the world, including France, Germany, Sweden, the United States, and Canada. UofT students have stood in solidarity with protesters in Iran, with over 400 UofT students gathering outside Sidney Smith Hall on October 6. Similar events have previously occurred on campus, including rallies on September 22 and 23, as well as a community vigil outside the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office on October 3.

UofT President Meric Gertler condemned the violation of human rights in Iran leading to and after the death of Mahsa Amini in a statement on October 5, describing the Iranian government’s actions as “egregious” and “anathema to [UofT].” In his statement, President Gertler promised to provide bursaries through the Scholars at Risk Award Program to UofT students in Iran seeking asylum in Canada.

Student groups have called for UofT to increase the level of support provided to Iranian students, as well as greater media coverage of the situation in Iran and greater support for Iranians at risk from the Canadian government. In an announcement on October 19, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada would host a meeting between 15 female foreign ministers to discuss human rights abuses in Iran. Minister Joly also announced additional sanctions

on four Iranian organisations and six individuals, including Iranian Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi.

More student rallies are being organised in order to pressure both UofT and Canadian authorities to commit to more significant action in order to support protesters in Iran. Director of UofT’s Women and Gender Studies Institute, Shahrzad Mojab, has called on members of the UofT community, including students and faculty, to protest on December 7. The date marks the 69th anniversary of an incident in Iran, when Iranian police fired on protesting students at Tehran University during the visit of then-Vice President of the United States, Richard Nixon. The shooting resulted in three student deaths and is seen as a catalyst for women and human rights movements in Iran.

In his statement, President Gertler reminded students to connect with services at the university if they require any support due to the situation in Iran. Undergraduate students are asked to contact their Faculty or College Registrar, while graduate students can reach out to their department of the School of Graduate Studies. UofT’s Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office and MultiFaith Centre are also available to provide support, as well as the Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario.

ROY SHI

PHOTO

Boo!

Ghostface pays a visit to The Strand

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If this issue were a scary movie, then our opening scene would see the characters facing a dilemma: they need to pick one of two potential paths to follow. One is a dark, narrow passageway, swarming with prickly thorns, and the other is a lush garden, filled with crunchy leaves that cover the ground and the smell of early morning dew. For some absurd reason, they’ll pick the wrong one. Once they arrive at their destination (some dark corner of University College’s basement), a phone will ring. One ring, two rings, three—the group gets annoyed. So, of course, they answer (who answers a landline these days outside of a scary movie?). And then, naturally, a dialogue would commence, kicking off the scary in scary movie.

Clueless UofT student: Hello?

Ghostface (from phone): Hello. Yes?

Who is this?

Who are you trying to reach?

What class number are you in?

What class number are you trying to reach?

I don’t know.

I think you have the wrong classroom.

Do I?

It happens. Take it easy.

The clueless UofT student then hangs up the phone. A moment later, it rings again.

Clueless UofT student: Hello?

Ghostface (from phone): What’s your favourite campus newspaper?

I don’t know.

You must have a favourite.

The one with the monster mascot… What’s it called… Pringle?

Uh… you mean The Varsity?

Yea, I think so.

Wrong answer.

The phone line breaks, obviously. Whose favourite campus paper isn’t The Strand?! If it’s not yours, only ‘tricks’ for you. The Trick or Treat Issue is our gift to the Halloween lovers, haters, and everyone in between. I (Janna), for instance, am a die-hard horror fan; however, I also HATE dressing up (we exist!!). Meanwhile I (Rion), pretend that October is nothing but gourd season until the day before Halloween when I watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and never speak of the holiday again until the same time the following year. We here at The Strand recognize that Halloween time comes with a lot of nuances and struggles, like trying to pick a scary movie for movie night and having to beg and plead with that one friend in the group that Coraline is, in fact, not “too scary” (you know who you are and shame on you)... So, whether you love Halloween or get scared by your own shadow, there’s bound to be something for you within the spooky pages of this issue.

If you are a good Vic student and The Strand is your favourite campus newspaper, then put on a blindfold, dive your hand into our bowl of mystery, and see if you pick out a treat. You could knock on Feature’s door and find a witch on the other side. Arts and Culture’s door will creep you out with the spooky return of childhood Halloween costumes. Beware of Science’s side of the street—disorder lurks there, as does the dark (matter). Whose door will you knock on first?

As for us, we’ll be staying inside watching the leaves twirl in the wind, as something ominous brews in our Strand cauldron for the next issue. See you next time… or not. hehehehehe

Interested in getting involed with The Strand? Come visit us during our office hour from 12-1 pm on Tuesdays in The Strand office in room 153 in the Goldring Student Centre.

Janna

and

ILLUSTRATION | SHELLEY YAO

Horror in a time of violence

The Gulf War was the ultimate slasher

ZED HOFFMAN-WELDON CONTRIBUTOR

In 1993, Paul Watson took a photograph of an American soldier’s corpse being dragged, naked and mutilated, through the streets of Mogadishu. When Time published his photos, they digitally censored the soldier’s exposed penis. Though nearly 30 years old now, Watson’s photographs of a mutilated corpse are a skeleton key for understanding contemporary horror movies. In the decades since, ‘slashers’—horror movies that feature a single knife-wielding villain—have largely been replaced by supernatural and psychological horror films. The decline of slashers is, arguably, a result of regularly broadcasting violence and war (especially American imperial violence) on television and social media.

Increasing depictions of violence in the news have desensitised viewers to brutality. The desecration of a body was acceptable to American viewers, but a glimpse of that body’s penis was not. Violence is routine, yet sexual organs and vulnerability are scary. Watson’s photographs, of course, are not the root of this desensitisation. The exact date when televised violence began to rise is difficult to pinpoint, but it likely began with the First Gulf War. Three years earlier, that war had come to life on television. During the Vietnam War, most media coverage was not of battles, but regular press coverage read by anchors. By contrast, the First Gulf War featured CNN camera crews reporting on battles and bombings, live, 24 hours a day. The feeling that Americans experienced watching the slaughter of 25,000 Iraqis would

prove difficult to replicate.

After the release of Halloween in 1978, the slasher became a staple of American horror. Slashers depend on graphic violence as their primary method of generating fear. In Roger Ebert’s 1979 review of Halloween, he called it “an absolutely merciless thriller, [so] violent and scary.” To a contemporary reader, this might seem incomprehensible; calling any slasher merciless and ultra-violent feels laughable.

Take, for instance, the final chase scene in Halloween. Michael Myers, the movie’s villain, pursues Jamie Lee Curtis’s character into her house. Curtis hides in the crook of a sofa and palms a knitting needle, stabbing Myers in the neck and leaving him for dead. However, Myers survives and follows Curtis up the stairs, moving deliberately. Despite failing to kill Curtis initially, the speed of his steps conveys his sustained control over the scene. Curtis, on the other hand, cannot stop screaming. This is where the tension in the scene is ruined for contemporary audiences: Curtis’s screaming seems like an overreaction to the violence of the scene—the violence that was shocking in 1978 has become routine in 2022.

Curtis’s reaction, although justified given her situation, appears campy or comedic because we see that level of violence (or worse) on a near-daily basis. A movie Ebert called “so violent and scary” is not even particularly gory. Michael Myers may have killed five people in Halloween, but Barack Obama killed 18 people on his third day in office.

The Blair Witch Project (1999) marked the beginning of a new era in horror movies. The age

of the slasher was over, and Blair Witch heralded the dominance of supernatural and psychological horror. Rather than attempting to scare audiences with a knife-wielding man, supernatural horror movies seek to tap into latent fears of witches, ghosts, and demons. Whereas violence in slashers is routine, psychological horror dissects violence in an attempt to further unsettle the viewer. For example, Ari Aster’s Midsommar (2019) examines a failing relationship between two PhD students. The most disturbing scene in Midsommar is not gory; rather, it consists of the protagonist’s boyfriend having ritual sex with a minor.

Movies like Paranormal Activity (2007) and Midsommar were attractive to studios for two reasons: first, they were capable of being scary on a shoestring budget. For example, Paranormal Activity grossed nearly $200 million on a budget of $15,000. Second, and more importantly, slasher movies had become box-office duds. Violence that had excited audiences in the 1980s was now dull. How could Hollywood hope to compete with the real-life violence of the First Gulf War or 9/11?

Some of the most popular horror media of the past decade are Netflix’s Stranger Things and Aster’s Hereditary (2018), both supernatural horrors, and, in the case of Hereditary, psychological horror. This new horror is for us what the exposed penis was for Time. We’ve collectively lost interest in our pile of mutilated corpses, grown large in the shadow of a decadent empire, and instead, we search for the same excitement in the psychological and the supernatural, genres that do not remind us of the real-life horrors we witness daily.

Scream Queens and movie screens

The tenuous relationship between horror films and The Academy

ABI AKINLADE OPINIONS EDITOR

Allow me to preface this piece by saying that I am by no means a horror film aficionado. While I have an immense appreciation for the genre, I take no enjoyment in the physical sensation of being frightened: the feeling of my heart beating faster, my adrenaline spiking, and the knowledge that my dreams that night are going to be vivid and bloodcurdling are not in the least bit pleasant. Nonetheless, I consider myself a lover of film in general, which constitutes acknowledging the merit of all genres, horror included. It has provided us with countless cultural moments, inside jokes, and scream queens like Jamie Lee Curtis and Drew Barrymore.

Many people believe that The Academy is notorious for granting “preferential treatment” to certain kinds of films—while this is completely uncorroborated, it’s quite colloquially known that “Oscar-winning movies” (at least, in the “big 4” categories) are typically dramas and typically English-speaking. Films that are well known for having little to no chance at winning Oscars in any major category (although they may occasionally receive critical acclaim) are “superhero movies,” comedies, “chick-flicks,” and, of course, horror movies.

Gems of the horror movie industry include

Scream, It, Nightmare on Elm Street, and more recently, films such as Ari Aster’s Midsommar and Hereditary, and Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Us, and Nope. Horror even has genres within its larger genre—there is slasher horror, psychological horror, comedic horror, sci-fi horror, body horror, etc. There is much to be gained from horror movies. Jordan Peele’s films, for instance, use horror movie tropes as a tool to be able to dissect racial issues.

The Academy’s lack of recognition for horror films was seemingly confirmed by writer Joe Hill, who tweeted in 2019: “Not a question in my mind that Florence Pugh should catch a Best Actress nomination for the emotional precision of her performance in MIDSOMMAR. But you and I both know that horror, like the superhero film, remains a second-class genre when it comes to prize consideration.” This was seconded by horror legend Stephen King, who quoted the tweet saying, “It’s true. Horror is usually considered a ghetto genre.”

Since the dawn of The Academy in 1929 (making it 93 years old to date), only eighteen horror movies have received Oscars, and The Silence of the Lambs is the only one to have ever won Best Picture. Notable performances including Toni Collette in Hereditary, Lupita Nyong’o in Us, Florence Pugh in Midsommar and Anya Taylor-Joy in VVitch, have all been snubbed by The Academy despite receiving well-deserved critical acclaim.

Various members of the film industry vote on the Oscar winners each year, but the members must first be approved by a Board of Governors. It can therefore be argued that members that sit on the panel may hold certain biases that encourage them to overlook certain genres in favour of films that are more “prestigious.” Horror and superhero movies are often relegated to awards like visual effects, while dramas are considered for more coveted categories like Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture.

At the end of the day, Oscar wins have a large impact on the film community—winning films in major categories reflect extremely well on their studios, and they can completely alter the course of an actor’s career. Denying horror films the opportunity to win these awards (despite the fact that many of them are critically acclaimed and universally loved) is doing them, and the film industry at large, an extreme disservice. Even as someone who actively refuses to watch horror films, I can’t deny the impact that they’ve had on pop culture and the Western film canon. The Academy should strive to diversify their panel and deconstruct the biases that suggest that certain categories of film are less important, or less deserving of being celebrated based on arbitrary, stereotypical factors.

ILLUSTRATION | SHELLEY YAO

The Strand creeps it real

Lettuce and Trin and Butterfingers! Oh my!

SARAH ABERNETHY AND MIKAELA MOORE ARTS AND CULTURE TEAM

Hello, readers of The Strand ! You're in for a treat! Sarah and Mikaela are back once again, this time, with something a little goofy! Or should we say… spooky? We’ve polled the masthead on some of the most hard-hitting Halloween-themed questions that we could dream up–Freddie Krueger would be so proud. Caution, some of the answers to the last question might haunt you! We know you're dying to hear what The Strand has to say.

For example, (we all know you've been wondering for quite some time): 70.6 percent of the masthead would rather spend a night in the (notoriously haunted) Victoria College chapel, than the 29.4 percent who would prefer to meet face to face, the ghost of the Queen's Park horse man… What does that say about us? That’s for you to figure out, and us to know.

But aside from that, we present to you a fundamental, trick-proof guide to Halloween 2022… The Strand style.

Tell us who you’re being for Halloween, without telling us who you’re being for Halloween.

- “Just bee yourself” Adam, Managing Web Editor

- “Black turtle neck, fanny pack, dad jeans. Figure it out.” ~ Faith, Stranded Editor

- “Isn't Halloween also just a fitting holiday for love?” ~ Shelley, Co-Illustration Editor

- “Nostalgic and sweet... fun to play” ~ Sarah, Arts and Culture Editor

- “Wordle” ~ Seavey, Co-Illustration Editor

- “Nightmare gay serial killer who eats eyes” ~ Kieran, Science Editor

- “A french maid from the planet Transylvania” ~ Mikaela, Arts and Culture Associate

- “Think of the most bloodcurdling rendition of 'chandelier' you've ever heard performed by an animated character! ” ~ Sam, Features Editor

- “Mom, I am a rich man” ~ Ishika, Co-Poetry Editor

- “Does anyone know where I can get Farrah Fawcett hairspray?” ~ Max, Co-News Editor

- “Over the rainbow and clicking shoes” ~ Isha, Social Media Manager

- “Natalie Portman, but make it dark” ~ Abi, Opinions Editor

Best Halloween movie?

At The Strand, we think that The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline are go-tos

Scariest place on campus?

- “Exam Centre” ~ Adam, Faith, and Mikaela

- “Trinity College” ~ Rion and Max

- “The Office of the Dean of Students ;)” ~ Sam - “Earth Science basement (the fly incubators are there)” Kieran

- “The Fisher Library elevator… absolutely horrifying” ~ Sarah - “EX200” ~ Shelley

Worst candy bar?

- “The chalky US Smarties” ~ Adam - “Snickers or Butterfinger. Anyone who picks those as their #1 candy deserves JAIL” Janna, CoEditor-in-Chief

- “Snickers, duh.” ~ Sarah

- “Oh Henry!" ~ Shelley and Rion

- “Mound” ~ Seavey

- “Crispy Crunch” ~ Kieran

- “Coffee Crisp - its namesake ingredient reminds me of exam season” ~ Maeve, Associate Copyeditor

How would you survive if you were a character in a scary movie?

- “By simply not putting myself at risk in the first place. Oh, what's that? You want me to come over to play with a Ouija board? Sorry, I am suddenly deathly ill. You and some friends are going for a walk through the supposedly haunted forest at

midnight? Sorry, can't come, got work tomorrow.” ~ Janna

- “By moving out of town at the first sign of trouble. Even a creak in the floorboards and I'm gone!” ~ Mikaela

- “Be creepier than the spooky monster to assert dominance” ~ Max

- “Pretending to be a bimbo so they let me live the longest” ~ Abi, Opinions Editor

Eugene, Shelley, Rion, and Faith don't think they would survive…

Would you spend a night in a haunted house for straight As?

- “To be honest, I would quite literally permanently move into a haunted house, get possessed, and become a ghost bride if it meant I would get straight As” ~ Janna

- “I already live in Annesley, so yeah.” ~ Faith

- “It can't be more soul-sucking than Robarts... right?” ~ Max

You get to pick the masthead group costume… what will we be?

- “The Varsity (spooky)” ~ Adam

- “Everyone dresses up as different Taylor Swift eras” ~ Janna

- “TELETUBBIES! (I know there's only 4 of them but we can have repeats.)” ~ Faith

- “Taylor Swift's discography” ~ Roensa, Senior Copyeditor

- “Okay hear me out. We each dress as different types of columns (think Greek style Ionic/Doric etc). Because y'know. Newspaper columnists” ~ Shelley

- “A very long horse” ~ Seavey

- “Oompa-Loompas with Rion and Janna as Willy Wonka” ~ Kieran

- “Get a very big trench coat and be mega muppet man” ~ Max

And

PHOTO | MIKAELA'S MOM

In dialogue WITCHES with

miKaela moore aSSOCIaTE aRTS aND CUlTURE EDITOR

This Halloween season, many are binge-watching their favourite spooky movies, like Halloweentown or Hocus Pocus, hundreds of children are getting ready to wear their witch costumes out trick-or-treating, and some might even try their hand at magickal rituals for the first time. But what is witchcraft? Are all witches green and warty? Are they flying their broomsticks across the night sky, cursing candy, and cackling? The truth is, modern witchcraft is more common than you might think. Witches and practitioners of witchcraft are all around us, even at UofT. I had the privilege of moderating a conversation between two students who identify as witches as they shared their stories, their craft, common misconceptions, and things you might not realise about witchcraft!

The names of the students in the article below have been changed upon their request.

The Strand: Tell me a little bit about your practice. How do you identify with witchcraft? What was your journey?

Rene: I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to hardcore label myself as a witch just yet. I suppose I'm still a beginner and kind of exploring things. But kind of how I ended up here is that I've always naturally been drawn to or interested in the occult and witchcraft stuff in general. But it was more, at

that time, like a fantasy to me. Then I ended up getting my first tarot deck back before university started, and I realised that the messages kind of do sometimes sync up with what I'm feeling, what I'm seeing, or even patterns in other people's lives. I ended up basically diving into tarot, like the whole theory behind its origins. It was originally played as a card game, right? But then people started using it as a divination tool. So, divination is what I would say I'm specialising in. Tarot specifically hits really close to home, and now I have six different decks.

Audie: That's cool! I love my first tarot deck. It was gifted to me, which is the tradition.

R: Yeah, I've definitely heard of the whole tradition where the first deck should be gifted to you. I guess in a sense, for me, I kind of follow the nontraditional route, compared to many other people, because I don't believe that it is necessary. If the path calls to you, you should take it, as long as you take it respectfully. So yeah, that's how I ended up here. I found tarot, and now I'm trying to learn more about how to align my craft with the phases of the moon while looking more into green witchcraft, as well as chaos magick.

A: Lovely! For me, I would classify myself as an eclectic, secular witch. My practice mainly involves

a lot of shadow work, spell jars, a lot of kitchen magick, some crystal magick, and the phases of the moon are really important to me and my practice, as well. That's just a little bit about me. I’m kind of all over the place and draw on whatever I feel the most connected to when I’m looking to fulfill a specific set of intentions with my craft. What you said that really resonated with me is finding the path that calls to you and taking it. I think that's totally relatable. I feel passionate about the energies of the universe and how everything has correspondence and purpose. Although my practice isn't necessarily religious, the nice thing about witchcraft is that I can practise a more secular brand of it, while still practising my faith as a separate thing. Obviously, there are also witches who have more religious practices, like Wiccans and other witches, who use deity work and incorporate more pagan traditions into their craft. Whatever your path—totally cool. Witchcraft is so personal and flexible that you don't have to fit yourself into a box to practice, and I think that's really awesome.

R: Definitely. I would say my practice is also a lot more secular, and I have the utmost respect towards people who do deity work as well. For me, and this may sound a bit blasphemous, but I'm my own deity. I make my own magick.

Conjuring up answers to yourburning questions

What are some ways that you incorporate your practice into your everyday life?

R: One of the best ways to incorporate your practice into your everyday life could be cleansing. We all want to maintain a clean home, so why not make it a little fun and witchy? If you're into green witchcraft, throw some herbs in there for your wall washes and stuff like that. If you're into divination or tarot, do a tarot pull every single morning just to feel out the vibes or the energy of the day. Simple things like that. If you're really into jewellery, you could do glamour magick to enchant your jewellery to your own needs or purposes. And that just becomes a part of you. [Trying to make my practice an everyday part of me is] something that I'm still working on, but those are a couple of ideas I have in order to make your practice, your magickal journey, or whatever you want to call it, embedded as a part of you.

A: I don't think anyone's practice is really perfect. We're all human. As much as you research and practice, there are still elements to be worked on. Like I said earlier, shadow work is like a big part of my practice. As scary as it sounds, it's based on the theory of the shadow self by Jung. Essentially, it's confronting all the parts of yourself that you don't like or haven’t uncovered yet, in order to grow as a person and better develop into who you want to be. Introspection is tough, but knowing yourself and working to be better is hugely important to the success of anything you're trying to manifest or conjure in everyday witchcraft.

For people who don't know anything about witchcraft, there is a term called “closed practices.” These are practices that are reserved for people who belong to certain racial, cultural, or religious groups. Can you talk a little bit about that?

R: Oh, my God. I am so glad you asked me about closed practices. I feel like this is a discussion I have almost every single day. I'm born and raised Hindu, and I've grown up that way my entire life. I would say that my spiritual beliefs still do incorporate well into my practice. So it's a tricky subject, because you want people to explore other cultures and practices and to learn about you. You want them to get excited about that! Historically, a lot of people of different colour, cultures, and traditions have been put down tremendously. So what can you do if you want people to appreciate it? There comes an extent where that appreciation becomes exploitation. And I see this a lot in the witchcraft community, especially in this current New Age era of spirituality, which is primarily founded on stolen Hindu mysticism. For example, I see a lot of people coming in and saying,

“I want to learn how to unblock all of my chakra. What crystals do I need? What herbs do I need? What should I do?” And I'm like, honey, please take a step back and realise where that concept originates from. So the thing is, my take on closed practices is that, on one hand, I don't completely mind if someone does want to take up an interest and also wants to practice. But what needs to happen first is dedicated research towards the originating culture and not just how it's practised. Also, where [the tradition] came from, why [it] is the way it is, the theory behind it, and how it was historically treated by outside cultures.

A: Very well put. I'm not a person of colour, and so that's something that I really want to respect in my practice. And so I do think that research is one of the number one foundations in witchcraft, but also treating everything in your practice with respect is so important. I know most people also don’t realise smudging is a closed Indigenous practice. Even just cleansing with white sage and palo santo is frowned upon if you don't belong to the cultures that those plants are sacred to.

What are some common misconceptions about witchcraft?

R: I think people think that we're all devil worshippers. They think we're out to cut off their tongues!

A: Think of your classic Shakespearean witches’ chant, with your eye of newt and toe of frog. Something that most people don't realise is that those are just traditional nicknames for common plants.

R: Oh really? I didn't know that!

A: Eye of newt is mustard seed, and toe of frog is buttercup. So, as scary as it sounds, most spell ingredients are really just herbal remedies.

R: I feel like people keep thinking that witchcraft is something ominous and demonic; meanwhile, me and all the other witches I know are just kind of here like making our own lotions with herbal remedies, blasting music, and being like, I do music magick.

here thinking that we're gonna hex them at any chance.

Of course, it's improper to label someone a witch if that's something they don't self-identify with, especially with the stigma that's been placed on that word historically, and culturally. With that aside, what are some things that people do that they don't realise are part of some witchcraft practices?

A: Your birthday candles. You make the whole circle with your birthday candles and then you make a wish, or you put the number of candles that correspond to your age and then you make a wish. All of that has a paganistic tradition.

R: Well, even when you lose an eyelash and you make a wish on that. That eyelash is basically acting like a taglock.

A: Another thing that's really interesting to me that I feel like has become very mainstream is crystals and using them with their associations, like the whole rose quartz craze.

R: [Another example is] good luck charms!

A: Yeah, good luck charms are a huge, everyday thing. Even just wearing your favourite colour, because you feel more confident in [that specific] colour.

R: That's true, colour magick is a thing. People use it every day by dressing to correlate with their moods and what vibe they want to give off when they see other people. And then that reminds me of all those TikTok trends of people giving tips on what you can do to get some sort of desired effect. Oh, have you heard of that one [trend] with makeup where you put the white dots on your eyes to make a man like, totally hypnotised by you? In a way, that's kind of a spell in and of itself.

Witches, and those who practise witchcraft, are incredibly diverse in beliefs and practices, but they’re also still people with regular problems, like juggling their school work and social lives. Thank you to the students who volunteered to answer my questions. You brought magick to the pages of The Strand.

A: In Wicca, a huge concept is to do no harm. There's this principle where anything that you do will come back to you threefold. So make sure not to send out negative energy into the world. Your actions have consequences.

R: That ties into the whole law of Karma that I personally believe in as well. People are really out

The word “taglock,” in this interview, refers to any object coming from a person or animal which witches can use to make them the target of a spell.

THINK PEOPLE THINK THAT WE'RE ALL DEVIL WORSHIPPERS. THEY THINK WE'RE OUT TO CUT OFF THEIR TONGUES!

Who’s afraid of the dark? The search for dark matter

stephanie cui COpyEDTIOR

The first thing we learned in high school science class was the concept of matter. We all know that almost everything around us is made of matter, including the cheesy poster outside science classrooms that says “You Matter!” Matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space. However, not all matter can be detected by our naked eyes or even by our most advanced instruments. In fact, everything ever observed by human technology constitutes less than five percent of the universe—the rest is darkness.

Dark matter stealthily hides from our sight by not emitting any type of electromagnetic radiation. How, then, did scientists come to hypothesise the existence of such an elusive form of matter? It turns out that dark

matter plays an indispensable role in holding the world together. In 1933, Fritz Zwicky, a Swiss astronomer working at the California Institute of Technology, measured how much visible mass there was in a certain cluster of galaxies. His result was that the quantity of visible matter was far too small to be consistent with the rotation speed of the galaxies; the galaxies would have escaped the gravitational pull of the cluster and spiralled out of control long ago. This led Zwicky to conclude that an invisible substance that generates extra gravity with its mass acts like a glue to keep galaxies intact. Another metaphor compares the universe to ice cream: dark matter is the invisible ice cream cone, and all the ordinary things we see are the sprinkles on top.

Just a four-hour drive away from UofT, scientists at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOLAB) conduct extraordinary experiments in hopes of learning more about dark matter. SNOLAB is buried two kilometres underground in Vale's Creighton mine, making it the deepest clean room laboratory in the world. It was designed to address ‘The Solar Neutrino Problem’ and eventually solved it in 2001. The leading scientist, Arthur McDonald, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work. The layers of rocks between SNOLAB and the surface block out unwanted radiation and distractions, creating an ideal low-background environment. One active experiment at SNOLAB is PICO, where interactions between particles are captured using bubble chambers.

The detectors are located in water tanks filled with

Unscientific science

How forensic science can fail at solving crimes

alessandra castino CONTRIBUTOR

We all love a good episode of CSI, where the protagonists gather DNA samples, run them through a machine, and are able to find the bad folks—with a 100 percent accuracy rate and no chance of ever sending an innocent person to prison. Unfortunately, real life is seldom like TV.

According to the Innocence Project, 45 percent of DNA exoneration cases involved misapplications of forensic science that led to wrongful convictions. A collaboration between the Innocence Project and The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers found that, of the 268 cases where FBI hair analysis led to a conviction, 96 percent of their findings were the result of flawed forensic testimony.

In 2009, the National Research Council published a report that condemned fields such as bloodstain pattern analysis, firearms examination, fingerprint, bite marks, and impression match analysis as unreliable and lacking scientific basis. While some of these fields have been thoroughly dismissed as pseudoscience, procedures such as DNA and fingerprint analysis are still widely believed to be reliable. This is a level of faith that these practices do not deserve.

DNA analysis has come to play an important role in the justice system as one of the most reliable forensic sciences, but it still has many issues. One of these issues is the fact that all humans have very similar DNA. What makes all of us unique is a 0.1 percent difference in our genetic code. This means that the same DNA profile could potentially match multiple people, especially if the DNA sample is damaged or contains a mixture of DNA from multiple individuals. This issue becomes particularly clear when dealing with close relatives who have more similarities in their DNA. Consider the case of Lynnette White who was murdered in 1988. When the police ran a DNA test on a sample found at the scene, the only match was a boy that was too young to

have committed the murder. Later on, it was discovered that his uncle was the murderer.

Similar problems apply to fingerprint analysis. The difference between fingerprints is at times hard to perceive, especially when the fingerprint sample is partial or smudged, which is likely to occur in crime scenes. Take the case of the 2004 Madrid

Train Bombing: following the event, the FBI arrested Brandon Mayfield, an Oregon man who had never been in Spain. His arrest was based on the word of three separate examiners who matched his fingerprints to the ones collected from the bag of the detonators.

However, it was later found that the same fingerprint also matched someone else’s, who was in Spain at the time. Thus, even the reliability of fingerprint matching is thrown into question. This is without considering the fact that each forensic scientist examines evidence

fluid previously used in household fridges. When superheated, the particles interact and cause the fluid to boil and form a bubble. The bubble is recorded on camera and microphone, to identify rare interactions of dark matter particles with ordinary matter. Indeed, every bubble contains the fragile yet beautiful key to uncovering the mysteries of dark matter.

Ever since the dawn of humanity, we have been fascinated by the unknown. Thus, the search for dark matter is not limited to the most brilliant scientists in our society—we all share the instinctual drive and insatiable desire to discover. Artists, philosophers, and historians alike have joined the open discussion around dark matter and put forth their valuable perspectives. For instance, four internationally renowned artists recently toured SNOLAB and engaged with researchers leading the search for dark matter. Their SNOLABinspired artworks were then displayed until earlier this month at ‘Drift: Art and Dark Matter,’ an exhibition at the UofT Art Museum. This intersection reflected on art and science’s shared mode of experimentation and creativity while addressing the issue of missing perspectives. The exhibit pointed out the important fact that SNOLAB is located on the traditional territory of the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850, shared by a diverse set of Indigenous communities. As we unveil the secrets of our universe, we are also searching inwards and moulding our collective identity with inclusivity and humility.

completely differently, as there is a lack of standardised practices across laboratories. Error rates in fingerprint laboratory matching can vary from 3–20 percent.

The problem is not necessarily that forensic science is always wrong, but that with every DNA analysis or fingerprint match there is a degree of uncertainty and possibility of error that often remains undeclared. The solution is to start treating forensic science as an actual science. Science is fallible and full of uncertainties— and forensic science is no different, no matter how accurate TV shows make it out to be. It is all a matter of statistical probability, p-values, and hypothesis testing—all the stuff that we don’t want to hear about in crime shows, but that should definitely be considered when someone’s life is on the line.

PHOTO | GEORGE PRENTZAS

PHOTO | SHELLEY YAO

On the death of the poet in the modern age

Poetry is dead and we’re the culprits

As I piece together the poetry of the new world—not of the American West, but of the self-aware consciousnesses that stems specifically from the Romantics—I want to pull my teeth out and give up. We are not in a postliberation world; we are a leashed generation, with ties to a past we put to sleep. In our chains, we muzzle the Poet: a soul who hears the whispers of what the poet Octavio Paz calls ‘the other voice.’ In our fauxenlightened world, these Poets often report their other voice in a recognisable verse: one that is defiant of the status quo, one that serves as an act of rebellion, and one that hurts the other Poets to encounter. Their words act as sirens to the other lost souls who realise how trapped they are in their modernity, in positions of relative power and inferiority. However, one of the problems with the Poet is that not every Poet can produce poetry, let alone Poetry. There is a strong distinction between the two in that poetry is a writing in verse, distinct from prose, and Poetry is the transmission of what the ‘other voice’ has to say, whether in explicit verse or not. Yet, since this restrained Poet is already a unique subsect of humankind, the Poem grows dangerously rare.

Why then, if so difficult, painful, and scarce, that we listen to this other voice and pursue it? I think this question is better answered when we unpack the nature of the voice’s message. The Poets frequently sit within the middle class with few notable exceptions, and most have attended a university. The Poets who write frequently come from distinguished backgrounds and live a states where capitalism reassures them that they should be content, but nevertheless continue to overwork themselves so they never associate monotony with pleasure. Paz reasons that these Poets are the “enemies and victims” of the very modernity that provides them arguable stability. The voice can see both sides of the fence and the Poet sits between them on the ever-growing line without grass. The bourgeoisie is comically untouchable and looks, to the Poet, like the Monopoly Man, had he grown a beer belly and smoked far too many cigars. The proletariat, fearfully within reach, serve as a reminder of the comfort the

Poet has and can easily lose. The middle class is afraid of the proletariat, not because of any harm the proletariat could impose on the middle class, but because of the amount of pain they would endure if they slip into the same socioeconomic status.

Thus, the middle class observes both sides and ignores them. Here, they submit to the ills of the system and the ‘other voice’ grows weak. However, the development of Poetry is a profound act of resistance, defiance, and a beautiful attempt to share the experience of further truths with the world. There is no true capitalistic benefit of Poetry. Anthologies of verse may sell and support the livelihoods of those attached to the literary production chain, but that is where the conformity ends. True Poetry is profoundly anti-capitalist, whether in its words, its emotions, or in its simple existence. When shared at poetry readings, in front of the mirror, or under the tongue after lovemaking, Poetry sparks a revolution of the soul and reawakens a restlessness we like to blame the machines for silencing.

To Paz, the other voice is the Poet’s “own, someone else’s, no one else’s, no one’s, and everyone’s.” It is individual in that it is human. The Poem is not something that can be written; it is a sort of revelation and a discovery that seems to exist on some other plane of reality or consciousness that “the poet merely discovers.” This is why Poetry is so important. The Poem could never be mass-produced nor over-printed. You cannot sit a Poet down in a chamber and tell them to write food for the soul. The results will be limericks and haikus without a transcendent truth behind it; the catchiness will linger for a moment before it melts away into obscurity, forgotten along with the other waste of consumption.

As we continue our shift toward this store-brand, meaningless verse, society continues to shrink the Poet’s stage. We are at risk of never hearing from the other voice again. The modern era provides little space for the study, appreciation, let alone development of the

ideas from the other voice. The world today is too loud and cumbersome; the middle class is overworked and desensitised. If the voice cannot hear itself, how could we ever expect the Poet to hear it, let alone share it? The poet Dianne Di Prima offers an excellent example of the real danger we face when she writes:

“in the middle of our drive over the Nebraska hills and

into colorado, odetta signing, the whole world singing in me the triumph of our revolution in the air me about to get that down, and you you saying something about the carburetor so that it all went away.”

The other voice manifests as a trance the Poet falls into. “A whirlwind of higher forces,” to steal the phrase from Artaud. It is delicate and fine, and if the humble drum of the carburetor penetrates too far, then it will be too late to salvage our voice.

Without the other voice, I fear the world would become unrecognisable; it is not the inherent good of humanity, but it is the voice of the thus far uninterrupted, collective soul. It speaks from ancient truths otherwise undiscoverable today and ensures that there is still time. The Poet must survive, because although we have the old Poems, we need something for the modern Poet to discover, and open the door to new Poetry. Since the material world changes far too frequently (for nothing we create is infinite), if the only piece of stability, the Poet, were to erode completely, I suspect we would be on the forefront of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s sixth mass extinction on Earth. The death of the human spirit would bring far more devastation than the death of the human species; the species without the spirit, as we are almost certainly bound to see, will allow for the evil of the mind to run unchecked. Although this final stage has already progressed, we must try to revive this insurgent art: the one common link amongst humankind.

PHOTO | RION LEVY

rion levy CO-EDITOR-IN-ChIEf

Why do women really like true crime?

KYLEEANNE WOOD CONTRIBUTOR

It’s movie night, and you’re watching a woman on-screen making a choice that you can already tell will end her life. We all know the drill; you have a blanket clenched in one fist and your mouth covered by the palm of your other hand. You sit hunched over on the edge of your sofa, waiting for the moment that it happens. It’s the classic horror movie experience. You watch the scene play out while holding your breath. Maybe you even yell out to her, “don’t go in there!” and respond with a little, “I told you so” once she’s realized her mistake. Except this is not a horror film, and her death is not mere fiction. This is true crime.

Part of true crime’s appeal stems from its assertion that it’s based on real-life events.

The genre’s basis in reality inevitably draws viewers for several reasons: it satisfies our morbid curiosity, gives us an adrenaline rush under safe circumstances, helps us understand parts of the justice system, and finally, involves us with the process of ‘solving’ a crime. Yet, these reasons provide little explanation for the genre’s disproportionate female viewership.

Almost every true crime article and major essay in the field seems to bring up this peculiar trend. Psychologist Amanda Vicary first observed this phenomenon in her 2010 study of Amazon book reviews and found that women were more drawn to true crime than men. In 2018, the true crime podcast Wine and Crime similarly attested to these claims in the genre, stating that roughly, “85% of their audience is female.” It’s something in the subject matter that causes many women to turn time and time again to this genre— and the answer may be what you’re already thinking.

According to Vicary, true crime served as a how-to guide on surviving and preventing crime. Either consciously or subconsciously, the fear of crime plays into this desire to know how to avoid or escape from it. Furthermore, Dr. John Mayer felt that this exposure to violence and crime could help women feel more prepared by building a tolerance to this fear.

As a passive viewer of this genre, I can attest to these sensations of consuming true crime and taking notes. A few years back, I watched the 2002 film, Ted Bundy. I remember one scene that showed survivor Carol DaRonch fighting and finally escaping from Bundy and thinking to myself, “never enter the car of a stranger” and “if my life is on the line, I’d need to fight like that to survive.” At the time, it gave me comfort to gather these tips that could one day be useful and potentially save my life.

That all said and done, these potential explanations for women’s enjoyment of true crime give a devastating representation of both the genre and the crimes inflicted upon women. As long as women are subjected to violence, the genre will continue to flourish along with its female viewership. While true crime will provide for plentiful content to watch in the safety of our homes, viewers will

Sweet tooth for Hedwig

VCDS’ Hedwig and the Angry Inch sells out the Cat’s Eye

On October 14 and 15, nestled in the far west corner of the Goldring Student Centre, a lucky handful of campus theatre-goers were transported into the world of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Produced by the Victoria College Drama Society (VCDS) and directed by Anthony Palermo, Vic’s first fully fledged musical post-COVID-19 restrictions was beautiful, fun, and a total success.

Hedwig details the life and love story of genderqueer rock n’ roll performer Hedwig Schmidt (Thomas Cordoso Quinn) and her band, The Angry Inch. She sings, she dances, she verbally abuses her partner in crime Yitzhak (Emma Coulson), and explores the many nuances of love, gender, belonging, betrayal, and hair.

For a performance with only two actors, VCDS’s production never failed to feel full of life. Palermo’s slight amendments to the text allowed for some great quips and a notably hilarious shaming of Jordan Peterson’s views on gender: “How do I look Jordan?” Hedwig beckons into the crowd. She also doesn’t shy away from calling out UofT’s “inadequate mental health care.”

The decision to stage Hedwig in the Cat’s Eye, which had been transformed into a wonderfully intimate theatre venue with soft lighting and couches, really gave the play an immersive touch. When Hedwig entered through the aisle and grabed her mic on a stand, you were right there with her in the audience of her band’s fictional performance. It felt special. When she sings “The Origin of Love,” you know she is giving you a little piece of herself, too. That’s also, however, largely credited to Quinn’s exceptional embodiment of Hedwig. I never once doubted Hedwig’s authenticity. To play a character who contends with as much pain as she does joy takes serious dedication to get right, and the work to do so shone through in every beat and song.

However, what maybe stole the show the most for me was, in fact, the costume design (Gabe Woo), which, in all of its symbolism, quite frankly blew me away. Hedwig’s various costume changes occured in a series of undressings, each revealing a different layer of herself, as she gradually becomes more emotionally vulnerable with the audience and sheds her armour. The fabrics themselves were covered in Keith Haring-esque figures with accents of pink and blue

bandanas—colour choices I take not to be incidental. In the twist at the end of the play (which I’ll refrain from spoiling), the new bearer of Hedwig’s garments wears them proudly in a reconfigured ‘collage’—perhaps a sneaky reference to the song “Exquisite Corpse?”

But the details didn’t stop there. The set included stacks of old boxy TVs and a screen which projected clips and illustrations alongside the lyrics of all the songs, with particular homage to “The Origin of Love” illustrations from the film. The creative team’s intent and thoughtfulness was certainly evident.

In short, Hedwig was a brilliant reminder of the transformative magic of musical theatre and its ability to tell meaningful stories in the most quirky and rebellious ways. The performances were as fun and energised as they were heartwarming and hopeful. I imagine that we will be hearing the buzzings of its success for quite some time.

sarah abernethy aRTS & CUlTURE EDITOR

PHOTO | VCDS

ILLUSTRATION | SHELLEY YAO

ILLUSTRATION | SEAVEY VAN WALSUM

Gothic literature recommendations for the Halloween haters una v CONTRIBUTOR

Celebrating Halloween as a university student is an ordeal and a half. Deciding where you’re gonna fall on the cute-to-slutty costume scale, being too broke to splurge on Loblaws's mega-packs of candy, and recovering from post-midterm stress is enough to turn anyone off of the holiday. But fear not, dear readers! I’ve come up with a foolproof method to enjoy this accursed holiday that doesn’t even involve leaving your bed. Cue the candle light, turn the kettle on, and grab your fluffiest blanket ‘cause it’s time for some spooky book recs.

#1: Villette by Charlotte Brontë

Nobody does a ghost story better than the Gothic queen herself, Charlotte Brontë. Villette has to be one of my favourite novels of all time on account of its unforgettable protagonist, spunky love interest, and mind-bending plot twist. Follow Lucy Snowe as she navigates her new job as a professor in the fictional

town of Villette (based on Brussels, where Brontë taught and fell in love herself). The story is littered with graveyard scenes, dark cobblestone alleys, and even features a mysterious schoolyard ghost. As with Jane Eyre, Brontë explores the tension between morality and desire which the inadvertent cruelty of men inspire in her female protagonists. Let there be no doubt: Villette will haunt you.

#2: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

This novella inspired the Netflix hit The Haunting of Bly Manor. A governess with a dark past is charged with the care of a little boy and girl who live in the English countryside. She quickly learns that their previous governess died under questionable circumstances and there’s an unknown man who roams the grounds that none of the staff seem to be able to account for?! Wild.

As someone whose Pinterest is filled with pictures of luxurious country manors, it felt like such a treat to see a house like this brought to life—literally and figuratively.

#3: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Not to be confused with Susan Hill’s deplorable The Woman in Black, this novel is brought to you by Wilkie Collins, a.k.a. the father of the modern mystery novel. Madness, forbidden love, family secrets, and weird aristocrats jumble together in this book. The drama begins when Walter Hartright, drawing master of a wealthy family, encounters a woman dressed entirely in white on a dark English road. As Hartright investigates the woman’s identity, he also falls deeply in love with his client, Laura. I like this book more for its aesthetically pleasing dimension rather than for its plot or mystery alone. What can I say, I’m a sucker for the eerie English countryside! I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone just getting into Gothic lit, since Collins is responsible for originating many tropes, not just in the Gothic genre, but in horrors and thrillers as well.

That’s all for today, folks. Wishing you a fabulous spooky season!

Boris sent me

A companion to your spooky playlist of issue four

You've never experienced a true early-2000s Canadian Halloween until you've known the anguish of having to wear your snowsuit over your costume. Even if you were lucky and your costume fit over your winter coat and snow pants, it just wasn't the same. After a long day at school doing The Monster Mash and drinking that weird orange flavoured elixir out of a McDonald's

cup at the school dance, you would come home already hopped up on Smarties and Coffee Crisp. You'd go out into the streets with your flashing pumpkin safety pin hoping to score full-sized chocolate bars, and you'd come back with a dollar store ghost sack full of yummy treats. Sure, every once in a while you'd find a house that was handing out toothbrushes and getting a good giggle out of it; and sure, sometimes you'd gets cans of pop (or worse, bottles of water) in your candy bag from a poor neighbour underprepared for the volume

of kids; but your hard work knocking on doors and saying, "trick or treat" over and over again (as if your neighbours didn't know why you were there) finally paid off when you could watch Zach and Cody’s "The Ghost of Suite 613" episode, eating Mars bars to your heart's content… or at least until you fell asleep and your dad turned on Friday The 13th. This playlist completely encapsulates those good, spooky, nostalgic childhood vibes.

miKaela moore

aRTS aND CUlTURE aSSOCIaTE EDITOR

ILLUSTRATION | SHELLEY YAO

Your body is going to be alright, because the Witch in the woods says so.

The world is going to end. We all know that.

Gonna get stabbed in the heart by the three of swords. Gonna get the hell out when the conversation goes grim.

Crowds surging, because something is wrong. War is built into our bodies.

Our bodies, wired to our funny brains that can learn to do trigonometry and invent the telephone because we can’t survive without talking about what kind of bread we had for lunch with some random person we found and lost and got lost in. “I miss you, that’s all.” How is a species like us possibly going to survive itself?

This is not science fiction. Not history. It’s just how it is.

The silly little feelings won’t go away.

The silly little feelings want to kill something.

The Witch knows. She walks by your side. Or maybe she doesn’t. You lost your mind a long time ago. When you can’t sleep under the stars, you hold your own hand. In the soft liminal dark, no one sees the way you’re losing your hand to the shape of a claw.

The Witch is the compass. You walk by your own side. When you become an animal, you will belong to the woods. So be it. Maybe you will grow wide, regal, flaming dragon wings. Maybe you will fester, and crawl. Come what may.

Your body is going to be alright. Everyone else should mind their own business.

The Witch is your friend, maybe.

She can’t make it stop hurting. She isn’t sure that’s something you would want.

She can’t give you your body back. Your loss.

She will give you time, though. In good time, we all become what we’re supposed to be.

ILLUSTRATION | JENNIFER AMOY FONG LI

Stranger Things, according to me

ones who haven’t seen it… not me…

Alex: It’s that special time of year, everyone: time to spook and scare, time to shovel candy into your face until your teeth rot, and time to pretend you’re an expert on all things Halloween. Screw your GPA—if anyone finds out I haven’t seen Ghostbusters, they’ll think I’m a real idiot. Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Christmas or Hal loween movie? Better question, is it even a movie? I wouldn’t know, because I haven’t seen it!

But all of that is completely unrelated to today’s summary of Stranger Things, because that’s a show I’ve DEFINITELY seen, hahahaha. What kind of idiot hasn’t seen Stranger Things, right? *Ahem*… let’s begin:

In season one, we’re introduced to ‘the boys.’ They like Dungeons & Dragons, bicycles, and the 80s. Then there’s the Demogorgon, which is one of the weird CGI monsters that are too scary for me. That’s about all I know, actually, but Faith has defi nitely seen the show and can totally tell you more!

Faith: Thanks, Alex! Yes, of course I’ve seen Strang er Things. It’s definitely my favourite show. I’m summarizing it for you guys, because YOU are the

Okay, let’s begin. In episode one, the kid with the mushroom haircut goes missing. Poor guy. Some sort of monster (Demogorgon? Idk, but it’s slimy and looks very menacing) corners him in a shed and then the screen flashes black and then he’s… gone. And his mom is UPSET. Like, beside herself. She goes to the police, but they’re kinda useless, so the boyz take it upon themselves to find him.

Then, somehow, we meet Eleven. She’s a funky lil' lady. She doesn’t talk much, but she really likes to eat waffles. And honestly? Same. She’s also in a hospital gown a lot of the time, but she somehow rocks it?? Like, absolute SLAY. She could be in Vogue. OH, and she’s always talking about “papa.” I have no idea who he is, but I don’t think he’s her actual dad.

Some stuff happens, and the mushroom haircut kid comes back. Then there are some new char acters, one with red hair named Max (??) who is actually named Sadie, so I’m just gonna call her Sadie. Poor Sadie lady—she gets GOT by Vecna, another scary CGI monster. (Vecna is kind of a jerk.) Also, apparently the guy with the blond hair (Google says his character’s name is Henry??) is actually in the Vecna suit. Two characters for the price of one—double whammy! Anyway, Sadie is really ~goin’ thru it~ because Vecna is possessing

her and she’s, like, floating and her eyes are rolling back in her head… but fear not, because the magic of Kate Bush saves the day! The squad plops a pair of headphones on Sadie’s noggin, and as soon as the sweet, sweet sound of “Running Up That Hill” fills her ears, she is back! in! business!

There’s also a guy named Steve and this other guy called Eddie. I don’t really know how they factor in, but I know they exist. Oh yeah, and Chrissy! I think she really needs her beauty sleep or some thing, because Eddie is ALWAYS yelling at her to wake up. (He doesn’t like this.) But silly Chrissy, she just keeps on sleepin’! (Again, same.) Anyway, that’s pretty much it—back to you, Alex!

Alex: My dad says that Netflix trapped him. He was just trying to watch a funny little 80s show and think about the happy times before divorce and taxes, but now he has to watch movie-length episodes about… whatever you call the above… but at least it’s quality content, right? At least it’s a thoughtful work of art to impact your life in a positive light? At least it’s stimulating… RIGHT?

To conclude, Stranger Things is the best show and we’ve all seen it. Except for Breaking Bad maybe, which we’ve also definitely seen…

HELP WANTED: what does this mean?

faith wershba STRaNDED EDITOR

Okay, Stranded squad. I received this cryptic email in my inbox after sending out the call for pitches this issue. So tell me: what is the meaning of this?? Is it a threat? Is it an endearing invite to partake in communal frog eating? Pls help a girl out.

Pls I am genuinely scared

I didn’t watch it ‘cause it was too scary

PHOTO | NETFLIX

PHOTO | FAITH WERSHBA

Same person, brand new demons!

Growing up was the easy part.

ILLUSTRATION | JULY HU

University marks the transition from childhood to adult life. Make-believe monsters might not scare you anymore, but these spooky situations will definitely shiver your timbers!

Doing taxes

Your head is spinning with tax form codes. You, yourself, are trapped in one of those tiny cells on a page, waiting to be totaled and sent off. What are you, a business major? No one should be expected to spend money on anything except fun and interesting purchases. Why is merely existing so ex pensive?!

Applying to a job Microsoft Word exists specifically and solely to make edit ing your resume a living hell. How are you meant to fit all of your measly accomplishments onto one page? You open your neglected LinkedIn profile, looking for some inspira tion, only to learn that every single one of your classmates is happier and richer than you will ever be. Good luck!

The

adriana goraieb STaff WRITER

anonymousporcupine12345 asks:

Your exam was this morning, actually

You wake up way later than planned, having studied all night. This is your last exam for the semester and you’re so excited to relax over the holidays! Your phone is dead, so you run out the door to McCaul Street while it charges. Upon arrival, there’s no line. Where is everyone? You frantically ask someone for the time and your heart sinks as low as your grades already have. The exam ended two hours ago, and you are officially doomed. So much for a restful break.

Cracking your phone screen

Get over it, you big baby. We’ve all done it. It still works, doesn’t it? Move on.

Asking a minimum wage worker for oat milk

You walk into the bustling neighborhood café with your sus tainably-made tote bag, ready for a relaxing afternoon with a book and an oat milk latte. Dodging a large potted plant, you make your way up to the overworked barista, ready to

order your drink and get out of their hair. There is a young mom in the corner with a wailing baby in tow, and a guy on the phone looking stressed-out near the potted plant. The barista doesn’t ask any questions beyond “Cash or card?” and you know it is your duty to ask for oat milk. You hand over your card without a word. Maybe there’s some Lactaid in your bag?

Where Did That Spider Just Go

You swat at the speedy little guy and miss by an inch. It is lost into the void under your bed and will return in a week with its scores of bright-eyed little babies. Even as you shudder, you are grateful this happened outside the shower.

You have 6 missed calls from Mom

You’re dead, sorry. It was nice knowing you. Have fun in the afterlife, if you believe in that!

art of self-care after a day of hard work

in your childhood bed after a long couple of sec onds of hard work.

“Dear Adriana, I’ve just started my essay for this course I’m taking, and I’m not too sure if it’s time for me to take a break, nor am I sure what I should do on said break. For ref erence, I’ve written the date on the top right corner of the page, and my name may or may not be misspelled on the top left. What’s your advice?”

The average UofT student is extremely hardwork ing—doing readings, hiking to classes, trudging through labs, and forcibly sitting through the most mind-numbing discussion board posts known to the universe. Of course, we need to be rewarded for all that effort—you definitely do, anonymous porcupine12345! Here are my top five ideas for self-care:

1. Book a flight or train ride back home

Nothing beats mom’s food and a good night’s sleep

2. Earn a certificate in mindfulness meditation

When it comes to personal wellness, the number one thing is taking care of your mental health— and learning to help others do so too!! Definitely take the time to invest in a yoga course. It’ll be worth it, I promise you.

3. Browse Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace for adoptable cats

I heard that pets are, like, super good for the mind, body, and soul. You need a little furry friend to cheer you up after working for two minutes, and I think a cat is the perfect low-maintenance, low-en ergy support you need.

4. Take a four day camping trip in nature, for personal healing

Nature is excellent for the soul, especially after it was sucked out of you by that 11-page, high

ly technical scientific paper on who-knows-what. Bring some peace back into your life: explore the wilderness.

5. Sometimes, a really good 15 hour nap is all you need Last, but certainly not least. No explanation need ed. Your bed is calling you. Answer it.

PHOTO | DREAMSTIME

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