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STRAND VICTORIA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER VOLUME 62, ISSUE 8 | 28 JANUARY 2020
Climate Count-up: #4 Plant-rich diets science | page 10
Not my representation features | page 8
The death of the polymath opinions | page 5
02 NEWS
EDITORS | KHADIJA ALAM AND ANN MARIE ELPA NEWS@THESTRAND.CA
The breakdown: microtransactions at UofT A paywall for grades or a digitized learning service? ANN MARIE ELPA CO-NEWS EDITOR
It’s an all-too-familiar scene for some: enrolling in a half-year course and looking at the syllabus only to realize the course requires a mandatory subscription to a third-party learning service, constituting 25 percent of the grade. These mandatory third-party services, also known as “microtransactions,” are a common practice by university professors, and are criticized by students for their lack of transparency and deemed “unethical”. While it is not listed in the course description, professors require students to purchase mandatory third-party learning services in order to complete coursework such as quizzes, assignments, and class participation.
University policies
Top Hat, Mindtap, and McGraw Hill CONNECT are a few of the most common third-party services at UofT. Mindtap, owned by Cengage, an online textbook publishing company, charges students approximately $60 for the service which includes an e-book. Top Hat, most commonly used in life sciences and engineering courses, charges around $26 per term or $38 a year, depending on the course. CONNECT charges $99. While the University does not have an official policy against the use of microtransactions, it caps the price for subscriptions at $65 per half-course. Students who are taking 5.0 FCE can be charged upwards of $650. However, if the subscription exceeds the maximum $65, alternative arrangements need to be made.
Students speak out
In early 2019, students took to UofT’s subreddit to shed light on the issue of microtransactions. Many users talked of the already high tuition fees coupled with necessary expenses such as textbooks. Some compared the practice to creating a paywall for grades; charging students fees for services unaffiliated with the university and comparing common features such as taking quizzes to that offered in Quercus. In response to fighting microtransactions, the UTSU launched the Microtransactions Access Program in collaboration with Top Hat in September of last year. The program provides financial aid to students who are burdened by the costs of microtransactions which are not formally included in tuition or ancillary fees. A list of courses requiring the use of third-party services was also posted.
Highlights from VUSAC’s first meeting of the semester Updates on new clubs, campus life, and important projects KHADIJA ALAM CO-NEWS EDITOR
The Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (VUSAC) held a jam-packed meeting on Friday, January 17 to kick off the winter semester. As it was their first meeting of the semester, the agenda comprised of a wide range of action items, discussion items, and reports. Here are a few highlights:
Women of the World
Women of the World has been ratified as a VUSAC-recognized club whose purpose is to seek equity while fostering a sense of community. Members can connect with each other through weekly discussions of sincere topics, such as what it means to love oneself, and through hosting various team-bonding events, such as karaoke nights. The main goals of this club are to raise money for international charitable causes (for example, forest fires) and to volunteer on a local scale (for example, at food banks). Women of the World intends to bring Victoria College students together by tackling important issues both on and off campus.
Orientation
Victoria College’s Campus Life Coordinator, Christina Alcena, is hiring a team to organize and take part in Orientation Week 2020. As Orientation is one of the biggest events on campus, there are many opportunities for students to get involved. Orientation Executives meet over the summer to plan the event, and they will receive an honorarium for their work. Orientation Leaders support the Executives throughout the week to foster a welcoming and exciting environment. Finally, Transition Mentors create intimate bonds with groups of firstyear students to provide support during Orientation and throughout the remainder of the academic year. For more information on how
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to get involved with Orientation Week 2020, please visit VicOrientation.com. Academic Support Bursary The VUSAC Academic Support Bursary is a project that intends to help alleviate some of the burdens that are associated with academic expenses. The goal is to provide refunds of up to $100 for materials, including textbooks, iClickers, registration fees, and many more expenses. VUSAC’s Academic Commissioner, Lucy Faria, states that this project differs
| hana nikcevic
from other bursaries because it isn’t designed to provide a large amount of money to a few students, but rather to distribute money to as many students as possible. VUSAC will be piloting the project this semester, and the call for applications is scheduled for mid-February. VUSAC meetings occur bi-weekly, and students are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussions. The next meeting will be held on Friday, January 31 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the Copper Room (located in the Goldring Student Centre).
NEWS 03
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 28 JANUARY 2020
Hate Health and Wellness wait times? There’s an app for that UofT rolls out MySSP for all students MAIA ROBERTS CONTRIBUTOR
Content warning: mentions of suicide When it comes to mental health support, the University of Toronto doesn’t exactly have the best track record. However, after three deaths by suicide on the St. George campus in the last two years alone, students are finally saying enough is enough, and demanding that the University do better. In 2019, UofT responded with a new online resource: MySSP. Short for “My Student Support System,” MySSP is a mobile app and call-in service for immediate 24/7 online student support. Licensed counsellors are available to help students with a range of problems—both academic and personal. The main features of the app are its explore page, which displays tweets and articles on student success and wellness from UofT Student Life, as well as its text and call service. Introduced to the UofT community in March 2019, MySSP was originally available solely to international students. However, due to its reported success, the service became available to all students in September 2019. Part of the reason why MySSP was so successful for international students was its ability to break the language barrier: it offers call-in support for 35 languages, and text-based chat support in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Korean. Students
who are unable to speak English well can face unique challenges, such as cultural and linguistic disconnection with their peers, on top of the pressure to adjust to life in a foreign country. This can cause distress, leading to feelings of isolation and depression. Due to the sheer number of students who attend UofT, as well as the elevated demand for mental health resources in a stressful environment, UofT Health and Wellness services have been increasingly unable to accommodate students’ needs in an efficient manner. This may be why MySSP is being advertised by the University as an alternative to traditional psychiatric services. MySSP is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The service can also be accessed by calling 1-(844)451-9700. To acquire support from outside of North America, call 001-(416)-380-6578. If you or someone you know is in distress, you can call: Canada Suicide Prevention Service phone available 24/7 at 1-833-456-4566 Good 2 Talk Student Helpline at 1-866-925-5454 Ontario Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600 Gerstein Centre Crisis Line at 416-929-5200 U of T Health & Wellness Centre at 416-978-8030
What’s going on around UofT next month? Don’t miss out on these great events around campus in February! EDEN PROSSER EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
We’re almost officially one-twelfth of the way through 2020: the snow’s (still) falling, the new decade memes are finally starting to fade away, and midterm season is right around the corner. Luckily, there’s no shortage of fun happenings on and around the St. George campus! So buckle up your winter boots and zip your jacket up tight, because this upcoming month is full of events that you definitely won’t want to miss… UofT Drama Festival 2020 Thursday, February 6 - Saturday, February 8, 2020, 7:30pm 10:30pm Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Circle Come one, come all to the annual UofT Drama Festival, where some of the greatest up-and-coming student thespians showcase their talents in original one-act plays. It’s sure to be a weekend full of fantastic comedy, epic on-stage tragedy, and lots of drama. Don’t miss the Victoria College Drama Society’s production of Father Figures on Saturday, February 8, written by The Strand’s very own Managing Editor Leo Morgenstern! Bloor-Yorkville Annual IceFest Saturday, February 8 - Sunday, February 9, 2020, Sat 12pm 8pm, Sun 12pm - 5pm Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland St Every year, Toronto ice carvers showcase their frozen prowess while creating sculptures that even Jack Frost would be envious of. Stroll through the stunning, snow-capped displays, admire the arctic artwork, and enjoy a variety of Canadian street treats in this one-weekend-only magical winter wonderland! Study Smart: How to Succeed at UofT Conference Saturday, February 8, 2020, 9am - 4pm Multi-Faith Centre, 569 Spadina Ave Join student life professionals, learning strategists, UofT alumni, and fellow students alike at this conference designed to help you pinpoint how you learn best! Attend intriguing and informative workshops on topics ranging from “Finding Success Through Failure” to “The Science of Success: Neuroplasticity,” win tons of fantastic prizes, and even earn CCR credit simply by attending—you’re sure to walk away from the conference having learned something new. Mendelssohn String Octet: Performed by the University of Toronto Faculty of Music Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 7:30pm - 9pm University of Toronto Faculty of Music, 80 Queen’s Park Cres Classical music, an on-campus venue, and free admission for UofT students? What’s better than that?! Come support fellow UofT scholars as they perform Felix Mendelssohn’s String Octet in their third and final performance of the What Makes It Great? performance series! Unwind and enjoy as you destress to the harmonies and melodies of this truly breathtaking piece of music. Hamilton: The Hit Musical Opens Saturday, February 15, 2020, various times Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St Raise a glass to freedom! The 11-time Tony Award-winning musical is coming to Toronto, starting its three-month run this month! Don’t throw away your shot at being in “the room where it happens”—stop by the Ed Mirvish Theatre to finally get a chance to see the innovative, criticallyacclaimed production that’s swept the world by storm!
04 EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | REBECCA GAO EDITOR@THESTRAND.CA
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The Strand has been the newspaper of record for Victoria University since 1953. It is published 12 times a year with a circulation of 1200 and is distributed in Victoria University buildings and across the University of Toronto’s St. George campus. The Strand flagrantly enjoys its editorial autonomy and is committed to acting as an agent of constructive social change. As such, we will not publish material deemed to exhibit racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or other oppressive language. The Strand is a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP). Our offices are located at 150 Charles St. W., Toronto, ON, M5S 1K9. Please direct enquiries by email to editor@thestrand.ca. Submissions are welcome and may be edited for taste, brevity, and legality.
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On January 15, 2020, the Final Report of the Presidential & Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health was released on the Provost’s website, along with a response from the administration, announcing its agreement to comply to all recommendations mentioned in the report. I learned of this report just like many of my peers—via mass email to the students, faculty, and staff entitled “Taking Action on Student Mental Health”. President Meric Gertler and Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr state in this email that the University has now been “launched into a new phase of action on student mental health”. Spanning 42 pages, the report suggests five avenues of implementation for this new phase of action: Service delivery and coordination of supports, partnerships, physical spaces, culture of caring and excellence, and financial resources. There is a lot in here that gives me hope for the future of the University: plans for a partnership with the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), an addressing of our toxic “culture of excellence”, and a plan to develop a transparent protocol regarding student death. Despite this, there is a lot in this report that worries me, in particular how far away these plans are from coming to fruition. The university has agreed to create a team to redesign the way mental health services and supports are relayed to students. This team will “convene immediately, though its work will take time, given the scope of the project and the size, complexity and diversity of the University”. I understand this; there are a lot of ways in which it makes sense. This institution encompasses such a diverse student body that a one-size-fits-all approach is dangerous and unhelpful. Despite this, neither this document nor the president’s response offer any idea of when this task might be complete, or what we, as students, should do in the meantime. How long it will take for the full effect of these efforts to reach across the entire student body remains unclear. Page four, titled “Outreach and Engagement”, mentions various surveys, focus groups, and open sessions that they posit allowed for the gathering of data on the needs of the UofT community. These took place through August-November of 2019, though this report is the first time I’m hearing about them. This is the exact problem we are having with mental health services as a whole: people do not
know what is available to them, and the avenues to accessing resources are so complicated it becomes disheartening. For example, the report mentions access to same day counselling. Let’s say you learn this from the report and decide to visit the Student Life website for more information. You’ll come to find out that same-day counselling at the St. George campus is currently available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 - 4 pm at the Health and Wellness Centre on a first-come, first-serve basis. Booking one of these appointments involves calling Health and Wellness. From my own experience, you’ll be on hold from anywhere between ten minutes to half an hour, or even longer—and even if you make it through waiting that long without giving up, you’re not guaranteed an appointment. Many of my friends are graduating this term. During the next three months, as they prepare to venture into a new phase of their lives, how will they be supported? Is the hope for a better future enough to keep us going until this better future arrives? Maybe I’m asking for too much. Maybe I’m too angry to see past the system that has failed me and my fellow students time and time again. I know nothing will change overnight, but a part of me still feels like we still aren’t treating this like a timesensitive crisis. Writer and activist Mia Mingus coined the term “access intimacy” to describe the feeling you get in a place where you feel that all of your access needs are being met—somewhere you’re completely comfortable asking for help or support without shame, need for justification, or fear of rejection, knowing full well that you will receive it. As a mentally ill person, access intimacy is something I’ve felt only in a handful of classrooms over the years. I’ve come to expect my needs not to be met. I know even if I’m registered with accessibility accommodations, this does not mean everyone will freely comply with them. I know that every day that I walk onto campus is another day that I am the only person who I can trust to advocate for myself. I’ve been doing this a long time, I have a great support system, and I’m in a place where I’m strong enough to not take no for an answer. The thing is—not every student is in the same place as I am. Access intimacy is something I believe all students should be able to feel in regard to their mental and physical health, throughout every part of their education. Until we can guarantee this as an institution, we do not have the right to be claiming any form of excellence.
OPINIONS 05
EDITOR | MEG JIANING ZHANG OPINIONS@THESTRAND.CA
The death of the polymath Why we need to know a little about a lot ronan mallovy staff writer
“I fear we are witnessing the ‘death of expertise’,” writes Tom Nichols in a 2014 article. “A Googlefueled, Wikipedia-based, blog-sodden collapse of any division between professionals and laymen, students and teachers, knowers and wonderers— in other words, between those of any achievement in an area and those with none at all.” In this article (and later in book form), Nichols, a professor and international affairs expert, does not lament the death of expertise itself, but rather the loss of public trust in experts in a wide variety of fields. At the time of his writing, the burgeoning anti-vaccination movement served as a prime example of this phenomenon. If Nichols could have foreseen the world of today six years ago—a world of raging wildfires, corrupt and inept governments, and nearly eradicated diseases on the rise once again, all arising in part from a loss of faith in experts—he wouldn’t have been able to believe how right he was. It is ironic that Nichols’ article was published in The Federalist, a staunchly conservative American publication whose most popular articles tackle subjects such as the Democrats’ “Anti-Gun Law Frenzy,” and make statements like “Every Time Democrats Talk, I Want To Vote For Trump Twice.” Still, 2014 was a simpler time, if only due to the fact that an unqualified, racist liar (other adjectives omitted for space) had not yet ascended to the most powerful office in the world. If the expert was dying in 2014, they were definitively killed in November 2016. By now, their corpse is practically on public display. The death of the expert is old news. I would now like to focus on a different breed of endangered intellectual, one whose potential demise would exacerbate the already established mistrust of facts and evidence. I am speaking of the polymath, more often known by the terms “Renaissance Man” or “Jack-of-All-Trades.” If an expert
is someone who possesses a lot of knowledge in a very narrow field, a polymath is one possessing basic (but very real) knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. In a bygone era, we as a public expected our journalists, pundits, and politicians to be polymaths to a certain degree. Those responsible for reporting, analyzing, and especially legislating the decisions that govern the lives of millions were expected to have a developed understanding of the background information that went into these decisions. Short of devouring treatises on quantum mechanics or contemplating the meaning of life, these figures were merely expected to be generally well-read, well-informed, and sufficiently logical. These requirements seem to have become laxer in recent years, to the point where it has become difficult to differentiate between one who knows a little bit and one who knows nothing at all. There is, after all, no accreditation for being a polymath, no equivalent to the expert’s PhD. Polymaths are no less important, however. As human knowledge across all disciplines grows increasingly specialized, we can no longer expect even the average educated person to be able to grasp the most fundamental details of countless fields of study. The polymath is an essential intermediary between the expert and the layperson, one who is informed and competent enough to receive the information provided to them by the expert while being compelling and accessible enough to disseminate it to the greater public in palatable terms. The death of expertise is in many ways the death of the polymath. Without them, specialized knowledge remains locked in the so-called “ivory towers” of universities and research institutes—dead, if only because it is useless to everyone. Let’s take a look at a real example in the form of climate change. Though we have known for decades that human actions are causing changes to the global climate that could lead us to disaster, only recently have many begun to realize the significance of this threat, accepting it as a potential “climate apocalypse.” This realization is due, in
part, to the work of a 17-year-old climate activist from Sweden. It was not enough that 97 percent of actively publishing climate scientists agreed that climate change was primarily caused by humans. Instead, it took Greta Thunberg to adapt a less digestible message into one that resonated with people and struck real fear into their hearts. Is this the work of a polymath? Certainly: in order for Greta Thunberg to have turned a climate emergency into a global movement, she would have required an equal understanding of the rudiments of climate science, sociology, and even rhetoric. We can by no means call her an expert in any of these fields, but she possesses enough knowledge from each to make it useful when deployed in service of a public goal. But part of what has made Thunberg so exceptional is that she’s exactly that: exceptional. We come across a public figure who accepts facts at face value and champions them through a determined voice and a good social media campaign and we feel like we’re seeing a rare species in the wild. The facts are the most important part. There are plenty of people out there with a podcast and an opinion—too many, in fact—but far fewer with true knowledge on their side. Instead of the knowledge of experts handed down to us by those who have taken the time to understand it, much of the content provided by news outlets emphasizes the voices of those whose ideas are loud and sensational. A wealth of opinions has led to a dearth of facts, so it’s no wonder that trust in expertise has dwindled in recent years. Blame the rise of populism or global economic insecurity, but it’s far more straightforward to realize that the process by which expertise is shared with the general population is broken, missing a crucial piece without which it cannot function. The polymath is necessary for the diffusion of knowledge. Without the polymath, knowledge remains the domain of the elite, and everyone else grows understandably resentful and mistrustful. Without the polymath, we are all worse off.
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| fiona tung
06 OPINIONS
EDITOR | MEG JIANING ZHANG OPINIONS@THESTRAND.CA
The upward loop Looking at family histories T WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTOR
It’s a source of pride to me that I can bake a batch of ginger molasses cookies, put them all in the oven, and have the mess cleaned up in about an hour. This recipe, clipped from The Globe and Mail years ago, makes the best cookies. They are always moist and perfectly spiced and they bake beautifully. They are best in the first minutes after they come out of the oven, when they are still soft and gooey. My great-grandma’s chocolate chip cookies used to be my go-to whenever I baked, but I found going out to buy the chocolate chips an unappetizing hassle. I’ve even forgotten the exact time they take to bake. I like to bake on a whim and hustle together the recipe. I’m in it for the satisfaction of having it done and for the pleasuring of seeing other people enjoy what I’ve made. Before parties or events, I am always considering: can I spare an hour? But everyone knows about the recipe now! It’s my signature, my tic that is charming at first but may prove tiresome. That’s the joy, too. Having a groove, a plan that always works, is comforting. So much of what I do is a new endeavour. Reading and writing and connecting with people cannot be done well in the space of an hour and is never rehearsed to a whim. When I bake around Christmas time, I think about my grandma and my aunt. My aunt, one of many, always sends my family a tin of assorted cookies. Shortbread, peanut butter, plain ol’ sugar, little cookies with jam in them, cookies dipped in chocolate, and my mainstay: ginger molasses. I make the ginger molasses cookie better; it must be the recipe. But I’ve always waited on this tin, produced yearly for me and for the other offshoot branches of my family. All these instructions, maybe memorized by now, are followed by my aunt again and again. It must take a day of baking, at least. I never say “thank you” for this gift and if I did, I would not be thankful enough. My aunt was a librarian before retiring, a thankless, but necessary labour. My grandma is closer to my family on Christmas. Even as she reaches her 90s, she manages to bring a tray of date cake, butter tarts, and who-knows-what-else to our house. Last winter, I didn’t speak with my grandma much. I remember her striking me a terribly distant glance at a Christmas party. I think I was trying to say “thank you” for something.
I’m trying to show more care this year, but age divides us. Still, I check in as much as I feel space between us. I never met my great-grandmother. I have heard amazing things about her: she was a columnist in a paper and a weird, misremembered fragment of recollection tells me she was born with a tail. Her chocolate chip cookie recipe is collected in a box of flashcards, now stuffed with newspaper clippings and printed pages of food websites, which have gone greasy and yellow from use. My grandma and her mother put these together over the years and passed them down to my mom, to me. My grandma survived the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the Salvation Army. She saw the land go up in the wind and the horses set free, and ate huge amounts of salt cod from Newfoundland, which she still can’t stand to this day. She can’t stand much now, not lactose nor too much salt. Such is age. The only recipe in that box my mom is really wedded to is snickerdoodle. It is a cookie made without egg, coming from a time when eggs could not be wasted on a whim. It is dry and weightless and does not keep well at all. My mom loves it. She does not reach for it often, but she still reaches. My grandma must have learned it from my great-grandmother. I remember one Christmas where grandma recalled the gift that she and her brother made for the woman who, at least sometimes, fed them snickerdoodle. It is a simple string of words full of sweet sentiment, which is fabulously dustbowl. The two children made a new wooden spoon for their mom. They carved it themselves, snuck outside when she wouldn’t notice, and hid it in the snow before coming back for bed. The way she told it, you could just see their little hands at work and the joy which they imagined appearing on their mother’s face on Christmas day. This piece makes the family history fit together so nicely. You can see the kitchen tools and the recipes, coming down through time, uniting these moments, and taking us from Saskatchewan to Toronto, from poverty to prosperity in a tumultuous century. But I distrust the sentiment at work in family history. I see it over and over. I was at a slam poetry show and heard a wonderfully constructed poem about a camera, a pastime passed from an Albertan grandfather, to father, to son. It was tragic, cyclical, and satisfying. The frame of this lens was a flashpoint for generational connection seen through the gaze of child looking back.
The poet’s voice wavered as he described his aging family member. Again, age distances, but the connection we crave is still possible in these fetishes of familial unity. But whose hands made that digital camera? Whose land was blown out by the winds of the Dust Bowl and who was photographed for these memories to take shape? Here, the story has no answers. These questions are beside the point. My great or great-great-grandfather, so I’m told, was a brick layer. There is some mark of his hand in Toronto, but I’m not sure where. My grandfather was a commercial baker and a pilot in the Second World War. My father played the clarinet at the Royal Conservatory and told me not to get into the arts. It is a fine old building, that Royal Conservatory, all those old beautiful red bricks. And this is the shape of a white, middle-class family history. The loop leads us back to home but spirals upwards. We have exited the Old World, the history which resolves into a stable pattern of farming, dying, and farming, to enter the New, our forward struggle. Some people have gotten farther than my family, probably because they didn’t have to clear the stumbling block of farming the land on this side of the sea. Now I am left to try and make sense of this knot and make use of these tidy stories. I know I am thinking these things, writing them here because my future is more unclear than that of my parents. I am promised the same thing as them: upward movement—but this is not a guaranteed deal. I don’t know if I’ll have the same mobility as my parents. I don’t know what kind of future I’m to inherit. This is what makes me more likely to see my family stories for what they are: fetishes of middle-class settler identity. They don’t make for comfortable hand-me-downs. The sentiment of my stories disguises ignorance, but knowledge alone is no solution for the terrors of history. I’m left with a choice which is no choice at all. Choosing whether to believe in a myth or not will only change the degree of discomfort I feel in occupying this strange position of injustice. I can never fully extricate myself from the spiderweb of violence that is settler colonialism, but I can try to scrape together some value from my family history. I did not survive the Dust Bowl or the World Wars. But I bake cookies. I take after remarkable women whom nobody has appreciated enough. This, I think, should satisfy me, no matter my inheritance.
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| anthony catalano, callum lewis, qim manifester
OPINIONS 07
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 28 JANUARY 2020
Exams and equity How cultural bias in standardized testing holds students back
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JESS NASH EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
It’s difficult not to be familiar with the idea of standardized testing. Ontarians might recoil at the acronyms EQAO and OSSLT, and most North Americans will recognize the SATs, LSATs, and MCATs. Standardized tests are widely administered written evaluations, characterized by predetermined, consistent questions and scoring. What most people think of as a “test” is a standardized evaluation—classroom quizzes, university finals, IQ tests, and entrance exams are among the major categories. As tools for teaching, census-like means to assess average performance and guidelines for school curricula, standardized tests have many merits—but they’ve faced criticism from students and teachers alike. Sure, every high-schooler dreads final exams and college applications, and grading essay questions is certainly a source of grief for many educators, but the problem with standardized testing isn’t the stress. Standardization can mean something much more consequential to English language learners, students of colour, and students from underprivileged economic backgrounds. Racial and linguistic minorities, as well as those in lower income brackets, consistently underachieve compared to white and higher-income students—and it’s not a matter of coincidence or inherently poorer aptitude. Let’s look at some numbers from the SATs, one of the most widespread standardized college admission tests in the United States. In 2013, self-identified Black high school seniors scored, on average, 20 percent lower on the SATs than those who identified as white, while Hispanic and Latin Americans scored 14 percent lower. Students with families in the lowest income bracket scored the lowest, and students in the highest bracket predictably scored the highest, with a 23 percent gulf between them. From childhood to university, this gap in achievement tails those from disadvantaged backgrounds. And the problem, again, isn’t the abilities of these students; it’s not about their drive, their potential, or their willingness to learn—it’s about the tests themselves.
It’s a simple and unpleasant truth that standardized tests, from high school evaluations to national college entrance exams, are written with a white, middle-class audience in mind. The cultural contexts in which most standardized tests are based often clash with those of minority students. The use of certain vocabulary, for example, or references to certain cultural events, might reflect little consideration for cultural and linguistic differences. Perhaps the most infamous example of cultural bias in North American standardized testing came in the 1990s, with an SAT question whose correct answer included the word regatta—referring to a type of yacht racing competition. More recently, an SAT essay question controversially asked respondents to analyze whether reality TV is harmful. This kind of culturally rooted question might be an intuitive concept to a middleclass demographic with the time, means, and social background to be familiar with reality TV, but the same can’t necessarily be said for those from different cultures or socioeconomic circumstances. Even stepping back from the SATs, it’s clear that standardized evaluations of all varieties— IQ tests, high school literacy tests, even word problems on math exams—can be and historically have been alienating to students without implicitly expected roots in popular culture, vernacular, and customs. Yachts and reality TV only scratch the surface of countless examples of this alienation: questions that require knowledge of law, medicine, sports, history, and so on all run the risk of penalizing children who might not be familiar with these fields from conversations at home. The problem expands when you consider unequal access to academic resources; wealthy students can afford tutors and online services, and they’re more likely to have well-educated family members to help them study and practice for tests. The fact of the matter is that testing is biased. But standardized tests don’t have to be part of the long list of ways in which white students with family backgrounds of academic success and economic stability have another leg up on everyone else. There are alternatives, and they don’t neces-
| phillipe bout on unsplash
sarily sacrifice the benefits of standardization. Demographic information can and should be collected and analyzed to find where gaps in achievement are coming from and focus on providing help to students who need it. Test questions should be written under a critical lens, with review from those experienced with racial, linguistic, or economic bias where possible. In some contexts, standardization could be partially or even entirely de-emphasized as a measure of learning. Instead, smaller samples of students could be tested on a random basis to determine a group’s strengths and weaknesses. There’s no denying that standardized tests are a useful tool for census, education, and evaluation, but it’s also hard to ignore the fact that they are often unfair to students in disadvantaged circumstances. Going forward, it should not only be a responsibility, but a gratification for educators and administrators to make standardized tests more equitable and useful for all students— not just the most privileged ones.
08 FEATURES
EDITOR | HADIYYAH KUMA FEATURES@THESTRAND.CA
NOT REPRESE The appropriation of AAVE by non-Black Asians
P
erformative allyship often goes deeper than the surface. So-called allies often label themselves as such but engage in behaviour that supports white supremacy and benefits their own status in the social/racial hierarchy. But cultural appropriation is a surface level kind of racism that can contribute and align itself with the same kind of performative allyship we criticize. It devalues a culture’s history and language, and thus, disrespects its origins by claiming something to be your own, when it’s not. The appropriation and theft of African American Vernacular English, also known as AAVE, is one such issue. This year, East Asian rapper Awkwafina (Nora Lum) gained a lot of criticism for her constant code-switching. When she presented as her stage name, Awkwafina, she used a blaccent (a Black accent) and a lot of AAVE. Her clothing and mannerisms also replicated the culture and style of Black women. But when she began her rise to fame in the Hollywood industry, she shed this “Black” persona in favour of her regular American accent and mannerisms. As a non-Black person, the ability to code-switch grants Lum a unique privilege not offered to Black people in their daily lives. As Harley Wong of Wear Your Voice points out in an article about the “trend” of Asians using Blackness to gain fame, using AAVE can cost Black people jobs and high-status positions because AAVE is often not taken as “serious” speech and is therefore invalidated by mainstream, white society. Appropriating AAVE and putting on a blaccent is a form of historical violence that replicates itself through our actions today. Treating Black culture as a caricature or face to put on is reminiscent of minstrel shows, in which white actors painted their faces black, drew on bigger lips, and essentially degraded Black folks for sport. That said, we cannot be ahistorical about the way we treat Black folks in the media and in real life today because these types of ugly actions persist. White artists like Ariana Grande have engaged in minstrelsy in order to appear or appeal more to a Black audience. Notice that the darkening of her skin came just before Sweetener and thank u, next were released, her most hip hop-type albums to date. Notice that looking Black is seen as marketable or convenient for non-Black people, while actual Black artists are underappreciated and racially targeted, and Black folks have had to change or adjust their actual names in order to assimilate into society. As an Indo-Guyanese woman, this history is important to me because of the heightened racial tensions between Black and South Asian folks in the Caribbean era of indenture, an era that followed the supposed abolition of slavery. Afro-Caribbean people were sometimes seen as dangerous, threatening, and selfish, not unlike representations in current media. AntiBlack racism ran rampant, heightened and driven by British colonizers in order to create divides between workers of colour who were forced to partake in the labour of imperialism, working in cane fields and sugar plantations. And though, as diasporans, we can connect through our shared colonial history, that racist legacy still lives on through older generations of family members. But it also means that young people in
the South Asian diaspora have a collective responsibility to dismantle the systems that oppressed our ancestors and Black folks around the world. And yet many of us don’t. Many of us claim the right to use AAVE or “Toronto slang” because we are people of colour. Much of Black slang is presented as “Toronto slang” precisely because of the depth of appropriation that has occurred across various GTA communities. I’ve seen Desi boys walking around with gold chains, low-riding pants, and even durags. Brown rappers like Indian Punjabi rapper NAV and Moroccan rapper French Montana (just because French is from Morocco does not mean he’s Black, hello) have no issue with saying the N-word and co-opting Black expression for the benefit of their careers. This is why I cannot, in good faith, claim to be a fan of Lily Singh. While I applaud her position as the first woman of colour to host a late night talk show, I know that she has built her career and brand around the appropriation of AAVE and Black hairstyles and clothing, such as the West African dashiki. In a way, she cosplays Black people. Take her braids for example, the ones that start at the back of her head and make their way into the front—they’re called cornrows, though Kim Kardashian’s weird “boxer braid” campaign might tell you otherwise. Cornrows are an African hairstyle and there’s a reason non-Black people should never wear them. Princess Gabbara of Ebony Mag writes that cornrows were used in ancient African societies to signify the status of Kings, warriors and other royalty. In the 60s and 70s they were popularized during the Black Power Movement, and resurged in the 90s through celebrities like NBA star Allen Iverson and actor Jada PinkettSmith.
FEATURES 09
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 28 JANUARY 2020
MY NTATION By Hadiyyah Kuma
In her seminal work on the hip-hop world, Black Noise, scholar Tricia Rose writes about the voyeurism of Black ghetto life that followed the popularization of hip hop through MTV in the 1980s. Black style simply became “Streetstyle”. NonBlack people began consuming and reproducing a culture and fetishizing a struggle that was not theirs. Rappers like Vanilla Ice faked their ghetto origins to be relatable and align with the aesthetics of 80s hip hop. In this case, white rappers can benefit from their white privilege in terms of climbing the industry ladder and gaining fans, as well as fit into the hip-hop fandom created for and by Black people. If you think being from the ghetto is “cool,” would you actually want to grow up in a so-called ghetto? Would you actually want to face the struggles of being Black in a racist, classist, and sexist North America? I don’t see a huge difference between Vanilla Ice’s questionable behaviour and performances that artists like Singh and Lum put on for their fans. While I am constantly looking for representation, I know I must be selective in the artists and creatives that I choose to engage with. And if I truly want to be an ally, I must check my own self. I often find myself using Toronto slang— my cousin and I used to say “ahlie fam” to each other when we were in high school. The problem with this is that being Caribbean is no excuse for certain words specific only to the Black community. “Fam” is early 2000s Black English (and Black British) slang according to a few sources. “Ahlie” is Jamaican patois slang. Other words like “yute” or “wasteyute” also come from Jamaican patois, and these are words I’m also guilty of using in the past; so are a lot of people at my predominantly white school. But I’m Guyanese. Indo-Guyanese. When, for instance, my Black cousins use Black slang, that doesn’t mean I have the right to use it because we’re family. I have to acknowledge my privilege as a South Asian-appearing person in an inequitable and highly stratified
ILLUSTRATION
| YOON-JI KWEON
world. The US graduation rate for white and Asian students is still around 20 percentage points higher than for Black and Hispanic students (I’d like to note, however, that there are issues with the category “Asian” as it implies mutually exclusive categories that don’t overlap with Black or Hispanic identities, as well as encompassing a large variety of countries and identities). In a correspondence for Al-Jazeera, Nigerian student Ibrahim Djiji Adam notes that in India, Black college students are routinely harassed and demonized as “drug dealers” and “prostitutes.” Asian students do not routinely face these kinds of sanctions for simply existing. This harmful dynamic makes Lilly Singh’s appropriation even more problematic, as much of her audience are young South Asian women who might think it’s okay to “try on” Blackness as part of their social performance. Younger Youtubers like Liza Koshy and nigahiga have ridden the same train, taking a Black form of slapstick comedy. In an age where cancel culture has run rampant, I have no intentions of writing off Lilly Singh or Nora Lum as wholly evil or corrupt. But an acknowledgement of past behaviours and their historical contexts would be the next best step. Singh’s platform has taken off, and with a new show in full swing, it would be a great time for her to talk about the damaging effects of cultural appropriation on a global scale. Lum is now a Hollywood star. A lot of the time, I think having an Asian identity can feel confusing in society where humans seem to be categorized into a colonial system that operates through a binary of Black and white logic. I think that a lot of Asian appropriation is born out of a desire to be cool or to fit in. Some might even think mimicking a culture is the same as respecting it. You can respect a culture without wearing it, fetishizing it, or profiting off of it in a way that Black folks generally do not. I urge you to consider your standpoint. Let’s find our own identity and embrace it. I encourage us to look towards solidarity and nuanced understanding of our collective histories before getting defensive. This is how we move towards dismantling the systems that continue to oppress people of colour.
There are many vibrant and talented Asian artists who don’t fit under the umbrella of criticism I’ve applied to the artists mentioned in this piece. Here’s a list of some of those artists: Japanese American singer Mitski South Asian American singer Raveena South Asian American singer Kohinoogranism Filipino American singer Jay Som Youtube group Wong Fu Productions Youtuber Anna Akana Youtuber Michelle Phan I hope you can find more artists to add to this list!
10 SCIENCE
EDITOR | MICHAL LECKIE SCIENCE@THESTRAND.CA
Climate Count-Up: #4 Plant-rich diets Taking a look at Project Drawdown’s solutions to climate change
ILLUSTRATION | AMY JIAO avery schwarz contributor
Veganism, a fringe movement until recently, is rapidly growing in popularity. There are environmental, ethical, and health-related reasons for eating a more plant-based diet. Strict vegans abstain from all animal products, including meat, seafood, dairy, and eggs, whereas those on plant-based diets focus on foods derived from plants and limit or mainly abstain from animal products, often as a transition to a vegan diet. Both diets are rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. Is the recent surge in veganism just a fad? Is this movement destined to lose popularity over time, or does it represent an understanding of the impact individual food choices can have on both the health of ourselves and our planet? Following a vegan diet is becoming largely accepted as the single most impactful change an individual can make to reduce their carbon footprint and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In fact, if the world’s population transitioned to plant-based diets, over the next 30 years, food-related emissions could be reduced by up to 70 percent. A meat-centric diet accounts for one fifth of global GHG emissions. These emissions come from many sources, including emissions directly from cattle and other farm animals, agricultural land use, associated energy consumption, and manure and fertilizers. In fact, if cattle alone were to comprise a nation, they would be the third biggest GHG emitters on our planet. The meat and dairy industries provide only 18 percent of global calories while using over 80 percent of the world's farmlands. By switching to a plant-based diet, global farmland use could be cut by more than 75 percent, freeing up an area of arable land the size of USA, China, Australia, and all of the European Union combined. The meat and dairy industries are also huge consumers of fresh water, a dwindling commodity. While humans use 5.2 billion
gallons of fresh water daily, cows drink 45 billion gallons. A single pound of beef requires close to 2500 gallons of water to produce, a pound of eggs requires 477 gallons, a pound of cheese requires over 900 gallons, and a gallon of cow’s milk requires 1000 gallons. Much of this polluted water runs off into waterways, where it has become the leading cause of all water pollution. A person would need to skip all showers for half a year to save the equivalent amount of water used to produce a single one-pound beef burger. In contrast, growing plants for direct human consumption requires significantly less water. Soy requires around 200 gallons of water per pound, and many vegan milks such as oat milk only require 48 gallons of water. Almond milk, which has come under criticism lately for excessive water use, uses just over half as much water as dairy milk. The environmental reasons for switching to a vegan diet are irrefutable but there are some uncertainties about the health benefits. However, it is becoming apparently clear that meat and dairy are weakening our health and leading to premature death. Many health experts are calling meat “the new tobacco.” Many studies have found vegan diets to be significantly higher in fiber, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, folate, and vitamins A, C, and E—in addition to other essential macro and micronutrients. Eating a plantbased diet can prevent one of the most pressing health issues: obesity. For diabetics, plantbased diets have been found to be effective at weight management and can improve insulin sensitivity. Going vegan has been shown to decrease risk of developing Type 2 diabetes as well, with a 40 to 60 percent higher prevalence of diabetes among people who consume meat. Meat, especially red meat, is high in saturated fats, which raises cholesterol and increases the risk of heart disease through the developments of arterial plaques. These plaques can also affect the flow of blood through the body. Eating a lot of meat, for example, can contribute to erectile dysfunction through the impediment
of blood flow. Going plant-based can seriously combat cancer. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, processed meats are carcinogenic and red meats are likely carcinogenic. Many recent studies have found that vegans have a 15 percent lower risk of developing or dying from cancer. The American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine found that plantbased diets can even lead to significantly better sleep. A study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found that vegetarian men lived ten years longer than non-vegetarian men and that the life expectancy increased similarly by six years for vegetarian women. It has been calculated that a global switch to veganism would lead to a reduction in all global mortality of around ten percent, or eight million lives by 2050. In addition to slashing GHG emissions and contributing to lowering global death rates, switching to plant-based diets could save the world trillions of dollars. Conservative estimates put the economic benefits of these dietary changes at around US $700-$1000 billion per year based on savings from healthcare and lost working days. The economic value that most societies place on lower mortality risks could amount to nine to thirteen percent of the global GDP, the equivalent of around US $2030 trillion. Additionally, there are possible US $570 billion economic benefits from reduced GHG emissions. Finally, a global shift to plantbased diets could lead to US $1.5 trillion saved by avoiding climate-related damages. Switching to a vegan diet is one very significant change that an individual can make to improve both their personal health and the health of the planet. Despite the perceived challenge of ensuring all of your dietary needs are met when switching to a plant-based diet, the benefits to the environment as well as your health are massive. In addition to improving your overall health, going vegan is one of the easiest and most impactful things you can do as an individual to reduce your global footprint.
ARTS AND CULTURE 11
@STRANDPAPER THE STRAND | 28 JANUARY 2020
Lawrence of Arabia and Victoria University The epic cinematic story behind the bust of Colonel Lawrence at Victoria University
PHOTO | COURTESY OF HOWARD TERPNING, HORIZON PICTURES
STEVEN HU contributor
The influence of British culture on Victoria University is self-evident; from the 19th century Anglo-style architecture, to early traditions and culture, to Vic’s Methodist roots, to the namesake of the school itself, the ties between British academia and Vic run deep. Due to this relationship, in 1925 a bust of one of Britain’s greatest war heroes, Colonel TE Lawrence, was donated to the Victoria University library, and between 1926 and 1996, a copy of one of the 230 privately printed original copies of his famous autobiography, Seven Pillars of Wisdom sat in the stacks, drawing many visitors to read the exotic first-hand account of the Great Arab Revolt that took place during the Great War. While this famous document is no longer available to explore at the EJ Pratt Library, a contemporary retelling of the British officer’s story exists in the form of an epic film that will celebrate its 58 anniversary on January 30 of this year. David Lean’s 1962 cinematic masterpiece, Lawrence of Arabia, is an exciting, violent, humorous, tear-jerking, and above all, entertaining film for every student seeking to enjoy a small slice of Vic history. In the backdrop of the First World War, a young second lieutenant named Thomas Edwards Lawrence was sent on a special assignment: to join a small British contingent sent to advise Prince Faisal I, a Bedouin tribal leader with his eyes set on carving out an Arab nation in the Ottoman Empire’s Middle East territories. However, what Lawrence did was far beyond what anyone could’ve imagined, going above and beyond the call of duty and taking matters into his own hands. Looking to launch a decisive strike on the Ottomans, the young cheerful Englishman led fifty men across the deadly Nafud Desert in what is modern day Saudi Arabia, and united Bedouin tribes to launch a daring attack on the port city of Aqaba in Jordan to secure a resupply route for British weapons and support. The success
of this assault launched an all-out guerilla campaign led by a newly promoted Major Lawrence that would end the Turkish rule of Arabia forever. The film encompasses many key events in World War I that history students would be quick to recognize, such as the Sykes-Picot Agreement, Tafas Massacre, and the push to take Damascus. Of course, the historic significance of the plot alone is not sufficient for intrigue. What perhaps gives Lawrence of Arabia its gravitas is the moral and social commentary it gives regarding the events. Lawrence, as a field grade officer, was a small piece in an immense war that included hundreds of millions of people—a needle in a haystack. But he was at the very forefront of a clash between civilizations, and he was forced to confront the different roles he was forced to play in a constant moral tug of war. Although he was English, Lawrence assimilated into Bedouin culture. He wore Arab robes with pride and the people of Arabia revered him for his courage and bravery. He fought and led the revolt with the locals’ interest in mind: establishing a state for Arabs in their own land. However, back at British Headquarters in Cairo and Jerusalem, the Empire had other plans. They, of course, planned to carve out Arabia with the French and were using Faisal and the various Bedouin bands for their own imperialist goals; Lawrence would have to return to desert battlefields to lie to his friends and continue the war in deceit. These competing interests conflicted Colonel Lawrence, who was both a hero to the Arabs, and an officer of the British Empire forced to follow orders and put the country above himself. After a brief period of intermission in Cairo and Jerusalem, he would be forced to lie to his Arab friends, falsely promising that Britain would stay out of Arabia in the postwar world. British hypocrisy is rife throughout the story, as Colonel Lawrence would observe British Commanders talk of liberation of Arabia from an oppressive empire and the barbarism of the Bedouin tribes, while simultaneously engaging in violent imperialism worldwide while giving Arabs the false hope of independence when their fate was already decided from the very start. The film also shows the incredible psychological toll of war, as the young, innocent second lieutenant would eventually come to enjoy war and violence. From a filmmaking perspective, the motion picture is beautifully crafted, rightfully earning its spot in the American Film Institute’s “Top 100 Films of All-Time” list. The score is one of the best in cinematic history, and the shots of the orange sun gleaming in Arabia capture the beauty of the various natural landscapes in the Middle East. The film was shot partly in Jordan, the locations where the real battles were fought, and this makes the plot even more immersive. The story is well-paced with a good mix of well-written dialogue, beautiful nature shots, and exciting action scenes. Although the film is almost 50 years old, its practical effects still live up to modern standards and have no problem going head-to-head with more recent war movies. The superb acting of Peter O’Toole as Colonel Lawrence, Alec Guinness as Faisal, Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi, and Omar Sharif as Sharif Ali showed the conflict between the cultures in a strong and genuine way. And like any good movie, the film is full of quotable lines. So, the next time you have 3 hours and 47 minutes to spare, you now have something to do—or you could just play it in the background while you are studying. Either way, if you haven’t seen Lawrence of Arabia yet, the 58 birthday of this film is a great reason to witness cinematic history that ties in well with Victoria University, making it the perfect way to humble brag and prove to your friends how cultured you are.
DanceWorks presents Zata Omm’s Eden Planted February 5 to 8, 2020 Harbourfront Center Reversing the fall of humanity and restoring the Garden of Eden in the technological age, DanceWorks presents the World Premiere of Zata Omm’s Eden Planted. This brilliant production is produced and performed by Toronto-based dance company Zata Omm and led by the award-winning William Yong. Through the lens of technology and dance, this production contemplates the reconstruction of paradise and the concept of perfection. Eden Planted is an expressive exercise embracing futurology and science fantasy, coupled with innovative integrations of dance and projections. The work envisions augmented creatures who pursue what they deem to be perfection in their reengineered world, which is built from the ashes of our technological age. Tickets range from $36 to $42, with group rates, senior/CADA, students, and arts industry discounts available. TIFF Next Wave Film Festival February 14 to 16, 2020 TIFF Bell Lightbox Now in its ninth year, TIFF Next Wave—a dynamic film festival designed specifically for film fans under 25—gives TIFF’s youngest curators the keys to the kingdom, showcasing youth protagonists tackling challenges and situations that will resonate with young audiences. Presenting international stories of identity, community, and relationships across live-action, animation, and documentary formats, Next Wave pushes audiences to challenge the idea of what a youth film festival should be. Tickets for TIFF Next Wave Official Selection films are available for free to anyone under 25. Elaine Whittaker’s Murky Waters January 29 to February 22, 2020 The Red Head Gallery Viewed through the various lenses and media of BioArt and Science Fiction, Murky Bodies is a series of installations that speculate on the entangled ways in which humans, plants, animals, and microorganisms are struggling to coexist in a world confronting a warming climate. The artworks in the exhibit draw attention to the destabilization of these permeable bodies. Climate change is now at a point of disruptive convergence, where thresholds between interior and exterior bodies and borders are continuously being breached and in a constant exchange with a shifting and changing environment. Lady Sunrise February 15 to March 8, 2020 Factory Theatre Set in Vancouver, Canada’s condo and casino playground, this hard-hitting new play is a tale of social climbing and the damaging effect of today’s hyper-consumerist society. Featuring six characters, including a second-rate beauty queen, a wealthy condo developer, a ruthless bank executive, a madam, a blackjack dealer, and a trafficked sex worker, Marjorie Chan expertly portrays the contemporary face of moral and individual degradation in a world, and a city, where the pursuit of money is the only serious occupation. Lady Sunrise is inspired by the modern classic, Sunrise, originally written by Chinese playwright Cao Yu in 1936, which centres on the degradation of society and moral standards as played out in Shanghai, after the economic collapse of the 30s. Inspired by Ibsen, Sunrise uses a city in flux as the stage for a tale of fortitude and tragedy. Tickets range from $20 to $50 and can be purchased online.
12 ARTS AND CULTURE
We’re thriving in 2020, bitches Some tunes to start a new decade on a good note abbie moser arts and culture editor
Despite time being a social construct, the teens always seem to be bad years for everyone. However, if you did genuinely enjoy your teens, whether that’s the decade we just finished or your own teenage years, then congrats, you’ve probably never experienced any kind of real issues. It must be nice, but I can’t relate! Personally, I am over the moon that I will never have to experience another decade of teens for the rest of my life: those years were truly chaotic and just fucked up! The teens were a mess in political aspects, a shit show for world affairs, kind of mediocre for pop culture moments, we hammered in a few more nails in the planet’s coffin, and the years were largely filled with downward spirals into hell for most people’s personal lives. But we’re leaving that negative, chaotic, and disastrous energy behind for good, baby! The 20s are the years of prosperity, success, thriving, and living our best damn lives! Here’s some affirmative and uplifting tunes to for sliding into the warm embrace of the roaring 20s. “Dead To Me” by Kali Uchis “Check On It” by Beyoncé feat. Slim Thug “A Public Affair” by Jessica Simpson “Say So” by Doja Cat “Funky Fresh Dressed” by Missy Elliott feat. Ms. Jade “Moves” by Rico Nasty “My Prerogative” by Britney Spears “Take Me as I Am” by Rina Sawayama “Gucci Gucci” by Kreayshawn “Attitude” by Leikeli47 “Flesh Without Blood” by Grimes “Fruit Salad” by Tierra Whack “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child “Boss Ass Bitch” by Pretty Taking All Fades “Conceited (There’s Something About Remy)” by Remy Ma “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield Catch this playlist and our many others on Spotify.
EDITOR | ABBIE MOSER ARTSANDCULTURE@THESTRAND.CA
Rosalía’s colonization of Latin music When the lines of “Latina” are blurred abbie moser arts and culture editor
Nominated for Best Latin Video, Best Choreography, and Best New Artist at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, it is clear that Spanish singer Rosalía is paving her way in the industry. Her 2018 album El Mal Querer, which mixes flamenco and pop beats to provide a fresh modern sound, was nominated for five awards at the 19 Latin Grammy Awards and songs from the album won awards for Best Urban Fusion Performance and Best Alternative Song. She has seen support across the entertainment industry, as Kylie Jenner, Pharrell, Sean Paul, and Billie Eilish have recognized her talents. However, her music isn’t the only thing sparking discussion; Rosalía’s positionality in the genre has raised more questions than she cares to answer. While Rosalía may be a Latin music star, she is not Latinx; she’s a white European woman hailing from Spain. “Latinx” is a gender-neutral alternative of Latino/Latina which is a descriptor that refers to people of Latin American ancestry and ethnicity. As a term that is referential to geography, Latinx can refer to people from almost all countries and territories below the United States of America, such as the Caribbean, Mexico, and Ecuador; it doesn’t refer to Spanish-speakers from European countries. While Hispanic and Latinx are often used interchangeably, they are far from being synonyms for one another. Hispanic is a term which refers to language, it concerns and identifies countries whose primary language is Spanish. Not every Latin American country’s primary language is Spanish–take Brazil for instance, where the primary language is Portuguese–and not every Hispanic person is Latinx. With interviews in NPR Latino, being on the August 2019 cover of Mexico Vogue featured as a “Latino Artist,” and staring in an episode of Billboard’s “Growing Up Latino” web series in which she says she “feels 100 percent Latino”, Rosalía is fully embracing an identity that is not hers, and seems to be oblivious to the implications and consequences of what she’s doing. While the physical racial ambiguity that Rosalía and many other Spanish artists have allows for her to be profitable for Latin music companies and the genre itself, her class position– she is comes from Barcelona, a cultural hot spot and favourite vacation destination for the rich– affords her significant advantages. To a middleclass family, Rosalía can be seen as a familiar and non-threatening performer. By positioning Rosalía as the “It girl” of Latin music, despite her not being Latinx, award shows and media outlets are using her Eurocentric version of exoticism as a replacement for actually showcasing diverse artists of color. Rosalía’s refusal to declare her whiteness is the largest factor in her success. She embodies a Latinx look that white people love without actually being from Latin America, and she uses colourful aspects of Latinx culture that white people love, all while being a white European woman, allowing white listeners to enjoy aspects of Latinx culture without having to interact with, appreciate, or acknowledge Latinx artists. Some of her most popular songs like “Con Altura” have roots in Afro-Latinx culture, and by working with Latinx artists in her music she’s ultimately targeting the Latinx demographic. By using reggaeton inspiration for her music, and ultimately for her success, Rosalía is partaking in modern colonialism as she takes up space in a
PHOTO | COURTESY OF KEVIN WINTER, 2019 RECORDING ACADEMY
culture that is not hers. Rosalía is following in the haunting violent footsteps of her beloved Spain, a country that invaded and brought violence to many Latin American countries. While white women tend to hide behind their racist actions under the guise of ignorance, Rosalía can’t do this. At twenty-six, she’s a grown woman who must be held accountable for her actions and there’s been enough discourse on this issue surrounding her that she must be aware by this point. Hell, she’s even been asked about her cultural appropriation in a few interviews. Rosalía’s actions and strategies for success through culture baiting feel very thought out and purposeful. If her music is good it’s because Afro-Latinx and Latinx music is good, her success rides on work that Latinx artists put in long before she started her career. Aware of the culture vulture concerns, in an article for The Fader, Rosalía continues to provide vague responses when asked about her own success at the hands of marginalized people. “If Latin music is music made in Spanish, then my music is part of Latin music,” she said. “But I do know that if I say I’m a Latina artist, that’s not correct, is it? I’m part of a generation that’s making music in Spanish. So, I don’t know—in that sense, I’d prefer for others to decide if I’m included in that, no?” Rosalía praised her Barcelona heritage during her acceptance speech at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, and it’s unclear why someone so proud of their European positionality won’t publicly state that she isn’t Latinx. Rosalía can’t interchange the vastly different cultural, historical, and political worlds of Spain and Latin American countries. Nor can she escape the repercussions of pretending to be a part of a culture that is not hers, by waiting for others–particularly for members of the Latinx community–to claim her as their own.
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Vacation reading: Canadian Indigenous women’s literature miranda carroll associate arts and culture editor
PHOTO | COURTESY OF DAN DUMITRIU ON UNSPLASH
As an English literature student desperately trying to fulfill the requirements for my major, I find myself reading all the time. However, I hardly get the chance to choose what I read. This past summer and into the winter break, I found myself taken with Canadian Indigenous women’s literature. A professor once asked my class, “How do you tell the history of people who have been silenced and persecuted?” Her answer was through creative writing. When reading works by Indigenous women in Canada, I have been lucky to hear the power of this type of storytelling again and again. Here is my list of recommendations:
The Break by Katherena Vermette
The Break centres on a violent act committed against a young Métis girl in a snowy field in North Winnipeg. Vermette tells the story of this horrific event through the voices of the women in one family, a police officer, and a young girl who has just been released from a juvenile detention center. There are no good characters and no bad characters in this story. Rather, Vermette explores the complexity of each character, establishing the hurt that propels the criminal, and the guilt that permeates the bystander. Vermette takes her readers on a journey through the lives of her characters culminating in a ceremony far away from the scene of the crime, demonstrating the ability of tradition as a method of connection. This novel, while shrouded
in violence, displays the strong bonds of family and womanhood as modes of reconciliation and healing. Read this book if you: want to read about how communities work together to overcome historical traumas; want to read a book from the perspective of many women that discuss the intercommunity violence between Indigenous people in Canada; want to read a fantastic, thrilling, and emotional crime fiction book.
Son of a Trickster and Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson
The Son of a Trickster series by Eden Robinson (author of Monkey Beach) is a lively coming-of-age story. While exploring the dark issues of alcohol and drug addiction, criminal activity, and poverty, Robinson constructs a world centred around familial love and magic. When 16-year-old Jared, who lives in the Haisla Nation in Kitamaat Village, British Columbia, begins to feel as though his life is out of control, he starts to hear ravens speak. In this novel, readers are brought into Jared’s seemingly chaotic life; however, we are comforted by his compassionate sensibilities and the relationships he forms with those around him. Read this book if you: like shape-shifting walls that lead to alternate dimensions; love fireflies; love Eden Robinson.
This Accident of Being Lost by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
This Accident of Being Lost is a collection of short stories and poems that communicate the experiences of a contemporary Indigenous woman. Simpson writes about her colonized body and reclamation. She writes about “stealing back redbodies,” and “stealing back ourselves.” In this work, the narrator is simultaneously stealing and being stolen; displaying strength and aggression in taking, and vulnerability and fragility in being taken. Simpson, in interviews, has stated that she includes Ojibwe words in her works because she wants her community to know that they are the people for whom she is writing. This is prevalent in This Accident of Being Lost and forces the reader to either use an online dictionary to learn some Ojibwe words, and/or acknowledge the lack of understanding we have of the people whose land we colonized. In the many voices of the various poems and stories, Simpson becomes intimate with her reader, expressing the complexities of her identity, her strength as a female Indigenous activist, and at the same time her vulnerability. Read this book if you: enjoy stylistic shifting between prose, poetry, and song lyrics that discuss impacts of colonialism on Indigenous people in Southern Ontario; want to experience a blend of humour, anger, and love.
The Strand reviews The Two Popes emma paidra editorial assistant
PHOTO | COURTESY OF NETFLIX
“Don’t stop, keep moving. Don’t stop, keep moving,” echoes a robotic voice. Emanating from Pope Benedict XVI’s (Anthony Hopkins) fitness watch, this voice serves as a stark reminder that the Pope cannot evade notifications to meet his daily step count, and perhaps more importantly, that he has made an inescapable commitment to the papacy—he can’t stop now. Pope Benedict’s desperation to find a way out of his position dominates The Two Popes, as he tries over and over again to convince the Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) to replace him. The two men enter a familiar back and forth as Bergoglio repeatedly tells the Pope he wishes to retire, and Pope Benedict won’t hear a word of it. Through all their negotiations and theological nitpicking, the highly conservative Pope Benedict and liberal-spirited Bergoglio come to know one another. In fact, they even become friends. There is something unmistakably charming about the relationship that evolves between them, and audiences have been captivated by it. With nine awards and 51 nominations, Netflix’s The Two Popes is an undeniable success. A huge part of what makes the film such a gem is its relentless challenging of the audience’s expectations. When the viewer meets Pope Benedict, he is barely hanging onto modern times: he can’t recognize the tune to “Dancing
Queen,” doesn’t have a clue what all the buzz over football is about, and is just as conservative in his beliefs as he is in his understanding of pop culture. It would be all too easy to dislike this character, especially when he is contrasted with the amicable and lively Bergoglio. But director Fernanda Meirelles and screenwriter Anthony McCarten won’t make things that easy for the audience. Instead, they complicate Pope Benedict and Bergoglio, making the daring choice not to pit good against evil, but to blur the lines between the two. As the film unfolds, we are privy to brief, glimmering insights into Pope Benedict as an individual, rather than as the Pope. If the viewer can look past the liturgical garb of Pope Benedict, they will see an old man, just like any other. This vision is especially true in a particularly moving scene in which the Pope shares his passion for the piano with Bergoglio. It is one of the few moments—if not the only moment—in which it is impossible not to like Pope Benedict, or at least to sympathize with him. If the audience is granted access to Pope Benedict’s good side, the reverse must be true for Bergoglio. The film guides us through a series of black and white flashbacks to the Cardinal’s hushed and fraudulent past. These scenes prove to be less than compelling, though they do succeed in complicating
their subject. The incriminating flashbacks are filmed in a spattering of black and white as well as colour film, with no apparent reason for this distinction. While the film does not hesitate to depict Bergoglio’s past mistakes, McCarten and Meirelles seem afraid to give the viewer any more reason to dislike Pope Benedict. In a tense scene in which the latter admits to his greatest mistake, the dialogue is diluted and unclear. There are certainly moments that detract from The Two Popes more than they add anything, but thankfully, they are few and far between. Pryce and Hopkins play their characters with a delightful conviction, and the screenplay is laden with beautifully interwoven symbolism: when Bergoglio takes a walk through Pope Benedict’s private gardens, he is offered an umbrella, which he politely declines. Later, a weakened and aging Pope Benedict is seen clutching the umbrella, using it as a cane as he hobbles through the gardens. The precision with which such moments play out is a testament to McCarten’s skillful writing. The Two Popes may be much closer to a fantasy than a documentary, but there are still important truths within it. Behind all the ideological tension and turmoil of the film, it teaches compassion. More than anything, it preaches the solace of companionship, like smoke slowly drifting from an extinguished candle.
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EDITOR | MAX NISBETH STRANDED@THESTRAND.CA
How to be: Rupi Kaur
victoria mcintyre contributor
Rupi Kaur has managed to do something that we should all aspire towards: make money off of turning Tumblr into poetry. The question here today isn’t about if you should respect her, or even whether or not you should dig her work. The question is, how do you make that sweet, sweet cheddar
just like she did? Well, I’m gonna teach you how. So, here’s how you do it: I know what you’re thinking: “Why am I still Step 1. Choose a generic quote from a mental reading this?” And I know what you thought after health themed Instagram account. that: “How is she going to teach me how to make Step 2. Change it slightly. that doe ray me?” Sure, it seems complicated— Step 3. Fuck with spacing. conning that many teenagers out of their pocket Step 4. Find a black and white ink drawing money—but if the Great Fidget Spinner of 2017 that looks like it’s straight out of a melancholic taught us anything, it’s that it’s not as hard as you adult colouring book. might think. Step 5. Send to print.
The next Brian Williams? This man just told a lie photo
leo morgenstern managing editor, liar watchdog
This is big, everyone. We may have just discovered the next Brian Williams. His name is Trevor Michaels, and he works as a temp in Brampton, Ontario. For those who don’t know, Brian Williams is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist and television personality. So, yeah—finding the next Brian Williams is KIND OF a big deal. Williams is best
| pixabay
known for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina, his tenure as Managing Editor of NBC’s Nightly News,and for fabricating a story in which he claimed that the military helicopter he was travelling in while covering the invasion of Iraq was forced down after being hit by a rocket grenade. Trevor Michaels may not have found his Hurricane Katrina yet, but he’s certainly on the right path. Last week, he lied to everyone at the office Christmas party
photo
| disgraced news anchor, nbc
and said he was recovering from pneumonia when he really just had a cough. Brian Williams, is that you? Trevor is 34-years-old and still lives with his mom. But, Brian Williams has a net worth of over 40 million dollars, so looks like big things are in store for Trevor. Perhaps someday Trevor, too, will have a daughter who stars in critically acclaimed films and televisions series, such as Get Out and HBO’s Girls. As Brian Williams would say: you heard it here first, folks!
Cozy winter playlist ellen grace associate stranded editor
Ahhhhh… winter. It’s snowing... we are told there are four seasons… one of them is winter. Winter is the one we are in right now… it is wintertime. Check out my painstakingly curated playlist that spans across all eras, artists, and styles of music to create for you the perfect winter playlist (winter is the season that is now). “Dirty Dustin Hoffman Needs a Bath” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman Gets a Bath” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman Thinks About Eating the Soap” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman Scrubs Too Hard and Loses
Soap” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman Does Not Resist Temptation to Eat the Bathtub” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman’s Wife Comes Home” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman’s Wife Seems Suspicious About the Absent Tub” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman Feigns Ignorance of Missing Bathtub” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman’s Wife Calls in Detective to Dust for Porcelain Particles on Dustin Hoffman’s Tongue” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman’s Tongue Taken to Police Lab Where It is Used as Toilet Paper and Reading Material While on the Toilet” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman Offers Lame Possible Expla-
nation for Missing Bathtub”- Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman’s Wife Makes a Sarcastic Remark, Cuts the Head Off a Duck, Places It Where the Tub Was and Begins to Groan (Growl)” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman Becomes Indignant and Wets Himself ” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman Quits Bathroom and Climbs a Tree” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman’s Children Enter the Bathroom” - Of Montreal “Dustin Hoffman’s Children Don’t Enter the Bathroom” - Of Montreal
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Help! How do I get into medical school? Forums help lost souls find the right path jasmine ng podcast editor
Ilovescience99: Hey y’all, I’m a high school student and I’m thinking about becoming a doctor. Does anyone have tips for doing well on the MCAT? 130/125/128/129: Hi, so you’re going to have to set aside a good chunk of your time for this! No worries, just make sure you study for at least four months straight, and make studying your part-time job (if you already have a part-time job, try saving all your money so you can pay for the test, review books, and your daily needs for the next year. I mean, if you REALLY want to work at Starbucks, good luck I guess :) ). Anyway, if you haven’t noticed, my scores are really good, so much so that they’re my username and entire identity! TestTubular: Hi Ilovescience99. Don’t be sad if your CARS score is really bad. I don’t even know why verbal reasoning is so hard, because I’m an A-student in biology, and that’s all that should matter! Reading is for dorks. Doctors shouldn’t have to read; they should just earn money and write prescriptions for opioids.
my application to medical school. I currently volunteer at an old-folks home and clean test tubes for a professor, but I don’t do much else. Any tips? ImMrMedsci: Hello JanieRainbows! Good luck with your application! I used to help old people too, but I felt like they were so ungrateful, saying stuff like “let go of my arm—I want to go to the bathroom!” and “stop treating me like a f***ing toddler!” Anyway, I’ve amped up my volunteering and moved part-time to India! There are a lot of poor people there :). Now, I run a clinic for women’s health where I hand out condoms with a smile. I think my travels have enriched my life. I never realized how cool Indian culture is! I now do yoga and no longer seek the validation of others. Also, it’s really important to admissions committees that you save at least one child from a monsoon and nurse him back to health with Gatorade and wet wipes. Don’t ask me how I know this, I just do. Hope this helps!
MDGoku: I’d suggest buying these <brand name here> books, which are $200 on their own, but they’re $400 if you buy the full-length tests that come with them. Whatever, I just paid for a $3000 course that taught me the ins and outs of the MCAT, so I ended up scoring in the 99th percentile. But money isn’t everything! I work really hard at my private school, the Havisham Institute for Repressed Adolescents.
TitrationStation: I feel like you might need some research experience to bolster your application. You should ask your professor to teach you one new skill every week, so that by end of the year, you will be exceptional at performing craniotomies on mice and dodging ethics committees. I basically live in the research wing of a hospital and have been described as a “foul-smelling ghoul” by Jose, the janitor (haha!). My mom got me the position because she’s a doctor there, but don’t worry, I’m sure you can find something similar if you’re as dedicated as I am.
JanieRainbows: Hi friends, I’m looking for advice about research and extracurricular activities to list on
Saxislife: Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, Janie! These guys are just spooking you. I’m sure you’re
a lovely girl with a good heart, which is what matters. Non-traditional routes work too: I was a professional saxophonist with a Doctoral of Musical Arts and gigged all around the country before I realized I wanted to be a doctor. You can do whatever you’re passionate about, just like me! A professional saxophonist! Just be yourself, unless you’re kind of boring. I wouldn’t know what that’s like. Good luck! UrbanCloutfitters: So, I heard <insert school here> only looks at your first-year marks. Spiralling into a depression now :/ BacteriaBoi: Nah, that’s not true. I got in with lower marks and I think it’s because I explained how I took a year off to work on Shakespearean sword-fighting. I think being honest is important. UrbanCloutfitters: I only did poorly because I was adjusting to uni. Other than being depressed, I really don’t have a reason for my first-year marks. I’m doing better now, though. MeningesRightsActivist: NEVER say you have a mental illness! HIDE YOUR TRUE WEAKNESSES AT ALL COSTS. There are no depressed doctors. They will not let you in if you have a mental illness. My friends heard that somewhere. Pharma-sianCheese: Yo, but I also heard about <other school name here> and they’re worse. I think they only let in people who can sing every note of Mamma Mia, including the instrumental parts. Also, I’m in pharmacy. I honestly don’t know how I got into this thread. Looks informative though!
ISO: A date to the Jellicle Ball In the room the cats come and go / talking of Macavity, oh no! padraic colin contributor
In the throes of a bucolic screening of Cats (2019) at the Carleton Cinema with my lads, an anxious thought crossed my mind: Who will be MY date to the Jellicle Ball this year? You may be asking yourself: what is the Jellicle Ball? Where is it being held? Can I go to the Jellicle Ball? To these questions I give you one answer: Are you blind when you’re born? Can you see in the dark? Can you look at a king? Would you sit on his throne? Can you say of your bite that it’s worse than your bark? Are you cock of the walk when you’re walking alone? My high school had a Junior Prom. I looked like this back then. I went with friends; we had a good time. No drama. We listened to black metal on the way to our conservative high school in Southern New Hampshire. It was subversive. Cheeky, even. Times have changed since then. I have grown older, more mature, wiser. I have be-
come a fourth-year university student worried about my future. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, screaming loudly in a hot sweat, “Oh! Old Deuteronomy— can you PLEASE take me to the Heaviside layer???” I realized then, that this would be the year I needed to go to the Jellicle Ball, in the hopes that I could be the Jellicle choice. However, I quickly realized that I could not make this leap of faith alone. No, I could never perform in front of Old Deut alone, against the likes of the pathetic Magic Mistoffelees, the ever-horny Rum Tum Tugger, the crafty Macavity. I need a date to the Jellicle Ball. Someone to lift me up, to be my wing-cat. Someone stronger than every lunk at Goldring, sharper than all the Trin kids who use “obfuscate” to obfuscate simple conversations in tutorial, and heartier than a bowl of minestrone from Ned’s. I need to escape my problems. I need to go to the Heaviside Layer. I’m not ready to graduate. I need to be reborn as the son of a CEO or something so I don’t need to go to school and get by on nepotism alone or some shit. I don’t fucking know man, why do you always ask me this? I’m just trying to have a good time, it’s a Saturday, I’m at a party, we should keep these convos in school. I don’t want to worry about this right now you feel me???
photo
| padraic at his junior prom
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The five friendliest goose men on campus and what it will cost you to buy their finest goose Don’t be obtuse, buy a goose! leo morgenstern friend of the goose men
Robin T. Waterdimples
We all know how the old saying goes: “Goose goose, green caboose. Duck duck, ice cream truck. Swan swan, mow the lawn. Chicken chicken, turkey.” However, I bet you didn’t know that it was coined by Victoria College’s resident goose man, Robin T. Waterdimples, back in 1983. Waterdimples has since perished in a terrible murder accident, but his legacy lives on. Literally. What was left of his liver was transplanted into a giant goose, which now lives in the Burwash kitchens and lays every egg that is used in Burwash scrambled eggs. So, now you know why they taste so good!
Jerimiah Juggs
Yes, I know what you’re thinking. But, while Jeremiah Juggs is better known in traditional circles for his work as a duck man, his work as a goose man has received a great deal of critical acclaim. What it will take to buy his finest goose: One (1) true love’s kiss.
Belladonna Beauregard
If you think a woman can’t be a goose man, then you might as well stop reading this list. As far as I’m concerned, any list of goose men that doesn’t feature Belladonna Beauregard (I’m looking at you, The Varsity) is disgraceful. What it will take to buy her finest goose: A letter from her long lost son, Richard.
What it will take to buy his finest goose: $1,000,000 (good luck buying that goose!).
Huck
Look, what do you want from me? Am I supposed to entirely ignore Huck’s groundbreaking goose man career just because of a few tasteless comments he made about Jewish people while he was drunk? Come on, that was eleven months ago! What it will take to buy his finest goose: If you can trick him into taking off his hat, then he’ll reward you with a plump, white goose.
photos
| pixabay
Michael J. Pig
A picture of my prize-winning pig, Michael J. Pig? What’s he doing here? Probably just trying to show off his brand new blue ribbon. What it will take to buy his finest goose: He doesn’t sell geese, silly, he’s a pig!
