Diversity Issue by The Tertangala

I S S U E T W O / 2 016

FREE UOW STUDENT MAGAZINE

the diversity issue

EDITORS

CONTRIBUTORS

Haydon Leigh

Jake Cupitt

Thomas Beecheno

Claudia Poposki

Sophie Green

Zoe Simmons

Shawn Burns

Brenton Miller

Yesim Karasu

PRINTER

Kristina Prentoska

Blake Stanbridge

Print & Mail

Caitlin Morahan

Grace White

Elise Manning

Josh Calkins

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ally Griffith

SUB-EDITORS Caelan Maxon

PUBLISHER

Kayla Chapman

Lily Hayman

Kurtis Hughes

Wollongong Undergraduate

Paige Braunstein

Anthony Carroll

Zoe Simmons

Student Association

Zachary Fitzpatrick

Ben Kohler

contents

editorials

columns

what i’ve learnt from sex work

does exposure equal promotion?

Sri Lanka: Your next trip in a nutshell

Shonda Rhimes: a visionary, an artist, human

how does sport shape our nation?

intersectional feminism 101

politics & the fear factor

interview: AIME CO-CEO, Marlee Silva

that little doggie in the window

a struggle for modern masculinity

hunter

shut up & give me your money: thanks, but your

the contouring craze

rainbow profile picture won’t make my therapy

the power of finding yourself

sessions any cheaper

feaure artist: James Mathews

why whitewash?

how to live with a cruelty free diet

religion from an atheist’s perspective

should journalists reveal their opinons? hell yeah!

culture shock: the reality of village life in India

why do journalists need to keep their opinions to

film: risen

themselves?

film: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

features

is DC ever going to get it right?

7 things you should never say to anyone

creative writing

suffering mental illness

part two

CRISPR: unwinding gene editing technologies

a vision (reiant on slumber)

ladies & gentlemen: we are worth more

People first vs identity first: a discussion about language & disability

that’s how SNS killed my days off, and many many other days

Disclosure:

Acknowledgement of country:

Disclaimer:

The contents of this publication are made for and by the students of the University of Wollongong. Views expressed are of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of WUSA or the publisher.

Tertangala and WUSA acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land upon which we meet and work, that of the Dharawal people. We pay our respect to their elders past, present and future, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and the hopes for Indigenous Australia.

Responsibility for the Tertangala is taken by the WUSA council. The University of Wollongong accepts no responsibility for this publication.

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

WORDS / Claudia Poposki @claudiapop13

Welcome to the Diversity Issue! Being the co-editor of the Tertangala gives me some degree of power – namely, I get to be one of the people that decide what we should talk about in each issue.

lives? Or wake up and be trapped in the same repetitive pattern? No one. We want variety! So, why don’t we want that for the people around us?

Diversity isn’t a hashtag, as Viola Davis has said. Representation is key in showcasing this, and so is acceptance. I am still baffled at how people do not realise this.

University of Wollongong, you are filled with bright, interesting people. Chat to someone you wouldn’t normally talk to! Let them tell you about what it’s like to be them.

Yes, I am white. Yes, I am straight. But, I am a woman. Even more bizarre, I am a woman in a position of power.

This is what the Diversity Issue is about, based on what Atticus Finch says to young Scout, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

How did this even happen? Thirty-odd years ago this would have been unheard of. We should celebrate the differences in each other and ourselves. Who wants to eat the same thing for the rest of their

Here is the skin – go, walk around it! Read about how other people see the world, and maybe finish the magazine a little more enlightened and understanding than when you first picked it up.

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EDITORIAL

WORDS / Jake Cupitt @jakecupitt

Welcome back friends. This issue marks the halfway point in our 2016 Tert journey, and the second half looks even better! How’s your session been so far? Have you been filling your Wednesday and Thursday nights with drinking games and clubbing, waiting three days until something is due before you start it, and cramming as much caffeine in your system as possible to study for the mid-session exams? Don’t you just love all the things that make up the uni student lifestyle?

But don’t forget about those of us that enjoy getting an early night sleep after a hard workout in the gym, having cups of tea while ploughing through sooo many readings, and staying up late editing that video you’ve been working on. Because everyone is different, and all of our lifestyles are unique and special. Personally I’ve been mixing elements of both lifestyles up. Working hard at my internship at ABC radio, playing Fallout 4 way too much in what little spare time I have left, and fuelling my late-night writing with coffee and awesome re-runs of ‘Lost’ on Netflix. Thank you Netflix, you’re the best.

Mixing it up is all about being young and at uni, and learning there are so many diverse ways to live. And that’s what this issue of the Tert is about, Diversity. Don’t forget deep inside our pages not only lies great articles about diversity, but plenty of other just as awesome articles from our great writing team. Stay tuned for the third issue in second session. Study hard, and if you do something crazy, name it after me. Ciao, Jake /5

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

from the desk of the WUSA president

The new WUSA Council has had a great start to 2016 — the Book Bank is more affordable than ever, the free breakfast is being run more efficiently and offering healthy options, and our Grants Program is up and running. We have also been meeting with representatives from the University and from Government, to assist us in delivering on our election commitments. In March, a delegation from the WUSA Council was fortunate to be able to attend a meeting with Senator Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training, to speak about the issues that affect UOW students. We were able to discuss the Government’s Higher Education Reforms which are currently being reviewed to ensure that the sector is sustainable into the future. We also informed the Minister of our intention to lobby all members of the Federal Parliament to abolish the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) – the tax imposed on all students each and every session to fund programs such as subsidised gym memberships and a legal clinic that doesn’t operate on campus! The University of Wollongong is currently undergoing considerable change and I will be standing up for students and the importance of our student representatives. I did not take on this role to kick the hard decisions down the road but instead to confront them head on. WUSA is currently working with WUPA and the University administration to reform student representation on our campus to ensure our voice continues to be heard. By the end of my term, I am committed to leaving UOW students better off and with even stronger student representation. 6/

GUEST EDITORIAL

allsorts queer collective

What a year it has already been for the Allsorts Queer Collective! For those unfamiliar with us, we’re the collective for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, genderqueer, queer, questioning and all students who don’t comfortably fit under the heterosexual, hetero-romantic or cisgender identity. This year we’ve already received an overwhelming amount of new member sign ups through our O-Week and Clubs Day stalls, not to mention the many messages of support from the wider University community. Many of our members also took part in the Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney on 5th March. We marched alongside students from other rural and regional areas as ‘The Rural and Regional Alliance of Queer Students’ (RARAQS). Together we spread the message of ‘you’re not alone’, reminding members of the community that despite the unique challenges faced, you can still live happy lives ‘out’ outside of the capital cities. This year also marks our second QoW Week, which takes place during week 6 of session one, including a BBQ for donation on

the McKinnon lawn and a queer movie night. We’ll also be having IDAHOT-Cakes, pancakes on the McKinnon lawn on 17 May for IDAHOT, International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. The Collective will be bringing even more events throughout second session, including Sexuality and Gender week, so brace yourself! Despite all the great things we’ve been up to, the climate for young LGBTIQA+ Australians has been fraught due to attacks on the Safer Schools Coalition by the government. The amount of political fear mongering and sensationalism has been felt at personal levels. Allsorts supports young queer people and the goals of Safer Schools. If you feel like you need resources or assistance, the University’s Queer Space is located in building 19 and is an autonomous space for queer and questioning students. You can also contact us at uow.queer@gmail.com if you’d like to know more about the collective or become involved. Chelsey Sanderson Co-convener of UOW Allsorts Queer Collective /7

columns

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

what i’ve learnt from sex work

WORDS / Anonymous

I started giving hand-jobs for money sometime last year, just before Christmas. Never in my entire life had I done this kind of work (nor had I ever given a hand-job before)! On my first shift, I was terrified, excited, over-researched, and very badly dressed for the job. Most of that changed shift by shift. The brothel I work in is practically a “Men’s Club”. The aesthetic is a strange mixture of 80’s décor and small British bar. Tacky pictures of Marylyn Monroe are hung everywhere and the artworks look like the owners’ nephew, who has a misguided understanding of body proportions, commissioned them. I love it. Most of the day is spent lazing out on the couch, dressed in lingerie or a dress just talking shit while we wait for a client. I’ve learnt a lot since I started working. I’ve learnt how to talk and flirt with men from completely different worlds to me. I’ve learnt that my friends and mother are wonderful, wonderful and supportive people. And I eventually did learn to give a pretty rad hand-job. But in a more general sense, I want to share the main concepts that characterise my personal experience of working in the sex industry. 1. To say the sex industry is inherently good or bad is way too simplistic: The first thing people want to know about my job (whether they ask it implicitly or explicitly) is why I stay. “Is the money good?” “Do you enjoy the sessions?” “Are the hours good?” “Do you get free drugs?” “Are you in debt?”… You get the picture. This is because sex work isn’t seen as a viable career. More than that, it is seen as a career characterised by either extreme lows or extreme highs. Enjoying my work is mistaken for decadence in money and/or sex. Hating it is mistaken for a tragedy. And my 12 /

question is, “why?” Would you place such standards on any other job? I’m not going to lie; the job was not a breeze to begin with. As well as dealing with internal ‘whorephobia’ and general lack of wank practice, I was thrown into a concentrated microcosm of every systemic prejudice you could think of. Sex reveals who you are, and that some men truly can be scary. I mean this very genuinely. They are taught and encouraged by society to fetishize or violently reject not only women, but also anything that distinguishes a person. Clients will even refuse to book anyone with certain hair colours! Being thrown into that is a stimulating and terrifying game of “what will I have to deal with next?” The sex industry in general is easily vulnerable to exploitation and danger. Without a lot of legal, social or political facilities and support, sex workers are gambling with the potential risk of everything going to shit and not having a form of safety net to help them. Is that the sex workers fault? I would argue not. Honestly, most professions are subject to disparate power dynamics, sexual violence and exploitation. For example, women in any male dominated workforces (specifically in science, engineering and public services) are statistically more likely to face workplace harassment. It’s usually symptomatic of some faulty societal belief, (like women are inherently sexual) rather than an indication of a corrupt profession as a whole. My point is — keep your eye on the prize! Fight for social justice issues; don’t throw my career under a bus because it is affected by them.

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2. Everyone has a different reason for working – but it is still work. Most people need work, and even if you don’t need to, some people just want to. Most of my family are teachers. Mainly because they are good at it, some just because they believed in it and my brother just because he wanted good holidays. Either way you don’t see everyone in the same profession drawn to it for the same reasons. It is the same with sex work. Yes, I’ve heard horrific stories. And some people genuinely fell into sex work because it paid what they needed when they needed it. Some people just wanted to pay for an overseas trip; others had family members or livelihood or drug habits to fund. Personally, I have social anxiety and wanted to challenge myself in a job where I was forced to do social aerobics. Sidenote: it totally worked and I feel boss about myself. None of these reasons diminish or devalue the work a sex worker does. A wedding planner with no emotional investment in you can plan your special day that you and your family will remember for a lifetime. So why can’t I make someone orgasm without any sexual, emotional or romantic attraction to them? Sex work is work. You don’t need the “right reasons” to be there. It’s that simple. 3. Everyone has a different reason for paying. Because my job involves not only an erotic massage but an occasional spa session, I could potentially be trapped in small talk with a client for hours. Sometimes conversations flow effortlessly, sometimes I have to work, and sometimes I have to politely smile through racist, sexist or transphobic comments. It’s a mixed bag. One of the first questions I ask a client: “what their deal is?” Some clients are there to exploit you, plain and simple. They’ll explicitly choose girls from disadvantaged

demographics, not because they appreciate people of colour, but because they actively seek to take advantage of them. I’ve had clients who just want to sit in a spa with pretty women. One of my clients just wanted to lay on the table and cuddle naked. It’s not always just sex, which is part of why I find it an interesting and variable job. But a lot of the time it is just the sex… 4. Sex work is empowering. At least for me. Since starting my job, my mental health has improved tenfold. Working in the sex industry allows me to take control of my own body and its capabilities. And because I work out of a brothel where they (for the most part) respect and trust their workers much more than their clients, I am the one in control. The thing most clients don’t realise is that I spend most of my time with women and trans* folk just like me. I’ve made life long friends and when I think of work, I think of getting drunk and having fun with my co-workers more than the odd hour or four spent in bookings. I feel more connected to people who aren’t cismen through my work and have a greater appreciation for my femininity and others. Also, traveling home each night with hundreds of dollars stashed in my bra makes me feel pretty darn powerful and strong. In conclusion, I really love my job. Even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have to justify my continued employment there. I’ve worked in café’s, I’ve worked in art studios, in fast food restaurants, family business’, schools and marketing, and have never felt as respected and taken care of by my superiors and co-workers. There is a solid protocol for workplace harassment and the workers are always protected, because it is necessary to. Keep in mind this is my own personal experience and my only reason for writing this is because ideas on sex work should come from sex workers. / 13

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

does exposure equal promotion?

WORDS / Kristina Prentoska @kprentoska

“The pressure on sportswomen to increase levels of sponsorship and media coverage has seen many resort to taking their clothes off just to receive some publicity.” - Jan Borrie Is it safe to say sex sells? Sadly, I believe so, and that this above statement remains true. The use of sex exploitation in sport is a prevalent issue today. Female athletes are judged primarily on their attractiveness or sex appeal, rather than on their skill or performance as an athlete. Sex exploitation is a form of marketing, and a way in which athletes can promote themselves in an attempt to gain media coverage, sponsorship and financial rewards. This involves focusing on the sexual attributes of athletes, especially the visibility of their bodies. Does this happen in men’s sport? Well sex exploitation isn’t absent in men’s sport, it’s just less present than in female sport. I think men are seen as strong, masculine and hardworking and that being an athlete is consistent with the traditional male role. What people are having trouble with is realising that these attributes are needed in every sport, regardless of gender.

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So why do women in sport not receive the same recognition? Sexual images of female athletes are being found more and more. In 2000, before the Olympics, the Australian national women’s football team The Matildas posed nude for a calendar. This proved to be very beneficial for the team as they sold out their 35,000 copies and received much needed promotion and coverage of their sport. However, was this necessary? Are women devaluing themselves as female athletes by exploiting themselves? It is understood that it can bring greater media exposure, sponsorship and financial rewards. However it can also damage the athletes’ reputation and take away from the athletes’ sporting achievements. Now I’m not saying that being naked, or showing off and being proud of your body is a bad thing, because it’s not. I commend the people who have the confidence to do so. I think that women should refrain from using sex exploitation as a means of promotion. I want to see a sense of equality and for people to appreciate that women can play sport as well as their male counterparts, without having to pose nude. It’s unfortunate to see this across sports. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed.

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

Sri Lanka: Yo u r n e x t t r i p in a nutshell

WORDS / Caitlin Morahan

A three-time veteran of India, I more or less thought I knew what I was getting myself into when I landed in Sri Lanka. I swaggered from the airport with a bit of a ‘been there, done that’ attitude – little did I know this southern coastal gem was going to hit me for six (see what I did there? – Sri Lanka/cricket – because they play cricket in Sri Lanka). Sri Lanka is like India for beginners, if you aren’t quite ready to tackle that challenge yet. Things are simply easier — ATMs give you your money the first time around, the trains run (near enough) on time, and the currency conversion is easy to wrap your head around. And – to put it simply – it’s just that little bit… nicer. Less rubbish on the roads and fewer cows roaming the streets. And everywhere I visited had delightfully quaint names – Ella, Kandy… well, until I reached Dikwella, I guess. Cheap, close, culturally diverse and completely different to Australia, Sri Lanka ticks all my boxes for a ‘must-do’ country. My advice? Get there before it becomes the ‘new Bali’. Now, the facts. Firstly, skip Colombo. Seriously. You don’t want to waste your time in a dusty economical capital when the azure beaches of Mirissa or the architectural delights of Galle are a mere (but also dusty) train ride away. You can get the rail nearly to anywhere in Sri Lanka – and while it may not be the most time savvy option, the scenery is so breathtaking you won’t mind when the train gets delayed because the tracks seem to stop for no reason.

ALSO FOR CULTURE: KANDY – Built around a purely artificial lake, deliciously named Kandy, is home to the Buddhist Temple of Tooth and strangely enough, the best samosa I have ever encountered. The temple has long been a destination for Buddhist pilgrims, so it’s not uncommon to see orange-robed monks sitting peacefully on the stairs. You can also witness a traditional Hindu Puja ceremony in Kandy’s town centre. It’s worth considering a hike through the miles of lush tea plantations – they’re nearly as beautiful as the smiles of the women who work in them. FOR BEACH: MIRISSA – If learning to surf or scuba dive is more your thing, the southern coast of Sri Lanka boasts some of the most pristine beaches seen to Asia. Mirissa beach is an example of those annoying “tag a friend you would take here! <3” posts on Facebook. It has a beautiful beach and less of a town, so it’s less crowded than it’s neighbours, and according to ‘kimmeepips64’ on TripAdvisor, the waves are really good for ‘boogie boarding’. It also has an abundance of bars and restaurants right on the water. I was fortunate enough to spend my birthday in a deck chair in the shallows of the reef, with a cocktail in hand and a curry on the way. FOOD: MINISTRY OF CRAB – Established by two former cricketers in an old Dutch Hospital, this restaurant is described as a celebration of Sri Lankan seafood, and it’s a crucial stop as you get the hell out of Colombo. With over thirty different types of fresh crabs like chili and lemongrass, it’s the best of the best.

TOP PICKS Good to Know: FOR HIKING: SIGIRIY ROCK FORTRESS – have your Weetbix and be prepared to climb. Sigiriya is an ancient abandoned rock palace built over 1600 years ago, with traces of ancient frescoes dating back to the 5th century still visible on the walls. The view itself is worth the daunting climb up the narrow, rickety stairs. FOR CULTURE: GALLE – if the colonial Dutch architecture of this beautiful walled city doesn’t tickle your fancy, the fact that Galle is the best place to eat and shop in Sri Lanka should keep you there. Perched upon a picturesquely rugged cliff, Galle Fort was built in the 17th century and is rumoured to be haunted! Do the night tour to get your nerves tingling. 16 /

Language: Sinhala, Tamil, and English are widely spoken Visa: Australians do need a visa, and while it’s possible to get on arrival, it’s cheaper to do it online before you depart. Religion: Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. Tipping: Typically a 10% service charge is included in the bill, even in markets. If not, tip 10-15% Water: Don’t drink water from the taps, opt for bottled or boiled.

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[Images: Ally Griffith]

PLEASE NOTE: I know it’s awfully tempting, but with all the tourist offices in Sri Lanka touting elephant rides and ‘elephant orphanage tours’, very, very few are actually humane. Elephants are not intended to be ridden by camera-touting tourists – they just aren’t. So steer clear of these ‘elephant

orphanages’ that somehow still have elephants chained on all feet so paying tourists can feed them peanuts. The only reputable place I managed to find was the Elephant Freedom Project in Kegalle – book in advance, because they only allow a number of people in at a time.

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TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

how does sport shape our nation?

WORDS / Brenton Miller @brentonm13 @thinkoval.con

Fox Sports has released a new advertising campaign centred on Australia being a sporting nation. Well actually, a ‘Foxsporting’ nation. By using elite athletes, both former and current in a range of sports, they are hoping to appeal to the Australian pride in viewers and their sense of national honour when it comes to sporting prowess in order to increase ratings. One particular ad has several AFL players and head coaches talking about the impact of sport in Australia. Three quotes in particular stood out while viewing it however. In an article from The Herald Sun, Brendon Bolton, Carlton’s Head Coach, said “It doesn’t discriminate.” Shannon Fentiman, from the Minister for Women, Youth and Multicultural Affairs, said “Sport brings people together.” Quoted from The West Australian, Nic Naitanui, West Coast Eagles ruckman, said “We act as a vehicle for social inclusion.” But, are these statements true? 18 /

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* “Sport has the power to change the world,” the late Nelson Mandela said.

Only last year, AFL was embroiled in a racism debacle with its supporters who constantly booed Adam Goodes when he was on the field, even after the league condemned ‘supporters’ actions as racism. Some, like radio shock jock Alan Jones said, “it’s not racism, people just don’t like the bloke”, and “they don’t like his behaviour”. That may be the case but how many of the fans booing him cared what the difference was after the first time it happened and the act was labelled as racism. The catalyst for the situation came after Goodes performed an indigenous war dance after he scored a goal in the AFL’s Indigenous Round. This comes two years after he was called an “ape” by a 13-year-old girl in the 2013 Indigenous Round. The most memorable AFL moment from the 90s was St. Kilda player Nicky Winmar when he raised his shirt and proudly pointed to his black skin after years of racial abuse from crowds around the country. In 2010, the NRL had its own racial controversy when Timana Tahu walked out of the NSW blues camp. It was reported that Andrew Johns had referred to Greg Inglis as a “black c***.”

In 2013, Cricket Australia caused their own racism row when they posted a photo of four Muslim men dressed as Teletubbies and asked for the real Monty Penasar (former English spinner who was Muslim) to “please stand up.” In 2014, Brendan Santalab was accused of saying to Sydney FC player Ali Abbas “You fucking Arab, Muslim, c***.” These problems are not isolated to Australia and to any particular sport. But as much as we celebrate our great achievements we also need to remember the moments everyone tries to forget. “Sport has the power to change the world,” the late Nelson Mandela said. “It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.” Sport IS a vehicle for social inclusion. Sport DOES bring people together. Sporting prowess DOES NOT discriminate. It is the individuals that are involved that dictate sports power to shape our culture. Sport has shaped our nation and will continue to do so. Especially if our Prime Ministers keep making comments like Bob Hawke in 1993. Who after Australia won the America’s Cup in sailing proclaimed, “Any boss who sacks someone for not turning up to work today is a bum.” / 19

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

politics & the fear factor WORDS / Claudia Poposki @claudiapop13

The views expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not reflect the Tertangala or the University of Wollongong.

The lead up to an election is always interesting, from student elections to campaigns on a national scale. There are the inspiring speeches and the foot-in-mouth moments – but is there enough discussion about policy? The 2016 United States Presidential race is well under way, and it means that the candidates have been making speeches, and pushing their agendas for quite some time. Candidates all use different approaches, but the one that seems to be making the biggest appearance this time around is the spreading of fear and alleged solutions to that fear. Why do candidates think that fear-mongering is the way to get elected? Do they believe that the electorate is too dumb to understand actual policies? Whatever the reason, it keeps happening. For instance, in order to create positivity around American gun ownership, Republican Candidate Ted Cruz sought to belittle Australia’s gun control laws, stating they led to a rise of sexual assault cases. “There’s nothing that criminals and terrorists like more than unarmed victims.” Australian Opposition Bill Shorten hit back at this, according to the ABC, writing; “Twenty years after the chilling tragedy of Port Arthur, along with many Australians, I regard gun law reform as John Howard’s finest achievement in office.” “Contrary to your comments, reducing the number and restricting the availability of semi-automatic weapons did not lead to an increase in the rates of violent crime, rape or sexual assault.” “Just as importantly, in the two decades that followed these changes, we have not witnessed a single other mass shooting on Australian soil. Not one.” “Please do not misrepresent the success of Australia’s gun reforms in a misguided defence of your own gun laws.” The Washington Post’s Fact Checker went through the claims made by Ted Cruz and found that whilst the data indicated that there was in fact an increase in sexual assault between 1996 and 2008 before decreasing again by 2014, there is no indication this relates to the 1996 government sponsored gun buyback.

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The Washington Post went on to say in their conclusion of the fact check on Cruz’s claims that; “The increase likely is affected by the increase in reporting, and there wasn’t prevalent use of handguns for self-defense before 1996, as Cruz suggests. There was no blanket exemption allowing people to use handguns for self-defense prior to 1996, though the explicit prohibition came through the 1996 changes.” By Ted Cruz essentially saying “taking away guns means more women will be sexually assaulted”, he is playing on the fear that women already have about being attacked. He is saying you’ll be safer with something that can kill people behind your back or in your purse. There is so much wrong with that, like; how about you teach people not to attack others instead of telling people carrying guns is safer? He isn’t the first Presidential Candidate to prey on people’s fears. Donald Trump insists on playing the islamophobia card. In a debate about national security, he explained his plan to keep Muslims out and to build a wall separating Mexico and the U.S. Trump said, according to CNS, “We are not talking about isolation, we’re talking about security. We’re not talking about religion, we’re talking about security. Our country is out of control.” The candidate went on to say; “They’re not coming to this country if I’m president. And if Obama has brought some to this country they are leaving, they’re going, they’re gone.” How is this acceptable, and more important, why do we allow it? Shouldn’t we demand a higher-level campaign from people that are going to run one of the most influential countries in the world? Shouldn’t we demand it from our own government and party leaders? I mean, when did it become about convincing people that a threat was imminent and that whoever was pushing the idea of this threat was the only hope of salvation? We should demand more from our candidates. Popular HBO show, The Newsroom, had the right idea with their new debate format – we should put all potential candidates on a witness stand. Why should we accept living in fear? We should demand the facts. Political leaders are supposed to represent the public – so shouldn’t we ensure we ask the right questions to find the person that does? / 21

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

that little doggie in the window

WORDS / Elise Manning @manningelise I don’t remember much from where I was born. I was never played with by humans, only poked and pushed. Mum was always sick and I only got to see her when I was fed. She had hardly any milk for me and my brothers and sisters. I remember many of them dying too. I miss them. I do remember the day I was taken from mum. I was so scared and my milk teeth had only just come in. I really should have been with mum, but she was so sick and the humans kept saying they wanted money and were sick of the mess. My sister and I were put in crates and taken to a strange place. I could see blue sky through the hole in the box; I’d never been outside before. We huddled together because we were terrified; still no human hands came to pet us. We were put into a small cage in the back of a shop with lots of new smells. My sister died that night. I lay my head on her soft fur and felt the life leave her small, thin body. I heard them say she was sick and should be sold at a ‘discount price’ so she would be sold quickly. I cried when they took her body out, where are they taking her, I thought. In the morning I was put in a box a little bigger than before. So many humans were coming up to me with happy faces and talking in calm voices. I started to feel a little better. Sometimes mean people would come up and hit the glass and scare me, every once in a while I was taken out to be shown to humans.

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Some were gentle, some hurt. The humans said they wanted me and said they will take me home, but it never happened. One day my legs started to really hurt, I cried every time I tried to walk. I didn’t know what was wrong but I heard the humans say I can’t be sold now and need to go. I thought, “I hope I’m going to see my mum again, she might be better now.” The human picked me up by my neck, which hurt very much. I don’t remember much after that, but I’m happier now and my legs are much better. All my brother and sisters are here too, and my mum. There are no humans and we are all happy.

When I was a child being dragged to Westfield almost every Saturday by mum, I would spend hours upon hours inside the pet shop. Squealing with joy while playing with the puppies in the tiny glass boxes, trying to fit my fingers through the thin gap to receive a few kisses from an 8 week old pup, that never knew anything more than the meter squared cube. I wish I knew then even just a small amount of what I know now. That little doggie in the window has been living in an overcrowded filthy factory for its first few weeks of life. It was taken away from

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its mother and sold to the pet store, with the promise he has come from a great breeder. What great breeder would surrender their pups to live in a glass box for 8 hours a day? None. Puppy farms produce all kinds of puppies for sale; purebreds, crossbred and mixed-breed dogs, so you can’t judge whether a dog has been bred in a puppy farm based on the breed or type of dog. Under current regulations, the only way for a buyer to know for sure is to visit the place in which the puppies were bred, which is often never disclosed. A recent inquiry into NSW puppy farms received over 300 submissions of horrific allegations of neglect and abuse of animals at puppy farms. The inquiry included accounts of hungry dogs cannibalising other animals, and pups only being fed road kill. The inquiry requested the Government set up a stand-alone licensing scheme that would require all breeders to register with a license and keep track of the sale of each animal. This in turn could potentially deter dishonest breeders and keep track of the general welfare of the animals while in care. Instead of introducing licenses and stricter rules for breeders, the Government opted for the easier option; a review of the regulations and the Companion Animals micro-chipping register. Premier Mike Baird posted on Facebook, “We recently instigated

a parliamentary inquiry into animal breeding practices in NSW. Today we announced that we will be reviewing penalties and enforcement measures to ensure that dodgy operators can be dealt with seriously and shut down where necessary.” The decision received a large amount of backlash. Mark Pearson, an Animal Justice MP, who was involved in the inquiry has replied with, “It’s extremely disappointing and it’s really going to come back to bite the Government because they haven’t addressed the fundamental concerns as to why the whole inquiry occurred in the first place,” according to the ABC. While this is a small step forward, the Government still has a long way to go in terms of the protection of our best friends. It’s heartbreaking that the Australian Government does not see the importance in this matter. As long as people keep buying pups from pet shops and dodgy breeders, puppy mills will continue to churn out thousands of abused and neglected dogs, many of which die before they even get to the seller. Homeless and abandoned dogs will continue to be euthanized simply because no one has adopted them. It is true you can’t buy love, but you can adopt it from an animal shelter. There are over 500 000 animals surrendered to shelters each year. If everyone who ever wanted a companion animal adopted, shelters wouldn’t even be running. Adopt, don’t shop.

/ 23

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

hunter

WORDS / Jake Cupitt @jakecupitt

Screaming across the hot, flat desert of Las Vegas, Nevada, in a two door red convertible sports car, with a trunk full of drugs and guns, and enough cocaine in your system to bring down a teenage elephant. What kind of day is that you might ask?

parties. Gonzo journalism disregards the strictly-edited product favored by newspaper media and strives for a more personal approach; the personality of a piece is as important as the event the piece is on. Use of sarcasm, humor, exaggeration, and profanity is common.”

Well for Hunter S. Thompson, it was just an average day.

Thompson, most known for his novel “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” was originally a writer for the magazine Rolling Stone. He extensively covered the 1972 U.S. Presidential election between Richard Nixon and George McGovern. His articles covering the election later were combined into a book titled, “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72”. You can see a pattern emerging here – a whole lot of fear and loathing going on.

From modest beginnings, Hunter was born in 1937 and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. During his youth, he was every inch a southern gentleman. Maybe so much so that he often got into trouble with a few Southern Bells. Founder of the Gonzo journalist movement, Hunter’s appetite for the truth, however gritty or dirty or unattractive it was, was unknown before he rocked the American public with his hard hitting, no holds barred style of writing. Wikipedia defines Gonzo as: “Gonzo journalism involves an approach to accuracy that involves the reporting of personal experiences and emotions, in contrast to traditional journalism, which favors a detached style and relies on facts or quotations that can be verified by third 24 /

I guess that was because you could say that Thompson was a pretty messed up man. Example, the following quote from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: “Hallucinations are bad enough. But after awhile you learn to cope with things like seeing your dead grandmother crawling up your leg with a knife in her teeth. Most acid fanciers can handle this sort of thing. But nobody can handle that other trip-the possibility that any freak with $1.98 can walk into the Circus-Circus and suddenly appear in the sky over

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downtown Las Vegas twelve times the size of God, howling anything that comes into his head. No, this is not a good town for psychedelic drugs.”

irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge, and I knew we’d get into that rotten stuff pretty soon.”

He was a man with an intimate feel for the rhythm of words, and, like his mentor Ernest Hemmingway, soon developed his own style. I always liken reading words in a sentence to the feel of a drumbeat. Every author has their own beat they play, and when you start to read something by an author you don’t know, there is often a teething process at the beginning to get into the ‘feel’ of their writing style. But once you learn how to read their rhythm, the story flows the way the author intended it. Take this paragraph as an example, again, about drugs:

At first it may seem jarring, or different, but it soon flows, and with that flow, comes an intimate understanding of the meaning Thompson is trying to get across. The whole paragraph essentially exists to give us understanding of the last sentence.

“We had two bags of grass, seventyfive pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... Also, a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and

“There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge, and I knew we’d get into that rotten stuff pretty soon.” Hunter is telling us he is depraved, helpless and irresponsible. He knows the ether is rotten, and yet, he knows he will eventually give in and use it. Aside from art imitating life, Hunter formed his style all over the world. As a well-seasoned traveller, his style took its final form during his time in the Caribbean.

for the sports section of the newspaper at the army barracks he was stationed at. He also chronicled his experiences in the Caribbean when he was a young man. It was these stories that eventually became the book, “The Rum Diary”, that also became a movie of the same name starring Johnny Depp. But you can imagine that living a hard life on the edge of drug fuelled insanity and journalistically acute observation, would be a serious brain strain, after a long career writing and taking drugs, he was an emotional wreck. With the uppers comes the downers. Hunter had frequent bouts of depression and constantly fought off suicidal thoughts. And sadly on February 20th 2005, at his Woody Creek ranch in Colorado, Hunter took his own life. A day where the world lost a mind that was as sharp as a blade and as nimble as fox. I’m sure wherever he is, he’s high as a kite, poking away at his typewriter.

He wasn’t always drug dependant. Years before he found an audience, he wandered around working in small newspapers all over America. He wrote / 25

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

the contouring craze WORDS /Kayla Chapman @kaylachapmann

It’s the one make up trend that just won’t go away. Instead of reaching its peak and falling back in to its modest beginnings, contouring continues to haunt our online feeds the same way uneven eyeliner haunt our nightmares. What started out as an innocent new way to enhance your facial features soon became a new way to trick people into thinking you got a nose job – and it’s only escalated from there. Instagram and the Kardashian-Jenner clan have been behind the obsession of many makeup crazes of late. First, we saw the over filling of eyebrows that resulted in the same look a toddler might make when they get their hands on a permanent marker. Then, it was Kylie Jenner that inspired the overdrawing of millions of lips around the world. However, it seems like enough memes have been made inside internet-land that the ridiculousness of these two crazes were realised and we are finally seeking a more natural eyebrow and lip duo. I thank the higher power every day for this. Now guys, if you’re still reading this I must warn: you’re going to read a range of different words and terms relating to this new contouring business that I didn’t even know myself six months ago. ‘Baking’ your makeup? What the hell is that? You’re forgiven for having google open during the duration of this article. Make note that I believe women have the right to do their makeup however they want. I am all for enhancing the shit out of the features you already have. Create a new cheekbone for all I care. If you can contour your nose so well, people question whether it’s been surgically altered, you are right up there with the best of the best makeup artists and I admire your work. Can I hire you for my wedding? 26 /

What I don’t understand is how the practice of contouring has become such an obsession, it’s almost got its own cult following. One search on YouTube can show you that. I also don’t know how anyone has the damn time to go BACK OVER their foundation with lines, dots and strokes to achieve something that yes, looks very cool during the process, but the same outcome could be achieved with a good ol’ fashioned powder and highlighter. Yes, once upon a time, in a far off land, there lived a technique called ‘highlighting and bronzing’. This was a simple time, where concealer was only used for simple things such as concealing dark circles and hiding unwelcome blemishes. It took a maximum three minutes and used, like, one per cent of liquid in the bottle. The introduction of contouring created a need for 3 different shades of concealers to be used on basically the entire surface of a face. Did I mention Instagram recommends doing this ON TOP the foundation base you’ve just applied? Ain’t nobody got time for that! Now you need an Anastasia Beverly Hills contouring palette, seven different brushes, an ‘Artis Brush’ to blend it all in and a geometry set featuring a ruler, compass and protractor to make sure the angles are symmetrical. I’m exhausted. If anyone needs me, I’ll be watching tutorials trying to get my head around this ‘baking’ business.

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WORDS / Paige Braunstein @paigechanel4

I thought I would shed some light on growing up a female, the seemingly difficult task of discovering who you are, what you want out of life and actually having the courage to go after it. For most of us, life began simply. A nice loving mother and a hard working father, and primary school was filled with fun and games, where the only competition in life was, who could run the fastest? For me, life got tough around the time girls started growing lumps of fat on their chests, more commonly known as boobs. I was always the tiniest girl in my class and didn’t start my phase of puberty until a year or two after everyone else. My excessive gymnastics training probably didn’t help my cause, and thus I was perpetually left out of everything. What’s a period like? What’s pubic hair feel like? What do boobs look like? I remember I actually got called to the principal’s office because I’d offended a girl with my inquisitive and innocent mind, after I had questioned her about her period. I was only 12; so I didn’t get in much trouble. “Don’t ask people about their periods anymore, Paige”, and so I didn’t, and that was that.

the power of finding your self For a while, I was stuck in a trap of co-dependency, be it on my friends, a boyfriend or my parents. It was never an overly obvious trap, but I could feel myself restricting my abilities to achieve what I truly desired. For a long while, I did downplay this restricting nature to my apparent inability to act like a normal human with my endless embarrassing life moments. On the first day of my current job (which is a professional work-place in an office in the CBD) I tripped over whilst I was walking into my boss’s office to meet him. Still to this day I can’t tell if he thinks I’m funny or a bit ditsy; probably a bit of both. I did eventually realise what I was doing, and made a concerted effort to become a more independent woman. I started to become comfortable doing things alone, and spending time with myself. I began to say yes to more and thus I was achieving more. I slowly started to build the life I wanted still with many embarrassing moments, but I was shedding the pain from my past, and moving forward, and gosh it felt good.

Eventually, I caught up with everyone else. But not before I endured years of social awkwardness and feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. All because I wasn’t ready to give some unworthy guy a blowjob behind a tree at age 14 like some of my other more experimental friends. Instead, I was a less up-front kind of gal, who spent a lot of time alone watching Gilmore Girls and shyly hiding on Facebook, waiting for my crush (whom I had never spoken to, only looked at) to pop up on chat and speak to me. I would stare endlessly at the little green light next to my crush’s name, taunting me as it kindly let me know they were online but choosing not to speak to me. I sure can empathise with Gatsby and the tantalising pain the green dot brought to his life. High school brought an array of emotions to the table; most of them somewhere in the ballpark of self-doubt and feeling unwanted and worthless, which took years to recover from. The road to revival was something along the lines of asking myself; what do I want to do with my life? Who do I want in my life? Most importantly, what do I have to do to achieve these things that I want? / 27

feature artist/

James Mathews

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

WORDS / Jake Cupitt

When did you begin drawing? Was it something that you started when you were young?

Barely eighteen and fresh from high school, James Mathews has painted more images than some artists do in their career.

I’ve always sort of drawn. I think the moment when I really started to enjoy it and love it was when was year three in primary school. I had appendicitis, and it went undiagnosed for two weeks. So I was at home and I used to draw a lot of Yu-Gi-Oh!. [I used to] draw the cards and the images in the cards.

Interested in the fine arts, he finds inspiration in the storytelling of Rembrandt and Caravaggio. And like these two giants of oil, Mathews is hoping to tell stories with his images, particularly, stories in children’s books. With his first children’s book well underway, his easel is never empty, and his hands are rarely idle. He works with oil, acrylic, pencil, charcoal, digital photographs and much more. I sat down with James and we spoke about his budding future as an aspiring painter in the 21st century.

What was the transition going from drawing to painting? When did you start to take it seriously? It was a gradual thing. People noticed I was into drawing, so I received a lot of gifts related to it, and pretty soon I had a nice collection of pencils and things. Painting came a little later when I was in high school. When I took Visual Arts as a subject, it was through experimenting and studying old classics. What was your major project for the HSC? Mine was a series of drawings and painting, but they were all incomplete. For a reason? Yeah. The title came from a quote from the artist Fred Williams, “What makes a good painting? Four hundred paintings.” My concept was about the development of a painting. It’s all about the process.

* But most of t he time if I leave somet hing af ter star ting I wont generally come bac k to it ; most of it is unf inished 30 /

How many were in the exhibition? Thirty-three all up. They varied in size and material, they weren’t all just paper and canvas. Some were on Masonite board; there were some on tissue boxes, cardboard boxes. Do you have a favourite medium of materials to work with? I’m not sure; I guess I’d say when I’m painting with oils on Masonite board. But whenever you’re painting, you’re still drawing with the brush. It always goes back to drawing as the foundation; it’s a mix between the two.

FE AT U R E AR T I S T

Walk me through your creative process. How do you operate?

Speaking of Monet, are you interested in art analysis? How do you look at paintings and ‘read’ them?

Well I always have at least four projects going at once. You know I say, “I’ll start this, but oh, I like the look of that, and now ill go over here.” But most of the time if I leave something after starting I wont generally come back to it; most of it is unfinished. My house is filled with unfinished paintings.

I enjoy my own analysis, but it’s not contemporary by any means. The only art analysis I’ve been exposed to outside of my own house is at high school when we were studying modern artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. I appreciate their work, but I’m more interested in the old masters; Italian like Caravaggio, Dutch like Rembrandt. When I deconstruct images I would do it in different ways than some art critics. They would usually be looking for meaning, where as I am looking for technique.

A lot of it is spontaneous, like I’ll get into a mood suddenly, or if I’m watching television and something will be a trigger, or an image in a magazine. And then I think about the best medium to execute that idea, and then I suppose there’s the planning side of things where I sit down and say, “ Ok I’m going to have to set this up to do that, and make sure I do this thing a certain way.” For example I have two exhibitions coming up, the Camden art prize in April, and there’s a landscape prize in Bowral in March. So in a sense there are limits to some of my work. I’ll have to sit down and plan things. This weekend I’m going out to take photos of the scene I have in mind. My grandfather owns a property out in Crookwell and it’s an old sheering shed, these old derelict buildings from the late eighteen hundreds. So I’m going to take pictures at dusk just when the sun is setting, I’ve already got the canvas primed and ready. So once I have the images, I might play with them in Photoshop for a while and try and get the right composition I’m looking for, but other times I’ll just work from the original and my memory. I used to just sketch it on with pencil first, but I’ve found that I can now just draw with the brush. Really? So no outlining? Yeah, taking the pictures when the light is just right allows me to take my time, as opposed to having to rush and paint ‘plain air’.

So how important is meaning to you, as opposed to technique? Look, I’m all about story telling, that’s who I am, and art is an outlet for that, but I think we’ve sort of gone to the extreme end of that now, with the whole post modernist or abstractionist, finding meaning where there pretty much is none. I went into a gallery with a friend in Sydney it was really small. We saw this piece and it was just a series of painted coloured squares. I mean, what does that mean? Sure it could tell a story, but unless I’m asking, I’d just be making a story up by myself. What’s the point in that? Is there one particular artist you’re inspired by? I’m pretty torn, I guess Caravaggio and Rembrandt, and it’s between them two for me. I like Caravaggio; he was a great storyteller, through his oils. I could look at his work and take more meaning from the story than he intended, but the premise of the story is still the same. Oils and Caravaggio and the old Dutch masters, that’s a long way from children’s books. Tell me how you got into children’s books?

‘Plain air’? That’s the term where you just go out and you set up and paint it completely then and there. But I’m not that good yet, because you need to be quick and accurate and usually have a great memory if you need to leave before you’re done. Monet was famous for painting ‘plain air’.

Well, I want to go into the animated film industry for a career but I have this deep interest in the fine arts, but it all intertwines, it’s all story telling in the end. And it’s just through different mediums that we tell the story. You need that foundation; you need that bedrock of the traditional styles. You can look at a cartoon and see that the artist has no knowledge of technique or anatomy from painting because it’s all made up. / 31

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

how to live with a cruelty free diet: a guide on transitioning

WORDS / Zoe Simmons @ItBeginsWithZ

So maybe you don’t want animals to die. Maybe you feel bad about the suffering some of them go through. Maybe you really wish you could live a life that’s as sustainable and caring as possible. But how? How can you even think about limiting or discontinuing your consumption of animal products? It’s such an ingrained part of society. It’s everywhere. We’re taught that it’s natural, that it’s normal, that we as human beings have superiority over non-human animals. That it’s our right to consume them. But is it our right to allow most of them to suffer? To be the cause of their suffering? No. Do you think as I do? Does it sadden you when you see those horrific videos of pigs in cages too small to move? Where farmed animals may never see the sun or feel the grass under their feet, where their lives are taken advantage of purely for our consumption? If the answer is yes, you may want to consider at least limiting your impact—and here’s my little handy guide of how.

34 /

Milk: This is probably one of the easiest things to change, because of the variety you have in what you choose to drink. There’s so many choices! You’ve got multiple types of soy milks, each creamier than the next, or almond milk, sweet rice milk, coconut milk, macadamia milk and hazelnut milk. Whether it’s cooking or coffee, these things work just as well. Personally, I think the cheap soy milk is great—and bonus, it contains lots of protein and nutrients to fill you up.

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Cheese:

Meat:

This is often the most difficult thing to cut out, I often hear people say. In fact, I used to be one of those people. Having been vegetarian for 7 years before becoming vegan about 10 months ago, I would always respond with yes, I’m vegetarian! But I could never go vegan. I love cheese. Dairy is my favourite food group. And it really was. But after researching what a lot of dairy cows go through—that they’re (often) artificially inseminated and kept pregnant their entire lives to produce dairy, with their babies taken away to become veal or future dairy cows—I decided no food could ever be worth their cries.

Meat is probably the easiest thing to replace, give up or reduce. We really do not need it to survive—you can get all your nutrients and more from plants. But if you do long for meat, there are vegan alternatives. Firstly, you have things like grilled mushrooms, or other veggies—using the right flavouring, they can be quite similar. Tofu is also a great substitute when cooked well. A personal favourite of mine is to thinly slice tofu and coat with paprika, salt, pepper and garlic, before searing it and making a delicious dipping sauce to go with it—healthy and super easy for lazy people like me. There’s also plenty of fake meats. The frozen section of supermarkets normally have a great choice of burgers, sausages, pies, schnitzels, and so on. Textured soy protein is a new personal favourite of mine—it’s super cheap at around $3 for a big bag; just add water and heat. It can be used for the same kind of thing mince is used for.

Even so, replacing cheese was really difficult for me. Some vegans avoid substitutes all together, by using other ingredients—like avocado or tomato paste—for that “melty” effect. However, as a former dairy lover, I do enjoy cheese— but fear not! There is plenty of choice for cruelty-free dairy! Biocheese happens to be a favourite of mine, and for around $7-9, it’s certainly worth it. The texture is a little different to your usual cheese, but it’s super creamy and to die for when melted—even better than actual cheese, I’d argue. There’s also Tofutti cream cheese and sour cream, both of which are super creamy, tasty and useful in cooking. Any health food store will sell plenty of these kinds of things—and even Coles and Woolworths. Furthermore, I’ve recently discovered you can make your own cheese, using things like cashews, and nutritional yeast flakes, which when combined together create a creamy, cheesy flavour. Google is your best friend—explore, experiment and have some fun eating some tasty creations.

There’s really plenty of options. I’m not here to force you—I’m just expressing my experiences in attaining a healthy crueltyfree lifestyle. Going vegan has been the best thing I’ve ever done my life, as well as the lives of the animals who are slowly being saved by this movement, is better for it.

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TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

should journalists reveal their opinons? hell yeah!

WORDS / Zachary Fitzpatrick

I have been in university for almost three years, and in that time, I have been surrounded by people who are not only open but also frank about their thoughts on all things, both meaningful to the preference of the most mundane activity. Most recently, I learnt something new. My delightful journalist friends won’t. It quite frankly shocked me that the future writers of the Heralds, Guardians and even our humble Illawarra Mercury, don’t feel comfortable telling their audience, and you included, what they think, believe and feel. Now, some of you might accuse me of being sheltered or dismiss the point outright as perhaps this is how a journalist in fact should be, but I don’t believe reducing those who almost exclusively produce how we see the world to newsmaking and fact-checking machines, with a singular purpose. They should clearly do their job, which is to provide a transparent and perhaps nuanced account of issues of our times, but as I was promptly informed this isn’t quite ‘objective’. Now stripping oneself of biases may be the first step towards presenting an ethical piece of journalism, but to hold oneself to be objective seems a bridge too far, exactly for the same reason why we apparently expect our news to be objective and why journalists strive for it. 36 /

This reason being? It’s impossible. Human beings are horrifically biased things at the best of times, and even when our finest minds attempt to make a science of it, we get left with social sciences and …..the actual sciences. The objectivity of journalism and journalists as such is a magic track, these are in fact people who are conveying information which does in fact colour our view of the world. This is why no one knows that Al Qaeda nearly took over the country of Mali, before the French invaded again. This happened scantly 4 years ago and the war is actually still raging. Just like Syria. And the Democratic Republic of Congo. We have a bias towards local news, things which happen in our ‘backyard’ so to speak, because that is what Australia as a community cares about. So when we rarely see this is in the news, we don’t notice it. Journalists clearly have opinions on this diverse range of local issues we care about, but instead of asking that they present this opinion as an aside, we merely ask them to deny all that is human in them and present the facts, an obscure notion on its own.

In affect, all we ask is that they dehumanise themselves and their point of view for the sake of professional transparency, which brings us to our real point here. Transparency is about ensuring that we as the audience have enough information to understand, to give us the intellectual latitude to understand where that information was sourced from. To in fact, give us as the audience the information we need to make our own judgements to shade the diversity of each opinion in its own colour. That is a journalist’s greatest gift, and I feel that can only be made all the more richer by allowing the author to inform their reader that their view exists and continue to allow us as the audience to make our decision on what that actually means. Be it Malcolm’s latest masterstrokes or the latest rendition of 90s nostalgia expressed in list form, denying you are in fact a Labor supporter or that you weren’t really born in 90s doesn’t change the vibrant sketch of the world you have presented to your audience but it does allow them to make that choice for themselves, which is a much more pleasant way to live after all, isn’t it?

DE B AT E

why do journalists need to keep their opinions to themselves?

WORDS / Jake Cupitt @jakecupitt

Here’s a metaphor to demonstrate my point.

From a journalist

The world is a blank piece of paper, and everyone doing something is drawing on the paper.

Journalists are given an extraordinary amount of power. We are the people that figure out what needs to be told and what doesn’t need to be told. Without us, politicians would be unruly, wars would start and end and silence, and corruption would go unnoticed and permeate every aspect of our lives. Journalists keep the world from plunging into chaos. But strip a journalist of everything they have learnt and experienced and what do you have left? There’s just a human, a person with fallibilities and bias. Deep inside we are still fuelled by our emotions and instincts, just like the rest of the world. The difference lies in our ability to put our emotions to the side and look at a situation for what it is – ugly, real, and true. The reason we don’t give our opinions to the public is because we know that if we did, given the power we have, we could change the publics’ opinion on just about any topic. This all comes back to the fact that without journalism, no one would know anything about current affairs. People rely on journalists to inform them of what is going on, so they can then decide if they like it or if they don’t.

But because people who are working for their own devices and motives are fallible and emotional, they are drawing in pencil. And, to see this pencil sketch, is to see what they want you to see. It is a journalist’s job to come along and look at all the different drawings and see how they connect. When we figure out what’s going on, we go over the drawings in pen, and make it clear and understandable. What the public is left with is an image they can colour in for themselves. It would be irresponsible for a journalist to start to colour in the picture for you, as if they are already telling you how to feel and what you should think. Don’t you want to have the freedom to think and feel what you want?

Journalists try hard to do their best impression of Spider-man. We have great power, and so we have great responsibilities. / 37

features

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

7 things you should never say to anyone suffering mental illness

WORDS / Zoe Simmons @ItBeginsWithZ

We know you’re trying to help us. We know you’re trying to put things into perspective for us. And yes, we know that a lot of the time, our emotions aren’t exactly logical. Trust me—we know, and we absolutely hate it. Even so, let me make it clear for you: these are not the right things to say. Here are 7 things you should definitely never say to someone suffering from a mental illness: “Cheer up!” Don’t you think we would if we could? I can’t speak for everyone, but in my experience, mental illness is a complex thing: it’s not always black and white. Sometimes, we need that time to feel down. We need that time to process and validate our emotions—even if they’re not always logical. We need to let ourselves feel what we’re feeling—and that’s perfectly natural. Instead, try saying: “Be strong. I’m here for you.” Support their emotions—and let them know you’re there for them. “Other people have it worse than you.” You don’t think we know that already? Thanks for making us feel worse, asshole. This does not put life into perspective for us—though we appreciate you for trying. All this succeeds in is adding another layer into the complex hell we’ve created for ourselves inside our heads. And the worst part: we can’t help it. “You’re sad all the time. I must be stronger than you.” How about NO. People who experience sadness are not weak. And that’s a really insensitive thing to say to someone suffering a mental illness. Do you say oh, I haven’t broken any bones— therefore, I’m stronger than anyone who’s had broken bones? Nope. It is not weakness to experience emotions. One of the hardest things you can do is to wake up in the morning, and face the day when all you want to do is cease to exist—that, my friend, is strength. 40 /

“You’re still upset/hurt? Why don’t you just get over it!” News flash: you don’t get to dictate how someone else feels. You don’t get to decide when it’s time for them to leave certain emotions behind—particularly if they’re as a result of a rather emotional and painful period of time. Instead, maybe you should realise that the thing in question must have really, really, really hurt and messed up your loved one, and support them through it. “It’s all in your head.” Well, duh? But that doesn’t make it any less real or any less harmful. It’s serious—and shrugging off someone’s emotions because it’s not tangible is a really shitty thing to do. “Nothing bad has even happened.” And nothing bad even has to happen. We can’t explain why we feel certain things—it’s an illness. And the fact that it can affect us without anything even happening is terrifying. It can strike at any time, leaving its victim breathless, faithless, hopeless and helpless. “Why should I be there for you when you can’t be there for yourself?” I hate to burst your ignorant bubble here, but even getting up some mornings is classed as “being there for yourself”. Every little tiny effort counts—and even the tiniest thing could have taken a mammoth effort. Just by breathing, we’re already putting in a massive effort. And if you’re the kind of person to say something like the quote above, you really shouldn’t be trying to help someone in the first place. Your actions have consequences. Instead of putting people down, try lifting them up with support and love. We have good days, we have bad days. But we’re still fighting—and that’s what’s important.

FE AT U R E S

CRISPR:

unwinding gene editing technologies

WORDS / SOPHIE GREEN SCIENCE ‘CRISPR’ (Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, pronounced like ‘crisper’) is a new technology at the forefront of genetic research. CRISPR is a collection of specific DNA sequences that work together with an enzyme called Cas-9 that essentially cuts and pasted DNA into the genome. This rapidly evolving technology allows us to essentially edit our genes. Our DNA contains segments called ‘loci’, or sequences, that are specific to regions responsible for the expression of particular genes. CRISPR allows researchers to find a gene of interest, (say for example the gene responsible for brown eyes), and replace it with a new gene, (say the gene for blue eyes). This technology is extremely quick and is actually available online. Via the site ‘origene’ you can even purchase a cloning kit for US$395! They’re even in the process of producing a kit to experiment with at home, allowing you to alter the DNA of bacteria so it glows in the dark. Gene editing techniques can be traced back hundreds of years, with the biggest advancements in the production of disease resistant crops, even animals. However, with the release of genetically modified crops, future implications have not been assessed, for example, implications for other organisms within an ecosystem. But what makes CRISPR so special? What makes it different to any other gene editing technology? Well firstly, CRISPR is the first of its kind to accurately alter a gene effectively so as to knock it out of the germ-line; secondly it’s a relatively quick process, making it extremely promising for researchers. The technology is hugely controversial, it defies ethics, with those opposing CRISPR arguing that its extremely unethical to make irreversible changes to DNA, emphasising the unpredictable effects of such technologies, however it is extremely promising. A landmark study was conducted on mice that showed evidence of aggregation of the protein responsible for Huntington’s disease (a condition where mutant proteins destroy brain cells – causing uncontrollable twitching, extreme mood swings, and ultimately death). Using CRISPR, researchers were able to use the technology to ‘cut and paste’ the affected Huntington gene with a healthy gene. Upon examination of brain scans of the mice, those mice

treated with CRISPR showed complete, (or close to complete), lack of protein aggregation as compared to before where the mice had significant protein expression. These results are extremely positive and its uses are far reaching. Cancer can be completely knocked out from a family’s genetic line, parents who are carriers of genetic conditions need not live in fear of their child inheriting a debilitating disease. The promise of this new technology is immense, but the implications are still a mystery and could potentially be detrimental. Firstly, ethical considerations are at the forefront, tampering with human DNA has its repercussions, bringing with it a whole lot of ethical and legal problems as well as exploitation of the therapy. Secondly, there is the very likely chance of producing unwanted mutations along the gene, a likely by-product of the therapy. This is an unfortunate finding of many studies, highlighting the risks of CRISPR in such an early stage. At such an early stage, CRISPR is unlikely to be used on a human sample any time soon. Advancements in the technology may pave the way for its commercial use, but at least for now we can look forward to genetically altering bacteria to glow in the dark! / 41

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

ladies & gentlemen: we are worth more

WORDS / Zoe Simmons @ItBeginsWithZ

Hey you—yes you. You, with the sad eyes. You, who constantly checks their phone in hopes of seeing a certain someone reply. You, who is waiting for the person you love to treat you how you deserve. You, who have been stood up, cheated on, lied to, and played. You, who justifies why they do certain things—and that it’s “not really that bad”. I want you to listen very carefully to me: you deserve more. It’s taken me nearly 21 years, but I’ve finally had a life-changing realisation: I am worth so much more than I’ve received. And I bet most of you are in the same boat. I have been in a number of relationships where honestly, I’ve settled. Maybe they are great people—but if they don’t treat you great, why are you with them? Why do we put up with such bullshit? We know we’re worth more—so why do we do it? I was dating a guy a few years ago who was probably my first real adult love— and boy, did I love him. I was crazy for him—even though he did not so nice things. Don’t get me wrong; he did some very great things, too—and I know he loved me. But that doesn’t mean I, or you dearest reader, have to settle. He would often stand me up to hang out with his mates instead. He would lie to me about whose bag of pot that was I found under the coffee table. He’d lie, and tell me: No baby, I’m not on drugs, I promise. That was someone else’s; they just left it there. Trust me. He’d ignore me for days on end when I did something he didn’t like. He’d 42 /

try to control who I could and couldn’t talk to—and get mad when I disobeyed (and consequently ignore me again). But worst of all, he told me he loved me—and then he cheated on me. In another relationship, my partner wouldn’t make the physical effort to come see me. He wouldn’t make plans with me. Hell, he actually organised to go on a camping adventure on my birthday—and this was after not seeing me for a month. He thought that was perfectly okay. Again, he was a lovely guy; and he absolutely adored me. But once again, I settled for treatment I didn’t deserve. I’d been single for quite some time when I met my last partner. I thought he was perfect—but it was only after the relationship ended that I realised how terribly sad I was, and how much I wanted so much more. He is a great guy. He cooked me awesome food, and would even find recipes without things I’m sensitive to (despite the fact that he loved those ingredients). He’d give me back massages, and make me coffee. He would listen to my rants. He would calm me down. At the time, I thought all of this could make up for the bad things, but this is the truth: that kind of thinking does NOT work. It could have been so much more. It could have been beautiful. But it wasn’t. There wasn’t any spark—there wasn’t any romance. I was giving so much more into the relationship, desperately hoping

to bring it to life again. We would only talk or hang out if I instigated it—and being a long-distance relationship, talking was pretty important. I felt isolated, ignored and unwanted. I gained weight, too. And then he cheated on me—with none other than his ex-girlfriend. I convinced myself that this was okay—that I should take the good with the bad, and that it would all work out. But it didn’t. Why do we put up with these things? Why do we settle for less than we’re worth? Why do we convince ourselves that things are okay, when they’re clearly not? Ladies and gentlemen, I make this pact with you: I am never going to do that again. Is it so much to ask for someone who treats you well, and who won’t ignore you or cheat on you? No. It’s not. And no, that’s not some bullshit and ridiculous notion of “having too high standards”. Fuck that. Love yourself, guys—there’s too much hate and too much self-questioning in this world.

YOU, dear reader, are worth so much more. And I think the moment we start to realise and incorporate that into our lives is the moment our pain and suffering sets us free.

People first vs identity first: a discussion about language & disability WORDS / Shawn Burns

A call to put the word ‘disability’ “front and cemntre” has, unintentionally, fuelled debate about ‘people-first’ versus ‘identity-first’ language. The disability activist Lawrence Carter-Long recently unveiled ‘Disability. #SayTheWord’ with a Facebook post-come-campaign launch. Carter-Long was writing in the wake of President Obama’s State of the Union address, where there was no reference to ‘disabled’. He challenged his Friends and Followers: “It’s 2016. “Disabled.” Go ahead. Say the word. It’s way past time to dump the silly euphemisms and not be shy about getting good and righteously pissed off about being omitted … Put disability front and center. Consciously. Intentionally. Often. “Disabled.” It’s okay. Simply #SayTheWord. Sing it. Own it. Please.” It was a call to action. It was about, as Carter-Long wrote in a follow-up post: “The President shouldn’t be afraid to say ‘disabled’. Inclusion shouldn’t be an afterthought either. He and every other elected official should feel like we’re a constituency that they are going to have to reckon with. Businesses too. Schools as well. The movies we watch and the TV shows that are supposedly about “us” too.” The initial post drew many supporters, but took an unexpected turn when some comments interpreted Carter-Long’s challenge as a question of ‘people-first’ versus ‘identity-first’ language.

Carter-Long responded: “Language – along with understanding and evolution – marches on. What seemed progressive decades ago can be regressive now which is, I reckon, as it should be.” Another wrote: “I will never understand the idea that being disabled is negative. I am autistic. I am disabled. This is my reality. To say that I need to call myself a person with a disability automatically puts the disability on a lower footing.” The social model of disability Advocates of ‘people-first’ and those in favour of ‘identityfirst’ both claim foundation in the social model of disability. The social model, in short, says people with physical or developmental impairments are ‘disabled’ by a society that does not recognised them and what it takes for them to be included as productive, active and valued members of the community. The common stance unintentionally muddies the water for those tasked with fair and accurate representation of people and issues – like journalists. As a journalism lecturer, I include lessons and discussions on the way disability is presented in news media. One of the discussions with my students is about the use of ‘people-first’ language. Developed in the early 1970s, it has a long history, and, essentially, it seeks to draw attention to the person ahead of the disability. It encourages a ‘see the person, not the disability’ approach.

Time to move on from ‘people-first’ language? The Australian approach One reply stated: “I may be part of the minority, but I don’t want my son labeled as ‘disabled’ – he’s human, he’s male, he’s an adult, he’s unable to walk without assistance, he’s dealing with brain injuries, he’s funny, he’s loving, he’s compassionate – but he’s not ‘disabled’. He’s a person living with disabilities.” Another wrote: I think I agree with (above). I am a complete, complex human. Part of that complexity, part of what makes me whole, is that I live with a disability. I prefer “person first.”

Governments across Australia and the globe, along with NGOs, have established media guidelines on disability, and the use of ‘people-first’ language is a staple instruction for many. Australia’s peak disability advocacy organisation is People With Disability Australia (PWDA). The PWDA web site includes a section on terminology, where it states preference for peoplefirst language.

/ 43

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PWDA is far from alone in its use and encouragement of peoplefirst language. Kathie Snow, for example writes: “People First Language puts the person before the disability, and describes what a person has, not who a person is. Are you myopic or do you wear glasses? Are you cancerous or do you have cancer? Is a person ‘handicapped/disabled’ or does she have a disability?”

identity-first language and urged journalists to “carefully traverse a variety of disability terminology”, and concluded: “The one thing that both sides of the terminology discussion agree on is that language about disability is important, so journalists must clearly understand language preferences when reporting on disability issues.”

The United Kingdom has long preferred the use of ‘disabled people’ over ‘people with disability’ and it has the media guidelines to match. Likewise, the Deaf and autistic communities have adopted identity-first language.

I don’t have a disability, but my son has cerebral palsy. I’m a PhD student, I write about the way disability is represented in Australian news media, including a recent article on disability representation in media coverage of the Americans With Disabilities Act and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Opposition to people-first language Nothing about us without us Autism Mythbuster’s Jim Sinclair wrote in 1999 about “Why I dislike people-first language”. He declared: “I am not a ‘person with autism’. I am an autistic person.” Sinclair narrowed his opposition to people-first language to three points: 1) Saying ‘person with autism’ suggests that the autism can be separated from the person. It cannot. 2) Saying ‘person with autism’ suggests that even if autism is part of a person, it isn’t a very important part. 3) Saying ‘person with autism’ suggests that autism is something bad – so bad that it isn’t even consistent with being a person.” Well-known disability and media academic Beth Haller recently drew attention to the perilous language path journalists need to negotiate when covering disability.

One of the first disability-focused books I read was James Charleton’s Nothing About Us Without Us!, published in 1998. Its message was to ensure decisions that affect a group must be reached by full and direct participation of members of that group. If follows, that journalists and journalism educators should ask ‘people with disability’ or ‘disabled people’ the language they believe best represents them. Positively, discussions with and formal feedback from my students has revealed they are willing participants in the discussion, and are proving to be proponents of change in workplaces in and outside journalism. For Carter-Long’s part, ‘Disability. #SayTheWord’ goes beyond the people-first debate. “Person first. Person last. Doesn’t much matter. What we’ve got to do is make sure the words ‘disabled’ and ‘disability’ – and the people they identify – are in the mix. Somewhere? Anywhere??? No. Every-freaking-where! Nothing without us. Period. You dig it?” he posted.

The need for variety and sensitivity Haller pointed to the ongoing debate about people-first versus 44 /

This article was first posted on croakey.org 21 January 2016.

FE AT U R E S / DI V E R S I T Y

that’s how SNS killed my days off, and many many other days

WORDS / Hop Dao One day, I was woken up, not by my alarm clock as usual, but by my roomie’s scream: “Hey, get up, FB’s just updated, I can put more emoticons besides the “Like” to the posts on my wall”. We proceeded to spend almost all day just exploring the new functions and wait for people’s reaction to our photos, vids, and status’. “Haha, Annie just put “wow” at my pic!” “Are they going to have a “Dislike” button?” At the end of the day, we both realised we had already used the very last day of summer, which should have been used to prepare for the studying we had planned. That’s how SNS (social network service) killed my days off, and many other days. Since Facebook was founded, they’ve gained 1.44 billion users, excluding the accounts that share the same users and inactive accounts. That means everyday, more than 1 billion people are living with another character of themselves the virtual character. Are you familiar with my situation?

Our online emotions are becoming so diverse, the same with our virtual friends. Life seems to be so picturesque. But have you ever asked yourself: “How many of those emotions are truly yours?” How many of us actually smile or cry when we add those emoticons to our status or comment? Do we actually like what we “Like” on SNS, or is “Like” is just an expression of “Seen” or “the least concern”?

Laying down with long tiring scrolling sessions, interested in what is happening online, from Facebook to Instagram and Twitter. Facebook has changed the way we communicate. When did people start to consider the friends regularly clicking “Like” on their posts “true friends”? And now, thanks to the generosity of Mark Zuckerberg, we not only have the “Like” button, but a variety of more to choose, from surprising wow, cute love, sad to angry, which means rather than just pressing “Like”, we spend four to five seconds deciding which is the best to impress the writer of the status.

“The more people elaborate their means of communication, the less they actually communicate,”said J.B.Priestley. Today’s technology has offered us so many things to choose; political news, entertainment, and even friends are so easy to get with just an account and a device. I’m not here to criticize those who have online friendships, or say something like their relationships are not sustainable, because even a virtual relationship can lead to a long-term one in real life. And there are now many couples that know each other thanks to the help of computers and social media. What I want to say here is, despite a diversity they offer; they are decreasing and simplifying our ways to contact each other.

Rather than just checking how many likes we got for the post, we now need to classify who is loving it, who is surprised at it or who is angry with it.

It’s hard to believe this is the confession of an SNS addict. But here what I felt after almost everyday; I hope I won’t wake up tomorrow with my phone in my hand. / 45

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

Shonda Rhimes: a visionar y, an artist, human

A women of vision and passion, Rhimes is a strong believer in the power of humanity and stated at a Human Rights Campaign Gala, that her main goals when creating her shows is that “everyone should get to turn on the TV and see someone who looks like them and loves like them. And just as important, everyone should turn on the TV and see someone who doesn’t look like them and love like them. Because, perhaps then, they will learn from them”. For isn’t this the key purpose of life? To learn and challenge one another, in our beliefs and understandings, consequently allowing us to grow and relish in our shared humanity.

WORDS / Blake Stanbridge @blakestanbridge Every age witnesses those ground-breaking individuals, people who rise up singing new songs and telling a different story. A human that is ready to break down and challenge timeworn boundaries and is eager to open the door for new opportunities and beginnings. Winner of the 2015 Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement, Shonda Rhimes is just one of these incredible individuals who is creating a brighter path for the entertainment industry. Rhimes is a key advocate for ‘normalising’ the immersion of minorities within entertainment productions and wider society. Throughout her hit shows, Rhimes has continuously and successfully been able to establish a new paradigm in which those who have been typically marginalized by television, are now able to take centre stage, bringing new life and teachings. Her award winning shows include Grey’s Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder and Scandal. 46 /

Viola Davis, the leading lady in Rhimes’ ‘How To Get Away With Murder’, and the first African American actress to win an Emmy for a lead role in a drama, so eloquently stated in her acceptance speech that, “the only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity”. Davis earlier this year even introduced Rhimes at the Producers Guild Awards, where Rhimes accepted the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television at the ceremony. Davis passionately spoke that “In a year, a month, hell, a week in which everyone is talking about diversity, she [Rhimes] is living proof that the curve that many people are behind was drawn by her”. After Rhimes took to the stage, in full force she declared, “I’m going to be totally honest with you, I completely deserve this” and people in the entertainment industry worldwide could not agree more. “Women, people of colour and the LGBTQ people equal WAY more than 50% of the population. Which means it ain’t out of the ordinary. I am making the world of television look normal”. With this belief embedded so firmly into Rhimes’ sources of creativity and passion, one can only hope that life will eventually imitate art and contemporary society can move into an era of enlightenment and greater acceptance, a culture where opportunity is equal and where humanity prevails.

FE AT U R E S / DI V E R S I T Y

inter sectional feminism 101

WORDS / Grace White

Alright before you start asking whether I’m going to take off my bra and burn it, or see if I don’t shave my arm pits, I’m going to stop you right there. See that image you’ve got in your head? It’s old news. Right now we’re living in an era that sees us surrounded by diversity, and no surprises, feminism has to reflect that too. Brash acts like bra burning is a huge part of the history of feminism. The movement needed people to wake up and see obvious inequalities. But no longer can we simply expect that kind of voice to represent everyone. Simply put, we’ve moved past it. So what is feminism now you ask? Well it’s quite hard to pin down, because when you have a diversity of people in any group they’re bound to disagree with one another. Instead of trying to talk about every group I’ll tell you about one that seeks to best reflect its people, intersectional feminism. Intersectional feminism was a term first coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw back in 1989. She defined it as: “The view that women experience oppression in varying configurations and in varying degrees of intensity. Cultural patterns of oppression are not only interrelated, but are bound together and influenced by the intersectional systems of society. Examples of this include race, gender, class, ability, and ethnicity.” Breaking that down, the types of experiences I have as a woman are not the same as a woman who is black, or a woman with disability, or a woman who has a different sexuality or diverse gender identity. Looking at it from a historical context, the first wave of feminism that gave women the vote, excluded black women who wanted the same right. In a socio-political context, many Muslim women are excluded and objectified by feminism

under the belief that their religion and garments oppress them. Where just as many Muslim women feel empowered and freed from western standards of traditional beauty. Today, many women are excluded from feminism due to their diverse gender identities, as some women in the movement feel they are imposters. When we have feminism based around biology and body parts, what does this say about our movement? That our gender identities and roles have a predestined path based on our genitalia? It’s issues like these that show how important it is to recognize that the prejudices, privileges and societal pressures we all face are not the same and they don’t need to be. Intersectionality is about listening to each other. When I speak about my pressures in society as a woman, I can only speak for myself. It’s incredibly important to recognize that as a white, able-bodied heterosexual woman, I have privileges that allow me to be heard louder than other voices. And this privilege creates inequalities between women. When I speak, I should think about whether my pressures are worthy of a wider platform or should I uplift the voices of people who don’t get the chance to be heard as often as me. This means that the types of harassment or discrimination I experience, while worthy of anger, may be minor compared to what is experienced by women of colour. The services that I receive and the way I get treated on a daily basis is much more humane and respectful than it is for trans women. I can get to where I am going with no difficulty, unlike women with disabilities. My experience and privilege is rooted in a deep history of white imperialism that has allowed white women to be treated as the pinnacle of womanhood. While we might not be living in Victorian London today, I can guarantee you that centuries of being held on a pedestal while other women were ignored allows me a free ticket that is a high price for other women. / 47

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

interview: AIME CO-CEO Marlee Silva

WORDS / Claudia Poposki @claudiapop13

It all started with a red hoodie and a high school debating competition for indigenous students. At least, that’s how Marlee Silva puts it. Recently, AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) announced that over the next 10 years they would be choosing 10 indigenous Australians between 18-25 to become the coCEO of the program. Marlee is the first to take on this role.

say ancestors I’m taking about grandparents and parents. This is not far in our past.” Marlee never got the opportunity to be a mentee for AIME, but when she started at the University of Wollongong in 2014, she signed up to be a mentor. In 2015, she took it a step further and became a casual presenter. “I didn’t expect in year three, this is where I’d be at.”

“So at the end of it, the idea of it is to have 10 indigenous people ready to walk into an executive role somewhere in a company in Australia.” She said. AIME stands for Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, and it partners indigenous high school students with university students to give them help with education, identity and confidence. One of the main goals of the program is to close the education gap between indigenous and non-indigenous students.

AIME has come a long way since they started in 2005. Back then, they only had 25 mentees and 25 mentors. Last year, the numbers were at 5700 mentees and 1900 mentors. By 2018, AIME wants to practically double those numbers.

There is a gap between the indigenous community and the nonindigenous community. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community make up 27% of the population in prison, but only 3% of the country’s entire population. Approximately 51% of our child welfare system is made up of indigenous children.

“We are tackling this in a wide range of approaches. First and foremost, on the sites we already have we are trying to make a bigger presence. Our individual sites are focusing on getting more mentors on board so that we can have more kids partnered up. We’re also hoping to get the funding to expand so we can be in all states and territories. We’re still missing out on the Northern Territory and Tasmania, we’re trying to get to them. If we can do that and if we expand and connect to a couple more universities and basically get uni students excited about what we do to get involved.”

“There are so many examples of why this is in place.” Marlee says, when asked about why she thinks this gap in education exists. “You know, it extends back to our ancestors, and when I

Marlee encourages indigenous high school students to get involved in AIME, as it gives them a place to work through the troubles of high school with people who are going through the

48 /

I N T E R V I E W / DI V E R S I T Y

same thing, or feel as though their identity is a barrier. ‘I always felt really different from my high school friends, because I went to a school that was predominantly Anglo-Saxon in a place that’s quite renowned for its racism.” Marlee has faced racism. However, she does say it’s a different context to what her grandparents and father suffered through. And she puts that down to the fact that she doesn’t fit the stereotypical look that people expect from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but she has always been proud of her culture. “But you don’t look it.” ”Are you really though?” These were things that were said quite often to Marlee. She even called out a teacher for his ‘joke’. “The moment that I knew that being Aboriginal was a different thing I was three weeks into year 7 and it was the end of the day and I was in that period of time where I was just starting to make some friends and it started pissing down raining and the last school bell went. There was this long driveway that led from my school to the main road which is where all the parents, well all the cars, waited. I was running with this new friend that I had made down the driveway and I looked up and at the end of the driveway and there was this guy dressed in bright blue

gumboots, pyjamas and he was holding this massive umbrella. I nearly died when I realised it was my dad.” The next day, a girl asked Marlee who picked her up the day before, and she explained it was her dad. “Really,” the girl asked. The then-12-year-old Marlee assured that it was indeed her dad. The other girl proceeded to ask, “Why is your dad black?’ “It was the first time that I’d had someone be called a colour to me,” Marlee recalls. Marlee has taken on this role and become someone for everybody to look up to – no matter what culture you identify with. What does Marlee hope to do after her 12 months as CoCEO is up? Well, it’s a question she doesn’t know the answer yet, despite being asked on a regular basis. “Ideally, at the moment, I hope that AIME is still very much a part of my future.”

If you are interested in learning more about AIME go to www. aimementoring.com or visit Marlee’s blog to see more about what she does on a daily basis http://aimementoring.tumblr.com / 49

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

a struggle for modern masculinity

WORDS / Joshua Calkins @Idojoshalot

This has dominated my thoughts the past few months. I’ve been wrestling with the big questions; ‘What does it mean to be a masculine?’ What does it mean to be a man in our modern world?’ Naturally, these questions arose from wanting to date and understand women better, but I’ve really started to live in my masculinity instead. I call myself a feminist; it’s a given to me that women should be treated equally under the law in society. Society, the unsexy logistics of gender neutral society. But in dating, the very thing that attracts me to a woman is her femininity, not her neutrality. And I’m willing to wager a woman wouldn’t be attracted by me acting neutral either. Growing up with two sisters and my mother most of the time, thanks to my dad travelling for work, I feel I grew up acting from my feminine not masculine. Not that I was raised poorly or anything, in reflection this just seems to have played a part in this masculine murkiness of dating I’ve had. Though my father is the pure embodiment of masculine, I was not offered lessons on how to act from my own masculine core. So I often felt an imbalance of acting neutral instead of acting from my masculine nature. 50 /

Once I got to high school, most of my peers were dating. Time after time, I struck out. Never getting anywhere. I resigned myself as being terrible with women and to the idea that dating is something you’re born with and I just don’t have it. I gave up and just hoped to fall into a relationship one day…which of course never happened. Years went by with nothing, but it did however, happen for me when I decided to take masculine action. I’ve taken action for the first time in my life to put myself out there and go after the things I want. It’s masculine to ask the girl out. That’s why they want us to ‘make the first move’. It’s like saying ‘I’m going this way, I want you to come with me.’ Instead of ‘oh I’ve been nice and maybe you’d think about letting me go with you.’ It’s simple confidence versus cowardice. Having the resolve and integrity to choose a path, even though I might fail – will likely fail – and stick with it, and fail with some personal flair, get back up and do it all over again. Masculinity is having the fortitude to participate, despite not being good, and giving it your best shot. To own

the shit out of who I am and embody it everywhere I go. The ability to take the reins of a situation and guide myself and others through to safety. To have a clear path, and not let anyone talk you out of it, because you know what’s right and what’s wrong. This has been difficult to conceptualise, let alone put into words. The truth is that I am likely not the only modern man who is unsure of how to act from his masculine or to even question its relevance anymore. I’m likely wrong or off about something… or a few things. I showed up though, I’m having the conversation. I feel it is bold to ask these questions and demand answers for them. What are your answers?

My answer is to simplify masculinity into something practical for us guys. It would benefit us immeasurably, as well as the women we pursue.

FE AT U R E S / DI V E R S I T Y

shut up & give me your money: thanks, but your rainbow profile picture won’t make my therapy sessions any cheaper

WORDS / Yesim Karasu

There has been a recent movement among companies and people to declare their allegiance to the LGBTQIA+ community. In theory, this should mark these people and businesses as safe and supportive to my friends and myself, but this actually isn’t always the case. I watch the people I love squirm and shake and twist themselves into this “idea” of what an ally is. It’s painful to watch, not only because I don’t know how to tell them the things they are doing are more symbolic than tactile, but also because I love and respect these people and genuinely rely on them trying to support me. But there is this culture around ally-ship that relies on clichés like, “love is love” and shallow logic like, “people just need to be more tolerant!” That makes something that should be a really powerful movement feel patronising. Ally-ship does not alleviate your status of human decency, it should be a declaration; I am listening and willing to learn. Oppression is not simply intolerance. It’s a force that disenfranchises people at a political, economical and social level. We are incapacitated because our voices are overpowered and wildly underrepresented in areas of power. So what do we mean when we say we need support? What does it mean to be an ally? Well because of our capitalist climate, it means fund us. The concept of categorising people into communities comes from the idea that we are in need of the same resources. Our

futures are a little more predictable than that of an average person; our likelihood of facing violence (from others and ourselves), of suffering mental health downfalls, of being imprisoned, kicked out, being homeless, killed or devastatingly unemployed, are higher than our allies. What we need, more than a rainbow flag, is to occupy our own space. Our artists, our scholars, our community need a voice. Not because we want one, but because we deserve one. What that means in a practical sense is more human and non-symbolic representation. For example, casting actual trans* or queer actors to play trans* or queer characters, having queer representatives speak on queer issues and policies and for the love of god if you want to be an ally on Facebook promote Queer and TISGD writers, politicians, performers, and activists. The solution behind systematic oppression lies at the very top. Queer directors, CEOs and politicians need to occupy space in our society otherwise we will be left with the same erasure we face now. So fund us. Sponsor queer artists, even if you don’t understand our stories they are not always for you. Help your friend pay for their surgery and if you’re a business and you are capitalising on the rainbow symbol, then pay for queer events and protests every so often. Accumulative representation leads to power. And if you find yourself scared at the thought of being on the same level as a queer or TISGD person, then maybe you are part of the problem. / 51

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

why white wash?

WORDS / Lily Hayman @lily_hayman

Recently, a lot of pop cultural creators seem to be looking back on the history of diversity. Films in particular have recently been reminding us of where we have come from, and how much more colourful our culture is now, compared to fifty years ago. But the way that we are reflecting on diversity and social change seems to often forget, rebrand or overlook the individual people at the heart of history’s major progressive movements. This rebranding means that films often remove diversity from their casting, “whitewashing” ethnic and Asian roles in order to make movies more appeaseable for a white audience. Films that are supposed to champion the importance of acceptance and representation suddenly ignore diversity in order to make a box office dollar. The recent film Stonewall for example, overlooks the importance of the transgender black activist Marsha P. Johnson. While Miss Johnson was a key figure in the gay rights movement, and incited the historic Stonewall riots, she was only represented as a minor character in the film. Screen time, and credit for the riots, was instead given to a fictional white boy named Danny. Damn Danny, back at it again with the whitewashing. In fact so much time was spent on this fictional white boy from the ‘burbs that very little of the film seems to focus on the riots at all, strangely eliminating diversity from a film about a truly momentous period in LGBTQI+ history.

52 /

It’s odd to see, at a time when our society is changing dramatically and accepting diversity in revolutionary ways. The media still seem to reflect a different side of society. As mainstream media is criticised for a lack of representation and diversity through twitter campaigns like #OscarsSoWhite, it’s clear that those of us watching are sick of the treatment of minorities in film at television. And for Gods’ sake, why do they even do it? Films that have been cast in a whitewash recently have all seemed to flop. The Lone Ranger, Pompeii, Gods of Egypt and the worst live action film adaptation of all time, Avatar: the last Airbender, were all guilty of this crime – and no one liked them. Maybe its time that media and film companies catch up and realise this new generation wants real representation in their pop culture. We want to see characters that represent the people we are, and the people we have met in our lives. We want to see Asian actors play Asian characters. We want to see diverse character sexualities and gender identities. We want to see strong independent women, who don’t need to conform to masculine stereotypes to be seen as just that. We want to see a god damn asexual once in a while! In a world that is finally moving towards diversity beyond black and white, male and female, and embracing those who don’t fit neatly into a box, our generation wants film and TV to keep up, and diversify.

FE AT U R E S / DI V E R S I T Y

religion from an atheist’s perspective

WORDS / Anonymous

I’m not a particularly religious person. I was baptised, yeah, and I went to scripture in primary school, but I don’t identify myself as someone of faith. I’m surrounded by people of various faiths and varying degrees of devoutness – from ‘I don’t discuss religion, politics and money’ to attending their place of worship every week. And so, I am interested by religion as a concept. It fascinates me to no end. I could spend hours asking someone about their faith. So, from an outsider’s point of view, here are some things I’d like to address: 1.

Extremists are not those of faith.

No matter how many times in the news the phrase ‘religious extremist’ is used, I refuse to accept it. Misappropriating a passage from a religious text for your own personal gain, to ensure a means to an end, is not faith. Yes, in the past religion has been violent, but does that really need to be the case anymore?

Hating someone for their religion is stupid.

Yes, some people who hold faith are bigots. Some people who do not hold faith are bigots. Some people are morons. Hating someone for their beliefs is never going to get anyone anywhere. Fear of something you don’t understand is why women who were good with herbs were classified as witches and burnt at the stake. United States Presidential Candidate Donald Trump is a prime example of someone whose lack of understanding is harmful to people of faith. When asked late last year about Muslims, he said, “They’re not coming to this country if I’m president. And if Obama has brought some to this country they are leaving, they’re going, they’re gone.”

always explained to me about teaching love, so why can’t we love those who are different from us? As I said before, religion fascinates me – Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism – you name it. There are some things that strike me as bizarre, but life in general is a little bizarre. I feel as though a conversation needs to be opened up between those of varying faiths, of those without faith, and it needs to be moved forward from the days where religion was established. Religion is something that was established so long ago. We now have a new world order. So, when will religion catch up? When will it be realized that some things are just no longer socially acceptable? Hatred because of words said thousands of years ago is insane – is the world finally ready to move forward?

I think it’s insane there are still people with or without faith who hate people purely on principle, based on what they do or don’t believe in. Religion, to me, was / 53

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

culture shock: the reality of village life in India

WORDS / Thomas Beecheno

I used to hear and naively believe that the people in developing nations are some of the happiest people in the world. They say this because they are satisfied with the basic necessities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; family, food, friends and a life free from monetary stress. In rural India, I found all of these things: smiling children, generous adults, as well as humorous and insightful elders. But I also found a 70-year-old couple abandoned by their educated children, a widow of two children whose husband had committed suicide due to crippling debt, and old man blinded in one eye who told me not to thank him for his time but instead to pray for the time he had left. I am currently on the 40K Globe internship program in Southern India. My project is based on agriculture and all the problems farmers have to face. Before I left Australia, I tried my best to prepare myself for the shock that would be India and village life. I was unsuccessful, but I do not think anyone can really be prepared for that. The hardest thing to deal with is the fact that this is the reality these people live in. And the only reason they are in this horrible situation is because they were born into it, through no fault of their own. To me, this is the greatest injustice of all, back home in Australia and the rest of the developed world, we only give them sympathy, instead of respect. They are not happy; they are desperate people who sacrifice their entire lives on $2 a day so they can give a better life to those that come after them. This is the reality of the world we live in. And no matter how many of these â&#x20AC;&#x153;reality checksâ&#x20AC;? you read, none of us will ever understand the lives these people live everyday. Even by throwing yourself into that environment, you will only scratch away the naivety of poverty, equalling happiness. No, these villagers are some of the hardest working individuals and they do not deserve your sympathy, they deserve your respect. If they had the dumb luck we had to be born in Australia, they would be the most genuine people in your street, and their children would be too.

54 /

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film: risen

Released: 18/02/2016 (Aus) Stars: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth IMDb: 7/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 57% Metacritic: 51%

WORDS / Anthony Carroll

Having only heard about this movie through a Facebook post, my wife and I arrive at the cinema and line up at the counter to buy our tickets. “Are you sure this is even playing? Where are the ads and movie memorabilia?” My wife quietly whispered as we were met at the counter by a Deadpool feature cup. I pointed to the analogue screen, as it briefly flashed the only three available screenings. Morning, midday or night. Contemplating the actual logistics of other movies showing almost every hour, we chose the midday screening. After being placed in one of their lesser sized cinemas, we took our seat in some well-worn chairs. Our viewing left us beyond encouraged. The movie we saw was Risen. Through the eyes of a non-believing roman soldier named Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), the audience is taken through the events before and after Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, as reported in the New Testament. Paralleling largely with the Gospel events, Rome is trying to restore order and keep peace amongst the Jewish nation. Jesus Christ creates division between the people through claiming to be the Son of God. To prevent uproar within the Jewish nation, Pilate succumbs to the Pharisees wishes, and authorizes Jesus’ death through crucifixion. However, Old Testament prophecy tells of His resurrection 3 days after His death. And to keep high profile Pharisees satisfied, Clavius is assigned responsibility to make sure the body of Jesus Christ is not stolen from the tomb by his close followers. What he thought would be a simple task, turns out to be a very moving turn of events. Josh Lasser from IGN labelled it “the greatest story ever told turns out to be a pretty dull mystery”, selectively referencing a comparison made in the film as “…a silly analogy in a mundane, boring, film.” My wife and I are born again believers, having faith in Jesus’ saving grace from our sins. So, we were thrilled to see a near accurate

biblical film, even more so on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, lifestyle aside, the film is of high quality regardless of what you believe. With a lack advertisement, it’s hard to imagine how someone could have such high hopes for the movie, only to be as disappointed as Josh Lasser expressed. Christianity aside (and any other potential bias), one can see that the movie is well scripted, filmed, and presented and should at least be recognized for this. Conceptually, believers in Christ will feel encouraged and joyfully moved. Remaining largely biblical, the grace, the power, the forgiveness, the love and above all, hope in Jesus for the whole world is portrayed beautifully. Sceptics of Christ’s death and resurrection will find this an interesting watch, since the movie raises tough but relevant issues about the purpose of life, heart desires, and what happens after death. There is undeniable historical evidence for the events that took place, and so is an interesting portrayal regardless of belief. In summary, this movie shows what Christians are all about! The hope we have isn’t in going to church on Sunday, doing good deeds or through any work of our own, rather, as this film shows, our value and new identity (as Clavius experienced) is in Jesus Christ, and our salvation and hope (free gift to all) is in His death and resurrection. That being said, I would encourage even the most sceptical to overcome any predisposition towards the Bible, and give this film a watch, even purely from a cultural aspect. If it impacts on you, I would love to catch up over a coffee and hear what you thought about it! / 55

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

film: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

WORDS / Ben Kohler @FakeBenKohler Rating 5/10 WARNING: Not as many spoilers as that evil trailer, you know the one, but there are some. My hopes with this movie have been all over the place. At first I didn’t expect much, then I hoped for a lot, then I expected it to suck, then I was a little hopeful again. And then I finally saw it. And it was alright, I suppose. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice follows the events of 2012’s Man of Steel and is set 18 months later. Basically a whole bunch of characters are introduced and it’s the beginning of the formation of the Justice League.

These are beloved characters and should be given the respect and treatment they deserve but instead DC needs to establish itself against Marvel and is clearly willing to do whatever it needs to in order to try to do that. In making this film all DC cared about was setting up the DCEU and so we got a film that is predominantly serviceable with some great parts and aspects here and there. The cast is fantastic and most of them do a great job. Henry Cavill makes a pretty good Superman considering the take on Superman DC Entertainment and Zack Snyder, the director, are going for. He’s not really Superman proper however, he’s dark for one thing and Superman is almost never dark. But I did love all the controversy in the film surrounding Superman, some want him dead but many others almost worship him as a saviour or even a god.

The biggest problem is with the idea of the film itself really. DC is rushing to set up its own cinematic universe, the DC Extended Universe or DCEU, and this film is the encapsulation of their short-sightedness and negligence.

But one of the best things about this whole film was Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. He embodies the character so well it is just as good as Christian Bale’s incarnation, maybe even better! A great deal of the story regarding Batman was taken more or less straight from The Dark Knight Returns, for instance Batman is older and more violent than he typically is, and that really helps elevate the film to higher level. Again though, this is a very different take because this Batman isn’t just violent, this is the Batman that kills.

This film should have been at least three. There should have been another Superman movie, a Batman movie separate from Nolan’s trilogy and a part of the DCEU and a Wonder Woman movie and then after all that maybe a Dawn of Justice style movie.

The problem here is that whenever Batman has been this way an explanation has been offered that really works, in this film we’re left to assume it’s because Robin was killed and Batman went from being conflicted to having no qualms about the use of brutal violence. Batman’s moral conflict is taken from him and

I wanted to love this film so bad, and it does have some positives and some of those positives are great, but it also has some big problems.

56 /

FI L M R E V I E W

is DC ever going to get it right?

we’re supposed to just go along with it, and this is a problem that could have been solved with just a minute or two of wellwritten dialogue between Batman and Alfred or even Batman and Superman! There’s a great moment however when Bruce first sees Superman that really sells you on his motivation and decision to take him down. Gal Gadot was not in the film a great deal but did do a great job as Wonder Woman. Jeremy Irons made an excellent Alfred, allowing for him to be darker than usual. Amy Adams is always good to watch no matter what she’s doing because she is that damn good. But one of the big ones we were all wondering about, Jesse Eisenberg. I’m not sure if Eisenberg worked for me as Lex Luthor, again it is a very different spin on the character and it wasn’t bad, but I’m just not sure if it was good. Ask me again after I’ve seen the movie twice. There are so many new characters introduced that the film quickly becomes extremely busy and overcrowded. We get Batman, Lex, Wonder Woman, Doomsday and we briefly and in a lazy fashion get the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg. Just a reminder in case you forgot the whole point of this movie! You get a lot of what you’d expect considering this is a Zack Snyder film. One of the films biggest issues is that there is a lot of style over substance. The film looks incredible and the special effects are top-notch, but there is not a lot of well-done story to back this up. The first act of the film, which involves not a lot of action, is a tad boring and drags in spite of how much is going on. The rest of the film though is generally better since not as much substance is required.

One final thing, the music is very good. My expectations were a bit high when I read Hans Zimmer, best known for his work on the Dark Knight trilogy, and Junkie XL (Mad Max: Fury Road) did the music together and while I thought it still could have been better it was still mostly great stuff. I particularly like the Wonder Woman theme and it immediately took me back to Fury Road. The thing with this film though is that it indicates that it is having real trouble getting their live-action films right, in spite of doing so well with their animated stuff. They have had several DC films over the last decade or so to learn from including two Superman movies, the Dark Knight trilogy and Green Lantern (ugh). The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going for eight years now and there have been other Marvel movies not related to the MCU as well as comic book movies not related either to DC or Marvel. There has been so much to look at and learn from but DC is still doing an unsatisfactory job with their live-action films, Batman v Superman tells us that this may not change any time too soon. To sum it all up, it has some serious problems and I’m sad that I can’t say it was amazing. It was not bad though and it can be entertaining as hell if you can turn your brain off enough. Definitely worth checking out but don’t get your hopes up too much. / 57

c r e a t i v e w r i t i n g .

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

part two WORDS / Anonymous

It’s been eight months since I last sat down with the good doctor. It’s been 17 months since Delilah Thwaites found out about her husband’s affair. She found out in the spring. No one should ever find out bad news in spring. It should happen in the winter, when everything dies around us.

You’re acting like you don’t want to see me.” “That’s because I don’t.” Will walks up the stairs to my room and throws a smirk over his shoulder, “You never were a good liar outside of the newsroom.” I won’t follow him. I won’t

Coming home was hard, but my family needed my help. Asking the ex-wife of the man I was having an affair with if I could have my old job back was terrifying. I’d run away for far too long, though. I needed to stand up and do what was right *** I snort when I hear the doorbell ring, “What did Mum forget this time, G?” The door swings open but it isn’t Grace, or Mum. It’s Will. I try and shut the door in his face but he catches it and pushes passed me. “You’re

hurting

feelings

here,

baby.

I do, of course. Seeing William Thwaites in my childhood bedroom tears at my heart something fierce. I used to think about this very day, the day I would return home and get the big confrontation scene. The one where I could tell him to go fuck himself and brag about how much better I’m doing. This was ahead of the scheduled timeline though. I wasn’t ready to confront him yet. I wasn’t ready to yell at him for giving me the opportunity to ruin my life, to scream at myself for taking that opportunity with both hands and running for it like it was the last train home on a Saturday night. Will’s sitting on my bed, the bed where we first slept together. When this all started, I had just finished university and worked at Frontier for six months. I was still living

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at home because I couldn’t afford to move out without a room mate and most of my friends were moving in with their girlfriends or boyfriends or taking a year off to travel between uni and life. That day, the first time, I remember grinning into my pillow the whole time after he’d left. Now all I wanted was for him to disappear – like he did after Delilah found out. After he overdosed and ended up in the hospital. “You can’t be here.” He chuckles, “Course I can be here. Besides, I wanted to see you. I missed you.” He stood and crossed the room, running his long fingers across my jaw before placing a chaste kiss upon it. I throw myself backwards, tripping over and falling back onto my desk chair. Will grins, “You’re already being so good to me.” “No, you can’t be here,” I say, standing up. “For the last 17 months, just the thought of you anywhere near me made me tremble and two minutes ago you were sitting on my bed where I cried and tossed and turned when you told me I fucked everything up. You don’t get to just swagger back in here and pretend nothings happened.”

He sighs, “Please, Si, you’re boring me with your morality. Let’s just get to the part where we fuck.” I shake my head, “No, you have to leave. Please, just leave. I need you to leave. To exit the premises.” Will groans, “I thought the problem with us was that I was married. I am no longer attached. We’ll still have to keep things quiet though, for the sake of the kids.” I started to study him as he continued his rant about his family – about Delilah. He talks about how she ruined his life and how much happier he was without her. Of course, Will was the one doing the break up dance - the one where you try and show off to the other person. Typical. He was gesturing wildly, his arms almost knocking down my TARDIS figurine at least three times. Erratic behaviour. I sigh. I check his collar and sure enough there’s his tell. He never could get all the coke off of his collar. Son of a bitch never learns his lesson. “Are you high?” He cackles, “Am I high? You know sometimes I like to snort before we have our fun. It makes –“

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

“Everything feel surreal, I know. And you need to start speaking in past tense, because we aren’t having any fun.” Surreal. Unreal. Detached – because he couldn’t love me without being high. “I’m not married anymore, Simon.” “It wasn’t that you were married – well it was, but it wasn’t. We hurt a lot of people, Will. You hurt yourself. You hurt me. We did a lot of terrible things and I don’t think I can be with the person who I did that with. Plus, any money I have I’ll bet you have some kind of boyfriend.” I don’t even have to look at him to know I’ve hit the nail on the head. “You’re something, Will. You really think I’m just going to fall back into bed with you? You left scars that I’m not sure will ever heal. For months when I first started working at that bar in London when anyone would hit on me I would hyperventilate. I look at Delilah every day at work and I feel like running out the window because that woman is not a mean person. You are. You are cruel and self centered and manipulative and I let you take me down with you. I let myself be a part of the William Thwaites show and

you don’t even care about the rest of the cast. I’ve spent the last year and a half getting over you and you never even cared about me at all. I can’t believe all the things I did just so that I could have you.” I don’t know when my voice started to rise, but by the end it’s high pitched and gargled. I don’t even know if he understands what I’m saying. He must, though, because he looks down at his feet, like he feels guilty. “I want you to leave. I don’t love you anymore.” I honestly thought it would be my calling him names that would make William Thwaites lose it. I convinced myself that Will didn’t have any feelings for me, that I was just a warm body to play with. He pins me to the wall. As an investigative journalist specializing in crime, I’ve looked into the eyes of convicted killers time and time again, tonight Will was the scariest thing I had ever witnesses. It isn’t hard for me to throw him off, he wasn’t trying too hard to keep me in place. He must’ve thought I wouldn’t dare try to escape. I start to turn to run out my bedroom door when I slam into Clark. Co-worker. Friend? You could never tell with him. Clark played it close to the chest

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always. He examines the scene before him. I can’t imagine what it looks like – his partner on this story and the old boss for the company he now works for.

as Clarke disappears after him.

I decide to break the silence, “What’re you doing here?”

I want to fall into a heap and stay there.

“We were supposed to go interview the girl who said she saw Wexler the night he has an alibi for the McCarthy case on the opposite side of town. I heard a scuffle, and I remembered where you put the key. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Clark’s eyes are fixed on Will. I can tell he’s worked it all out. He knows. God, the office will be on fire with this gossip Monday morning. Will cocks his eyebrow, “Is this your new fella?” Clark answers, “What’s it to you?” “Just a heads up, you’re not his first office sexcapade. Say a few nice things, he’ll do practically anything “I think you should leave.” Will pushes passed Clark and I, and I watch

I hear the door click with Will’s exit. I want to vomit. I want to cry.

When Clark comes back, he sits beside me on the ground and pushes the hair out of my face, “How dare he come around here and threaten you because you’re the one who found him after he OD’d?” I look at Clark. I was so sure he’d figured it out - that he knew Will and I were…involved. I decide to ignore the niggling feeling in my stomach and just go with it. “Yeah – Thwaites did always have a habit of taking things to an extreme.” Clark pulls me to his chest, holding me tight, “You deserve the best, Si. Ignore that fucker.” So I do.

TER TA N G A L A / / I SSUE TWO

a vision (reiant on slumber) WORDS / Haydon Leigh

I Chancing through an em’rald wood A leaf was tumbling from the weaved Olive of the blanket trees - Beauty I had not believed.

I watched the pixie as she dusted Cobweb - strung from wall to ceiling Crooning to some imaged babe, To see her heart revealing.

The foliage fell about my feet Naked toes in tender fevers, Boughs were steering through a gale; Momentary grievers.

She sang as though she were a choir Drifting through the sky - a smoke! Wisping t’ward a dawning sun Which her lips awoke.

Soon I glimpsed an aqua sky Then eyelids turned it swiftly blank I barely dreamed a moment ere I saw the riverbank.

Beauty now doth not collapse By transit of her sprightful soul, Too fantasy to speak in true Ravish me whole!

The heavens writhed above my blink Suspended ‘til deflated morrow: By fragrance of an idle heart And my sleepless sorrow.

She wished a child, as did I To twice our love and give him half, My face would giddy ceaselessly, By spell of her laugh.

In comatose, her cheeks are cherries By her breath, my lung was tranced On crimson plateau of her tongue, Our secrets danced.

My tongue had lingered once on she; To taste the passion, long awaited With patient eyes - to remedy All we were Fated.

The brook is beauty’s tide, unclear I felt the calming stream turn deep, Ripples tiding from the source; My paramour of sleep.

III

For years unending, rowing south, We glided through erotic brook My faery bride, she drank the stream, Ablution oath, we took.

The riverbank has crowned itself My eyes are wide and still I dream Motive churning through my blood To love in all I seem.

Baptized with her beauty’s gleam, Exalted by her tender brush, Her hand upon my cheek is love: Stocked and firm and lush.

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Downward slowly, we progressed The winter chilled our flame away Chasing stars to stall the dawn Alas! We could not stay. VI I hold that many times surveyed A moon girl on a famous glade Where dreamt a man - unvaried dream To nary fade.

“Birth my wish, be silent nymph, Allow thy heart be spoken hence, Electric in the sleeper’s mind Still we love intense.” “Love me, Sylph!” I screeched the prayer, “Love me with thy burned eyes! Love me wide! Love me whole! Love me by my cries.” IX

The lunar lass may just have seen Moveless eyes on he, remote I like to hope she also saw, My weary, drastic dote.

I dreamt a faery’s pulsing lung Measured her a breath of glee Held within her ‘til she burst With fleeing amity.

And while she watched me, I was safe To faery tale in my sleep But when she fell, my bride became A vow I’d die to keep.

Escaping breath - elusive life, But breathe again she surely would, Whenever I did faint my eye Among an em’rald wood.

VII

Elsewhere, maybe she is drowsing, Elsewhere, maybe she is more Than olive leaves in autumn, though Here she lives for evermore.

Beauty now doth not collapse By virtue of my finite laze, Here among a rill, she pleas Here, my dryad prays. Before I stirred, anointed heart And hemlock quelled my pain For soon I’ll eye the aqua sky, But here you shall remain. I could not yet awake from her, I could not - lest be shine defeat I tried again to stoke an ash; Our Fate is thus concrete. VIII “Cherish me, beloved girl, Wake me from my constant ‘rouse; Spell me angel - life in sleep For long as God allows.”

X Chancing through an em’rald wood A canopy delights - relieves! I hath known beauty none shall gain Nor shall they believe. No foliage drapes my naked feet Thy kiss, our love, are evergreen, And yet thou art a smoke again,Our time has been. Beauty now doth not collapse By fables that my soul have known My heart is danced with faery wings, But I am alone.

notes

thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all folks

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