The Comma's 2020 annual magazine

UTSoC acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like the pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.

Cover art: Lisseth Portillo

Contents A word from the editor ………………………………………………………………………6 Presidential welcome………………………………………………………………………...8 Committee address……………………………………………………………...……………9 An introduction to the year nobody saw coming, Kurt Bush ………………………………11

Environment…………………………………………………………………...14 Dust, Emily Kowal …………………………………………………………………………16 The battle to define our generation, Cara Walker …………………………………….…...18 Just a walk in the park, Allyson Shaw …………………………………………….……..…23 Photography showcase: Environment, Mark Kriedemann…………………………………26

Pandemic………………………………………………………………………32 Emotional distance: the unexpected side effect of COVID-19, Laura Mazzitelli………….34 Why the news is more important than ever, Matthew Sullivan ……………………………37 Hope on the edge of a razor, Jacinta Neal………………………………………………….40 We’ve faced worse pandemics, Bronte Gossling ……………………………………….….42 The changing face of Aussie workplaces, Briannah Devlin………………………………..47 Life in the bubble, David Shilovsky ………………………………………………………..50 First year blues, Ashley Sullivan …………………………………………………………...52 An open letter to all our healthcare heroes, Jibriel Perez ………………………………….56 Fake news and its rise in a post internet era, Gemma Billington…………………………...58 Virtual vs. real life, Joshua Mayne ………………………………………………………...63 Possible resolutions in an impossible year, Emily Warwick ……………………………….66 The crapocalypse, Alex Turner-Cohen ……………………………………………………..68 Sincerely me, Rachelle Tacadena ………………………………………………………….70 It’s okay to not be okay, Grace McManus …………..……………………………………..73 Year of the mask, Olivia Mathis …………………………………………………………...74

Protest…………………………………………………………………………...80 The Dreamer’s Dictionary, Melanie Wong ………………………………………………...82 The other half, Evlin Dubose ………………………………………………………………86 Retracing the butterfly effect on the BLM movement, Lynn Chen ………………………..90 Photography showcase: Protest, Mark Kriedemann………………………………………..93 Revolutionary change is possible, Thushani Manthilaka…………………………………..96

utsoc.com.au/thecomma Editorial team • • • • • • • • • •

Gemma Billington Thushani Manthilaka Olivia Mathis Laura Mazzitelli Grace McManus Jacinta Neal Jibriel Perez Ashley Sullivan Cara Walker Melanie Wong

Editor-in-chief Alex Turner-Cohen

Contributors • • •

Design team • • • •

Pia Cutler Lucia Mai Lisseth Portillo Tash Turner-Cohen

• • • • • • •

Connect with us

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UTS Society of Communications UTSoC’s The Comma @UTSoC @UTSoC @UTSoC UTS Society of Communications

•

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Kurt Bush Lynn Chen Briannah Devlin Evlin DuBose Bronte Gossling Emily Kowal Mark Kriedemann Joshua Mayne Allyson Shaw David Shilovsky Matthew Sullivan Rachelle Tacadena Emily Warwick

Thank you to ActivateUTS, UTSoC’s main sponsors for 2020. We appreciate your support immensely. The Comma’s 2020 Annual Edition is proudly published by UTS Society of Communications, and printed by Fast Print Services.

The content of The Comma does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editors, printers, UTS, or ActivateUTS. While all care has been taken, UTSoC regrets it cannot accept liabilities from errors or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The Comma and its entire contents are protected by copyright. The Comma will retain the right to republish in any format. No material may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the copyright holders.

A word from the editor

A word from the editor

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T

HIS YEAR, IN A word, has been unprecedented;

extraordinary; unmatched; atypical; one of a kind.

First bushfires, then a global pandemic, and finally, a civil rights movement.

From smoke-filled skies making us choose to stay indoors, to government-mandated orders forcing us to stay indoors — it’s certainly not the year we imagined when we were making our new year’s resolutions.

Within minutes of 2020 starting, residents along the NSW south coast had to flee their homes as fires ravaged the landscape.

While Australians were still — literally — rising from the ashes after our bushfire season, we were hit by a global pandemic, the likes of which have not been seen for nigh on 100 years.

And at the height of this pandemic, a civil rights movement swept through the world with a ferocity and intensity that hasn’t existed since the 1960s.

Accordingly, for ease of use, we’ve broken up this magazine into three distinct sections:

Environment, pandemic, protest.

That’s roughly in the chronology that these unprecedented events struck.

What has also been unprecedented this year was the success of The Comma (wow, look at that seamless segue way).

We’ve published 250 articles (and counting), four of which were republished on news.com.au, Australia’s leading news website.

Our readership is up by 146 per cent compared to previous years and we’ve had over 42,000 clicks on our articles since 2020 started.

Let me just repeat that: 42,000 clicks!

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A word from the editor We’ve recruited the biggest editorial team ever to accommodate our growing readership, with 13 people in total at one stage. At time of writing, 79 communications students have contributed one or multiple pieces to The Comma this year.

One standout contributor, Kurt Bush, has written more than 50 articles for us.

The Pubs team meet face to face for the first time. (L-R: Calvin Lu, Ashley Sullivan, Alex Turner-Cohen, Jibriel Perez, Cara Walker and Olivia Mathis)

We’ve had people from 101 different countries read our content, including nations such as Algeria, Mongolia, Belarus and even Kazakhstan.

We’ve created, edited and published a magazine in the middle of a global pandemic. Not to mention the inaugural Semester 1 competition which saw our best contributor receive a $100 cash prize.

So many collaborations — with UTS FASS, Vertigo, UTS LitSoc, Depop and news.com.au.

As The Comma’s namesake goes: “Commas nourish your desires and a full-stop kills.” And this year, we’ve certainly nourished the creativity of dozens of comms kids.

I want to thank my editorial team for their hard work this year; Gemma Billington, Thushani Manthilaka, Olivia Mathis, Laura Mazzitelli, Grace McManus, Jacinta Neal, Jibriel Perez, Ashley Sullivan, Cara Walker and Melanie Wong.

In particular, I want to thank Melanie Wong and Olivia Mathis for being my right hand (wo)men this year. I also want to thank my twin sister Tash Turner-Cohen for her unwavering support (she has liked every single post The Comma has ever made on Facebook) and also for her foray into graphic design for this magazine.

Also a huge shout-out to Lucia Mai and Lisseth Portillo for creating the awesome graphics enclosed in these pages.

The Comma has become my baby this year, and this magazine is the cherry on top. I hope you love reading it as much as I’ve loved editing it.

So without further ado, I present to you the 2020 edition of UTSoC’s The Comma.

Alex Turner-Cohen Publications Director of UTSoC 2020

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The Pubs team hand out last year’s magazine. (L-R: Melanie Wong, Calvin Lu, Ashley Sullivan and Olivia Mathis)

Presidential welcome

Presidential welcome

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W

HAT MORE CAN WE say about 2020? This year has been a once-in-a-generation experience and yet, despite the challenges that have popped up over and over again, we as the president and vice president of UTSoC could not be prouder of the team that has adapted and thrived through this unprecedented period. At the start of the year, we set out to support and provide meaningful experiences for our members. The way we needed to go about this quickly changed and gave us the opportunity to convert these experiences into the online space. We were physically distanced, yet socially connected.

This year provided us with obstacles that we hurdled over with innovative ideas that engaged our members. We were the first ActivateUTS society to host an online trivia, where we had 88 participants playing with us. We also held an online escape room, a Strava club (for all of our sporting enthusiasts!), and a mask-making event to give back to the community.

We also provided plenty of networking opportunities for our first-year members through our Big Orange Little Orange (BOLO) program, where we held weekly zoom calls to catch up and make new friends. Our First Year Representative also helped out by running the UTSoC First Year Communications page and providing support, encouragement and advice. We were stoked to be able to connect with first years and introduce them to the campus with our First Year Meet and Greet and the Know Your Clubs trivia night event.

Another proud achievement for our society this year was our Job Truth Series careers panel with ActivateUTS. We were extremely privileged to have communication professionals from Samsung, AFL, Buzzfeed and Depop share their insights to the 65 attendees. This panel was the highlight of our careers portfolio, who also provided ongoing job opportunities and LinkedIn tips.

Finally, our publications team have revolutionised The Comma in 2020, reaching a phenomenal 250 articles published and there’s no stopping them! The publications team provided students with prompts, support, editing, an amazing platform on Facebook, the website, this physical magazine and a competition, to bring light to their work and add value to their degree.

This summary has not given our team justice for the countless hours behind the scenes to provide you, our members, with the opportunities to enhance your university experience. This year was not the year we expected, but if there is one takeaway that we learned from all of this, it is that not even a bloody global pandemic can stop any one of us.

Calvin Lu President Ainsley Jones Vice-President

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Committee Address

Committee Address Tahlia Morrissey, Secretary Coming into the role halfway through the year was an experience like no other, however I was welcomed by the enthusiastic and motivated team of UTSOC. As the UTSOC Secretary I was a part of the leadership team. This meant I was involved in each portfolio and helped directors with their initiatives and ideas.

My role also included organising meetings, all things admin and providing a helping hand to portfolios. Some of the highlights of this year have been putting together our ‘Minute with the Clubs’ submission, winning club trivia in Semester 2 and making masks for Pay it Forward week. I have loved working with each and every member of our UTSOC team in this challenging year.

Olivia Migliorino and Keeley McAlinden, Socials Co-Directors Following the cancellation of planned events UTSoC Welcome Back Drinks and First Year Camp in March, the Socials team had to rethink the hosting of social events and pivot online to maintain engagement with UTSoC and Committee members. This was first executed through our UTSOC Kahoot! Trivia Night through Zoom in March, which generated a great response with 88 attendees. Sponsorship from Redbull also allowed us to thank our members for attending the event through the provision of free RedBull products! Turning our focus to targeting First Years, the socials team in partnership with the Education team hosted the UTSoC Digital Escape Room. Finally, as part of an online series UTSoC Boredom Busters, we launched weekly videos throughout May with a diverse range of iso-activities during lockdown. With a positive outlook for next year, the socials team have also confirmed venues for the UTSoC End of Year Ball 2021.

Abby Clark, Marketing Director This year, the primary challenge for the marketing portfolio was to bridge the gap left by physical interaction between the society and our members. As time went on, it became evident that social media was going to be one of the main locations for our uni experience in 2020. Our social media pages evolved around this, with consistent emphasis on solidarity and opportunities for connection. Through effectively and creatively delivering UTSoC’s initiatives and opportunities to our audience, we have ensured that they could make the most of this year despite its challenges.

Natalie Maiorana, Partnerships Director With the Partnerships portfolio being a very outgoing sector, it was heavily impacted by the changes brought upon by COVID-19. However, the Partnerships Team have taken initiative in reconstructing our UTSoC website, so that it may truly reflect our society’s professionalism and values. The biggest focus for the website has been showcasing the opportunities UTSoC offers for current members, prospective members and organisations.

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Committee Address

Ruby Hartley, Social Justice Director The Social Justice Portfolio has had a busy year keeping up with the many world-wide events that needed a social justice perspective! We started off with continuing the previous year’s Mental Health: Smash the Stigma campaign in connection with Batyr, helping people cope during COVID-19 isolation. In second semester, we participated in Pay It Forward Week to create Covid-care packages for homeless people in the CBD. The main component of this was making reusable hand-stitched face masks, an activity that allowed our members to connect with each other, while making an impact on the community!

Additionally, throughout the year we have raised awareness about social justice issues such as BLM, and also celebrating international festivals/dates.

Pia Cutler, Creatives Director This year the creatives team has produced a number of graphics and videos for UTSoC. While the pandemic restricted opportunities such as first year camp and ball where our content was unable to be published, there was still a huge need for our skillset from the society. Creatives worked incredibly hard with Publications this year to produce a number of original graphics for both the website and the magazine (enclosed in these very pages).

Over the course of the year, creatives has also worked with social justice, careers, education, marketing and socials to create numerous event banners and promotions for various initiatives. The Boredom Busters initiative gave our team the chance to edit video footage to provide entertainment and inclusivity on an online platform. Creatives also received the opportunity to work with FASS to produce videos for students which outlined how to tackle university work in an online environment.

Amy Benson, Careers Director UTSoC Careers in 2020 focused on providing students with tangible employability skills to further their career journey in communications. We grew our popular Facebook careers group to over 1300 members and launched our first Ebook Resume Guide, a digital resource specifically tailored to communication students on how to create an impactful resume. We established strong relationships with industry partners and UTS Departments (Webprofits, ArtBound Initiative, UTS Careers & FASS). We also utilised our internal publication, The Comma, to produce four careers-related articles, our most popular one being “Digital Internships: Can I, should I, will I?”, which was sent to every single UTS student in a university-wide email. In collaboration with Activate UTS, we facilitated the most successful Job Truth Series to date which had over 60 attendees and industry guests from Samsung, Buzzfeed, Depop and the AFL.

Rebecca Lahanas, Education Director This year, I’ve had the incredible honour of developing UTSoC’s online mentoring program, Big Orange Little Orange (BOLO), which is now in its third year. BOLO matched up first years with more experienced students and helped them build genuine connections. This ensured that over 65 first year students had a good first year at uni and met other likeminded people, despite being in a global pandemic where face to face classes weren’t possible most of the year.

Jade Ng, First year representative As the elected first year representative, I helped spread the word of UTSoC to fellow first years. I was in charge of social media tailored for first years, so I’ve been running the first year comms page and reaching out to first years personally. I helped BOLO to think of ideas and ways to connect with new uni students and facilitate friendships. Most notably, I organised an in-person BOLO catch-up halfway through semester 2. The catch-up was an outing to “dodgy dumplings” and drinks, which finally gave students the uni experience we were all craving! The biggest highlight of being first year rep was organizing a first year meet and greet at the beginning of semester 2 once the campus opened up. The event took place at Central Park and reached max capacity considering the COVID restrictions.

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The year nobody saw coming, Kurt Bush

The year nobody saw coming To kickstart this magazine, Kurt

Bush gives us a rundown of the year we’ve had.

N -

OBODY SAW THIS COMING. I don’t think anyone could have put a bet on a more dramatic year than the one 2020 has been. What have we faced? Here in Australia, we started the year in a cloud of smoke which was practically our whole summer. The bushfire season made for devastating news coverage and also a massive pouring of community donations to help people who had lost their homes. Then, after bushfire season, more natural disasters came in the form of Tropical Cyclone Damien and the floods in NSW. That was in February, a small rest period of peace before COVID-19 landed down under on its global tour later that month.

police brutality which has taken over most of the global news headlines. With all these massive problems in our world, it was as if we were now living under another, newer cloud.

Whenever something unexpected falls our way, there is usually a shock factor and a sense of panic.

When the coronavirus outbreak turned into a pandemic, we were placed into lockdown and our international borders were closed. In addition, we (still) have to abide by that popular four-square meter rule for social distancing. We’re limited in how many people can be at a public gathering and a lot of our

March then saw Australia placed into lockdown that caused a country-wide panic.

During that period of time, we then saw the United States destroy herself over issues of 11

The year nobody saw coming, Kurt Bush popular go-to places like cafes, pubs, beaches and gyms were closed.

simply living idle at home. People also got creative, choosing to spend their time painting portraits of whatever it was they felt confident doing. I, myself, got into doing more writing and that was a way of keeping my brain active whilst challenging myself to conquer the blank page.

Now, humans are social beings. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews knew that very well when he famously said to “get on the beers” as a kind of incentive for people following social distancing regulations. Wait, going out, having meals and drinks with people, whilst having to socially distance? That is a foreign concept to you and me!

How many people had to celebrate their birthday in isolation, aside from me? Keep your hands up if you felt it was a day to forget? Well I lowered my hand at the second question because there is another thing we had to do whilst living with coronavirus in our world.

Aside from finding things to do, we needed to reconsider how we viewed things. Sure, most people our age want to celebrate a birthday with friends. But during the lockdown period, we couldn’t afford to do so. It is all about making the best out of a difficult situation and being able to celebrate my birthday with the people that mattered was in fact, all that mattered to me.

It is no secret that adjusting our lives to lockdown and isolation was hard.

We were definitely not prepared for this! It is no secret that adjusting our lives to lockdown and isolation was hard.

A lot of us had to study online and didn’t get the most out of the university life. Many more were put out of work, as they were unable to work from home (think hospitality and retail). To summarise, the economy and our lifestyles took a beating for the sake of preserving human life. This situation may sound grim, but that is only if we decide to view the situation from that perspective.

How many of you were able to spend quality time with your parents or siblings that you would have never been able to do when everyone was on their regular schedules?

When faced with a tough situation, we have to find a way to make the most of it. It sounds daunting when people our age finally understand what it means to be living through a pandemic but we find our own ways through.

A lot of us decided that more time spent on social media was the answer.

Now I’m not just referring to posting throwback photos on Instagram, more those chains and challenges we saw on TikTok, Instagram stories and the like. Examples included sharing embarrassing photos and doing push-ups. It got friends engaged and encouraged them to try something silly to pass the time. A lot of us got into new exercise regimes, considering that gyms were closed and we needed to avoid gaining a few kilos by

These are the questions we perhaps should have considered more when living in isolation, away from our friends and more exciting lifestyles.

One thing that was a massive shock was how many people actually changed or stayed ‘stable’ during that time. In everyone’s defence, a lot has happened in our world to 12

The year nobody saw coming, Kurt Bush have played with our heads. Again, put your hands up if you have felt like the lockdown period(s) have been the end of the world? If you thought of it as being impossible and daunting, then yes. It is all about attitude. If you thought of it as an opportunity to do other things and, here we go, improve yourself, then you might have actually found it a blessing!

Since the world really is our oyster, the challenge was to find many other hobbies and ways to be productive, since we all need that sense of purpose, right?

I think we will look back on the COVID-19 pandemic in more positive ways than we want to admit.

Of course, we all can agree that from a public health perspective, it has been a nightmare to live with. Not just a nightmare, but also distressing upsetting for those who have lost

Pictures: Lucia Mai

loved ones or faced separation from the people they need the most. Nobody in our communities and social circles expected the outbreak. Nobody expected the pandemic would last as long as it has. Nobody was prepared for all the changes we would have to make to our lives. Nobody could doubt the possibility of a second wave. Then, when the chips were down, we all found ways to make the best of a bad situation. We get down, but then back up again. A lot of us have perhaps realised who the people are that have our backs, and those who really weren’t there to support you during the tough times. Only an event so unexpected could make us all come to some realities. It might not be over but for the most part we have learned to live with it.

And with that, I raise a glass and decide to make a toast. “Here’s to a new chapter in everyone’s lives. I wish you all the best because there will be more unexpected twists and turns to come. 2020 was the year nobody saw coming, but we all have plenty of years ahead!”

Picture: Mark Kriedemann

Dust, Emily Kowal

Dust

Australia was in the throes of a terrible drought that finally ended for some parts of the country when massive storms hit. Emily Kowal writes creatively about this phenomenal event.

T -

HE DUST GLISTENED IN the beam of sunlight, and for a moment I was transfixed. It twinkled, a lone spark of beauty in my frayed apartment. The omnidirectional buzz of the city slowed to a hum as I recalled the incessant battle fought between my mother and the dust. Though she rarely complained, it had always bothered her. Armed only with feathers, each day she would engage in a fruitless war. It was a nuisance, a pain to be dealt with, yet observing it now, I struggled to fathom how something we once found so abhorrent, could be so alluring.

The memories of my childhood were tainted with dust. It covered our clothes, our shoes, a translucent film over our eyes. We grew immune to it, my brothers and I. Fathers would turn their eyes as we tumbled on the cracked land, their faces masked behind the bottom of a bottle. Our mothers pretended not to notice as our lanky bodies became lost in the folds of our clothes. Childhood innocence protected us, covering us like a blanket in the night. We were safe under its quilted mask, oblivious to the drought that was slowly wasting away our family.

We did not see the bones that protruded from the cattle, nor the calves that clung to their mother’s teat, nuzzling for the elixir that would not appear. They would turn to us sometimes. Thinking it was a game, we would let them wrap their tongues around our sticky fingers, giggling as they tugged at our joints. Our father sent them early that year. My brittle hair absorbed the fire of the midday sun, as I stood beside him watching. When I tentatively touched his elbow to ask him why it was so early, his response was a whisper in the howling, parched wind: “it is cruel to continue to let them starve.”

We ate properly for the first time in a month that night.

As we grew, the mask was lifted from our eyes and we began to notice the drought that sucked the life from us.

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Dust, Emily Kowal

We saw the sunburnt country, thirsty for plump droplets of water.

Together my brothers and I would sit on creaking planks of the front porch, unspoken worries hanging heavy above our heads. Our mother, sensing our anxiety, would sit with us, her fingers trailing through our unruly hair. We rarely ventured into the town. The ride was tedious, and the heat was intense. My mother though, sick of our despondency, surprised us all with a brown package, tied neatly with string. Though all nearly adults, childlike excitement riddled us and together our fingers tore into crisp parcel, as we eagerly fought to reveal our prize. The disk was smooth, its black lacquer soft against our skin.

My mother placed the vinyl in the record player, and as the notes drifted from the machine, our nightly rain dances began. They became our most sacred ritual. Even my father who preferred to spend his nights behind the spread of a paper, would join us in our clumsy jigs, laughing in time with the raspy music. As we twirled, the world outside our frail living room became a dream. My father would hold my hand as I spun, and my older brothers would take turns waltzing with me. Though it never did rain, the dancing was like a medicine, our laughs erasing the worries that gnawed at our insides.

Pictures: Lisseth Portillo They say my brothers ended it in the end. To my brothers the great war was the liquid which would quench their thirst. Finally, they had an escape from the cracked land, and with tipped hats they left our home, crooked smiles spread across their faces. The drought ended the day the telegrams came.

They say that the boys did it, my brothers with their impish smiles and carefree nature.

I saw true rain for the first time that day.

My mother and I stood out on the steps where they too once stood, our tears lost in the precious gift from above.

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The battle to define our generation, Cara Walker

The battle to define our generation Climate change isn’t going away any time soon, writes Cara

Walker.

Picture: Lucia Mai

-A

S A MEMBER OF Gen Z, climate change and its associated challenges are something I have learnt about and been aware of for as long as I can remember.

Encouragements to recycle and to remember to switch off the lights in primary school. The promotion of Earth Hour, gardening clubs, education about endangered species, and global warming. Granted, there was talk of climate change in the 1970s, decades before I was born, but I digress. I believe and the belief of many others around my age that climate change will be the battle of our generation. The likes of Greta Thunberg, Alexandria Villasenor, and Jean Hinchliffe are at the forefront of climate activism, all young, passionate people eager to make changes and take heed of the climate crisis.

supposed to be key in reaching the goals of the Paris agreement have been postponed amid social distancing policies and the international shutdown of travel. With the parliamentarian, media, and public focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic crisis, climate change does not hold the precedence it once did.

However, this is not an issue that simply goes away.

I am not here to argue for the presence of an environmental crisis; science has already done that. The catastrophic events of last summers’ bushfires (which were, in fact, linked to concurrent floods in Africa), demonstrated the immediacy of the environmental crisis we are facing to some, and for others, merely provided an opportunity for political finger-pointing.

In the new light of 2020, additional, more unfamiliar challenges have arisen, which, in some ways, have pushed the issue of climate change to the back burner. The dominant voices of society have grown silent when it comes to the Black Summer fires, and summits

Global consumerism and mass manufacture 18

The battle to define our generation, Cara Walker and other manufactured goods quickly built The nature of the world in the 21st century is

up.

increasingly globalised. Neo-liberal style trade agreements

dominate,

and

off-shore

Australia's largest trading partner is China,

manufacturing is more commonplace than on-

accounting for more than a quarter of our

shore. In 2007, for the first time in world

trades. Our top exports include iron ore, coal,

history, the volume of people living in urban

natural gas, beef, refined and unrefined

areas outnumbered those living rurally. By

petroleum (which also ranks in our top

mid-century, it is expected that approximately

imports) as well as other raw mined materials

two-thirds of the world’s population will live

and agricultural products. Statistica reports

in cities.

that China is the largest manufacturer of textiles, accounting for nearly 38 percent of

Globalisation provides ease of trade, travel,

global textile exports. How many of your

and demands the necessity for bodies such as

clothes have a tag saying ‘Made in China’?

the UN. The outbreak of COVID-19 in China

According to an article from The Conversation

spread in a few short months reaching the

by Rory Horner, it is also estimated that China

heights of a global pandemic. Through trade

provides around 40% of the world’s Active

routes and commercial travel, the complacency

Pharmaceutical Ingredients, making it a

of the developed West, and reliance on a

cornerstone of the world's medicinal supply

world-wide network, in a few short months, the

chains.

world was on lockdown. Worry over supply chain damages, shortages of medication and

While Australia’s population is relatively

other medical supplies, clothing, and textiles

small, China is the biggest. In terms of carbon emissions, Australia produces 1.8 percent of Picture: Lucia Mai

19

The battle to define our generation, Cara Walker world emissions versus China’s 29.34 percent.

global network for everything from our

Yet taking into account population, Australia’s

clothes, to paracetamol, to technology.

CO2 emissions per capita are more than double that of China (data from the European

Hyper-consumerism is a harmful practice that

Commision’s JRC Science for Policy Report:

has driven this mass global market we see

Fossil CO2 emissions of all world countries,

today. People enjoy affordable options, online

2018). Last year almost 50 percent of China’s

shopping, and being free to buy in excess.

coal came from Australia. The complex

Online shopping means sending items by post,

industrial relationship between China and

at times internationally, involving planes,

Australia is founded on fossil fuels, mining and

vehicles, and therefore, carbon emissions.

carbon emissions. These are direct contributors

Companies will often produce in developing

to the climate crisis.

countries where laws regarding worker’s rights, waste management and sustainability

In terms of the pandemic, The New York Times

are less stringent, resulting in low cost prices.

reported earlier this year that even before

On-shore

COVID-19, China exported more Personal

Australia or other rich, developed countries is

Protective Equipment (PPE) and respirators

vastly more expensive.

manufacturing

back

home

in

than the rest of the world combined. Fears regarding medicine and medical supply

With the cost of living on the rise already, on-

shortages were abundant only a few months

shore manufacturing on a small scale is not

ago. Reports from hospitals around the world

financially viable for the vast majority of

indicated insufficient numbers of PPE to

consumers. Emissions and waste are not only

combat COVID-19. With borders shut and

produced in the manufacturing aspect of the

supply chains in disarray, medical staff

supply chain, but shipping, delivery, import

resorted to reusing old PPE. Developed nations

and export. This mass globalised supply-chain,

with the world's largest economies couldn’t

facilitated by consumerism and exploitation of

support their hospitals in times of need.

both people and the environment, is perhaps the biggest hurdle in the battle against carbon

Calls to bring back on-shore manufacturing

emissions

and

the

were dominant in the reaction to this year’s

climate. Globalisation

supply chain crisis, not only to be less reliant

environmental threat we face.

is

changing the

biggest

on foreign manufacture but to supply jobs and help

economic

The future of global marketplaces

recovery. COVID-19

highlighted our overwhelming reliance on the

20

The battle to define our generation, Cara Walker Personally, I believe that changing our

Economists and business people may claim

attitudes and our ways of life to combat climate

that planned obsolescence drives innovation

change involves far more than small-scale

and invention, and it may contribute to lower

manufacture or local production. Shifting

cost prices. However,

consumerist attitudes in order to buy less, use

obsolescence of goods in this manner is highly

less, and make less waste is key. Mend your

wasteful. As a society, we should be building

clothes, buy a new smartphone when you

skills to combat hyper-consumerism- repairing

actually need to, use your leftover dinner for

damaged

lunch.

manufacture that does not result in excessive

goods,

in the end, the

setting

a

standard

waste

in

of the

Planned

name of money.

obsolescence

While

a

describes

the

manufacturer or

phenomenon

by

a consumer may

which goods are

be able to afford

manufactured

such a thing, the

with a lower “life-

long-term

span” in order for

environmental

consumers to buy

impacts

the product or a

our

similar

cannot.

product

mean planet

again. A nuanced issue,

Humanity

planned

obsolescence, can be

Picture: Tash Turner-Cohen

has

permeated the globe

due to the demand for cheaper goods,

in a way unlike anything else. Human

‘fashionable’ trends (particularly in relation to

influence is everywhere and is unavoidable. In

technology like smartphones), or desire from

his book Darwin Comes to Town, Professor of

the manufacturer to readily make money. Take

Evolutionary Biology, Menno Schilthuizen,

printers; for example, the cost of buying new

articles this extensive impact. Remarkable

ink cartridges can often be more than the cost

stories of nature’s adaptation to human

of a new printer.

influence permeate the pages. Schilthuzien makes the argument that we cannot erase such

This is not a recent phenomenon; it has been

influence or its future impacts; instead, we

happening for decades and can be traced back

must adapt too:

to light-bulb manufacture in the 1920s.

21

The battle to define our generation, Cara Walker

“

While we have been trying to save the

developing nations) will be the ones to feel its

world’s crumbling pre-urban ecosystem, we

effects the most. Small island nations in the Pacific are under constant threat of flooding

have been ignoring the fact that nature has

due to rising sea levels and the people of these

already been putting up the scaffolds to build

islands will most likely be the first ever

”

novel, urban ecosystems for the future.

‘climate refugees’.

I have not leached this book for every word just

We are releasing microplastics into the

yet, but already Schilithuzien proposes a

environment to a point where humans are

perspective I had not previously considered.

consuming, on average, five grams of plastic

One I have been pondering ever since I picked

every week. Human population levels show no

up and began the book.

signs of slowing down in growth, and living in cities will be the reality for more and more

We must adapt our practices to better live in

people as time goes on. I am not one for eco-

conjunction with the environment than being

fascism (think ‘humans are the virus’ type

emblazoned in a battle against it. Harmonise

rhetoric or judging people on their individual

the urbanscape and nature.

plastic consumption rather than putting the onus on large corporations), but we need to

Help the environment to help ourselves

learn

to

live

harmoniously

with

the

environment. Not only are we damaging Undoubtedly

humanity

is

impacting

nature as we know it, but also ourselves.

ecosystems globally, creating irreversible damage has already wrought its way through

There will always be those who elect to ignore

many species and habits, and indeed there are

scientific evidence—coronavirus conspiracies

still the effects of damage yet to be seen. To

are proof enough that in 2020 this is no

fight back, we must learn our lessons from the

different. Like a historical pandemic, climate

damage already done. While nature has an

change is not something we can afford to agree

incredible ability to adapt, with evolution

to disagree on. Changes larger than switching

occurring faster than initially thought possible,

from plastic bags when you do your weekly

we need to combat climate change for our own

grocery shop are necessary. Changes on a

good.

mass, country-wide, world-wide, corporationwide scale have to be made. Humanity is not

The people who are the least responsible for

untouchable, as much as we may like to think

climate change (future generations, those in

so.

22

Just a Walk in the Park, Allyson Shaw

If no-one saw it, then did it even happen? Drawing a parallel to today’s world of fake writes about three people squabbling

news and disputed science,

over the truth of an event.

I -

t was a very ordinary time to take a stroll in the city park. The bits of green and stumpy trees created a fairly pleasant backdrop to an otherwise grey concrete stroll. It was dusk and those who walked the park appeared like shadows. Usual shadows, who traced about their own thoroughfares.

In the western quadrant, there were just three people: Eda, Garrett and Hector.

The three meandered back and forth, not so far apart given the urban size of the park. They’d each wandered away from the routines of others. Isolated enough that you could fit the three in one shot.

And so, picture them all within a few metres of the largest yellowwood tree when it happened.

I cannot say what, but Garrett was struck by something, and fell in the dirt that skirted the tree’s trunk.

Eda, being a reasonable and respectable member of society, rushed over to aid the fallen stranger in a panicked trot. She shifted her leather bag onto one shoulder, and Garrett, a middle-aged slightly squat man in nylon shorts, was helped to his feet. The man gazed wide-eyed into the corners of the park, catching his breath in the dry air.

He watched Eda look to the sky, and the way the buttons in her blazer flashed in the lamp light. She moved to peer into the scarce umbrage of the tree, her eyebrows knitted together. What was she seeing?

Taking Eda’s lead, Garrett looked upwards too. “It came from up there you think?”

“Nothing is there now—yes definitely this one—I thought I saw something,” she replied.

23

Just a Walk in the Park, Allyson Shaw She put her hand to the trunk and continued to search — for what? Garrett wondered. Some sign of his attack? She came up empty.

Eda interrupted Garrett’s musings: “Since we cannot explain the situation, beyond reasonable doubt, then maybe we are picturing things. Who can say what actually happened if nobody—” she petered off, fiddling with her ID tag, and leaving her thoughts unspoken. Logic and reason ruled Eda’s life.

“I definitely felt something”, Garrett placed his left palm over the sore spot in his right shoulder blade, and paused. “But I do believe you are right—about this tree.”

He stood and stared but with one eye on Eda. She peered back through the park and towards St James Station, the great tower, Queen Victoria Building, and all the rest, as if she would leave. There was silence.

“No no no, you are seeing it all wrong my friends!” A set of animated hands appeared out of the near darkness. “A small beast burst from the ground, rose up from below, and its tail brushed the sir’s head on its way back into the ground!” Hector came over to the pair, hunched but full of spirit. He had the appearance of a once tall man, who was now bent over with age.

Garrett watched the elderly man as he brought his hands to a halt in front of his chest, fingers just touching, awaiting their response.

“Yes, that’s right, it came from the sky.” Garrett looked to Eda with a nod. Eda just shifted the weight of her bag.

“No no please listen, I think, I am sure, it came from below — young man, listen to me.”

“Exactly, it hit my shoulder blade—so of course we should be looking at the above. Old man, I think you are just muddling your words.” He giggled and smiled warmly towards Eda but Eda did not return his sentiment.

“Hear me! Please, I saw it.”

Hector looked distraught, but Garrett just smiled and looked back

to

the

tree.

Almost

mimicking Eda in the way he studied the branches.

24

Just a Walk in the Park, Allyson Shaw Eda just looked at the two of them. “Could you really believe that a beast sprung from the ground just to strike you? You believe this old man—” Eda started to back away from the shade cast by the tree. “You are both as bad as each other, and besides, none of us are true eye witnesses—” She looked around the area. Possibly trying to spot an applicable security camera.

“But surely you believe me, right, Miss?” The man in cardigans looked towards Eda. “My words seem not to be muddled to you?”

Garrett was just an audience member in the cinema now.

“If you are saying because the dear man saw nothing, and I, the only other person close enough saw nothing, then nothing can be proved? Yes, yes I stand with you.” She paused, then waved her arms, as if freeing herself from night bugs. “It’s all circumstantial, I think that is where we can leave it.”

There was again silence.

The old man was the one to break it. “He did have his back turned, exactly! That is how the beast found its opportunity.” Hector had his once so lively arms crossed now.

The audience spoke up: “I did not see it, you both are right.” Garrett paused, in thought. “—but I think something happened still, I felt it, therefore it did happen. Surely that is understandable.”

Apparently, it was not.

Hector, with great effort, crouched to the floor, touching the tufts of grass with his gnarled fingers. “I am sure it dove in right here, see this spot, where the grass seems disturbed?”

Garrett looked to Eda, who returned his gaze.

Pictures: Lucia Mai

Then in unison, they stared down at their sneaker-clad feet.

Garrett helped Hector rise, and the three of them stood together facing the heart of the cemented park. Their walks thoroughly interrupted now, and turning into night-time strolls. As one, they exhaled.

“Ouch” “Argh!”

“Not again—”

25

Picture: Mark Kriedemann

Picture: Mark Kriedemann

30

Photography showcase, Mark Kriedemann

Pictures: Mark Kriedemann

31

Picture: Mark Kriedemann

Emotional distance: the unexpected side effect of COVID-19, Laura Mazzitelli

Emotional distance: the unexpected side effect of COVID-19 We know that coronavirus measures are going to impact our economy well beyond 2020, but what about the potential long-lasting effects on the way we interact with one another? Laura

F -

Mazzitelli investigates.

ROM SANITISATION STATIONS TO self-isolation, there no doubt about it – our day to day life has shifted in one way or another.

As a united effort, countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic made the necessary efforts to reduce health risks to stop the spread.

Whether it’s restaurants making more space between tables, retail stores limiting the number of customers inside at one time, or gyms having to restructure or close some machines, it’s clear even the little things are changing in an effort to keep people safe.

Online platforms like Zoom have made staying 1.5 metres away from others so much easier to implement. This means things like university studies, work obligations, and even social gatherings could still go ahead.

34

Emotional distance: the unexpected side effect of COVID-19, Laura Mazzitelli

But it’s just not the same.

Whether it is the small or big changes in the way we move, think and interact, we need to look at the wider picture here: What if the effects of physical distancing can disrupt our emotional safety nets?

Is it possible that the distance can seep further than the surface, entering into the social and psychological realms of our lives?

Contrary to your new year’s resolution, a lot that has happened in 2020 won’t necessarily be able to stay in 2020. Socially, these unprecedented times will have extraordinary mental health consequences that need to be addressed.

Even a subconscious move away from a stranger passing by shows the effects physical distancing is having on our day-to-day interactions. As a society, we need to be careful not to let physical distance result in emotional isolation.

For the more introverted personalities, this time may not be much of a strain socially. (In fact, some may even feel completely unbothered by the ongoing social distancing rules). For the more extroverted or more affectionate type, however, the struggle is real.

The thing is, we’re kind of getting used to this whole distancing thing now, more than we may even realise. Even hearing the words ‘social distance’ can infer being far away; disconnected; removed.

So much so that it can feel like estrangement is the ‘new normal’.

Hanging out with friends in close proximity and hugging loved ones has been discouraged, and even handshakes seem like a thing of the past. Crowds are also a huge no no, and someone getting in your 1.5 metres of space can be, well, a little anxiety inducing. (Not to mention, PDA with that special someone is even more frowned upon than it was pre-corona).

In all seriousness, while it may sound trivial to some, these small ‘social’ things in our lives can actually affect our happiness levels.

According to Healthline, it’s scientifically proven that something as simple as a hug can make us happier. Hugs can life our spirits, and can even reduce stress and blood pressure levels. (Also, the same hormone released when hugging someone rises when we touch or sit close to someone else).

So can physical distancing have longer lasting effects on the way we behave, communicate, and socialise? And what does this mean for its effect on affection, intimacy, and human connection?

While at time of writing, there is not a whole host of recent studies about the effects social distancing will have down the track, various health organisations have been a part of exploring the possible ongoing psychological impacts.

35

Emotional distance: the unexpected side effect of COVID-19, Laura Mazzitelli According to the Black Dog Institute (BDI), failing to distinguish ‘physical distancing’ from ‘social distancing’ can potentially result in long term impacts on social inclusion. In recommending coping strategies, BDI notes that depression, post-traumatic stress, confusion, anger, boredom and loneliness are among the potential ongoing psychological impacts from isolation.

What can we do to try alleviate these potential long-term effects?

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs expresses that social and community groups help satisfy the human need for love, acceptance, and belonging. With this, comes the need for emotional relationships, which is the driving force of human behaviour.

So, maintaining or forming emotional connections with others is one way to improve mental health, while still maintaining that safe distance.

Another way, according to The Official Journal of the Association of Medicine and Psychiatry, is exercise: “Aerobic exercises, including jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening and dancing, have been proved to reduce anxiety and depression.”

Similarly, Head To Health reports that even singing can help improve mental health, as it releases endorphins (or ‘happiness hormones’) and oxytocin (which help shape internal trust and bonding).

They also agree that dancing, especially when in groups, can boost happiness levels and self-esteem, alleviate anxiety and depression, and reduce bodily aches and pains (we can still do all this while keeping physical distance, btw!).

Sure, these seem like temporary happiness fixes or strategies, doing the little things we love, together (even if at a distance), can help alleviate the potential for long term mental health issues associated with physical distancing and isolation.

Pictures: Lucia Mai

Why the news is more important than ever, Matthew Sullivan

Why the news is more important than ever

If we’ve learnt one thing this year, it’s that people need news. MATTHEW SULLIVAN takes a look at the power of the pen when it comes to the often life and death situation of COVID-19.

-F

OR MANY PEOPLE, KEEPING up to date with the news is a chore reserved for journalists and baby boomers who religiously watch the nightly news on television every evening. In theory, the average person can go through life without paying much attention to the news and current affairs or caring much about how the government of the day is performing. But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed that significantly, at least for the foreseeable future.

the level of restrictions imposed, the activities people can do and the places they can go can be extremely limited.

NOW, MORE THAN EVER, PEOPLE ARE GLUED TO THE NEWS AND DRAWN TO THE FLASH OF THE NEWS ALERT NOTIFICATION ON THEIR PHONE THAT HOLDS THE KEY TO THEIR FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT.

This is simply because the numbers of new COVID-19 cases each day and the government’s decisions have a direct impact on the daily lives of Australians. Depending on

A recent study by the University of Canberra found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, 37

Why the news is more important than ever, Matthew Sullivan the number of heavy news consumers increased by 14 per cent to 70 per cent, with Australians seeking reliable and trustworthy information during the pandemic. Digital media is the driving force behind the spike, but very few Australians are willing to actually pay for journalism, making this a frustrating period for news organisations struggling to convert eyeballs into dollars. The ABC, News Corp and Australian Associated Press (AAP) have cut hundreds of jobs, while 10 Daily and BuzzFeed News were forced to shut their newsrooms altogether.

The rhythm of the day is punctuated by the 11am press conferences from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who calmly announce the daily number of new COVID-19 cases and call on people to follow the rules and stay positive.

These politicians and public servants must be commended for addressing the public every day, no matter how harrowing the latest set of

COVID-19 is the biggest news story of a

numbers are.

generation and the stakes are higher than ever.

People are relying on the news for accurate

Australians hang on every word to see if they

information to inform their actions and keep

are affected in any way. These are some

them and their families safe.

thoughts that might be running through their heads: Can I send my kids to school? Do I need

THE NEWS HAS BECOME A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. Speculation

on

to go into the office to work or am I working from home? When will my income support from the government be cut off? Can I visit my elderly relative? When will I be able to travel overseas to see my loved ones or simply go on holiday? Can I

potential

meet up with friends

lockdowns and the number of cases

at a pub or restaurant? Can

has become the chosen water cooler

I go to the beach? Can I go to a

discussion topic of this year — if people were

live sporting match?

allowed to work at the office, that is. At the start of 2020, if you had been transported in

Sydneysiders and people from NSW were on edge for several weeks when the numbers began to creep upwards again. The possibility of a second lockdown had many people watching the news with anxious trepidation.

time to the middle of this year and heard the daily refrain of ‘how many cases are there today?’, you could be excused for not having a clue what people are talking about.

38

Why the news is more important than ever, Matthew Sullivan This period has also made people realise the degree of power that state and federal governments have over Australians. We live in a healthy democracy (arguably), but governments have controlled our daily lives, for the better, more than I can remember over the past six months. It’s a good thing that generally, Australians are pretty good at following rules. Perhaps the pandemic has taught people that since governments hold so much influence over us, it is important to be across their policies so we can hold them to account.

A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF YOUNG AUSTRALIANS HAS BECOME ENGAGED WITH THE NEWS.

news as an excuse to clickbait readers to boost digital audiences.

Personally, I am constantly on the lookout for non-COVID-19 ‘good news’ stories to lighten the mood. One good news story I read was about a dog being reunited with its Sydney family after being stranded in the US for five months. Another heart-warming story was that of a woman who reconnected with her childhood classmate after he saved her from a schoolyard bully 50 years ago. But these positive stories are few and far between.

Exchanges at press conferences between politicians, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Daniel Andrews, and journalists, have transcended mainstream media and made their way onto TikTok, where cleverly edited montages bring some humour to what is a stressful time for many. If you haven’t seen the lip-synced parodies of Scott Morrison’s interaction with ABC political editor Andrew Probyn at a press conference, do yourself a favour and watch them.

As we move forward, it is crucial that Australians find a balance between keeping up to date with vital information and taking a step back from the news when necessary to keep their mental health in check.

It must be acknowledged that many people are experiencing coronavirus news fatigue due to the oversaturation of COVID-19 related stories in the media, especially in the relentless 24hour news cycle. This type of news can feel like a constant barrage of negative information, which is emotionally draining and can take its toll on the psyche. It is important that the media keeps the public informed about the latest case numbers and the easing or tightening of restrictions, without fearmongering or using the increased appetite for

It will be intriguing to see if Australians continue consuming news at a rapid rate once the pandemic is over, because if this period of time has proved anything, it’s that the news helps keep citizens informed.

Pictures: Lisseth Portillo

39

Hope on the edge of a razor, Jacinta Neal , Briannah Devlin

Hope on the edge of a razor While 2020 might have not been as we expected, Jacinta year as a lesson to be learnt.

Neal looks back on the

“The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.”

Maugham's opening quote to THE RAZOR'S EDGE From the Katha-Upanishad I read The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham at the end of last year, and this quote has stuck with me ever since. I like to think of it in times of adversity or when I'm feeling down.

It popped into my head in March when COVID-19 was really getting serious, and thinking about it now, I think it defines 2020.

This year has been one for the history books. 2020 is not how any of us expected it to go. Travel plans were put on hold indefinitely. Loved ones got sick. Weddings, birthdays, funerals got cancelled. I didn't want my last year of university to be all zoom meetings and online learning, but here we are.

But if this year has taught me anything, it’s that life is just unprecedented. It's a series of passing over the edge of a razor.

We like to pretend we have plans; we have goals, but in reality, aren't we all just cruising along hoping for the best?

Your life

This moment 40

Hope on the edge of a razor, Jacinta Neal , Briannah Devlin

We all fall in love and give ourselves to somebody hoping they'll treat us with care, and sometimes they don't. We learn numbers by heart, and then we can't recall them anymore. We lose friends and gain them.

Every day we live thinking we know what is going to happen next‌ maybe until now.

I had the next two years planned out, but overnight they completely changed. I think we all did.

I guess if anything, 2020, gave us the best lesson we have to learn. Nothing is concrete, and your life can change in an instant.

Instead of viewing this year negatively, I think we should look on the brighter side. In the scheme of things, 2020 is a tiny little moment in the whole of our lives. We will be able to travel, hug, and have more than ten at a table in the future. In five years, we will look at masks as a thing of the past.

One day when I'm old and grey, I think I'll look back on this year and think not about the toilet paper hoarders, or the selfish, or the greedy.

I'll think about the fact that we tried our best to keep everything afloat.

We possibly did more kind things this year than any other, talking to our elderly neighbour to make sure they were okay, putting our lives on hold to breathe, lowering our carbon emissions, and staying at home. We spent more time with our families. We kept a distance of 1.5m to keep each other safe.

The economic ramifications will be felt for a long time, and there is no denying that. Businesses will be lost, and tourism will take some time to bounce back.

So 2020 was unprecedented, like passing over the sharp edge of a razor.

But maybe in the best way.

Pictures: Lucia Mai

We’ve faced worse pandemics, Bronte Gossling

We’ve faced worse pandemics Pathogens, plagues, and pestilences have been around since the bodies that house them.

Bronte

Gossling shows us that COVID-19 isn’t the first global pandemic, and it won’t be the last.

U U -

NCERTAIN AND SIGNIFICANT THOUGH it is, the era of COVID-19 is not unprecedented. It’s not even the first coronavirus (that honour can be given to the SARS-CoV-1 outbreak in 2002) — even though unprecedented seems like it will be Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2020.

trade routes developed internationally with advancements in technology, as did pandemics. Disease began changing hands on borderlines alongside spices, silks and sterling.

A cough, a cuddle, a congratulations; it’s hard to reconcile within oneself that something so simple, a mere moment in time, has the potential to fracture fragile federations, crucial alliances, stable economies and impregnable ideologies. Yet the social, political and economic structures of humanity are only as strong as the ones that build them, and pathogens have spent hundreds of thousands of years nipping at the heels and slipping through the cracks of any signs of weakness.

Communicable diseases — that is, infectious diseases that are contagious and can be transmitted between sources directly or indirectly — have existed since humans were hunter-gatherers, a lifestyle that started approximately 1.8 million years ago. It was when mankind progressed to an agrarian lifestyle between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago that the world quickly became a petri dish.

Petri dishes, however, are easily contained, and variables can be controlled in a lab; epidemics, meanwhile, are no experiment, and newfangled close-knit communities coupled with increased proximity to domesticated animals created ideal conditions for diseases to spread between hosts like never before. When

The world’s first ever epidemic It’s fitting that the origins of the words epidemic, pandemic and panic are Greek, as that’s the site zero of the earliest recorded plague. Thought to be typhoid fever, The Great Plague of Athens began at the height of the city-state’s ‘Golden Age’ in 430 BCE, and spent three years terrorising its citizens. The weakened state of Athens’ army due to the plague is thought to be a contributing factor to Spartan victory of The Peloponnesian War, a war that historians have theorised would have resulted in the expansion of a Greek Empire, like the Romans, had the Athenians won.

42

We’ve faced worse pandemics, Bronte Gossling While this epidemic was significant in terms of what might have been, it was not until over 1100 years later that a plague pandemic would significantly alter the course of history in actuality.

Named after Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, the architect of the Americas, Bahamas, Haiti and Dominican Republic as we know them, the Columbian exchange refers to the widespread transfer of matter and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, Africa, Asia, and Europe as a result of Columbus’ 1492 voyage. Literature on this interchange overwhelmingly covers European colonial power structures and trade, particularly with and within the Americas — that, and the fact that Columbus himself brought syphilis to Europe. A sexually transmitted disease with the original bacterium Treponema pallidum only found in cattle or sheep before Columbus’ 1492 invasion, there’s been some interesting discourse on the exact how regarding the initial animal to human conveyance.

The Plague of Justinian (541 to 549 CE) The Plague of Justinian was the first plague pandemic in a series of outbreaks that swept across the Mediterranean for more than 200 years before disappearing in 750 CE. Considered the first significant outbreak of the bubonic plague caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, the same bacteria of later infamous The Black Death (1346 to 1353 CE), it’s estimated that this specific outbreak, in addition to its death toll, directly resulted in the decline of the Byzantine Empire, and the expansion of the Arab Empire and coinciding worldwide spread of Islam.

The Spanish moved people, technology, culture, knowledge, animals and plants between the Old World and the New World.

Hitching a ride with Ferdinand II’s sponsored crew were European diseases such as smallpox, measles and the bubonic plague, which completely devastated indigenous populations due to the fact that they had never been exposed to the bacterium before, hence had not built up adequate natural immunity nor combative medicinal aids.

While named after Constantinople’s (now Istanbul) Roman emperor of the time, Justinian I, who contracted the disease and survived, this specific outbreak originated in Egypt’s Pelusium, situated on the Nile Delta’s northern and eastern shores. Transmitting to humans via black rats (and their ever-loyal companions, fleas) stowed away on grain ships and carts, the disease spread both north to Alexandria and east to Palestine, quickly snowballing into a fever-inducing, necrotic death sentence for 25,000,000 to 100,000,000 people across the Near East, Mediterranean Basin, and Europe.

To put that into perspective, the lowest estimated death toll is equal to the whole population of Australia.

The Columbian Exchange (1492 CE onwards) 43

We’ve faced worse pandemics, Bronte Gossling Columbus’ arrival on the island of Hispaniola — now Haiti and the Dominican Republic — resulted in the genocide of the Taíno people, where various diseases reduced their population from 60,000 people to 500 people by 1592. In December 1518, a smallpox epidemic aggressively spread through Hispaniola, with historians noting that at that stage, there were only 10,000 indigenous Taíno people still alive on the island.

By 1520, the Aztec Empire was weakened by smallpox so much so that its inhabitants could not tend to crops — contributing to food shortages — let alone resist Spanish colonists.

This, coupled with the genocide of the indigenous peoples of North America, sparked mass flora growth on previously cultivated land, as there was no one left to tend to agricultural land and fields to prevent trees and vegetation from taking over. All in all, this led to the reforestation of 55.8 million hectares.

The increased demand for carbon dioxide to fuel these plants meant that 7.4 gigatonnes of carbon were extracted from the atmosphere, resulting in a notable atmospheric carbon dioxide drop in 1610 CE. Enough carbon dioxide was removed from the atmosphere to cool down the planet, contributing to the Little Ice Age.

Third Plague Pandemic (1855 to 1960 CE)

After The Black Death (1346 to 1353 CE), the world grew complacent as the grotesque horrors of the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history were reduced to the late modern period equivalent of summer campfire jump scares. Enter Yunnan, a province in southwest China. The mid-19th century was an unusually busy time for Yunnan; the region was experiencing an expeditious influx of Han Chinese migrants in search of natural minerals, predominantly copper, that were rich in southwest China at this time. The mining boom had exploded the population of Yunnan to over seven million people by 1850, with the increasing transportation throughout the province and wider China functioning as a vector of disease in a tale as old as time.

A plague-infected flea jumped ship to move onto bigger and better things from its homestead on the yellow-breasted rat, leaping from human, to animal, to duck-feather mattress, and so on, eventually moving to Hong Kong and India, and even South Africa and San Francisco. We now know that western Yunnan is home to a natural reservoir of the bubonic plague, and it’s still considered to be an ongoing health risk. Yet in 1855, all that was known was that a disease with symptoms similar to the mythical Black Death was in its early stages of massacring 15 million people across the world.

In March 1894, the city of Canton experienced a death toll of 80,000 people over a few weeks.

The plague then rapidly spread to Hong Kong

We’ve faced worse pandemics, Bronte Gossling through water traffic, with the special administrative region experiencing a death toll of 100,000 in two months. The plague then travelled from here further south to India via port cities, where the British were implementing oppressive pandemic policies that would eventually spark a revolt against the occupying forces. Yersinia pestis was now metamorphosing as the pneumonic plague as well as bubonic, resulting in 1,000,000 deaths in India and modern Pakistan within this outbreak, and then a further 12,500,000 over the next 30 years.

This specific pandemic led to several scientific breakthroughs surrounding the biological understanding of the bubonic plague. In particular, Hong Kong-based doctor Alexandre Yersin, was able to identify the bacterium Yersinia pestis as the cause of the disease in 1894, which ultimately led to the discovery that bites from rat-dwelling fleas was the main method of transmission to humans. It wasn’t until 1960, when cases dropped below a couple of hundred, that the Third Plague Pandemic was considered no longer active.

HIV/AIDS (1981 CE onwards) One of the most thought-provoking pandemics in human history, human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune

deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has had an estimated worldwide death toll of over 770,000 people since its discovery in 1981, with 37,900,000 people living with HIV in 2018. The lifelong progression of HIV follows a robust plan of attack on the immune system, increasing the risk of common opportunistic infections such as pneumonia or tuberculosis, as well as tumours. Late symptoms of the infection, such as swollen lymph nodes, fever and unintended weight loss, are referred to as AIDS. HIV/AIDS’ impact extends beyond the physicality of the disease itself; due to its large association with the gay community, fear of infection was used to justify homophobia, and diagnoses often coincided with the nonvoluntary outing of the infected. Initial news reports of HIV/AIDS emerged largely by newspapers such as New York Native in May 1981, with five cases being clinically reported in the United States in June 1981. What followed was a wild goose chase to pin down the exact disease, as the known infected were showing symptoms of pneumonia, the rare Kaposi’s sarcoma, and lymphadenopathy, presenting researchers and doctors with puzzle pieces that were of complementary shapes and colours, but didn’t quite align.

Once the disease was properly identified in 1983, biomedical scientists, pathologists and historians began to trace its origin and pinpoint methods of transmission. In 1999, researchers discovered a strain of Simian

We’ve faced worse pandemics, Bronte Gossling Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) in chimpanzees, which was almost identical to HIV in humans. Through retrospective blood testing, scientists put forward a likely scenario that the SIV disease spread from our close primates to HIV in humans around 1920 in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo through a ‘hunter’ situation, where the infected chimpanzees were consumed by humans, and their bodily fluids handled during food preparation. HIV was then retrospectively mapped to Haiti in the 1960s, followed by New York in the same decade and San Francisco in the 1970s, before being identified worldwide in the 1980s.

unfortunately has repeated itself with COVID19.

In March 2020, it was announced that a second person had been cured of HIV thanks to a stem cell transplant, joining original curee Timothy Ray Brown in this exclusive club. Therapies such as stem cell treatments for HIV need substantially more research before becoming viable, as such, HIV/AIDS is considered largely incurable — yet, with antiretroviral therapy, those with HIV can experience a near normal life expectancy. The early stages of this pandemic influenced modern disease control measures significantly; in particular, the horrors of the 1980s showed the value of wellcommunicated, accessible and well-designed public health campaigns, in addition to contact tracing — two things we are definitely benefitting from in our current unprecedented times.

While Princess Diana famously shook hands, without gloves, with AIDS patients in London in 1987 in an effort to combat the stigma, misinformation campaigns and constant referrals to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) initial releases only fed the fear. Initial CDC releases identified atrisk groups as partners of people with AIDS, colloquialism of the “4-H Club”: homosexuals, haemophiliacs, heroin addicts and Haitians.

The medical crisis was used as ammunition to perpetuate homophobia, classism, and racism in a twisted blame game — a phenomenon that

For the full version of this article, head to the online website of The Comma and go to http://www.utsoc.com.au/thecomma/we ve-faced-worse-pandemics.

Pictures: Lucia Mai

46

The changing face of Aussie workplaces, Briannah Devlin

The changing face of Aussie workplaces Could COVID-19 have a silver lining when it comes to professional growth?

Briannah Devlin takes us through the workplace shakeup and finds that there is some good in all of the chaos.

T -

HIS YEAR HAS NOT been the most

People have had to re-evaluate ways to make

welcoming introduction, middle, or

ends meet. With supermarkets being deemed

conclusion to the workforce. The usual

essential, they were inundated with over

changing of careers, getting promotions,

36,000 job applications for 5,000 positions,

networking and events, interning and either

with many being offered to laid off Qantas

going into, or completing studies — the

workers. Super was being pulled out, salaries

pandemic has thrown most of this out of the

were shrinking and paid leave was drying up.

window.

The rug was pulled from under eight Australian magazines because of the inability

Unemployment has been at an all-time high.

to reap advertising revenue in the pandemic,

We are in a recession for the first time in thirty

and jobs have been cut from across media

years, and millions of people have required

organisations like the ABC and staff at Seven

government assistance through JobKeeper.

having salaries slashed.

47

The changing face of Aussie workplaces, Briannah Devlin there? We are all looking to achieve in a time Many industries have been deemed ‘essential’,

where not everyone is dealt the same deck.

and others not, with many not being reimbursed by the government at first.

Remoteness has been embraced, all with the help of technology, making a strong and constant Internet connection essential. This has

Office lights have been switched off,

redefined people’s working routines. For some

and tables and quiet spaces have been

it’s been beneficial, and I am sure several find

cleared to become home workplaces.

setting professional boundaries in the home an ongoing task.

Asserting oneself has been done at a distance, whether that is via a mask, remotely, or in a

Seek, Indeed, Jora and LinkedIn have got quite

dispersed workspace. The atmosphere and

the workout. Inboxes are swimming with ways

hustle and bustle of university was, and for

to up-skill to get a one-up in current times but

some still is, replaced by endless Zoom

also to prepare for a post-pandemic world —

meetings and homes becoming the new

whenever that will be — have become popular

campus.

distractions. TAFE courses were announced in April as subsidised, with over 100,000 enrolments at the time, enabling people to be

So where has this left us?

able to work from home and make the most of it, through upskilling

With workspaces changing,

and

many

jobs

in areas such as social media and marketing, as well as

walking along the tightrope

administration.

of

This has allowed

survival versus breaking our

people from areas

point,

to

mentalities

towards

complete

courses, but also

our

current students across

professional lives have had

institutions and the general public to leverage

to change. How have we hustled? Have our

their capacities, and give them an edge.

career paths been redefined because of the

LinkedIn workshops and certificates from

parameters in front of us? How do we get

Google’s Digital Garage have also been popular I believe, as well as university 48

The changing face of Aussie workplaces, Briannah Devlin workshops, and even though I am sick of the

I have been frustrated,

softwares, I am sure Zoom and Teams will be

exasperated and excited

the added to the assumed knowledge and prerequisites for jobs.

about trying to create

It’s all a balancing act,

connections and a portfolio

isn’t it?

in a pandemic.

Perhaps Covid-19 will be a blessing in

I know for me, it is something that I have had

disguise… giving us new skills that perhaps

to work at everyday. To-do lists are a constant,

will become an instilled norm even after the

of study, university deadlines, side projects,

pandemic is declared to be over. The pandemic

and even attempts to schedule in me-time. The

has waits for nobody, I have come to realise,

satisfaction of crossing something off never

and the only way to come out on the other side

wavers, even if it is to remind me to read, go

of the to be employable is to look for

for a walk, and I promise I wash it regularly,

opportunities where I could that could be

but a reminder to wash my hair.

doable from a distance, locally or in person when it was safe to do so. At the moment for

I have been incredibly lucky that my retail job

me this has meant picking up more writing and

has not been influenced too much by the

producing projects, giving me the chance to

pandemic at this point; shifts have shrunk, but

flex my muscles more as it is what I want to

have not gone down to zero. A perk of being

do. It has made me realise that it is okay to have

home has been able to pick up some extra shifts

good and bad days, and want moments to press

if required.

down on the breaks, but that it will not wait on anyone. Being given more time can seem like

I will admit, the motivation to study has ebbed

a blessing, but can also be very consuming, and

and flowed, not only because of being at home

I will be honest, I still struggle with time

but also being my final semester and seeing the

management.

finish line at an arm’s reach. I check for career opportunities, and apply for positions daily. I

Hours, minutes and seconds go by the same,

try and write as much as I can, and produce and

even though they feel like they don’t. The sun

prepare interviews for the radio station I work

sets and rises like it has before, what we make

at. Not all days have been smooth.

of the day varies for everyone with their Pictures: Lucia Mai

circumstances, and is entirely up to us.

49

Life in the bubble, David Shilovsky

Life in the bubble The introduction of the bubble rule saved sport during the pandemic, but it took an immense toll on players and their families. David Shilovsky explores whether this unprecedented move was worth it.

Pictures:

Lisseth Portillo

Lisseth leaguePortillo to function outside the realms of the

T -

HE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 have been felt across nearly every aspect of society, and professional sporting organisations have been no exception.

greater public.

The outbreak of the virus couldn’t have come at a worse time for the NRL, who had been haemorrhaging money for years and had virtually nothing squirreled away for a rainy day (or a pandemic).

Each club would have a bubble in which only essential staff would be included –—players, coaches and support staff. Everyone included had to agree to strict biosecurity measures that would restrict what they would be able to do and where they would be able to go once under the bubble conditions.

This meant they couldn’t afford to shut down for very long at all, but luckily, Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys came up with a plan to save the day — introducing a “bubble” system to allow the

The NRL itself would establish further restrictions – journalists and photographers found themselves unable to attend games as media passes were suspended. More cuts were made to staff at the stadiums where matches 50

Life in the bubble, David Shilovsky would be played, such as security guards, cooks, cleaners and administrative staff.

Rugby league coach Wayne Bennett was recently caught simply having a nice dinner in Sydney. But eating out at restaurants is just one of the many activities those within bubbles are no longer able to partake in.

The AFL didn’t enact their own bubble as quickly as the NRL, but eventually followed the NRL’s example. Similar set-ups occurred around the world, with leagues like the NBA and NHL centralising their respective bubbles in one or two cities across the United States and Canada. In Europe, all UEFA Champions League matches were played in Lisbon, Portugal.

These measures meant fans were able to get their fix of live sport through live streaming, television and radio coverage. Governing bodies and leagues around the world were able to recoup costs through the revenue the broadcasts provided.

In fact, if a player or coach wanted to do anything that wasn’t going to training or arriving at the stadium on match day, chances are they wouldn’t be able to. I’m sure they are happy to still be employed and able to earn an income, but living under these strict conditions couldn’t be easy for anyone. As Victorian residents discovered, having your movements restricted is not a pleasant feeling.

But what did the extreme conditions mean for those at the coal face — the players, coaches and their families?

But you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. I take in a lot of sport – probably an unhealthy amount — and the quality of play across the Aussie football codes is as good as ever. For instance, the tussle between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets on August 11 was the longest NHL playoff game in 20 years and fourth longest of all time.

In some cases, it meant families were separated. The New Zealand Warriors had to move to another country for months, away from their children, wives and extended family.

Melbourne Storm players and coaches faced a similar predicament when after seeing the spike of infections in Australia’s second most populous city, NRL bosses arranged a move to a Sunshine Coast resort. Rising COVID cases in Melbourne also meant its two A-League clubs fled to NSW and the rest of the league followed. Similar moves have been necessary for AFL clubs too.

Players in sporting leagues all around the world can take a lot of pride in the sacrifices they’ve made recently, as well as the entertainment they’ve provided for a lot of people that take a huge amount of enjoyment from watching their favourite team battle the opposition every weekend.

We’ve never seen anything like this in the sporting landscape before and we probably never will again. It’s been a truly unprecedented 2020 for sport.

And once players acclimatised to their new surroundings, they were still living under much stricter conditions than most of Australia currently is.

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First year Far from the ideal year that anyone expected, the shift to online learning has been just one of the many obstacles that COVID-19 has thrown at the world.

For Ashley Sullivan, her first-year of university has panned out very differently to her expectations.

L -

ET'S JUST SAY THAT an abrupt transition into online school wasn't exactly how I envisioned my first year of university to begin.

I had anticipated 2020 as the year to be. It was going to be my year. I had just graduated from high school, the trauma of HSC slowly becoming a distant memory, and I had been accepted into my dream course — Journalism and Law. I was turning 18, and I was looking forward to long-anticipated plans to celebrate the milestone with friends and family. Drinks and dancing were in the distant future, and I was deliriously happy for the days ahead.

Everything seemed to be falling into place. Until COVID-19 struck and the world became unrecognisable.

As with many others, the pandemic stripped away a sense of control. There was a loss of stability. I felt that I no longer held agency over my life. That I was helpless in the direction it was taking. And I was forced to face the reality that my expectations of university would need to undergo some serious revisions.

An overwhelming sense of exhaustion smothered my first semester. A type of tiredness that wasn't due to lack of sleep, but a weary heaviness that dulled everything out. There was a persistent battle between the desire to disappear into sleep and the nagging pressure of uni work.

During online schooling, my productivity was at its lowest point. There were so many wasted hours that I can hardly recollect. The days dragged on, and even with all the new 'free time', I didn't have the energy to spend it. Ironically, I would waste my time by being disappointed in myself for wasting my time. It seemed that everyone around me was learning a new language, a new craft, a new skill; constantly evolving to be more well-rounded individuals. How could I possibly keep up when I barely had the energy to drag myself out of bed?

blues Life seemed to have come to a stand-still. Time was non-existent as the weeks went by in an indistinguishable blur.

I felt like I was trapped in some bizarre episode of the Twilight Zone.

I was caught in a toxic cycle of procrastinating my tasks as they seemed so insignificant in comparison to the current state of the world, then scrambling to catch up when I was reminded with overwhelming anxiety that life wasn't on pause. I had to keep up, whether I liked it or not.

Awaiting online classes welcomed a strange sense of dread. University was unfamiliar enough, but online classes were a whole new playing field as the ability to socialise was only made more difficult. With cameras shut off and mics muted, strangers remained as strangers as Zoom let us hide within the privacy of our bedrooms. While these features were a blessing for when I would wake up five minutes before a class began, I missed seeing new faces.

As first-year social events were cancelled, I felt the window of opportunity to make new friends closing up, and my optimism was dwindling.

Online classes escalated my nerves as every answer I gave was accompanied by my shaking, stuttering voice. I felt hyper-aware of myself, convinced that everyone could tell just how tense I was. And who knows, maybe they could. Maybe they couldn't. But does it matter? No. Yet, at the time, it was all I could think about. I was constantly second-guessing myself, too paralysed to push myself to participate.

As the end of first semester grew nearer, the more I dreaded the announcement of the second semester being online again. Don’t get me wrong, I knew that the importance of maintaining social distancing through online classes far outweighed my personal desires. But still, as selfish as it seems, online classes have a huge impact when being a student is your main priority. I was desperately dreaming of the campus experience that I had looked forward to, however naive it may be.

As it turned out, I would have a blend of online and on-campus classes. That was more than enough for me.

First year blues, Ashley Sullivan

During lockdown, my life felt so unordered. I didn’t realise until then how much my high school schedule had kept me grounded. Frankly, I'm a creature of habit. I take comfort in structure. A routine that provides me with a regular rhythm for the day ahead. But even when I would try to organise my days, everything felt unnatural. Unstable. Nothing seemed to stick.

I was sick of being stuck in the same space day in, day out.

But the return to campus, even for one day a week, gave me an opportunity to successfully plan an organised schedule to keep my mind occupied for the whole day. As trivial as it may seem, it was valuable to me. Even my hour and a half commute, which would usually be an inconvenience, has become a comforting familiarity.

Now, I consume the sights of the city with fresh eyes.

This semester feels different. No, I haven't become insanely productive and dedicated all my free time to the pursuit of a new hobby. But I have energy. I have motivation. I've pushed myself to put more effort into socialising, and I've taken opportunities to participate in new activities. I'm taking a leap. Being bold.

I'm beginning to experience a taste of the university life that I had envisioned.

Online classes don't feel as restrictive as they used to. Maybe it's because I've finally met the people in my classes face to face. Or perhaps it's because I've become more used to them. Either way, I have appreciated blended learning for striking a balance between the convenience of home and the vibrancy of campus.

54

First year blues, Ashley Sullivan Looking back, I don't think I gave myself enough credit during my first semester as a first-year.

I've been so caught up with over analysing every single comment I made during online classes, and all of the time I should have spent studying, that I've forgotten to recognise anything I did achieve. During quarantine, I completed an online justice course, I experimented with new recipes, and I watched a lot of dance workouts (that has to count for something). I was fortunate enough to have a job that was mostly unaffected by COVID-19, and I was able to continue working.

Even if I could have been more productive, I would always be wanting more from myself.

Too many people have been burdened with the pressure to be productive that they have neglected to reflect on themselves. Even though online classes have afforded the convenience of extra time, the ways we choose to spend that time should not be associated with guilt. The time we spend on our self-care is non-negotiable.

While I can easily criticise myself and recognise that I could have spent my time more productively, I can also appreciate that a lot of my time was used for introspection. Heading into my second semester, I’ve worked on adopting an optimistic mindset to stay on track and remind myself of where I want to be.

The first and most crucial step was to be kinder to myself.

Letting go of the disappointment, I wish to look back at my first-year with pride of what I was able to achieve. Of what all university students were able to accomplish when faced with a truly unprecedented year.

Pictures: Lisseth Portillo

An open letter for all our healthcare heroes, Jibriel Perez

An open letter for all our healthcare heroes Not all heroes wear capes, writes Jibriel

Perez. She reflects on the important role

that healthcare professionals played this year.

H -

EALTHCARE WORKERS, YOUR PROFESSION remains significant, especially with the magnitude of this unparalleled pandemic. Your role remains deeply valued in this nation and

we give tribute for your commitment and service to help others.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the least civilians can do is adhere to social distancing and maintain proper hygiene.

We know that our hard-working and dedicated nurses, doctors, medical and laboratory staff who continue their vital responsibilities, put their health and safety at risk each time they fulfil their equally important roles, to treat those affected and those showing signs and symptoms of the disease.

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An open letter for all our healthcare heroes, Jibriel Perez

To the doctors and nurses on the wards who regularly check, monitor and treat patients, To the medical staff and pathologists who assist individuals in taking health examinations, To the laboratory technicians, officers and scientists who receive and prepare the specimen, process the samples and report the diagnosis to doctors, To the hospital domestic cleaners that keep and maintain a clean environment to culminate the spread of this abysmal plague, To the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics that efficiently respond to unexpected incidents and provide medical attention, To hospital staff and management for organising structure and protocols, Thank you.

We want to salute and thank all healthcare workers for protecting and improving the health and wellbeing of the people in the community. Thank you for your courage and for selflessly providing care wherever it is needed.

With the overwhelming demand and nature of your profession heightened by this virus, we hope for your safety. Your continuous diligence and contribution and notably, your great sacrifices are appreciated and recognised by many.

We all hope for a vaccination that will cease this outbreak.

To risk your life to save others — you are a real-life hero that is much needed in this health crisis.

From,

Jibriel Perez 57

Fake news and its rise in a post-internet era, Gemma Billington

The Comma Nov

2020

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UTSOC.COM.AU/THECOMMA

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3rd edition

Fake news and its rise in a post-internet era Exclusive Gemma Billington

In a year where we’ve all increasingly turned to the internet, fake news has been allowed to run rampant. We all have to think more critically, writes Gemma Billington.

I

WAS FIRST MADE aware of the term ‘fake news’ when I was about 14 years old. I couldn’t wait to show my mum the wholesome video I had found circulating Facebook of a man performing CPR on a pigeon to revive it. It could have been a lovely moment – full of family ecstasy and thrill. She watched the video, straight faced. She rolled her eyes and said to me, “Have you ever heard of fake news?” I kept my cool, obviously, but I may have been a little disappointed.

If it wasn’t for my mother, I may still be watching that video on repeat. But the problem is, it’s becoming

progressively harder to spot fake news.

The concept of fake news has gained traction lately for its part in Donald Trump’s rise in the 2016 election and equally, its potential contribution to Hillary Clinton’s downfall.

For consistency, I will be defining fake news as the conscious use of false and baseless claims organised to defame someone or something, often with the purpose of fuelling political ambition and political influence. It’s also important to note that as of recently there has been a push to rebrand ‘fake news’ as 58

‘disinformation’ in order to disassociate the term with genuine journalism. This notion has flourished in recent years where the internet, particularly social media, has enabled these voices to be heard, amplified and disseminated.

History The circulation of rumours and disinformation with hopes to defame has likely been synonymous with human development ever since power struggles have existed within societies.

While the dissemination of stories via word of mouth probably fulfilled the

Fake news and its rise in a post-internet era, Gemma Billington

The Comma objectives of pre-printing press fake news, the development and popularisation of print facilitated a new era of information distribution.

Great Moon Hoax In 1835, the New York Sun newspaper published a series of six articles that documented the alleged discovery of civilisations on the moon. The article claimed seeing life like unicorns, bison, bat-winged humanoids as well as oceans, beaches and trees all with the assistance of the invention of a new telescope.

Unfortunately, Richard Adams Locke, (at the time under the alias of a renowned astronomer), revealed that the ‘research’ was discontinued because the telescope had been destroyed. Not only did the Great Moon Hoax show the power of sensationalism with the New York Sun’s circulation dramatically increasing, the story became one of the first major instances of fake news and the influence it yielded.

Yellow journalism was another term that gained popularity during the 1890s.

Characterised by shock and sensationalism above journalistic integrity, yellow journalism originated during a circulation competition between the New York Journal and the New York World. The rival editors of the two publications, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, were accused of fuelling the Spanish-American war by using scare-mongering headlines to play off tensions between the two countries. Interestingly, it was Pulitzer’s bequest that led to the creation of the Pulitzer Prize for quality journalism.

Propaganda in the World Wars Propaganda and fake news were again revitalised on the path to WWI and WWII. Governments and state organisations spread deceptive information in newspapers, posters and films to sway public opinion towards supporting war efforts while casting the enemies as monsters.

This concept is generally referred to as atrocity 59

propaganda and is deployed during conflicts to spread disinformation about an enemy. A patriotic pride was manufactured by the government and news publications to push this nationalistic war effort, failed battles were twisted as a heroic defeat and public hatred for the enemy was spun by spreading claims of rape, cannibalism and murder.

During WWI, one of the major conspiracies disseminated by Western governments was the German baby eating campaign. That’s right.

Feasting on babies. After it was decided that public interest in the war was lacking, a baby eating campaign was initiated by the allies in order to ignite German hatred in the hopes of increasing support for the war. This cartoon (below) was first featured in 1915 in the magazine, Life.

Fake news and its rise in a post-internet era, Gemma Billington

The Comma Fake News in the Cold War After WWII, ideological tensions between America and the Soviet Union saw the beginning of the decades long Cold War, another major opportunity for the distribution of propaganda and fake news. The fear of communism or the red scare was further ignited by the House of Un-American Activities Committee and most notably, Senator Joseph McCartney. During the 1950s, government organisations and news publications notoriously casted communism as the enemy of the Western World.

While the circulation and exploitation of disinformation and fake news is not a recent phenomenon, its rise in power has proliferated with the accessibility of the internet, allowing for instantaneous shares and clicks.

PostInternet Fake News

Post-internet fake news and cyber propaganda have been somewhat strengthened and protected with the support of the American President who declares the press “an enemy to the people”. Fake news and its false narratives utilise sensationalism and shock value — seen especially in the rise of clickbait throughout social media.

The following are what I would consider the three major conspiracy theories and groups that have managed to take centre stage this year.

QAnon QAnon is probably one of the most recent fake news groups who have hit the mainstream media, most likely given widespread attention during the COVID19 lockdown. Among the numerous narratives the movement pushes, their main claim seems to revolve around their members possessing insider knowledge of Trump and his administration. The major QAnon conspiracy backs the supposed knowledge that the world is controlled by Hollywood elites, 60

billionaires and Satanworshiping Democrats who indulge in paedophilia and human trafficking and that Donald Trump is waging a secret war against them. And probably the most dangerous and harmful of their beliefs, followers of QAnon openly call out the coronavirus as a hoax.

QAnon conspiracies began around 2017 on a message board known as 4chan. The group’s messages were amplified once they spread to mainstream social media, with hundreds of thousands of groups and pages created

by QAnon followers.

QAnon has supposedly developed from the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which asserts that Hillary Clinton was running a sex ring out of a pizza restaurant in Washington DC. Now, the QAnon group is taking over anti-trafficking movements and hashtags like #SaveOurChildren to subvert the message and gain more followers.

When questioned about the QAnon movement at a White House press conference in August, Donald Trump said that he didn’t know much about the group but did say he knows

Fake news and its rise in a post-internet era, Gemma Billington

The Comma

they like him “very much”.

Yet even the FBI have since declared the group a potential domestic terror threat.

United by the conspiracy, followers and members of QAnon participated in an Australia wide ‘Freedom Day’ protest on September 5th to rally against imposed lockdowns, vaccinations, 5G and masks. However, the chants of “freedom” failed to drown out police. A number of protesters were arrested and even more were fined.

QAnon has seemingly morphed to become the overarching term to describe the entire realm of current baseless theories.

AntiVaxxers Another group which has seen a dramatic rise in following amidst the social

unrest of the coronavirus pandemic are the infamous AntiVaxxers. Following the containment of deadly diseases like tuberculosis, polio and measles thanks to the invention and accessibility of vaccinations, members of the 21 century have decided they have had enough of preventing the spread of diseases. They’ve decided that it’s time to hang up their privilege and rise against those trying to help. st

This is still no recent phenomenon.

Even throughout the 19 century, mandatory vaccinations were widely opposed – yet this may have had something to do with the fact that vaccines were administered by inserting parts of a wound into deep cuts in the skin. th

The side effects and the possibility of negative outcomes from vaccinations became the main reason for its objection. In fact, in 61

1894, a newspaper known as the Wiltshire Times published an article that allegedly exposed the motives of doctors for pushing the need for vaccinations saying that all they’re good for are “salaries and bonuses to public vaccinators”. So, I guess conspiracy theorists have been alive and well for centuries.

In recent years, antivaxxers have come to believe that mandatory vaccinations are not only dangerous and unhealthy but will erode an individual’s right to freedom.

A lot of these claims come from the ableist assertion that first arose in a (now entirely disproved) 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield which suggested that there was a connection between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. Despite Wakefield’s

Fake news and its rise in a post-internet era, Gemma Billington

The Comma paper being removed 12 years too late, the conspiracy fire was ignited and thousands of people caught on to the completely baseless theory and never let go.

Not only has Wakefield’s paper been dangerous in fuelling antivax conspiracies, it has been increasingly problematic for people with autism who have been completely dehumanised amidst conspiracies that position autism as worse than life threatening diseases. Even more frustratingly, Wakefield has refused to apologise for the paper and continues to be at the forefront of the antivax movement.

The claim becomes even more harmful today as it feeds into the disinformation surrounding the coronavirus where people have said they plan on refusing to get vaccinated.

5 G Networks Despite experts disproving theories to do with the alleged dangers of the 5G network, conspiracies around 5G and its hazard to our health are relatively rampant.

Fear of new technologies and concerns for what dangerous substances they The Comma

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may be generating are again, nothing new. We’ve seen it all before – from the dangers of microwaves to 2G networks causing cancer.

US doctor Thomas Cowan, who was and is on disciplinary probation with the Medical Board of California, may have been the first to fuel the fire that is the connection between the coronavirus and the 5G network. It was after Cowan’s claims were shared over social media by other high-profile figures that the theory gained traction. He suggested that exposure to the 5G network is the reason for the pandemic. He goes on to say that the virus was planted with 5G since both originated from Chinese cities (PSA: the first city to launch the 5G network was actually South Korea). It is also important to note that countries without the 5G network have been equally as affected by the virus.

These have been what I would consider the most popular conspiracy theories circulating today. And while I’ve tried to remain relatively objective, it’s hard for me to understand why theories surrounding vaccines, 5G and mask wearing can have such a huge following but issues like climate change are still being denied. In my uneducated opinion, it’s like

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these conspiracy theorists always need to be the victims in the scenarios that they are constructing, whether that involves their freedom being limited or being controlled by the government. If they try and make a case for climate change, they aren’t the victims.

Conspiracy theorists need to feel like they are aware of some huge secret that no one else is.

It’s safe to say that a lot of these conspiracy theories have originated or at least been amplified by the coronavirus. It’s an easy fear-mongering tactic.

In attempts to moderate the spread of conspiracy theorist’s disinformation, so far Twitter has removed over 7,000 accounts as well as making 150,000 less visible.

Facebook and Instagram have also deleted groups, pages and thousands of ads connecting with the QAnon community.

As the worst recorded global pandemic rages on, Australia and the rest of the world are faced with the ever-growing threat of people who think they’re the smartest in the room and believe they were personally selected to hold the secret that will expose the entire universe.

Stay safe, think critically.

PICTURES: LISSETH PORTILLO

Virtual vs. real life, Joshua Mayne

Virtual vs. real life Just like the rest of the world, the sport industry had to pivot when COVID-19 struck.

Joshua Mayne explores the pros and cons of virtual sport versus its real-life counterpart before the pandemic.

Unearthing new sport

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OR THE INITIAL FEW months of the pandemic, almost all of the world’s major sporting leagues were suspended. This lack of live sport saw desperate sports fans use dodgy live

streams to watch any form of competition they could find. Whether this was Belarussian football, Russian table tennis or international e-sports, fans needed a sport fix.

Broadcasters consequently listened to their viewers and brought them access to some of the few sports still in action. Optus Sport, for example, gave Australian fans access to the K-League and J-League in Korea and Japan respectively while the English Premier League stayed out of action. Despite the eventual return of topflight European football, this pandemic opened the eyes of many dedicated football fans looking to quench their thirst for the round ball.

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Virtual vs. real life, Joshua Mayne Whether these unconventional sports and viewing methods will remain after the pandemic ends is yet to be determined. But we can be sure that sports fans across the world learnt or watched something new during lockdown.

Creative fan engagement Although most professional sporting leagues are back in action, the majority of games are still being played behind closed doors. Fans understandably want to interact with their favourite team, so event organisers have had to get creative.

Arguably, the NBA has been the most successful, introducing a virtual fan wall on the side of the court in Orlando. They select fans, link them together in a video call, and project them on a giant virtual fan-wall courtside. Besides having the opportunity to get your face on national and international broadcasts, this has given fans the ability to interact with their team in these unprecedented times.

The necessity of social media in this globalised sporting world has also been highlighted. Online media has transitioned from being a supplementary way to engage with your team, to one which is essential. These online platforms have connected fans to players, teams, and the sport in general.

There has certainly been an increased feeling of international community since following sports has become ‘virtual’.

Sport needs ‘real-life’ fans Despite technology providing viewers with a remarkable virtual experience, this pandemic has shown us that sport is not the same without spectators. Despite the flood of online support for sports teams, it still feels like something is missing. No amount of simulated fan noise or personalised mannequins in the stands have been able to replace a live crowd. This is, however, a much better option than mistakenly putting sex dolls in your stadium, as Korean football team FC Seoul learnt the hard way…

The atmosphere of a stadium full of passionate fans is not easily replicated. There is this unique sense of community when you sit amongst like-minded sports fans in a stadium. Reclining in your lounge chair as you eat takeaway has its benefits, but it is simply not the same. New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter perfectly summarises the theatre that is created at a sports game.

“I've never been an actor on Broadway, but it feels like you're on a stage when you play at Yankee Stadium. And that's the feeling I've always had.”

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Virtual vs. real life, Joshua Mayne It has also been noted that playing in empty arenas and stadiums has potentially nullified the home ground advantage. The Conversation has highlighted how in European football the home team wins 46 per cent of the time with a crowd. However, without fans in the stands, they win only 36 per cent of the time. This is due to a few factors including crowd pressure on the referee, and the mental boost of supportive fans.

There may well be an imaginary asterisk next to teams who are fortunate to win a trophy this year.

As legitimate and impressive their success may be, it will be difficult for some to ignore the fact that they played their winning game with no-one truly watching.

Where to now?

This pandemic is not going away any time soon, and sport will have to continue to adapt. There is no certainty about when fans will return to stadiums, nor is there a clear path back to ‘normality’. What we do know, however, is that the continuation of live sport is a priority across the world. Whether it should be considered so important in the midst of a global pandemic is still debatable, however.

Professional sport may not be a necessity, but as far as non-essential activity goes, this is as important as it gets. This year has shown us that the world still goes round without sport, but its return has made life better for many.

Pictures: Lisseth Portillo

Possible resolutions in an impossible year, Emily Warwick

Possible resolutions in an impossible year The bar may be low this year but that isn’t going to stop Emily Warwick from achieving some (slightly modified) New Year’s Resolutions.

Picture: Lucia Mai

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020 HASN’T BEEN MY year. Then again, it hasn’t really been anyone’s year. I figure if Beyoncé is forced to stay inside, then chilling at home on a Friday night, in my pyjamas by 5:30, can’t be too bad.

Plus, it’s probably the only time Beyoncé and I will have anything in common.

A self-confessed home-body, the thought of staying inside, cup of tea in hand, watching a movie I’ve seen 49 times before, seems like an ideal way to spend my weekend.

Years of working in hospitality have meant my weekends are usually spent serving the MondayFriday-ers as they kick back, relax and distastefully shout ‘TGIF’ to bar staff looking down the barrel at a weekend of close shifts.

But 2020 was going to be different. New Decade. New Me. New Year’s Resolution.

In an ironically cruel twist to my life, my New Year’s Resolution was, wait for it…. to go out more.

Yes, that’s right, I was going to be that annoying ‘TGIF’ person, living my best weekend life.

I think it’s safe to say I won’t be achieving my original resolution anytime soon. So, in a bid to be productive in a year where unproductivity has undoubtedly ruled, I’ve decided to make some more…obtainable goals for the remainder of 2020.

While I sit back and reflect upon my new resolutions, I’m realising some will be easier to accomplish than others. I for one don’t see myself ever finishing the shampoo and conditioner simultaneously in my lifetime. But then again 2020 has been quite an impossible year, and in a year filled with impossibilities, anything is possible. ☑ 66

Possible resolutions in an impossible year, Emily Warwick

1. Finish my shampoo and conditioner at the same time – I

confess, this has been a goal of mine for many years, and to this day I am yet to achieve the impossible 2. Finish my yoga journey I started in week 1 of isolation – of which I

did one YouTube tutorial, posted a photo and called it a day 3. Devise a successful means of eye communication while wearing a mask – with work making masks mandatory, I’ve really had to

utilise the old eyebrow raise, eye roll, eye twitch, lazy eye, side eye, evil eye and crook eye 4. Learn how to raise one eyebrow – I feel like I won’t have reached my

full potential until I can successfully raise one eyebrow, plus it will be a huge asset for the purposes mask-wearing communications 5. Start a new TV series, not watch one I’ve already seen 5 times – while

the call to re-watch is ever so tempting, I should probably make the most of my Netflix subscription and broaden my horizons 6. Delete my 1372 unread emails – I somehow don’t think I will be

needing the confirmation email for my Neopets account from 2009 7. Remember all my passwords for the online shopping accounts I’ve created in the past 6 months – of which there are many, and multiple 8. Learn the entire rap of Eminem’s Lose Yourself – when clubs reopen I

want to sweep the floor with my flawless rendition, and if this doesn’t impress, my ability to raise one eyebrow sure will 9. Play a song, leave the room, continue to sing the song, re-enter the room singing at the same point the song is up to – simple, yet

challenging, yet satisfying when achieved 10. Take time to appreciate the little things in life – like toilet paper, the

true hero of isolation

The Crapocalypse, Alex Turner-Cohen

The Crapocalypse When Alex Turner-Cohen thinks of one object that sums up the bizarre year of 2020, she thinks of toilet paper. So she wrote a little something to make sure we never forget this shameful chapter in Aussie history.

“H -

ANDS UP, MOTHERFUCKERS!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. A manic grin spread across my face as I realised I was reliving my favourite Hollywood movie.

Around the bank, people were frozen in fear. I loaded my shotgun for dramatic effect and heard the satisfying click.

“I said, hands up motherfuckers!”

This time they complied. Everyone did the maths quickly in their heads and realised a show of heroics wasn’t worth a bullet in the brain.

“Right, we’ve got five minutes until the cops are all over us,” Johnny beside me whispered.

“Silent alarm’s definitely been triggered.”

Johnny prowled the floor space, checking customers and bank clerks were staying with their hands in the air, bums on the ground. It was like a game of “heads down, thumbs up” as a kid, I mused.

While Johnny guarded them, it was up to me to get what we came here for. I swaggered towards the customer service desk.

Most of the bank tellers were cowering and someone was actually sobbing, but a petite woman was the one that stood out to me.

Perfectly at ease, she was dressed differently to the others, not in uniform. She was the manager, had to be. Which meant she had all the access codes.

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“We have $50,000 on hand,” the woman told me calmly as I approached.

Her nametag read Karen.

Yes, she definitely seemed like a Karen.

She had a black bobbed haircut. It would have looked bad on most people but somehow she pulled it off.

She was unnervingly calm. It was off-putting. I supposed that ever since the pandemic, people were resorting to increasingly extreme measures — like robbing banks — to make ends meet. She was getting used to seeing the ugly side of human nature. Well, I was here for a slightly different reason.

“We’ve got another $70,000 in cash out the back,” she went on. “If you just give me a minute, I can get it open for you.”

“No thanks, sweetheart,” I replied cheerily. “You can keep your cash. I’m here for a specialist item.” I leaned in closer.

“We want your toilet paper stash, luv.”

The Crapocalypse, Alex Turner-Cohen

Pictures: Lisseth Portillo

Karen looked agog. “How did you…?”

into her temple that it left a mark. My head was

The lads and I had caught wind of an

sweating through the wool of the balaclava.

elaborate scheme by high-up bankers — to

“Open the vault now. Or else.”

hoard toilet paper as panic buying peeked.

She made no move to obey. Was she

They planned to sell them on at extortionate

really willing to sacrifice her life over

prices to a desperate public. This was the bank

something as simple as ass wipes? I held the

branch they used to store the valuable goods.

gun, finger hovering over the trigger. It would

But she made no move to open the

be so easy just to squeeze a little harder. I

vault.

licked my lips nervously. I’d never killed “Are you deaf, lady? Give us your

anyone before.

three-ply.”

“Three minutes to go,” Johnny shouted

How much is a human life worth? I wondered. Is it worth the same as a few dozen packs of toilet paper?

to me helpfully.

I cocked the gun and held it to Karen’s head. “I want your TP!” My voice still had a manic tremor to it.

She looked up at me. “No.”

As the police sirens drew closer, it was

“Excuse me?”

a question we were both asking ourselves.

“You can’t have it. It’s too valuable.”

“More valuable than your life?”

“Maybe.” Now, I was pleased to hear, her voice shook.

But I was shaking too. With trembling hands, I pushed the barrel of the gun so hard 69

Sincerely Me, Rachelle Tacadena

Sincerely, Me This year has made for a lot of introspection, and

Rachelle

Tacadena is no exception. She decided to write two digital letters capturing the conversation between her past and future selves, pre and post-COVID.

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Sincerely Me, Rachelle Tacadena

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Sincerely Me, Rachelle Tacadena

Pictures: Lisseth Portillo

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It’s okay to not be okay, Grace McManus

It’s hard being a young person at the best of times. Add a global pandemic into the mix, and you suddenly have a mental health crisis on your hands, writes

.

Grace McManus. TW: Mental illness.

Picture: Lucia Mai

Y -

OU'LL HAVE TO FORGIVE me if this article is unreadable. I've been unable to see past the static behind my eyes since March, so the luxurious act of writing has been just that — a luxury that my energy levels simply haven't been able to afford.

If you don't know of this static, you're one of the lucky ones. If lockdown was a treat, if uni's been a breeze, if your sleep pattern hasn't billowed out to ten-hour comas or whittled down to be barely longer than a long-ish blink, then you'll be reading this with the kind of disaffected affectedness that accompanies the death of other people's pets. But, if you're also battling the static within your own head, I hope you'll be reading this article as a form of vindication, of validation. We're allowed to feel shit, and by god, do we feel fucking shit.

Looking at the statistics of static, more of you are likely to fall into the latter group than the former.

In fact, symptoms of generalised anxiety and clinical depression were twice as prevalent in Australia in the first month of COVID-19 restrictions than in normal – or precedented – times (The Medical journal of Australia). Unsurprisingly, then, there was also a 30 per cent increase in calls to Beyond Blue in that first month, and, more recently, Lifeline answered a record number of calls in one day.

There's more where those came from, but I'm sure you've heard it all before. Besides, I'm not sure how useful statistics are when it comes to the static in our own minds. If you feel like shit, does it really help you to know that heaps of other people are feeling like shit too?

And, of course, I'm sure you know what does help. Exercise, vegetables, talking to loved ones, patting an animal, making a mental health care plan with your GP, jumping on your bike and riding until you hit the ocean and then dumping it on the beach and diving into the water and swimming, full-pelt, until you hit land, preferably New Zealand. Oh, and reaching out. All that stuff.

So, if the static in your head is also making you trivialise important mental health advice in a public forum, shout out to you. I feel obliged to end this on a positive note, but I can't wrangle up much, so I guess I'll just say — hope you find the remote and switch it off soon.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 73

Kids helpline: 1800 55 1800

The Year of the Mask, Olivia Mathis

The Year

Picture: Mark Kriedemann

It’s an item that has become the physical embodiment of the world’s fight against the coronavirus. Olivia

Mathis looks at the history of the surgical mask.

I-

T HAS PERHAPS SERVED as the most symbolic representation of our fight against the coronavirus. Wearing one has developed into an act of consideration and of social responsibility; every individual has been granted the chance to visually demonstrate the part they are playing during the pandemic. In a way, the masks have brought us closer together.

different colours and patterns. Every person sporting it is doing so for one, or both, of two reasons: they are either protecting themselves, or they are protecting those around them. The masks serve as the identifiable garment of the life and experiences we share during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, the mask has caused a deep divide in public opinion. Many have abided by

You can walk down the aisle of the train carriage and be greeted by an array of masks in 74

The Year of the Mask, Olivia Mathis

of the Mask

Picture: Mark Kriedemann the government’s preference that everyone wears a mask, following health advice that that But just as many do not believe in the cruciality of the mask; they do not do enough, and it is anybody’s right to not wear one. The opposing sides of the mask debate have been swiftly presented throughout the media and on social platforms, projecting discussion of the necessity of the garment into our households.

Belonging in the centre of conversation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the mask has claimed 2020.

remember a city without an abundance of face masks. Of course, face masks have existed for decades and have served roles different to what they are primarily utilised for today. As the Year of the Mask is coming to an end, let’s have a look at the history of this essential garment.

The mask with which we are familiar, the surgical mask, fell into favour with health and medical professionals during the 1960s. The surgical mask replaced the use of cloth masks, which are thought to be less efficient in the protection against the spread of disease.

However, the transition from the cloth mask to the surgical mask primarily occurred in developed nations. Presently, developing

It is difficult to picture boarding public transport and walking around our university campus without the presence of masks. But we only need to think back to ten months ago to 75

The Year of the Mask, Olivia Mathis countries still largely utilise cloth face masks.

To eventually evolve into our handy surgical masks, the process behind the creation and development of the protective garment began with much heavier and complex designs.

theorised that bacteria can travel on dust particulars, and so protective face garments became an established element of fashion of the day. In France, Georges-Eugene Haussmann was selected by Emperor Napoleon to conduct a redevelopment of Paris.

The widespread diaspora of dust created by the renovation saw fashionable women wear lace veils to protect their faces from particles.

Beaks of the 18th century The origin of the need for protective materials over the face dates back to 17 century Europe.

This general date marks the presence of the Great Plague of London, also known as The Great Plague. This epidemic was the last major spread of the bubonic plague to occur in Europe.

During the plague, doctors adopted attire consisting of a leather headdress (which extended down to the feet of doctors) and a long beak. The beak was filled with perfumes to lessen the smell of horrible odours. It could also hold dried flowers and herbs so as to cover up the scent of air during the plague. This reflected the belief at the time that airborne viruses were spread through scents. However, this was ultimately disproved by the germ theory – which states that microorganisms and pathogens are responsible for the spread of disease.

In the United States, a New York-based physician named A. J. Jessup recommended the use of cotton masks to limit the spread of disease. In the years preceding the 1863 – 1875 Cholera epidemic, Jessup wrote in 1878:

th

“Thus we see that as quarantine and disinfection will certainly spread of contagion from patient to patient, may we not confidently hope, by preventing the entrance of germs into the lungs and blood, by a properly constructed filtering mask to yet witness the spectacle of a population walking about the streets of a cholera infested city, without fear of its infection however deadly. As a properly made cotton filter worn over the mouth and nose must shut out all atmospheric gems of the ordinary putrefactive kind. We may confidently assure that those of disease will be equally excluded.”

Fashionable cloth masks in the 19th century

The cotton masks recommended by Jessup are similar to the cloth masks which would eventually see widespread use. However, his idea was initially dismissed and would be accepted decades later.

During the 19 century, different forms of face masks began to take over as the germ theory was discovered and more widely understood.

The 1800s mark a time when scientists th

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The Year of the Mask, Olivia Mathis The 1920s saw the face mask become a dominant staple of the operation room. They were also becoming increasingly prevalent in dentistry practices. During this era, scientists experimented with various materials to understand which would be the most protective.

Surgical masks Up until the early 20 century, the use of face masks was only advocated for as a response to pandemics, epidemics, or environmental pollution. The 20 century saw the beginning of the use of masks by surgeons during medical procedures. th

th

Pre-COVID mask uses

In 1905, American physician Alice Hamilton recommended the use of face masks by doctors when performing surgery. In an experiment, she tested the amounts of strep bacteria released from the mouths of healthy doctors when they talked or laughed. Alarmed at the results, she pioneered the necessity for mouth coverings by surgeons.

In the Post World War II era, face masks were increasingly worn around the world in response to air pollution. The past 50 years have seen the use of face masks for reasons primarily not disease-related.

Although the prevalence of face masks has significantly risen in recent months in Australia, countries in East Asia witness masks being worn all year long. This is largely attributed to awful air quality and pollution. In particular, China, Japan and South Korea have developed the mask into a fashionable item.

The wearing of the face mask, initially in response to poor air quality, has demonstrated an impressive impact on the youth culture of East Asia.

Mandatory masks in the 1900s

During the 1918 – 1920 Spanish Flu pandemic – an event to which the current pandemic has often been compared – medical personnel adopted for routine use of face masks and in many cities, the public were ordered to wear them.

At this time, masks were made primarily of gauze. It is argued that these masks did not do a sufficient enough job. For instance, many masks were homemade due to shortages. With the use of coarse gauze, the masks contained many small holes. Additionally, they were not worn correctly.

People often wore them Picture: Mark Kriedemann with their noses exposed.

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The Year of the Mask, Olivia Mathis Face masks have also been used as a mechanism in preventing identification. In the United States, banks and convenient stores have previously banned their use on their grounds as criminals use them to conceal their identities while committing illegal activity.

During the 2019 – 2020 Hong Kong protests, protesters sported face masks as a means of protecting their identities from the government’s facial recognition technology.

As a domestic case, Australians adopted face masks during our awful summer bushfire season, just months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. Who would have thought that within months of recovering from deteriorating air quality, we’d be introduced to another reason to wear masks?

The masks we wear now At this moment, the surgical masks we have been recommended – ordered in some states – to wear, are made of three layers. These layers contain microfibre glass and non-woven plastic. We have been taught how to wear them, and how to wash them. The rise of custom-made masks has seen people matching their masks to their outfits in a bid to reflect current circumstances in our fashion choices.

In this sense, the repetition of history has found its way back into our lives. Though the face mask has undergone many physical and attitude changes throughout the ages, we seek protection from a foreign disease in the same way the world did 100 years ago. Every new scientific finding and event in disease-related history has allowed the mask to stand as an imperative representation of our current circumstances.

The fusion of our clothing and the pandemic is perhaps a repetition of history. Fashion throughout history has often reflected the world and pop culture. Parisian women once transformed the need for facial protection into their clothing choices, and two centuries later, we are seeing the reestablishment of the relationship between face masks and our outfits.

2020 is the Year of the Mask.

Graphics: Lucia Mai

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Picture: Mark Kriedemann

Picture: Mark Kriedemann

The Dreamer’s Dictionary, Melanie Wong

The Dreamer’s Dictionary If words were defined by stories rather than dictionaries, then here are those shares some of the highlights from her column, with a stories. focus on the protests of 2020. cease (v.)

“2020 IS GONNA BE a good year,” your friend had insisted, all optimism and smiles and determination. He was wearing a shirt with colour on it, for probably the first time since you’d met a year ago. “I’m gonna make 2020 my bitch.”

You have long since avoided the new year’s habit of saying ‘this will be a good year’ based on the fact that it rarely ever turns out that way and you only ever seem to realise this in retrospect.

The fires have burnt themselves out and the droughts have been appeased but the death toll rises in its thousands and you wonder if this will be a good year for anybody.

“Fucking year of the rat,” your dad grumbles. “Year of the rat is always bad fortune. Every time. First global financial crisis, now virus and recession.”

You are the least superstitious person ever, yet you cannot help but agree.

Fucking year of the rat.

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The Dreamer’s Dictionary, Melanie Wong

king (n.)

The monarchs of old wore crowns and capes.

They fought in battles wearing metal-plated armour and rode on steeds bred specially to serve the crown. They organised peace treaties and declarations of war and, in moments of peace, they made sure their peoples were safe. Alive.

The rulers of old swung swords and then guns and then pressed buttons that fought wars more easily than ten thousand men could hope to achieve. They were born onto a throne, decapitated, made anew with statues and cries of liberation. They were poisoned in their rooms and betrayed by their band of brothers and even when they knelt in submission, praying to whatever god they believed in, and their rivals put that gun to their heads and pulled the trigger, they were still there.

King, emperor, majesty, president, trillionaire. They pulled different masks over their heads, picking up the pieces of before to build their own lands; different, shiny and new – a new world. When they looked down at us all from their thrones, there was nothing about their lands that ever screamed ‘promised’

list (n. and v.)

What to wear: • Nondescript clothing that covers identifying marks • Goggles and mask • Tied up hair • Heat resistant gloves • Emergency contacts written down • What to bring: • Water • Snacks • Cash • ID • Washcloth • Bandages and first aid supplies • Protest signs • Ear plugs • A friend Do not bring: • Jewellery • Contact lenses • Cell phone without disabling mobile data, going on airplane mode, disabling Face/Touch ID • Anything you don’t want to be arrested with

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The Dreamer’s Dictionary, Melanie Wong

march (n. and v.)

The crowds are stifling.

You shuffle forward with the rest of them, riding the wave of anger and righteous fury. The people ebb and flow with the sound of the speakers, their voices ricocheting off protest signs and statues and the wall of humans they face. The crowd starts walking and you do too, your glasses fogging up as you breathe through the face mask. In, out. In, out. No justice, no peace!

You move forward as one, this mass of human anger in the streets, pressed hip to shoulder in the middle of a lockdown. But some things will stay even when the quarantine is over, and the number of Indigenous Australians dying in jail is one of them. No justice, no peace, you think, and wonder how many of these people will forget about the 432 deaths by next month. No justice, no peace, and you think of all the times you forgot about it before and wonder, shamefully, if you’ll forget it again, this time. You’re no stranger to growing pains, but that doesn’t stop it from hurting every time.

It has been too long since you stood in the throng of a protest as a participant rather than an observer; a grieving, angry soul instead of filming and writing the first draft of history in the making. You think it makes it – not better, not this situation – but easier, maybe, surrounded by thousands of people whose hearts beat like yours.

You are not white, but you are also not Indigenous. Hold yourself accountable, they yell, acknowledge your privilege, and you think that that’s what you all should’ve been doing in the first place, without their grief and devastation and hope catalysing entire countries. You never thought you were a bad person, but maybe you weren’t a good one either. You try to think of a time when you really cared, actively, and can’t. You have always been a passive person, but it has never tasted as much like shame as it does today. The shades here are darker, and they know your name by heart.

Hold yourself accountable, they scream, and you think that you will.

quick (adj. and adv.)

The fanning of the flames is always faster than you would expect.

When the people first protest, they are dismissed as a passing phase. One day, two days, one week, maximum, and they will return to their office jobs and their mundane lives and the cycle continues, with nothing more than a blip in the radar.

This time is different.

The people do not stop. Rioters, looters, criminals; every moniker is applied to them and still they do not stop.

When the people walked with placards, they were ignored. When they yelled with anger, they were held down. When they throw Molotov bombs like baseballs, they are met battle for battle, bullet for bullet, until the city is a waste ground and there are no more trenches to protect the people. They came with their batons and their calls for damnation, the police and the politicians, the privileged ones and the ignorant. After the chanting and the sirens, there is a birdsong like a lament as the people stagger home to nurse their wounds, to rest for a moment before the cycle continues. There is no rest for the wicked and the ones in blue prowl the streets, their arsenals exposed to the harsh light of dawn.

When the world fully wakes, the chanting starts again. It sounds like an anthem.

Hong Kong, Israel, Brazil, America. They don’t give you a name, but you already know.

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The Dreamer’s Dictionary, Melanie Wong

run (v. and n.)

The city has fallen.

It functions at half capacity now, this harbour city that had once been the urban epicentre of Asia.

The people have been marching for years but their goal seems, all at once, further than it was when they began. You can’t recall when that happened.

The sky is clear today, unblemished, smooth. It is barely morning but already the students around you are mobilised, poised before the newest battalion. You hear the policemen heckling a crowd near you, separated only by a side street, and tug your mask closer to your face, wishing you had the safety of a helmet.

It had been lost sometime in the night, or the morning, and you don’t remember how. You feel the wind against your neck, drying the sweat there, a cool reprieve, the scent of smoke lingering in your nose.

In the street beside you, there’s the sound of something like an explosion — the sound of canisters dropping onto the tarmac. You dart forward and see a student by the cornerstone, hands clasped before his face. You wonder if he is praying. You wonder if it is worth it, to pray now.

Your bag hits your back with each step you take, a thump, thump, that echoes the sound of your heartbeat in your ears. A policeman shouts at you, his rifle pointed into the crowd, but his voice is stolen by the wind. Behind him, you hear a cry rising from the policemen, a dull roar over the ringing in your ears.

You wonder how much it hurts to be hit by a bullet.

Pictures: Lisseth Portillo

The other half, Evlin DuBose

Evlin DuBose wrote about the ridiculous anti-lockdown protests sweeping through America in April. Her eloquent piece was crowned the winner of The Comma’s Semester 1 Competition.

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HIS FEELS CINEMATIC — LIKE a zombie slasher, or that Soderbergh oracle from ‘11. You could laugh or cry at the sheer absurdity. This year has been a fiery, flooded, warring, disease-riddled trip through the looking glass, and just for good measure, there are alt-right human truck-nuts protesting in illegal crowds in the middle of an actual pandemic for their right to…get a haircut.

blind, bellicose optimism and faith in our leaders. USA! USA! Never mind the fact that things such as diet and physical/mental health correspond closely with income inequality—as does quality of education (if you ever received one) and the ability to travel outside your own hometown bubble. Never mind that America is one of the most economically unequal first world countries. Never mind that a vocal minority who subsists on untruths can find their voices amplified through the megaphone of the media.

Hey, I get it. To make fun of Americans is punching up, and you wouldn’t be wrong. We are (were?) the world leaders, and yet we’re fat. We’re mighty and gung-ho—and gun-ho, for that matter. We bleed red-white-‘n-blue, patriots galore. We’re casually racist.

Woefully uneducated. Always surprised to learn there are countries other than America.

We’re a land of migrants (but recent arrivals can take a hike, or scrub our toilets—just ask Kelly Osbourne). We pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and come first in everything— sometimes by tripping the competition. It’s the land of opportunity, if you work hard enough, and there’s something so darn charming about our

And for what it’s worth, you wouldn’t be wrong. But you wouldn’t be entirely right, either.

I know, on this particular front, Americans have a weak leg to stand on. The land of generalising and othering foreign countries has a tenuous claim, at best, to being generalised and 86

The other half, Evlin DuBose othered. Hell, you could even throw out a, “not all Trump supporters,” or, “not all Republicans,” after any rant I’ve given since 2016 I’d rightly cop the flak. But hear me out: this generalising needs to stop: For everyone.

of being a white international student but the privilege of a naturalised Australian. I’m stuck.

I can’t imagine what almost every other migrant must feel, even in Australia. My people weren’t those under fire during the Cronulla riots (coincidentally, led by the Australian human equivalent of truck-nuts). I know some alienation is par for the course in any culture; I try to wear my difference proudly, though I still sometimes feel ‘other’.

This is all to say that I don’t often feel like I have the right to speak out on Australian fallacies—but I am speaking out now.

For context, I’m half-American, halfAustralian. If you could hear my accent, you’d tell. Most Americans think I’m vaguely British, or perhaps Canadian. Irish? No, South African. Wait: Austrian. Final answer. One American was even impressed with how good my English was, and asked me if Australian is a difficult language to learn. Not surprised, right? These stereotypical stories make good ice-breakers, though I tend to leave out the observation that when I moved to the States at age eight, I was a white, middleclass, secular immigrant, and that the microaggressions that traumatised me in school pale to almost anyone else’s experience.

It’s not hard to wonder (or know) how bad it can be. I was never kept in a cage, or ripped from my parents. I was never told to ‘go back to where I came from’; I made that choice on my own.

I’m tired. No matter which country I’m in, I’m always defending the other, and I’m so, so sick of it. I’m sick of feeling ashamed, and explaining away bad behaviour, and trying to assure people ‘not all Americans’, though definitely some Americans, and not all Australians, though definitely Pauline Hanson.

And I’ve seen that bad American behaviour up close, the kind on display in the news right now. To me, the sight of a red MAGA hat gives the same cold gut-punch as that of a swastika.

It’s heartbreaking, because the majority of Americans can’t stand the alt-right, either. We want our country back. We’re sick of the division and so, so, so sick of the lunacy.

What would surprise most Australians, though, is that over here, the experience is much the same. Granted, y’all tend to be a bit friendlier about the accent. Mostly it’s something to talk about with the cashier. But if anything, I’m profiled more because people here accurately pick my accent. A classmate was once surprised when I turned up for my second year at UTS, because, quote: “I thought you were an exchange student.” (I’m not). If I make a social faux pas, or look the wrong way before crossing, it’s never because I’m young, or an idiot, or even just a fallible human. It’s because I’m a dumb American. I have all the alienation

My parents currently live in Austin, TX, home of the Alex Jones-backed anti-lockdown protests. For those who don’t know, Austin is a haven for true-blue Democrats, where the hippies and hipsters gather in an oaken, hilly sanctuary away from the rest of rust-redRepublican Texas. Sure, we see our fair share of MAGA hats, but they usually waft in from out of town. When I asked my father what he thought of the Austin protests, he claimed the photos on the news made it look like a 87

The other half, Evlin DuBose

Picture: Lucia Mai

radicalised army. In reality, there were only dozens. More than likely, I have more people in my uni year than they had on those capitol steps.

argued always against). They simply want to return to normal. We all do. And we all know their misguided grandstanding will bite them.

The truth will out, it always does. Sometimes, I wonder if we’re living through the second season of HBO’S Chernobyl. In its opening scene, the show asks: “What is the cost of lies?” For us, it’s been 47,684 American deaths, as of 23 April 2020. And there’s far more to come.

I can’t justify the mindset of those protestors.

They were behaving badly, and emotionally. I can offer this, though: they’re just as scared, isolated, and angry as the rest of us, only their leaders and media heroes are actively lying to them (or even worse, peddling dangerous halftruths). Their frustration has become externalised as vitriol, their shame as righteousness.

That number doesn’t seem real, yet. It won’t ever be real till the grief hits home. And it hasn’t hit home for those protestors—not yet.

But it will. If there’s a safe prediction to be made these days, it’s that we’re all likely, in the end, to know someone affected.

My parents were two weeks away from moving back to Australia when the travel ban went into effect. It’s easy to feel like my family is trapped in a collapsing country, while my brother and I are kept safe down here by a flattening curve. What if an American relative comes down with symptoms? Our relative ease in getting tested in NSW is a godsend compared to the disaster in the States. That lack of testing makes the scale of the problem—already incomprehensible—likely

They feel attacked and marginalised and frustrated with inaction (yes, I know—I know).

They’ve been left just as economically uncertain as anyone in the 99%, and without a social safety net (that yes, I know they’ve 88

The other half, Evlin DuBose an order of magnitude worse than reported.

Trump maligns COVID-19 as the “Invisible Enemy” as part of his political spin, but he’s not wrong. What we can’t see is both terrifying and unreal. But it’s often hard to take what we can’t see seriously, and those protestors couldn’t see past the lies they’ve been fed.

They don’t know how bad the problem really is.

I’m sorry. I get it. Please believe that we’re going through hell at the moment. And that manifests as an insidious, conservative ugliness in a small, vocal, infuriating minority.

I hope, when the time comes, we will emerge from isolation valuing empathy, not fear. I hope the grief makes us kinder, not angrier.

And when the time comes, I hope to remember the good as much as the bad—about America, about everything.

Our individualism, institutional inequality, and beloved American Dream have proven to be our undoing. What we used to value about our culture is now a liability, and that hurts.

American society is facing a reckoning, the kind that exposes the most deeply held and papered-over cracks.

Because nothing — nothing — is defined as the sum of just one of its parts.

Evlin DuBose was the winner of The Comma’s Semester 1 competition which was generously funded by the UTS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS).

Think of the millions staying at home, or the first responders putting their lives on the line.

Think of the Americans caring for the vulnerable with brave and quiet dignity. Think of the Americans who just want to feel normal but instead feel helpless, just like we do Down Under. Those are the Americans I know and love. Those are the ones I see. But for the justifiably enraged and confounded who can’t see past the MAGA hats, as a half-American, all I can offer you is this: 89

Retracing the butterfly effect on the BLM movement, Lynn Chen

Retracing the butterfly effect on the BLM movement Lynn Chen explores how one small event rippled through history to create the Black Lives Matter movement that we know today.

I -

F ANYTHING IS FOR sure this year,

computer from a coffee break, Lorenz

it is that the BLM protests were not

discovered that his mathematical computations

unprecedented. But, how did we get here?

showed that one small insignificant action

With the onslaught of monthly events that

could accelerate into a large chaotic event;

seem to shake up the tectonic plates of our

most commonly, we've heard the example of

human world, living in 2020 feels like one

how a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil, at

tireless dystopian novel. Trace strains of

the right time and place, can trigger a tornado

COVID-19 end up in the markets of China and

in Texas.

cause a worldwide pandemic. Citizens of the United States become fed up with racist police

At our first guess, this may suggest that our

violence and are hungry for revolution. Life

universe is predictable, but checking every

changes and we're forced to begin afresh in

small variance in our world would be such a

learning new truths in both our personal lives

laborious task that it renders it impossible.

and the larger world.

However, looking into patterns of history can be a source of prediction.

The Butterfly Effect One year ago, no person would have believed

Accelerations

in this timeline of chaos. But, Edward Lorenz's

Humour me for a second and think about the

Butterfly Effect theory on the predictability of

similarity of all political issues within and

the Universe comes close to giving us an

across nations: freedom, equality and power. If

explanation. In 1961, after returning to his 90

Retracing the butterfly effect on the BLM movement, Lynn Chen all disagreements stem from this triad, then forgetting the past is a mistake we can't afford

History repeats itself again and again, as we are

- particularly when lives become oppressed at

chronic amnesiacs to the past. Sugar isn't the

the hands of others.

important coincidence in the stories of slave trade. Instead, sugar points out the insatiable

While George Santayana's aphorism “those

consumption of the privileged - that many will

who cannot remember the past are condemned

have something, even if it does ensnare on

to repeat it” is one etched into the clichés of the

equality and freedom of others. Today, we are

English language (so much that we ironically

all complicit in the exploitative function of

forget its important truth), a startling truth can

underpaid sweatshop labour blighting in

be seen if we layer it on top of Karl Marx's

South-East

quote “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy,

allegedly contracted by fast-fashion retailers

second farce”.

as

Asian

countries,

a

which

are

like H&M, Urban Outfitters

The

and

composite of the

Zara. This occurs

two quotes is

in the production

-

proved true when we look

back

at

Black-

of chocolate as well, in which the supply chain

American history.

History repeats itself. When slave trade was abolished in the

of

largest

-

world's chocolate

corporations utilise child labour

Picture: Imogen Bayliss-Smith

US Constitution with the billing

-

of the 13th Amendment in 1865, the terms and

across Cote D'Ivoire in West Africa.

-

conditions about slave labour were too a farce

We’re driving faster and faster into the future

- it legalised involuntary servitude in the form

and

of penal labour and today, black Americans are

surroundings are blurry with no indication of

overrepresented in incarceration rates. About

where we are or where we have been or if we

600 years before the transatlantic slave trade,

have been driving around in circles. Perhaps

which forced enslaved African people to build

it's better to feel the jolt of braking and even if

the Americas, captured women were enslaved

we get whiplash, retrace our route.

into

its

ramifications.

But,

our

by Italian merchants to process on sugar after the 4th Crusade in 1204. Eerily similar, many

The magic of the Butterfly Effect means that

African slaves worked on sugar plantations in

everything is unpredictable in the present, and

the Americas during the 19th century.

destructive patterns can be turned around.

91

Retracing the butterfly effect on the BLM movement, Lynn Chen Reflecting on the mass solidarity for the BLM

silent.

When

new

information

is

so

protests of 2020, Rebecca Solnit articulately

instantaneous and accessible, silence with

notes that “many must have been ready for it,

these protests going on, is considered an act of

whether they knew it or not. Not in the sense

complacency. This is simply what changed in

of planning it or expecting these events, but by

the hearts and minds of many people.

having changed their minds and committed their hearts beforehand�. What seemed like a sudden wildfire of international protesting was really the Butterfly Effect of a growing civic

A Stationary Point

responsibility to speak out.

Watching the jerky real-time Instagram stories

Through patterns we thrive, stagnate or even

of passionate protestors on the streets

degenerate. Before dashing into those patterns

geotagged from Minneapolis to Sydney to

and embarking on our own Butterfly Effects,

London and the often peaceful means of police

we have to remain stationary and have a clear

resistance reveals one thing, whatever your

look behind, around, and in front of us. That is

stance is: having access to a phone and a Wi-

the only way to predict and prepare for the

Fi connection is having an obligation to not be

future.

Picture: Lucia Mai

92

Photography showcase, Mark Kriedemann

94

Photography showcase, Mark Kriedemann

Pictures: Mark Kriedemann

95

Revolutionary change is possible, Thushani Manthilaka

#Revolutionary change is possible With an internationalist mass movement against policing, Thushani

Manthilaka dives into why this time around the Black Lives Matter protests are unprecedented in nature.

I -

N JUNE 2020, GEORGE Floyd, a black man living in America, was murdered at the hands of the police. No arrests were made and so the people of Minneapolis took to the streets to protest against policing.

Protestors marched. Looted stores. Spray painted ACAB (All Cops Are Bastards) and Fuck 12 on the walls. Burnt down a local police precinct.

and went on to refer to Ferguson protestors as ‘thugs’.

Obama’s administration called in the US National Guard. The police reacted violently to the unrest in Ferguson and employed rubber bullets, smoke bombs, tear gas against the protestors. A protestor was shot in the midst of this battle.

Meanwhile, the police used military grade weapons like rubber bullets, smoke bombs and tear gas. They beat up protestors, threatened people, mass arrested crowds and set curfews. The US National Guard was also called in by the Trump administration.

Due to media suppression, the protests in Ferguson failed to create a mass movement across America but laid the groundwork for the Black Lives Matter movement today.

Moreover, what makes the protests in Minneapolis unprecedented in nature was that these protests took place in the midst of a global pandemic. At a time where black people are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Where unemployment is at an alltime high. Where people are being evicted from their homes and where material conditions are worsening each day for poor and working-class people.

It is fair to say that protesting against policing has led to more acts of fascist and violent policing, but it’s worth noting that this kind of civil unrest is not unprecedented.

In 2014, Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black man, was murdered by the police. The grand jury did not indict the officers, and no arrests were made. So the people of Ferguson took to the streets. Obama responded to the protests by ultimately respecting the decision of the jury 96

Revolutionary change is possible, Thushani Manthilaka end police and prisons. Instead of militarising communities, protesters are demanding a direct reinvestment of funds to the communities. This means investing in education, health-care and safe housing for all.

It appears that the militarisation of police in America has posed a bigger threat to the people than a virus affecting millions around the world.

The abolitionist movement allows us to question the role of police in our society.

The protests are calling for an end to state violence against black and brown lives and for police forces to be defunded. As a result of political organising, Minneapolis City Council voted to disband their police force. Despite this, some people are still demanding for the complete abolition of police.

We are given the space to question why the police as protectors of the state are more interested in preventing the destruction of property than caring about black lives. Why the state chooses to criminalise homeless people instead of providing safe housing. Why police officers come into schools to ‘educate’ people about domestic and sexual violence rather than challenge or discuss patriarchy.

Why an extension of the state is more invested in ‘stopping crime’ then recognising the direct link between crime and poor socio-economic conditions.

The call for defunding the police works within an abolitionist framework. Abolition seeks to

The act of abolition rejects the carceral system where punishment is interchangeable with the idea of accountability and justice. Abolition asks us to solve societal problems of patriarchal, sexual, racial, homophobic, transphobic and ableist violence. Abolition calls for transformative justice where we as a community focus on healing for survivors as well as perpetrators of crime.

In the end, the act of abolition demands for a more compassionate world for all of us.

Picture: Lucia Mai

97

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