Issue Nine - 2014

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50%, t o t p u e v a s d Buy an ven! e k a e r b o t ll e Res

CREATIVE DIRECTORS

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Nathalie Meier

EDITORS

Larissa Bricis Rachel Eddie Andrea Huang Tom Lodewyke Lachlan Mackenzie Lily Mei Hattie O’Donnell Nicola Parise Kristen Troy

News

Emma Sprouster Alex Barnet

CREATIVE TEAM

Bella Ali-Khan Samantha Haviland Peita Keilar Melanie Kim Jonty de Klerk Mikaelee Miller Bella Turnbull-Finnegan

COVER DESIGN

Emma Sprouster

ADVERTISING

Stephanie King

CONTRIBUTORS

Rachel Clun Daniel Comensoli Sam Langshaw Emily Meller Li-Mei Russell Brittany Smith Rachael Versace Bella Westaway Alison Whittaker Andy Zephyr Essa Freya

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UTS News: Activate board elections fail the majority

An Incredibly Comprehensive Guide to 2014

WITH SUPPORT FROM

UTS Students’ Association Spotpress Pty Ltd, Marrickville

Indigenous War Dances: Cultural Pride

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UTSSA Pay: The Skies Be Grey

Culture

Trending: Butts

Zinegeist: MOTE

Science, Tech & Gaming

If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say

Luke Ryan: Comedy Survivor

Fringe

The Defamer

SA Reports

A Brief History of: Movie Climaxes

Tender is the Beard

The Price of Life

An Apocalyptic Mixtape

Justice League: Sinking Statehood

Casual Sex, Casual Sexism

Sex, Bodies and Weight in the Music Industry

Podcasts

Showcase: Melanie Kim & Alison Whittaker

Rookie’s Guide: Saying No

UTSSA Financial Reports

Grad’s Guide

Puzzles (yay!)

Vertigo is published by the UTS STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION Proudly printed by SPOTPRESS PTY LTD, MARRICKVILLE Email us at advertising@utsvertigo.com for advertising enquiries.

Vertigo and its entire contents are protected by copyright. Vertigo will retain reprint rights; contributors retain all other rights for resale and republication. No material may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the copyright holders.

Vertigo would like to show its respect and acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Land, the Gadigal and Guring-gai people of the Eora Nation, upon whose ancestral lands the university now stands. More than 500 Indigenous Nations shared this land for over 40,000 years before invasion. We express our solidarity and continued commitment to working with Indigenous peoples, in Australia and around the world, in their ongoing struggle for land rights, self-determination, sovereignty, and the recognition and compensation for past injuries.

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

EDITORIAL Vertigo, the magazine, the myth, the legend.

23 years on and the little sucker is still sitting proudly in little metal stands across campus. From newspaper form, to stapled magazine, to perfect binding. From black and white printing, to coloured – heck, I’m pretty sure Comic Sans was used as a feature font at some stage. We have been a voice for students, criticised politicians, reviewed the latest video games, interviewed some fucking awesome people, showcased some fucking awesome art and design projects, and tackled some pretty heavy culture topics.

Climax is not just your end of year Vertigasm – it’s a culmination, a celebration. I know I speak on behalf of all my awesome Vertibabes when I say that this magazine, like an orgasm, has made us feel so good: a little sweaty, excited and nervous. It’s pushed us to our limits, made us wanna scream. But now we can sit back and reflect and say “damn, there’s a part of me that wants to do this all again.” It’s been a hell of a journey, and each issue of Vertigo is a testament to that. Each issue is more than just a publication, they are a collection and they complement each other to make a nine piece mega-series of weird, wonderful and wacky.

Climax is here to top it all off, the final leg of Everest before you scale its climactic summit. Our own Andy Huang interviewed funny man, Luke Ryan about his cancer battle and talent for humour on page 42. Facial hair aficionado, Mr. Comensoli, shaved away that bearded stereotype on page 28, Sam Langshaw gave us a special two page brief history of film climaxes on page 22, and Emily Meller recapped the year’s biggest events on page 12, from stolen mangoes to Chris Pyne’s cunt of a mistake.

So embrace Climax, let it be your big spoon and caress you at the end of your Vertigo journey. I know it will be mine. xoxo Nathalie and the Vertigo Team

THANK YOUS: Wizard Design Hands Intergalactic Themed Parties Loyal Readers Contributors Baben’ Editor Companions A magazine you can proudly call your own

FUCK YOUS: Staples Printing fuck ups Insufficient funds Spotpress Expensive Shiny Bits

4 / EDITORIAL

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THEATRE: The Legend of King O’Malley @ Seymour Centre, until 13/12 – $25

THEATRE: The Wharf Revue 2014 @ STC, until 20/12 – $45

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MUSIC: Lemonheads @ Metro Theatre, 8pm – $57

DANCE: The Legend of Love @ Riverside Theatres, 5pm – $15

ART: Drawing Out @ AGNSW, until 26/1/15 – FREE

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ART: NSW Visual Arts Fellowship (Emerging) Exhibition @ Artspace, until 12/12 – FREE ART: Fisher’s Ghost Art Award @ Campbelltown Arts Centre, until 14/12 – FREE

MUSIC: Josh Wade @ GoodGod, 8pm – $25

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THEATRE: Absent Friends @ Ensemble Theatre, until 24/1/15 – $30

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MUSIC: Daniel Lee Kendall @ Brighton Up Bar, 7pm – $12 MUSIC: Violent Soho @ Metro Theatre, 7pm – $33.70

MUSIC: Illy @ Enmore Theatre, 7pm – $44.70

SPORT: Bondi to Bronte Swim – $10

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MUSIC: Cypress Hill @ Enmore Theatre, 7.30pm – $84.50

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MUSIC: Cloud Nothings @ OAF, 8pm – $51.20

THEATRE: Emerald City @ Riverside Theatres, until 13/12 – $47

FILM: Moonlight Cinema @ Centennial Park, until 29/3/15

MUSIC: Nick Cave @ State Theatre, until 12/12 – $107.70

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MARKETS: Finders Keepers Markets @ Australian Technology Park, until 13/12 – $2

FILM: American Psycho @ Alaska Projects, 6pm – FREE

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MUSIC: Dead Letter Circus @ Enmore Theatre, 8pm – $38.90

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ART: Moran Art Prize 2014 @ Juniper Hall, until 15/2/15 – FREE

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MUSIC: Coogee Carols @ Coogee Beach Park, 6.30pm – FREE

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ART: Anne Ferren – Shadow Land @ Australian Centre For Photography, until 18/1/15 – FREE

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MUSIC: Violent Femmes @ SOH, 8pm – $59

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FALLS MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL @ BYRON BAY, UNTIL 3/1/15

CALENDAR / 5

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

GOING OUT WITH A BANG

Alex Barnet 1. Please Marry My Boy. 2. Attend every meeting, ever.

3. Gender neutral ghost illustrations.

4. “...”

Tom Lodewyke 1. Australia’s Next Top Model.

2. Win Australia’s Next Top Model.

3. Bushwalking.

4. “Why spend your hard earned money on a haircut when your younger siblings will do it for free?”

6 / YEARBOOK

IT’S BEEN A LONG AND TUMULTUOUS RIDE BUT IT’S ALL ABOUT TO COME TO AN END. AN ANTICLIMAX IS IMMENENT. HERE’S A FINAL GOODBYE FROM THE TWELVE PEOPLE THAT MADE NINE VERTIGOS THIS YEAR: 1.

WHICH REALITY TV SHOW WILL YOU END UP ON IN FIVE YEARS TIME?

2. YOU WERE VOTED MOST LIKELY TO...

3. YOU ARE THE RESIDENT EXPERT ON...

4. WHAT [UNQUALIFIED] ADVICE WOULD YOU SHARE WITH YOUR PAST SELF AND ANYONE WHO LISTENED?

Hattie O’Donnell 1. Snog, Marry, Avoid.

2. Bring the party.

3. Drunk live tweeting Taylor Swift concerts.

4. “Don’t give a cluck.”

Lily Mei 1. Embarrassing Bodies.

2. Show up in the same outfit as my boyfriend.

3. Being brutally honest.

4. “Tinder relationships never last.”

Rachel Eddie 1. Ladette to Lady.

2. Sass my way to the top.

3. Applying for jobs (unsuccessfully).

4. “Talk about election regulations even when you don’t know them”

Larissa “Gumnut Bill” Bricis 1. Who Dares Wins.

2. Get sunburnt in the fog.

3. The science of bananas.

4. “Shoot for the stars, ‘cause if you fall you’ll land amongst the moon.”

Andy Huang 1. Home and Away.

2. Become an emoji or be immortalised in a GIF. 3. Google hangout, answering emails and general office maintenance.

4. “Stop trying to be so meta with your answers; you’re being a pretentious jerk.”

Em “Danger Wheels” Sprouster 1. The Amazing Race.

2. Officially ban Comic Sans from all computers, and insist typography be taught in schools.

3. Safe dangerous driving, every road is a racetrack.

4. “If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot.”

Nicola Parise 1. Amish Mafia.

2. Strike up a conversation with anyone or anything, even a brick.

3. Cat whispering.

4. “Tea makes everything alright.

Coffee makes everything better. Gin makes everything best.”

Nathalie “Personathalie” Meier 1. Geordie Shore.

2. Spend all my savings on perfect binding for Vertigo if we ran out of funding.

3. All things food.

4. “Always wear a helmet when being carried by your drunk mates.”

Kristen Troy 1. Antiques Roadshow.

2. Represent cats in criminal trials.

3. Apple varieties – there are over 7500 worldwide, and I just want to eat them all.

4. “Every office is infinitely improved by the presence of cacti and succulents.”

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Lachlan Mackenzie Survivor Season 1 (the best season of Survivor).

Cover a house in shag pile rugs and Pringle dust.

Getting dick drawings published.

“If you tell too many poo jokes you’re gonna have a shit time.”

YEARBOOK / 7

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

ACTIVATE BOARD ELECTIONS FAIL THE MAJORITY “ACTIVATEUTS ELECTIONS 2014: ONCE AGAIN, COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT TO THE STUDENT BODY.” ANDY ZEPHYR REPORTS ON THE DECLINING RELEVANCE OF THE ANNUAL STUDENT BOARD ELECTIONS AND THE ISSUES OF ELECTING PEOPLE TO POSITIONS THAT THE STUDENT BODY DOESN’T THINK MATTERS. In September ActivateUTS held its annual student director elections, meaning you were asked to participate in democracy. But since the close of polls, the student body has heard little of the outcome and some feel a little dirty and used from the entire experience. So, what’s the goss?

With over 6 058 votes cast, the CEO of ActivateUTS Elizabeth Brett, believes “this is the highest engagement of any election at UTS.” But while it may show a large student turn out to vote, many students on campus would prefer the elections to change.

2014 Postgraduate Officer of the UTS Students Association, Kate Alway, finds the election “terrible, easily corrupted and pointless”. Alway says, “Online elections are meant to allow people off campus to participate and read people’s statements in peace, but when people are running around with iPads you lose that.”

ActivateUTS candidate for 2014, David Grover, agrees that the election process “definitely needs to be revamped. At the moment it’s just shove an iPad in as many people’s faces as possible, which is a good way to piss off all the people you want to try and represent.” Grover’s election visions unfortunately won’t happen this year, as he failed to be elected.

After seeing a group of students being harassed by a candidate, I decided to ask some questions about the experience. When asked if they’d felt comfortable with the voting process, I am told they simply do not care about the

10 / NEWS

election. “I voted for her because I wanted to be left alone,” said one student.

None from the group of six could even remember the candidate’s name they voted for. When I asked for just one policy, I was surrounded by blank faces. “We don’t care, because [ActivateUTS] isn’t really interesting to us. Expensive events, food, drinks and alcohol aren’t what we asked for. Their only saviour is niche student-run clubs.”

While this group felt displeased with the elections, they were happy that students got a say on the ActivateUTS board.

“Students don’t get enough of a say at UTS. It’s a constant maze for us.”

Criticisms of ActivateUTS elections are common, with last year’s topic being gender inequality. Frances Mao’s Vertigo report last year on the Board was bluntly called “A Whole Lot Of Wang” quoting, “that since 2011 there hasn’t been a single female student director on Union [now ActivateUTS] Board”.

Since then we’ve seen only two out of seven female student representatives get elected, but no change of culture or policy.

As stated by the 2013 Students’ Association Wom*n’s Officer, Alison Whittaker, ActivateUTS has shown a, “reluctance to investigate and put in place appropriate counter-sexist mechanisms and accountabilities.”

While ActivateUTS remains static on this issue, candidates have begun to use it as a policy point. One of the four elected candidates, Peter Zacharatos said, “I would aim to institute

affirmative action to ensure that at least one woman got up on board each year.” While not having the policy constructed yet, Zacharatos plans to “consult widely once [his] term starts” and considers the UTSSA Wom*n’s collective “high up on [my] list” in this regard.

However, the biggest outrage from student communities during the election begun when reports started coming in that non-UTS students were campaigning in the election, particularly in support for Peter Zacharatos, Sareeta Shah, and Dasha Konnova. This proves even more controversial as Zacharatos and Konnova were both successfully elected, out of only four open positions.

Both Konnova and Shah have refused to answer any questions. But Zacharatos has “confirm[ed] some of my support came from non-UTS students,” stating, “there is no rule against it in the constitution and it is perfectly legal to bring in outsiders if they choose to campaign”. But many students are now bitter that ActivateUTS elections are more about politics and cliques than policy and democracy.

This same problem was solved by the UTS Students’ Association, which made regulation changes to its constitution so that only UTS Students could campaign within its elections.

“The ability to bring in outside help encourages big groups to dominate, as that’s who is most able to make use of it, as well as making elections bigger and more aggressive” reported Kate Alway.

ourselves not by outside influence.”

The last part of the election is the ActivateUTS board voting a student President and Vice-President from the seven elected student representatives. Each role holds power and responsibilities, but still sits under the CEO and among the other six staff members who make up the 13 members on the board for ActivateUTS. Further criticism of the board is often aimed at the lack of paid student positions in ActivateUTS, instead having a stronger focus around UTS staff members. While it receives majority of our SSAF it still has structural power in the hands of staff, particularly the UTS Council who elects five out of six of staff positions on the board. So, the University gets to have five 13ths of a say on spending student money.

So what do we actually get from the election of new board directors? (Even if a few of them did get up in ‘creative’ ways). A few new projects, perhaps a new event day, probably nothing really new. The position of student director has unfortunately become more like an unpaid internship, no longer an innovative role.

What does the constituency want? The students I asked simply wanted more year-round support in club events. Cheap beers say engineers. Affordable, edible food on campus says the coeliac. Hopefully next election, there might be a candidate that embodies what you’d like. If not, maybe you should nominate?

Yujun Jung and Ashley Young were the other two elected student directors, and both have opinions on external campaigners. Young believes that the non-UTS student campaigners severely changed the 2014 election results, and Jung says “university elections should be run by the university students only. All of us want to see our university run by

NEWS / 11

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 2014 AND STUFF:

AN INCREDIBLY (INCREDIBLY) COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE IT’S BEEN A TUMULTUOUS YEAR BY ANY STANDARD. BETWEEN POLITICIANS THROWING TANTRUMS, UNIVERSITY BOMB SCARES, AND EVERYONE’S NEW FAVOURITE TV SERIES ‘ICAC’, IT’S ALMOST ENOUGH TO FORGET THAT IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS WE ARE BUT INSIGNIFICANT DOTS. EMILY MELLER RECAPS THE BIGGEST UPS AND DOWNS OF THE YEAR THAT WAS. IF THE WORLD HAS ENDED SINCE THEN AND WE MISSED IT, PLEASE EXCUSE OUR INADEQUACY.

MARCH: In more serious news, the mystery of Flight MH370 was solved by Courtney Love on March 17. Her secret life as a high-ranking intelligence agent was revealed when she tweeted a satellite image with the caption “I’m no expert, but this does look like a plane.” Sure you’re not. We’re on to you, Agent Love.

FEBUARY: On February 2 Phillip Seymour Hoffman passed away. Arguably one of the best character actors of his generation, Phillip Seymour Hoffman died from a heroin overdose after a long battle with addiction. We revisited Capote (2005), Doubt (2012), and Almost Famous (2000).

APRIL: Australia became the first country to recognise a third gender when the High Court upheld the appeal of Norrie (and kind of stuck it to the NSW Government in the process). Not so much judicial activism as a clerical error by the office of Births, Deaths and Marriages, nonetheless we can claim to be the first country to recognise gender-neutrality.

Tony Abbott made his ‘Closing the Gap’ address as PM. The ‘Closing the Gap’ targets (referring to statistical gaps in areas such as literacy, employment outcomes and life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians) were set back in 2009. Abbott commented that in this area of public policy, parliament is most unified.

Then who can forget the travesty that rocked an oversized-fruitloving nation. On February 24 a fast-food chain who does not deserve to be mentioned (since that’s exactly what they’d want and we don’t negotiate with fruit stealers) admitted they stole the Big Mango from Bowen. No one really knows why.

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But seriously, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, Fred Phelps, died on March 19. We obviously didn’t know him at all, but from watching Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends episode on the ’God Hates Fags’ crusaders, we’d be curious to see how the power-void plays out for one of America’s most hated families.

#Grangegate saw Barry O’Farrell resign over one whopper of a ‘memory lapse’, thanks to his good old-fashioned note writing etiquette. That’s what you get for being polite, kids. Being polite and really freaking forgetful.

MAY: We were off to an explosive start when James Packer and David Gyngell had fisticuffs, but by far the highlight was the production of a Newscorp watermarked picture.

In a total non-event, Christopher Pyne did not use the C-word in Parliament and frankly, don’t you all think you are being a bit

childish banging on about it? He has much more important work to do, like defending the [SPOILER ALERT] doomed Chaplaincy program and explaining why charging an interest on HECS definitely 112% won’t impact a young female lawyer who takes maternity leave because the real reality here, Sarah, is that women are “well represented” as teachers and nurses so any perceived inequality is a non-issue. Grub.

Then it was time for *foreboding strings* the BUDGET. There aren’t enough words to go into it here, but we know what you’re thinking and we’re with you – ROADS AND PLANES YEAH! JUNE: As alluded to earlier, the High Court handed down the decision to block the funding for the Chaplaincy Program on the grounds that they fall outside of the government’s power under the Constitution. Or: since we are meant to be a secular country, you can’t just fund religious organisations under the guise of education.

JULY: The carbon tax was axed on July 17, making Australia the

first country in the world to repeal climate change legislation.

“This is great news for Australian families and for our nation’s small businesses,” was the official Coalition statement.

Ian Thorpe was also interviewed by Parkinson, marking a rarely confessional and extraordinary moment.

AUGUST: The #teamaustralia mantra was rolled out. It was a confusing move: on one hand, s18C of the Racial Discrimination Act was not repealed. On the other, they also tightened CounterTerrorism laws and proposed Data Retention laws (guys, just chill, aye, it’s just like we’re looking over all your envelopes. Your electronic envelopes that track your location, the time you got the envelope and maybe I’m not actually sure but maybe also the history of every envelope you have ever looked at).

The first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Maths (the Fields Medal), Maryam Mirzakhani, accepted the award with the sentiment “I will be happy if it encourages young female

scientists.” You heard her, nerds. Get experimenting.

The sad news of Robin Williams’ passing was deeply affecting, and a sage reminder that those grappling with mental health issues need community support, and need to feel safe about reaching out.

SEPTEMBER: Scott Morrison announced the winding down of Manus Island detention centre. While not exactly a triumph, with the Government entertaining options such as Cambodia to replace PNG, it does seem to show that offshore processing in another country is deeply problematic, and that Australians don’t condone acts of violence or cruel conditions.

Emma Watson made an address to the UN about the #HeforShe campaign. She said, “If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by what we are — we can all be freer” and extended a formal invitation for men to identify themselves as feminists. As far as we are concerned, that is all there is to say about it – and it’s something that needed to be said.

OCTOBER: There’s a new worldwide game called “Where’s the Ebola?” So far, it’s been reported in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal. Then they started screenings in JFK. Then someone cried “Melbourne!” but it was just one of Wally’s friends also in a stripy shirt a false alarm.

Also I got sent a message something Blake something something Louise someone sex something but when I tried to Google it all that came up were pictures of weasels and Osher’s hair.

So that pretty much covers everything. All of 2014. All wrapped up. Oh wait, we somehow forgot about Clive Palmer.

Okay: Clive Palmer.

There, now we’re really done. What a year.

NEWS / 13

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

SPORT:

INDIGENOUS WAR DANCES: CULTURAL PRIDE THE USE OF TRADITIONAL WAR DANCES IN SPORT CAN BE A WAY OF CELEBRATING INDIGENOUS CULTURES, AND A WAY TO MAKE OTHER TEAMS SHIT THEMSELVES. BUT WHERE IS AUSTRALIA’S RESPONSE TO THE ALL BLACKS’ FAMOUS HAKA? TOM LODEWYKE DISCUSSES. It’s one of the most exciting and fearsome sights in international sport: twenty-odd All Blacks performing a Māori haka in perfect unison. Its effectiveness has been questioned many times, but the opposition against the haka can be read as a symptom of its profound impact on players and fans, both from New Zealand and the teams they come up against.

The sight of the opposition team standing in a straight line, watching stony-faced as New Zealand perform the haka, draws particular attention to the absence of a similar tradition for most other teams.

Several other nations perform war dances in rugby, but somehow none have achieved the profile of the haka. Pacific nations such as Samoa and Tonga have their own war dances, which share similarities with Māori hakas, and are performed in both rugby league and union.

In Australia, there have been attempts to introduce Indigenous war dances into rugby union, rugby league and AFL. Some have been successful, especially in Indigenous All Stars teams, but it has proved difficult to incorporate war dances into non-Indigenous or mixed teams. Why is it not only acceptable in New Zealand, but an honour and source of pride for nonMāori players to perform the haka? Undoubtedly, the Māori representation in the All Blacks is larger than Indigenous Australian representation in the Wallabies. Look at the history: New Zealand have done much more than Australia to celebrate the culture of their Indigenous peoples, in sport as well as in many other areas.

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This is expressed in the equal vigour with which the whole All Black team performs the haka, regardless of individual players’ ethnicity. Contemporary New Zealand’s identification with Māori culture is an example to other nations, and especially to Australia.

And there is potential for an Indigenous war dance to take off on our side of the ditch. It’s not like nobody is calling for it. Second-rower, Will Skelton made himself known in his Wallabies debut this year, but grew up in Auckland, where he performed Māori hakas as part of New Zealand’s rugby culture. Skelton has publicly stated his support for the adoption of an Indigenous war dance by the Wallabies, saying, “I have the utmost respect for [the haka]. It’s awesome and credit to them for having that tradition.”

There’s some history there though. On their inaugural tour of Britain, Ireland and North America in 1908, the Wallabies were made to perform a so-called Indigenous war dance – but, in the words of the captain, ‘Paddy’ Moran: “We were officially expected to leap up in the air and make foolish gestures which somebody thought Australian natives might have used in similar circumstances and we were also given meaningless words which we were to utter savagely during this pantomime.” The team stopped performing the dance out of embarrassment – both for themselves and for Indigenous Australians, whose culture they were expected to parody through the insulting faux ritual.

Australia’s rugby league test side, the Kangaroos, performed an Indigenous war dance between 1908 and 1967, and since 2010 the NRL Indigenous All Stars have opened their annual game with a Stradbroke Island war dance performed with several traditional dance troupes.

For next year’s game, a new dance will be developed in collaboration between players from various Indigenous nations and Stephen Page, the artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre. One of the main obstacles they will face is the sheer variety of languages and traditions of Indigenous Australians – there are hundreds of Indigenous groups across the country, with varying languages and dialects. The idea is to create a new dance that will represent as many of these nations as possible, rather than using a dance from just one. The concept of creating a new dance has the support of Indigenous players including stars Jonathan Thurston, Preston Campbell and Greg Inglis. To my knowledge, the idea has not caused friction within Indigenous communities.

A similar resolution was achieved by the AFL Indigenous All Stars, who also perform a war dance before their annual game.

Their dance was developed by the players to incorporate elements from different Indigenous nations, and has been performed for several years running.

According to the AFL, 9% of players identify as Indigenous, which is significantly higher than the proportion of Indigenous people in the Australian population. In rugby league, 12% of all players and 35% of the test team are Indigenous. These statistics alone underline the importance of celebrating Indigenous culture and sportspeople.

Of course, it’s fantastic to see all-Indigenous teams performing dances that represent their cultures, and there is good momentum being achieved in this area. But in terms of inclusivity, and celebrating Indigenous cultures as a whole nation, there is more that needs to be done. Neither the Wallabies nor the Kangaroos, our two international rugby sides, currently perform a war dance. None of our NRL clubs perform one, despite the many great Indigenous rugby league players throughout history and in current teams.

We need to address what it is that might make it uncomfortable for non-Indigenous players to perform these dances (or for team management to ask them to).

It’s a symptom of the need for better cultural relations in Australia – because performing a traditional war dance is about much more than inspiring fear in the other team. The fact that New Zealand players show off the culture of their Indigenous peoples so proudly – that you can see white players in the front row of the haka, belting it out with just as much gusto as their Māori teammates – is a product of a level of cultural respect and celebration that we just haven’t achieved in Australia. Not yet, anyway.

With the incorporation of Indigenous war dances, Australian sporting codes have a great opportunity to celebrate Indigenous cultures and the huge contribution of Indigenous athletes to Australian sport. Sportspeople have great power as role models, especially in a country with a sporting history as rich as ours. It would be wonderful to see our national teams, at least, performing Indigenous war dances, and emphasising that Indigenous cultures might be something for all Australians to embrace as a central facet of our national identity.

NEWS / 15

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

UTSSA PAY: THE SKIES BE GREY STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TO MINIMISE THE SHITTY THINGS ABOUT UTS. THEY WORK TO MAKE OUR EDUCATION QUALITY, ACCESSIBLE AND SAFE — AND MOST PEOPLE DON’T EVEN KNOW IT. WHAT YOU ALSO PROBABLY DO NOT KNOW, IS THAT THOSE REPRESENTATIVES ARE SEVERELY UNDERPAID. RACHEL EDDIE DISCUSSES. So what are UTS student representatives paid?

The President and Education Vice-President of the UTSSA (UTS Students’ Association) are each paid $19 000 per annum. The Secretary, the only other paid student representative, receives a quarter of that amount. All other members of the UTSSA are paid nothing. This includes the Treasurer, Assistant Secretary, Broadway Convenor, Markets Convenor, Kuring-gai Convenor, Indigenous Officer, Postgrad Officer, Overseas Officer, Wom*n’s Officer, Environment Officer, Disability Officer, Ethnocultural Officer, Welfare Officer, Overseas Officer and Director of Student Publications, along with a further 10 Members of Council, as well as Vertigo’s 10 editors and two designers. All are paid nothing for their work, and most will in fact find themselves out of pocket bettering the UTS experience.

What are they paid at other universities?

For the most part, comparable universities pay their student representatives much more: At the University of Sydney, the President receives $39 071.27 in wages and $3 614.09 in superannuation, totalling at $42 685.36. For the office bearers of the Wom*n’s Department, there is $25 472.96 plus $2 356.25 superannuation in stipends. This is typically split between two, however, and this year it is between three. For editors of Honi Soit, their student magazine, there is a cap of $40 000 to share between editors.

This year there are 10 editors and one designer, each receiving $3 636 per annum.

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Ammy Singh, co-editor of Tharunka, confirmed that the Secretary, Education, Women’s, International, Disability, Welfare and Indigenous Officers at UNSW are each paid $10 982 per annum. The office bearer of Ethnic Affairs receives $8 237, and will next year be paid as much as those aforementioned. Two Queer Officers are each paid $8,237 per annum, and the editors of Tharunka, the UNSW student newspaper, split $17 159 between three. This equates to $5 719.6 per editor.

At Monash University, all office bearers receive $10.91 per hour. For the co-editors of student magazine Lot’s Wife, that equates to $272 per week for roughly 25 hours of work.

At the University of Wollongong, Belinda Quinn, co-editor of Tertangala, confirmed that an honorarium of $6 000 is split between their editors. This year there are two editors, meaning that each will receive $3 000 for their year’s work.

For editors of Catalyst, the RMIT student magazine, each are paid an honorarium of around $9 000 for the year. Broede Carmody, co-editor of Catalyst commented that this “means we get paid just over $300 a fortnight. This is definitely not enough to live off and hardly anything in comparison to the amount of work we put in, but it does help us pay our rent.”

Even those paid a greater wage by their university still find the remuneration to be inadequate. The financial situation for UTS student representatives can only be worse.

Why does UTS pay less?

It’s clear that student representatives at UTS receive less financial assistance than at comparable universities. UTSSA President, Chris Gall explained that this all began with the introduction of Voluntary Student Unionism in 2006, which was “the single greatest hit to the financial capacity of student unions in Australian history. Many were completely dissolved.

“UTS Students’ Association was saved by the university’s assistance but revenue dropped by more than 70%. It was at that point where the once minimal but adequate pay of student office bearers was abolished and the current insufficient arrangements put in place. Numerous staff were also terminated, departments abolished and programs ended. Since the introduction of the SSAF [Student Services and Amenities Fee] in 2010 some of these services have been restored, including the legal service, additional caseworks, the clubs and collectives program and Vertigo funding was drastically raised. What never saw implementation was the reintroduction of pay for student office bearers,” Gall explained.

Why that has still hasn’t changed, according to Gall, is that “unlike the pre-2006 system of student union funding, the SSAF model puts the allocation of fees into the hands of the university to allocate. They have not permitted SSAF funding to be used for pay beyond a certain level.”

Why should they get paid?

Catalyst’s Broede Carmody noted that: “Student unions exist to lobby for the rights of students. It would seem on the face of it contradictory for a student union not to pay its student employees.” You said it, sister. But hypocrisy aside, there are

a number of reasons why paying student representatives matters — and why it should matter to you.

First off, a lack of pay for student representatives compromises their ability to deliver. With such inadequate pay rates, representatives cannot see reforms through and make the achievements that they would like to. As Gall stated: “Lots of work could be done that people simply don’t have the capacity for. People that would like to contribute to the Association instead are forced to do paid work to live.

Offering basic financial recompense would mean every cent of SSAF money that goes to the Association could be better applied and produce better outcomes for advocacy and services.”

Second of all, inadequate pay keeps disadvantaged students from gaining equal experience and representation in the Association. UTS Member of Council, Maggie Sheen stated that: “Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in particular face great difficulty in student representation. The ability to ensure they can afford basic living needs such as rent, utilities and food is compromised when students aren’t properly compensated for their time and effort.”

“It can become almost impossible for financially vulnerable students to get involved (and stay involved) in student representation. Representation requires diversity, which can’t really occur when the only people able to participate are those with the funds to do so,” Sheen continued.

On this point, Carmody noted that “in particular, paid positions encourage students from rural and regional backgrounds like myself to get involved in student media and

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politics because we do not have the luxury of living at home, and working for free is often not a viable option.” By providing inadequate financial assistance — or in many cases, no financial assistance at all — we keep disadvantaged students from having representation in the Association. We keep them from having their voices heard and we keep them from gaining experience. Those that do join the Association, can end up drowning without the support they need.

But lastly — even if you yourself are not involved in your Students’ Association, an active Association and reputable Vertigo are likely to lead to employability. Oh, you go to that university I saw on television? That university with a knockout student magazine? Your education must be top quality!

You have the job Glen Coco! You go Glen Coco.

Okay, so when can we expect change?

According to Chris Gall, UTSSA President: “There is a strong possibility of stipends increasing. This requires a by-law change which is constitutionally challenging. Our conversations with the university are about securing another long term funding arrangement.” The President noted that the Association was this year afforded an extra $50 000.

“Next year we are expecting a similar increase, of which we are likely to request some amount go to assisting the implementation of new stipends and honorariums.

“This year management indicated that allocating us money for student pay was a low priority however, which is why the Association is preparing to commit some non-SSAF revenue to the project.”

Though the university has put paying employees low on their list of things to do, Gall remained hopeful that an increase

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in pay will see the Secretary receive a full rate, and quarter rates for the Treasurer, Assistant Secretary and ten other office bearers, as well as a modest grant for each Vertigo editor each semester in the style of Commonwealth Start-up Scholarships.

“This proposal is only a modest increase in stipends, which is all we can afford at the medium term, but will have an enormously positive effect on the function of the Students’ Association,” the President noted, and is “only in the early consultation phase.”

We all enjoy the Bluebird Brekkie Bar, and appreciate smaller class sizes and fair working conditions for our teachers. We are pleased to have a safe space for Wom*n, Indigenous and Queer collectives. We relish free legal, financial and career services. But all this doesn’t appear from nowhere — students take time out of their lives to make it happen. Even this article and the pages you read in this entire magazine are made by students who do it for you — and for nothing.

As it stands, volunteers in the Students’ Association do not have the resources to make your experience as good as it can be. Other universities do. Is UTS okay being lesser than the University of Sydney? Than UNSW? Than RMIT?

BUTTS “The gluteus maximus – is the largest and most superficial of the three gluteal muscles,” Wikipedia® 2014.

It seems as though butts no longer have a behind the scenes role. Finally they’ve been put where they so rightfully belong, centre stage and in the spotlight, like Honey BooBoo at a beauty pageant.

“The big booty has officially become ubiquitous,” recently asserted Vogue magazine, apparently oblivious to the last thousand years of fart jokes.

But(t) why are we only acknowledging them as a thing now? Why are songs like ‘All About that Bass’, ‘Anaconda’ and JLo and Iggy Azelea’s ‘Booty’ so popular? Why are we celebrating the body feature that expels stinky farts and hangover poos?

The answer is simple: our bums have always been there for us – we need to have more respect for this beautiful body part that’s been the butt of many jokes.

Everyone has one (unless you’ve been a victim of the Bugalugs Bum Thief), and when it comes to size and shape, it doesn’t really matter – whether it’s small and perky, flat as a tack, covered in moon-like craters of cellulite, hairy, grandiose or pimpled, you gotta be grateful for the boot ya goot.

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE SLAM IT TO THE LEFT. IF YOU’RE HAVING A GOOD TIME, OR NOT – THE DAILY DRAG CAN GET YOU DOWN. RACHEL CLUN LETS YOU KNOW IT’S OKAY TO SCREW IT ALL AND JOIN THE ARMY. It’s a time of year where most people are contemplating their post-university career, and that future can look scary.

working as a vet) in both part-time and full-time rolls up until he joined the military.

Luckily for us, the beauty of our modern world is that you don’t have to stick to one career your whole life – and while career-changing decisions are tough, the results can be worth it.

He’s the first to admit he’s no spring chicken, but changing careers has been a great move for dad.

While there’s nothing extraordinary about my dad, he’s switched careers a couple of times in his life. Most recently, at the age of 55, Louis Clun quit his job as a full-time veterinary surgeon and casual dermatology lecturer to join the army.

It’s pretty bizarre seeing your gentle, animal-loving father learn how to use a semi-automatic weapon and wander about your parent’s home in camouflage gear. But stranger still, he reckons it’s the best job he’s ever had: “The suggestion was made to me by two army chaplains to apply for part time work in the army reserves,” says dad, who lives in army-centric Townsville.

Only one year into reserves the opportunity came to go full time and resign from vet work, and he took the opportunity almost straight away, “You know, vet work is stressful, and army chaplaincy was just so fun and new and exciting.”

Way before joining the army, he originally studied vet science.

He absolutely loved the degree, and after graduating worked as a full-time veterinary surgeon.

“I finally found the most perfect job when I was 55, and no regrets, it’s all fun. I’m coming at it all bright-eyed and bushytailed … I feel a privilege coming to it late in life – I never expected to be here.”

Now I’m not saying you should use my dad as a reason to go and quit your job or degree immediately, but it feels pretty good to know there are people out there who show that no matter what you’ve studied or wanted to do, it’s okay to change your mind later.

Because the thing is, you’re probably not a politician. You don’t have to stick to one message, and it’s completely normal to try lots of different things out.

Perhaps the idea of failure is scary, and that’s what is stopping you from applying for your dream job. But the worst that can happen in that scenario is just that they won’t hire you: it’s not like it’s the end of days.

So you should apply for that job, do a different degree or move away somewhere for a completely new start.

Sometimes things go wrong, or get difficult, but if you don’t take the plunge and make a big decision you’ll be stuck in the “what if” limbo forever.

However, after working as a vet for five years, he quit to study theology and afterwards worked as a minister (and continued

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF:

FILM CLIMAXES SAM LANGSHAW IS A BAD MAN WITH A BAD MIND WHO WROTE BAD WORDS ABOUT FILMS. INNUENDO APLENTY, HERE IS A BRIEF HISTORY OF FILMS REACHING THEIR PEAK. Like every good, wholesome date, every film should have a good climax. The climax is important because it so often informs your wider opinion of the film and sticks in your mind when you leave the theatre. I’m a sucker for a satisfying climax, and I can forgive a lot of what’s come before if the ending leaves me redfaced and short of breath.

The Surprise Factor Horror films often rely on their ability to climax in order to be crowd pleasers. The teasing and tension of the film’s first half should, when handled well, take the audience on a ride right through to a fulfilling finish. Up until one character picks up an axe, The Shining is creepy, nerve-wracking and suspenseful because Stanley Kubrick knows how to make us squirm. We’re a mix of nervous and confused as we’re drip-fed the story and left to question why Danny talks to his finger or why he sees two dead girls, or if any of that is even real. The action escalates to a dramatic and murderous chase before finishing on an uncertain note, leaving us to reflect in awe on Kubrick’s mastery, knowing we were never in control.

The climax of the terrifically meta slasher flick Scream comes a mere 58 minutes in, as the ghost-face killer aims his knife toward the generic American teen house party. With a climax

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that lasts fifty minutes and keeps you on the edge of your seat with suspense and surprise, ebbing and flowing through periods of action, you’re constantly wanting more. You want to know who is next, you want to know why and you want to know who the hell is killing all these kids.

Blow Your Mindload Then there are the films that just pull the rug from underneath you, forcing you to question everything you’ve been emotionally investing in. M. Night Shymalan is a glutton for pulling this twist stunt at the end of his films, and has done so with varying degrees of success. On the one hand, you have the brilliance of The Sixth Sense, which builds to the thigh-shuddering climax of learning that a certain, frighteningly unbald guy is not what he seemed to be. It’s a little silly, but completely believable, and M. Night makes it work within the context of the story.

But then you’ve got the terrible collection of moving images that pretends to be film, The Village, where the climax essentially comes out of nowhere, blowing its mindload before you’re even slightly ready for it. The climax does slightly redeem the turd-film that came before it, because it at least indicates that M. Night did put some effort and thought into the project.

It’s still a turd, but a turd that makes you go back and think about everything leading up to its everything-is-not-as-itseems ending.

The Long Haul I cried way too much at the end of The Dark Knight Rises and – contrary to popular belief – that does not (always) mean there

was a problem with the climax. And that’s because Christopher Nolan had done such an excellent job in making me care about his film and the character of Batman as a human with human flaws. But it wasn’t just the sympathy that got me going, it was also that The Dark Knight Rises is a bookend to a very definitive trilogy of films. In a time where blockbuster action series either churn out loud sequel after loud sequel because the money is too good for the director (Michael Bay) to turn down, it is so rare for a series to have a clear dramatic climax thanks to an incredibly strong overarching narrative. People take note: the only stories with good endings are the ones that take the time to build up to it. That’s innuendo for foreplay.

Toy Story 3 is also a fittingly wonderful and heartfelt conclusion to a beloved series about some talking product placements. The dramatic tension is ramped up considerably by a certain scene in a certain incinerator where certain main characters are faced with certain death. For everyone who grew up with Toy Story, it was near impossible not to choke up as we watched Andy describe his favourite toys to their new owner, and listened to Randy Newman’s goofy yet nostalgic vocal stylings. Over time we came to care so much about the characters and their journey that it kind of stopped mattering where they were going. The climax is always more satisfying when you get there with friends.

newspaperman Joe is dumped by Audrey Hepburn’s Princess Anne, with whom he has fallen in love. Princess gotta princess, after all. It’s the logical ending, but it pains the Hollywood romantic in us to be denied the adequate satisfaction romantic comedies usually bring.

Climaxing is all about structuring a story in a way that satisfies, where the film pivots around a midpoint and folds in on itself, coming to a conclusion that feels whole. It should ideally serve as a response to its opening and fulfil, or at least address, what we’ve been experiencing for the past hour or two. One of my favourite films, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is a structurally daring film, taking place across two different timelines, with stories told both chronologically and backwards. And yet a poignant, quiet and ultimately ambiguous climax emerges at the end of all this chaotic storytelling – two characters in a hallway, deciding to try again. It ends as it began and the Mobius strip-like structure is ingenious and fulfilling.

Not every climax has to blow you away, and not every climax will, but the best ones make the whole ride worthwhile.

Begging For More Then we have the films that stop short of a satisfying climax, teasing us with a build-up and then killing the mood like your curious roommate who thought he heard “some weird noises in here”. Classic romantic comedy Roman Holiday did something that few romantic comedies had dared to do before by ending with its leads apart. After their day together exploring Rome,

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SINKING STATEHOOD PICTURE THIS: A SUBMERGED CITY, ONCE AN ENTIRE NATION AND CULTURE, NOW NOTHING MORE THAN A TIDAL RELIC OF THE PAST. RACHAEL VERSACE EXPLORES THE TERRIFYING REALITY OF GLOBAL WARMING FOR LOW-LYING ISLAND STATES ACROSS THE CENTRAL PACIFIC. Kiribati is a nation struggling to stay afloat. 32 of its 33 islands are low-lying atolls, elevated only two metres above sea level. The waters surrounding the nation are slowly warming and rising, and, if scientific evidence is correct, Kiribati will be completely submerged by the end of the century, perhaps even sooner.

Before the expanding water consumes the island state, it will first contaminate their already dwindling fresh water supply, destroy their agricultural livelihood, and erode their coastline, causing widespread economic devastation, displacement and disease.

Kiribati’s water supply is sourced primarily from underground fresh water lenses, which are sustained by periods of heavy rainfall. However, high tides and frequent storming due to climate change are causing salt water intrusion and contamination. There are some ground water wells, which also provide fresh water, but these too have been polluted as sea levels have risen. Not only is the rise in sea level infiltrating the fresh water supply, it is also damaging many of Kiribati’s agricultural crops. Salt water contamination and inundation will make it virtually impossible for crops to thrive, and inconsistent rainfall and climate variability will inevitably reduce the growth of coconuts and te babai (Kiribati’s main exports).

The permanent population of Kiribati rests at above 100 000 people, and coastal erosion due to climate change is making it progressively harder to sustain this population. Many are becoming displaced from their traditional housing plots, and being forced to migrate elsewhere within the territory. This

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inter-island migration has resulted in over crowding, with the narrow islands struggling to adapt to the ever changing population density.

What we are seeing here is large-scale devastation. Kiribati’s citizens are wading in the deep, fighting for the preservation of their culture, their national integrity, and their lives.

Despite having barely contributed to global warming, Kiribati is suffering the brunt of its environmental devastation, and the Kiribati Government is preparing as best it can for the worst. It has provided funding for seawalls made of coral, stone and concrete to protect Kiribati’s vulnerable shoreline from the rising tide. President Anote Tong has even gone so far as to purchase 20 square kilometres of Vanua Levu, a Fijian Island approximately 2 000 kilometres from Kiribati. However, despite these efforts to preserve Kiribati as a sovereign and habitable entity, the Government has accepted the painful inevitability of relocation. This raises important questions about the extent to which current global governance can mitigate the prospective crisis.

Research indicates that the ‘climate refugee’ crisis will far surpass all known refugee crises in terms of the number of people affected, with estimates of 200 million people being forced to relocate by the year 2050. Now, 200 million is no small number, and the current refugee protection regime of the United Nations is hardly prepared to deal with this looming calamity.

At present, the main agency for the protection of refugees is the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

So, how does this mandate ensure the recognition, protection

and voluntary resettlement of climate refugees? Well, it doesn’t. The UNHCR only offers protection to political refugees as defined by the Geneva Convention and Protocol of 1967; that is, refugees who flee their country as a result of state-led persecution based upon political opinion, religion, race or ethnicity.

about how the dissolution of states is regulated within a global legal context.

With no specific mandate to accommodate the status of climate refugees, only marginal protection from global governments is provided, the main responsibility is weighing on the individual island states.

The very essence of the modern state is sovereignty; that is, the right to exercise supreme and independent authority or jurisdiction over a piece of territory. In order for a state to exist within the framework of international law, it must possess the following characteristics: a permanent population, a defined territory, a system of government, and the ability to enter into relations with other states. Climate change poses a distinct threat to the fulfilment of these criteria.

Recently a 36-year-old Kiribati man appealed to New Zealand immigration authorities for an extension of his visa. The man fervently fought to defend his refugee status, arguing that climate change was destroying his island home. He feared for his own life and for that of his family. New Zealand authorities were quick to retort. The Refugee Convention does not provide protection against environmental harm. Was he being persecuted due to race, religion, ethnicity, or political standing?

No. Then his argument was redundant. The man was forced to return to Kiribati.

The present law concerning the dissolution of states is designed to accommodate the voluntary changing of state borders. Never in the history of the UN has there been an incident of prospective state extinction. If climate change is to result in the displacement of an entire population due to rising sea levels, the nation in question will be forced to abandon their territory and seek refuge elsewhere. They have by no means chosen to dissolve their state, but they have consequently lost the fundamental criteria of statehood. Can a state still exist once separated from its territory?

Evidently, the current mandate for the protection of climate refugees is insufficient. A new legal framework and policy must be established that allows for the recognition, protection and resettlement of those who have been displaced from their homes due to environmental factors. This means firstly establishing a clear definition of climate refugees that situates the crisis within the broader literature of migration. A global dialogue must take place, and protection policies must be reformed so as to prepare for this large-scale environmental and humanitarian crisis.

States who lose their territory due to environmental circumstances should still retain the benefits and privileges of statehood, and the law must adapt in order to address the reality of that which it seeks to regulate.

Climate change also poses challenges to international laws of statehood, with territorial degradation leading to questions

Climate change is an issue that extends far beyond the oceanic territory of these low-lying atolls. The global community must take action now so that we are well equipped and sufficiently prepared to accommodate millions of environmentally displaced civilians. Effective governance mechanisms must be established, and long-term resettlement and re-integration programs need to be initiated. The time has come to roll up our sleeves and dive into the deep.

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MOTE IS A NEAT LITTLE ZINE BY CAMERON BAKER. IT’S WILDLY DELIGHTFUL, FULL OF IMAGINATION, WISDOM AND CHARMING SWEATER-WEARING MONSTERS. ANDY HUANG FLOODED CAMERON’S INBOX WITH A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS AND STRANGE REQUESTS – AND HE KINDLY ANSWERED THEM ALL. Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you discover zines?

I’m a student, psychology this year, and I like to illustrate and write when I can. I heard the term [zine] being used on the net.

A little research led me to Sticky. I live a bit out of Melbourne, so I took the trip in to visit and was blown away because the place is incredible. By the time I went back a second time I had already printed the first issue of MOTE. Tell us about MOTE… I didn’t know what MOTE was about when I first started.

That’s good, I think, because it meant I wasn’t modelling it off anything, I was just filling it with things I thought were cool. I was inspired by the energy of zines and the braveness of just creating something like that. Zines try to push what you can do in the world, I was excited by that. If you want to create, just

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start creating. Initially, I just wanted to make people who read MOTE happy. It was about pointing out how incredible I found life. Gradually, it’s become more quiet and more contemplative and more honest, I hope.

Also, why is it called MOTE? (It’s an excellent name by the way.)

I think I just scrolled through my iTunes song library and landed on it. It’s a song by Sonic Youth. I probably chose it completely at random and it was just luck that the meaning is relevant and makes sense for a small, quiet publication.

I tried to translate the title into Japanese once, when I stocked some over there. It translated to dasuto, which is a Japanified “dust”.

In the past, you’ve invited readers to place an illustrated Post-It all ‘round Melbourne, or send you an email to receive a rap poem or drawing. How important is this interactive element to your practice, and what were you hoping would come out of this?

I was excited by possibility when I first started. I felt like there was a lot, anything, that you could just go out into the world and do if you wanted. So I wanted MOTE to inspire and instigate that. I also just really like getting emails. It’s awesome to know that you’re being read and that people like what you’re doing.

I want to be able to extend that into an even more personal relationship where I can actually create something unique for the person, a sketch or something.

Um, on a related note, does the offer of fun doodles or the rap poem still stand? ‘Cause I’d really like one (whichever, I’m not particularly fussy), please!

I’ll definitely do some illustrations, but I’m not at home at the moment, so I’ll send them through in a couple of days.

MOTE (understandably) has gotten a lot of love from a bunch of folks (Emerging Writers’ Festival, The Thousands, and well, us).

What’s the most unexpected bit of fan mail you’ve got so far?

I recently got an email from somebody asking for an illustration of Kougalhoff monster. I couldn’t even find it through Google.

The closest definition I could find was a German cake, so I turned that into a monster and sent it to them. But probably my favourite email was when somebody said they liked a particular article of a particular issue. It was an article on beautiful things, and it was really nice to have somebody tell me they thought I had an idea that was worthwhile.

What’s your latest issue and tell us about some of the cool things featured in it?

I have one issue that’s finished but not released that has some more monster illustrations, stories about bird watching and things. But I’m currently working on the 13th issue, which is going to be a hundred pages, and then I might stop MOTE there. I’ve been interested by nuclear war lately. Not the actual war, but the process leading up to it; all the effort and creativity the scientists put in and all the discoveries they made as they constructed the bomb. I like the idea of contrasting that

kind of intellect with the intellect of somebody younger in the same world, just starting to explore life. So that vague idea will inspire some of the content. But most of it will just be more illustrations and ideas. I’m filling up a notebook at the moment.

First zine you ever bought?

There were two zines I bought first. One was Radical Morning

by Cougar Flashy. His stuff is great and the zine itself is beautiful, printed onto nice paper. It’s about an eighth the size of an A4 sheet of paper. I love that zine; it’s still my all-time favourite. I wanted to pick it up because of the cover and the little illustration on it. Cougar Flashy crosses straight geometry with hand drawn stuff in a great way. There seems to be a bit of that style around now, I don’t know if he created that wave, or was just a part of it, but the drawings are great.

The other one was a collection of personal photos somebody had put into a zine. I can’t remember what it was called. It was messy and black-and-white and hard to follow, but I liked it. It was really thick and all I remember was a photo of a guy eating pork ribs. It was huge, heaps of pages and at the back it said to leave the zine on a bus for someone else to find. I liked it because it was rough but it had the right energy behind it.

Recommended reading?

I have some books I keep going back to for inspiration; I’ll go through those: • Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs – Hunter S. Thompson • Heads on and We Shoot: The Making of Where The Wild Things Are • The Pinkerton Diaries – Rivers Cuomo What are you up to these days?

I had the idea for a comic about Werewolf Police fighting a gang of ghosts called The Dirty Diamonds. I’d like to work on that more. I’m trying to animate a bit, and I’m just collecting illustrations ideas here and there. I would like to do an extended journalistic thing where I find two people in unrelated fields and simultaneously write profiles on them.

Something like an orchestra conductor and a Dungeons & Dragons expert.

Who: Cameron Baker What: MOTE Where: Unfortunately, Cameron doesn’t stock with Sydney stockists (he should though!) so if you wanna grab a copy of MOTE, shoot him an email (cameronbaker@live.com.au) and he can send you stuff (he’s a super rad guy) – or mail order at maildept.stickyinstitute.com More: finealright.wordpress.com and @FineAlright on Twitter

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TENDER IS THE BEARD DANIEL COMENSOLI TACKLES A TOPIC CLOSE TO HIS FACE, READING INTO THE RESURGENCE IN BEARD CULTURE AND THE ROUGH PATCHES AROUND GENDER NORMS. “Dude’s got a beard.”

“Sweet.”

really feel any different after. I mean, I didn’t have to shampoo and condition every two days, but I was still the same.

That’s a transcript of my conversations with guys about other guys. We can talk about interests or beers or sports, or what we both did on the weekend, but mostly when we talk about others, it’s about a chin. Which is fine. To be expected even, given we’re men and beards are masculine, etc. But why is that?

Why is the beard our sign of masculinity, some hair follicles we are so readily split either side of?

The process of growing my beard taught me a lot about the men around me. For one, we’d all started defining ourselves against a beard. We’d talk a lot about how great mine was getting, how pissed they were they couldn’t grow one, how it made me more rugged and manly, and then it’d usually end with them running their hands through it. Even if it was jokingly, my beardless peers would frame themselves as lesser men than I was. It was a strange experience, because if I’m held up as a light of masculinity (whatever that is), then there’s probably something wrong with our bigger picture.

Beardedness isn’t anything new, and men are generally pretty hairy. My arse is like a national park. However, the way the beard has been reintroduced in such a marked way over the last couple of years is worthy of analysis. But no one’s doing it. Instead we have cringe-worthy articles copying beard puns from the last guy, in-depth critiques of celebrity stubble and the inevitable memes or Chuck Norris jokes.

Our alpha bloggers post regularly on why we should all grow beards, and photographers piece together coffee table books of beard narcissists. And the academic world’s answer? A few troublesome studies on facial hair levels for attracting (hopefully) submissive females.

Sometime last year, I decided I might as well keep my beard until the World’s Greatest Shave. Friends and family ended up raising a little over $2000, we had a huge party and I didn’t

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Valuing and devaluing ourselves based on a single characteristic is pretty common for most men. Nowadays, we can understand that masculinity is a large and complex spectrum, but part of the problem is that men are still positioned as one or two dimensional shapes, floating out in the ether and readily split into binaries. It’s these contradictions that cloud current thinking, producing skewed perceptions of self, where embodied complexity doesn’t play ball with public representation. Can a man really be able to change a tyre AND be sensitive AND have a beard?

Gender theory is complex and often contradictory, but one way the scholar Judith Butler sees gender is as a performative act, with no ‘true’ male or female identity. The problem with beards, and the problem with broad gender identities, is that we take an external characteristic or act and take it as an internal quality of the performer, or of ourselves when we are ‘performing’.

ILLUSTRATION BY PEITA KEILAR

As a performative gender act, they are perpetuated as a sign – a myth of connotative masculinity signified. A beard becomes more than a beard, in the way that it stands for a social understanding of masculinity that works outside the male subject ‘performing’ the gesture. Internally, I’m the same with a beard as without one. Externally, I am not, sitting inside a system of understanding with a narrow conception of manliness. This unequitable system of hegemonic masculinity doesn’t actually reflect real lives and real gender identities.

We are complex, and we need to recognise it, but the recent reintroduction of beards as male mythology deprives us of a chance for that recognition.

So how did beards become an overarching male ideal? There’s no easy answer for the recent trend: men trying to assert themselves in a post-GFC world, a response to the feminisation of men, a declaration of authority and wisdom, or because it looked alright on George Clooney and Ben Affleck. Moreover, beards have always had fluctuating levels of growth throughout history, so the trend might just be an inevitable return.

That return can’t go unquestioned though. The beard has undoubtedly become appropriated by ‘the man’ – a manliness that is bigger than us plebs. It marks a resurgent masculinity (or male dominance) that was threatened with decline, in a world of broadening notions of gendered existence.

to accept men as falling between extremes, not on them, and to grasp masculinity and femininity as two intricate but not exclusive concepts. Then broader, outside ethnocentric and heteronormative boundaries. We should be questioning why Western beards are met with appreciation, and Eastern – and Middle Eastern – men with beards are often met with detraction.

Arguably, we’re now sitting at the climax of beard culture.

But the relics will be a few memes and a UNSW facial hair attractiveness study – conducted when an oscillating trend reached a peak in popularity, made sweeping, blog-ready generalisations and was fraught with issues of size-limitation, restricted demographics and heterosexual preferencing.

Welcome to the modern world, where we keep affirming a dichotomous understanding of males and females. That hard (or soft) line around a chin, just for the sake of asserting manliness, means narrowing understanding of what constitutes a man.

All of this sucks, of course, when I can’t get away with not shaving just because I’m lazy. We’ve got to let it be a thing, rather than fiercely tying our masculinity to it. Real men can like sport and hard work, but also like 80s teen dramas and talking about feelings. So if you’re growing a beard to prove you’re a man, maybe have another think. I’ll be sitting around with my hairless mates, sporting a week’s artless growth, sipping on a tinny and toasting female heads of industry.

Heavy, right? It’s a lot to think about before picking up your razor in the morning. Which is exactly why the consequences of lived masculinities require attention. We need to be able

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VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

CASUAL SEX, CASUAL SEXISM FREYA HAS SOME ISSUES WITH THE WAYS WE TALK ABOUT SEX. SO FUCK THE ‘ORGASM GAP’, FUCK ‘BIOLOGY’, FUCK GENDERED DESIRE AND FUCK THE WAY YOU FEEL. The idea that women should expect to orgasm less often than men is as common as it is frustrating. Studies on the ‘Orgasm Gap’ – the perceived difference between prevalence of orgasms in heterosexual men and women – are plentiful.

It should be noted that most studies focus on heterosexual couples, and are often statistically unreliable (for example, apparently many more straight men have sex with women than straight women do with men – a mathematical quandary which Cordelia Fine recently suggested, in an essay in The Monthly entitled ‘The Vagina Dialogues’, could be attributed to ‘creative self-reporting’).

A recent study conducted by Paula England, a sociologist based at New York University with an interest in ‘hookup culture’, canvassed the sexual histories of about 24, 000 students over half a decade. England found that heterosexual men were roughly twice as likely to orgasm during casual sex than heterosexual women.

It is tempting to explain results like this with that prehistoric adage: men are biologically (the word makes me cringe) more likely to orgasm than women. If you are nodding sagely right now I would urge you to consider the following: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Studies have proven that women and men take a similar amount of time to orgasm from masturbation.

Studies have proven that gay women orgasm at similar rates to heterosexual men.

The ‘orgasm gap’ is most pronounced during first-time hookups, and diminishes as couples become more familiar with each other.

Vaginal ejaculation was first documented over 2000 years ago (see for example: 4th century Taoist text

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Secret Instructions Concerning the Jade Chamber), yet is still considered taboo by many.

Women are socialised to arouse desire; men are socialised to experience it. In heterosexual relationships, including casual relations, male desire often eclipses female desire – the ‘end goal’ is the male orgasm, and everything else is optional. So long as men continue to see women as objects, numbers on a tally, or goals to be achieved, the needs and desires of many women will continue to be devalued.

So beyond that, here are my tips for sex: 1. Be safe – you get to define this for yourself.

2. Consent is necessary. This involves giving and receiving enthusiastic approval.

3. Sexual pleasure does not have to end with an orgasm, or involve one at all.

4. You don’t have to trust doctors or psychologists to tell you about your own sexuality. Unfortunately, the medical industry has a bit of a reputation for being transphobic, sexist and queerphobic – among other things. Trust your own feelings, and use your own labels.

5. If you don’t want to have sex, that’s absolutely fine. It may be temporary – it may not. Sex is not for everyone, and you don’t need to give a reason for not wanting it.

Freya is the UTS Wom*n’s Officer for 2014.

The UTS Wom*n’s Collective’s Safety and Survival Zine, to be printed later this year, contains information and op-eds on sexual consent.

SCIENCE, TECH AND GAMING

GENETIC PATENTING IS PATENTLY WRONG THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL COURT UNANIMOUSLY RULED THAT PRIVATE COMPANIES MAINTAIN THE RIGHT TO CONTROL HUMAN GENES. KRISTEN TROY LOOKS AT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS DECISION FOR THE FUTURE OF NATIONAL HEALTH AND BUSINESS. Australia’s patent system provides a means of encouraging investment in genetic research, by establishing a 16-year monopoly over the exploitation of inventions. Scientific investment is incredibly important in today’s political climate, especially in light of the government coolly axing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of science funding from the federal budget (please refer to the Vertigo Issue Four ‘Fuck yous’). However, critics of the Court’s decision in the case of D’Arcy v Myriad Genetics Incorporated have argued that the judgment was “offensive and counterintuitive”, and described the move as a “very blackletter approach” to the law, that had “nothing to do with biotechnology”.

The Court ruled that the process of isolating the gene from the body was a way of manufacturing something new, despite the fact that the form of the isolated gene was exactly the same as that initially found within breast cancer survivor, Yvonne D’Arcy. Yvonne’s legal representatives have since hinted that they will be seeking a High Court appeal in an attempt to get the decision overturned.

This case was controversial for a number of reasons. It was about technology of particular public concern in the fields of breast and ovarian cancer research, which will directly affect the diagnosis and treatment of those conditions.

It raised important ethical questions about whether the safeguards preventing the unconscionable commercial exploitation of patents are enough to protect Australian medical research. Finally, the decision also continued an Australian Court trend of exhibiting reluctance to exclude inventions in the medical sphere from patentability. It

is clear from this decision that Parliament, and not the judiciary, will be responsible for executing any substantive change to the patent eligibility of gene sequences.

I attended an education forum earlier this year, to hear Professor Ian Frazer (otherwise known as the legend responsible for that life-saving cervical cancer vaccine you got in high school, or for that good time you once had enjoying your cervix-free masculinity) talk about the complex issues pervading the patentability of human genes.

He pointed out that patents are the predominant way of making money in the science industry, but that they also make conducting and funding new research devastatingly expensive. Inevitably, private companies prefer to fund research that is commercially viable, and that can be industrialised to generate profit. As such, genetic patenting has serious long-term consequences for genetic testing.

The high cost of using patented material prevents other companies from working on life-saving developments.

By allowing commercial entities to control the use of genetic materials, the patent system stifles scientific research and dramatically reduces its affordability, when instead it should operate as a mechanism to help deliver affordable healthcare, and to reward innovation. It’s time that the law caught up with the science.

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VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

SCIENCE, TECH AND GAMING

I, ROBOT THE HUMAN BODY IS 60% WATER AND, THESE DAYS, A STAGGERINGLY HIGH PERCENTAGE TECHNOLOGY. LACHLAN MACKENZIE QUESTIONS HOW PREPARED WE ARE TO BE CYBORGS. Cyborg has become a bit of a buzzword for tech commentators referring to advancements in personal technology. Interestingly though, the parts of us that are being rapidly integrated into the digital aren’t physical, but mental. Companies like Facebook don’t just provide online products anymore; because we’re always online they provide products that we’ve integrated as a part of ourselves. We’re like cyborgs in that our thoughts and actions are linked to the digital, and our mental processing and communication happens online. Everything that happens online creates data, which means companies like Facebook have access to a lot of the information that adds up to you.

Every Step You Take, Every Move You Make If it’s illegal for you to stalk someone, why is it okay for tech companies to do it? End-user licence agreements are harsh mistresses indeed, and they’re generally the reason why digital stalking (aka data collection) is okay. The sucky truth is that if you sign on to use something you generally sign on to let it use you as well. When you log in to Facebook you agree to allow the company to collect and use more than just the information you consciously share. Every time you log in or post, data is collected about the computer you’re posting from, your whereabouts, what content you’re interacting with, what browser you’re using, your phone number and more.

Facebook’s terms and conditions state that all this information belongs to you and won’t be shared without your permission, however they maintain a right to pass on your information as long as they don’t expressly identify you. This is why they were able to gather information from an experiment earlier this year where they reduced the

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appearance of positive content on certain users’ feeds to monitor their emotional response. Provided that users weren’t being specifically identified by their data, the experiment was perfectly legal, and Facebook didn’t have to let people know that their experience was being altered or that their data was being collected and used. Like it or not, social media sites have the power to shape your experience and gather information about it at will.

Integration is more than experiential Most people feel like their profile on Facebook is a proper reflection of themselves, but people still don’t go around poking each other, or yelling about what they’re doing to rooms full of a couple of hundred acquaintances who nudge them and whisper “like” in their ear. That dream is still a wistful “one day…” away. Facebook is a language now and it’s a language that directs us down a very narrow path of interaction. At the same time, technology shapes the way we interact with the world, and that can be as simple as going for a coastal drive for a ‘sik insta pic’, then feeling shitty because the only people who liked it were the ones who went with you.

Technology informs our lived experience and monitors the way we ‘live’ online, and the psychological impact of that is something the majority of us aren’t being educated on. I think the age of the cyborg is already here, and it’s been greeted with a collective shrug by the overwhelming majority, which is, you know, mildly problematic. So hey, you’re part robot. What now?

SCIENCE, TECH AND GAMING

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE HERE’S THE TEN MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION1: WHAT DO THE DARK KNIGHT, TRON: LEGACY, SKYFALL, AND GOOGLE HAVE IN COMMON? ANSWER: THEY HAVE ALL HAD ALTERNATE REALITY GAMES DEVELOPED FOR THEM. ESSA LETS YOU IN ON THE SECRET OF ALTERNATE REALITY GAMES. An alternate reality game (ARG) is a type of transmedia storytelling. Pieces of the story are revealed slowly through challenging puzzles across various types of media, and often the characters of the story believe that they themselves are real. ARGs have also been described as a type of playable fiction. Characters can friend request you on Facebook, follow your Twitter account or send packages in the mail. In return, participants can often email characters back, find the website of the company the character works for, or even ring the company. The online space where an alternate reality game is played can be undefined, with no boundaries, so the limits between reality and fiction aren’t always easy to find.

The game is created by an unknown person/s called a puppetmaster (or PM), who crafts the story in a place simply referred to as “behind the curtain”. An ARG begins when a participant first finds a rabbit hole or trailhead, which is the participant’s first contact with the game, and sets up the background for the rest of the story. A participant can find a rabbit hole by chance, receive an email from an unknown person, notice a random new Twitter follower, or discover a mysterious website that needs further investigation.

In 2010, I found my first rabbit hole, which led to an ARG called Bluebird, run by the ABC Innovation department. They even promoted the game by conducting a protest at UTS in front of Building 10. In the ARG, Kyle Vandercamp was a scientist working for Bluebird labs when he discovered that the technology he was working on could stop global warming, but at a dangerous cost to humanity. He took his own research and other digital files from Bluebird labs, then released them to the world so anyone could discover the truth behind the plans of his boss, Harrison Wyld.2 You, yes you reading this article could create an ARG with enough time and effort. It would be fantastic to see more Australian puppet masters and game makers in the future.

Consider this your rabbit hole to the world of alternate reality games.

A collection of rabbit holes can be found at the Unfiction forums (www.unfiction.com) – anyone can use this to get started and involved in an ARG. ARG news is covered at ARGNet (www.ARGN.com).

There are two main types of ARGs: corporate and grassroots campaigns. Corporate campaigns are run by companies with large advertising budgets, to promote a specific product, service or movie. Grassroots campaigns are designed by individuals or smaller teams.

1. Editor’s note: As in, it cost us ten million dollars to produce this question. It was fucking hard.

2. If anybody showed this to the ABC Innovation department that would be awesome, since they live just next door to UTS.

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VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

THE PRICE OF LIFE IF YOU WERE TO DIE TODAY WHAT WOULD YOUR LIFE HAVE BEEN WORTH? EVEN IF YOU DID HAVE LIFE INSURANCE, YOU’D STILL ONLY BE A MODEST SUM. NICOLA PARISE RECONSIDERS THE PRICE WE PUT ON LIFE AND THE INCONGRUITY OF HUMAN CAPITAL. What is the value of a single human life? Now try 500 human lives? Or maybe three million?

We seem to agree, at least on an intellectual level, that human life is priceless and all lives are uniquely, individually and inherently valuable. But what do we mean by value? And, perhaps even more importantly, who exactly determines this value?

Mary Ann Sorrentino, in an article for The Phoenix, makes an interesting point when she asks, “If all human life has value, does it follow that all human lives have equal value?” While in theory we’d like to say yes, her answer is decidedly no. And looking at the way mainstream media portrays the loss of life it is easy to see how she came to that conclusion.

This year we have seen a lot of death, destruction and misery in our newsfeeds, on TV and in our papers. Take the Malaysia Airlines disasters times two, the second of which was the direct outcome of conflict between Russia and the Ukraine.

Or look at the continued tension and fighting in Gaza, which flared up in July. Then there’s ISIS and their acts of terror, including the beheading of journalists, aid workers and tourists. And these are just what have made it into the news.

Even if we are ignorant of the details, we all know that there are countless more instances of conflict and persecution worldwide which regularly go unreported.

It doesn’t take an expert to figure out that the loss of life which is covered in the media and consequently seen to matter is that which will sell. Corporations and major news

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outlets are not concerned about the grieving family members left behind, they care about figures – the more brutal and devastating the loss, the more profit to be made. And just like that individual human lives are reduced to commodities; their value is defined by how much money they can generate.

But let’s not forget the role we play in consuming media. The reality is, we also tend to follow these stories based on what’s considered more sexy or trendy to care about, particularly in a world of clicks and retweets. It’s not hard these days to construct your identity as someone who is concerned about all the ‘right’ things. As Waleed Aly, writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, very astutely observed, in this day and age “we decide which deaths to mourn, which to ignore, which to celebrate, and which to rationalise”, in order to convey a certain message or advance an agenda. This is true of both the media and individuals.

When it comes to the value we attribute to life, it’s not just a matter of awareness, but also empathy and resonance.

Realistically, some instances of death will strike us more than others based on personal experience and context, not to mention, it would be too emotionally exhausting to care genuinely about every death. At the time of writing,

41 488 573 people had died across the globe in 2014.

Attempting to appreciate the unique and intricate value of each and every one of those lives is impossible.

According to Berkley University sociologist Claude Fischer, whether we like it or not, the reality remains that the value of a human life is predominantly understood in financial terms and this “worth has increased substantially over the last century, by one estimate about 30-fold.”

Quantifying the value of a human life is a shady business.

People tend to concede that there is something morally incongruous about even trying to put a dollar sign against a life. And yet, this hasn’t stopped the practice.

It strikes me as odd how readily we will accept explicit financial valuations of human life and how much they may be seen to pervade our culture. I used to think life insurance was a bit of a joke – no one actually buys it, right? Wrong. An IBIS Market Research Report into life insurance in Australia, published in May this year, found the industry had grown 24% since 2009, and that the last financial year saw $68 billion in revenue.

Obtaining a figure for your life’s worth according to insurance companies is easily done with the aid of the internet. The Human Life Value Calculator allows you to plug in data about your earnings, tax, savings and assets in order to determine how much your life is worth and how much life insurance you need to compensate for your death. According to the website, the generated figure is an “approximate measure of your net contribution to your family – your human life value.” In this framework, human worth is defined by how much wealth you have accrued and brought to your family, but this is a very restrictive definition. What if you are unable to work? What if

you do not have a family? Does that render you valueless?

If you ask me, it’s a very inhumane way of determining human value. In this view, a life is not inherently valuable but must be proven to be by the amount of money it generates. It dehumanises, precisely because it does not account for the value of some of the most basic elements of what it means to be human. By this line of logic, the way an individual sees the world or relates to others, her compassion, sense of humour and ability to love, what she is able to contribute to society outside the work place, these are not considered valuable.

This, in my opinion, is a very dangerous path to traverse.

By assigning a price tag to an individual human life, we see that life as a commodity. Yes, we may live in the age of the markets, but there are some things that simply cannot be bought or sold. How much would you pay for the memory of your best friend’s face when he opens the door to a surprise birthday party? Or what about a quality conversation with someone you love? I think it’s important that we ask ourselves: what is at stake when everything may be quantified in monetary terms? And at the same time, what might the world look like if our ways of perceiving value were not so fiscally centred?

The problem with the way we construct and attribute value to human life is not the media, nor is it the insurance industry; these are mere symptoms. The problem is the philosophy behind it all, the spirit of capitalism if you will. And being a way of thinking makes it all the more insidious and porous – if we do not resist the discourse we risk losing the myriad of interesting and beautiful ways a human life can be valuable outside and beyond numbers on a page.

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VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

SEX, BODIES AND WEIGHT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY:

CELEBRATING OR EVALUATING THE WORTH OF THE FEMALE BODY? SEVERAL PROMINENT FEMALE POP MUSICIANS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN CELEBRATED FOR CHALLENGING THE MEDIA’S PORTRAYAL OF FEMALE BODIES. BUT ARE THEY AMBASSADORS OR ADVERSARIES FOR POSITIVE BODY IMAGE IN THE MEDIA? LI-MEI RUSSELL VENTS. There is nothing new about half-naked women in music videos, but Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’ has taken this stereotype and “twerked” it upside down. If you haven’t seen it yet, join the over 900 million hits and give it a view… or five.

With the amount of derrières featured in the clip, not to mention how those “buns” move in ways you wouldn’t think possible, it’s no surprise the media has taken to the new music video like a cat on heat. Critics have called it “lame” and “predictable” including TIME which suggests the clip perpetuates “sexual objectification in hip-hop”, but ‘Anaconda’ has also brought a lot of praise for embracing female sexuality and empowering female bodies.

‘Anaconda’ features a predominantly female cast who are sexually driven, and confident and comfortable in their own bodies. The cameo of Drake being teased by Minaj and left “hot and bothered” only adds focus to female empowerment rather than female sexuality for male pleasure.

Dr. Fiona Giles, Chair of the Department of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney, similarly finds that the piece is not demeaning to women, but that Nicki Minaj’s overt assertion of her sexuality “push[es] the power of who she is.” Giles says, “She turns it around so she gives the man the flick, so it’s not as if she’s debasing herself for him but she is seducing him and that way she is in control.”

Personally, I think it’s about time that women are embraced as sexual beings and that the music industry shows women not as subjects of sex, but protagonists in their own sexuality.

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However, there is something in this music video that I find unsettling, and I am not talking about the abundance of jiggling body parts. Sure, Minaj’s lyric “I ain’t missing no meals” is a welcomed phrase, but others like “He wants something he can grab” only serve to denigrate body empowerment, as it refocuses on the female body as a subject of male satisfaction.

Similarly, Meghan Trainor’s song ‘All About That Bass’ presents a refreshing take on body image, and asserts curvy body empowerment with positive lyrics such as, “Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top.” But yet again, with the lyric, “Boys like a little more booty to hold at night,” the song asserts that it is all ultimately to attract the opposite sex. Why can’t we celebrate our bodies for us?

It’s conflicting and wildly confusing. On one hand, Minaj and Trainor give us an alternative body shape to the rakethin ideal portrayed in the media, yet they also perpetuate the objectification of women through their focus on the male gaze. This is the issue. There can never be true body and self-acceptance if our happiness is reliant on other people’s perceptions of us. In the words of the social media commentator Ruby Elliot on her page Rubyetc, “why the fuck

must we only accept ourselves and our bodies in the context of male sexual appeal.” Preach. Ruby goes further, saying that there is a danger in people calling these songs “feminist anthems” when they just add to “the damn tidal wave of misogynistic views we’re already up to our necks in.”

I think it is important that pop stars like Nicki Minaj and Meghan Trainor use their music to embrace curves – for selfempowerment, not just because big booties are a fetishised commodity. But the issues with these songs don’t stop at their impact on feminism and sexual empowerment. There is an equally detrimental concern regarding skinny shaming.

“What is skinny shaming?” I hear you ask, and to be frank I understand some people’s qualms with this term when the existence of thin privilege has been thoroughly discussed.

But after speaking with Breanna, I do think skinny shaming is an issue.

Breanna Wilkinson, a 20-year-old UTS student, has struggled with her weight for most of her life, and not for the reasons most of us are accustomed to. Breanna has always been thin, a lot of which goes back to kidney problems as a child and her genetic predisposition, and this led to experiences of bullying throughout school with the nickname “Breannorexia”.

“Just because fat shaming is more prevalent, doesn’t mean my experience of skinny shaming didn’t happen, and I think the thing that is problematic about these pop songs is that whilst some girls might feel empowered because they’re bigger, these songs also alienate a whole demographic of girls because they make them feel like I did as a child, that if you’re skinny you are inadequate.”

I can’t help but agree with Breanna, and while I identify

myself as a curvy woman, the term “skinny bitches” in both songs makes me uncomfortable. I understand that they are trying to retaliate to the media’s pressure of the ideal body, but why invert social stigmas to shame skinny bodies? What about those who naturally don’t have curves? Does that make these bodies less desirable or less female? Why is it that to empower curvy bodies we have to put others down?

Breanna believes that the issue with the term “skinny bitches” is that it puts the culpability of the skinny ideal on skinny people, rather than the media outlets that perpetuate it. I mean, it’s hardly the fault of the size eight girl on the street that larger bodies have been seen as unattractive.

It shouldn’t be a matter of versing bodies against bodies, and people against people, but empowering all bodies and making a change in our obsession with them.

Believe me, I am a huge fan of Nicki Minaj, and power to her for embracing her sexual expression. It is refreshing to have women like Minaj and Trainor in the music industry, and a relief that these high profile pop stars have taken a stance against the skeletal frame which continues to pervade the media and societal expectations of women. The only issue is that unfortunately, in order to empower curvy female bodies, they have depreciated others. Further, as a strong believer that feminine sexuality is not, and should not, be a means to solely satisfy men, our bodies shouldn’t be reduced to “something he can grab” – it should be about embracing all bodies, buns or no buns.

Responses to the issues raised in this article will be posted in an online follow up piece. Send your comments to submissions@utsvertigo.com.au

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VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY… DESPITE WHAT GEORGE BRANDIS WILL TELL YOU, AUSTRALIANS DON’T ACTUALLY “HAVE A RIGHT TO BE BIGOTS”. THERE IS A LINE PEOPLE CROSS – WHEN EXPRESSING ONE’S OPINION BECOMES VILIFICATION. BRITTANY SMITH EXAMINES THE TRICKY FIELD OF HATE SPEECH LEGISLATION. If you listened to the debate on free speech and hate speech, you would be forgiven for thinking that there are only two competing ideas – that one form of speech cannot exist while the other does. There are many aspects of the debate which politicians and the media are ignoring. The reality of racial power structures in Australia, as well as the effect hate speech has on those it targets, has not really been considered and this has created some confusion.

Use of the phrase “freedom of speech” introduces the idea that the rights of those who lack power are being hurt. We think of people living under dictatorships who are unable to express the inequalities they face, to argue against the daily injustices they live through. But the thing about hate speech is that it is most often targeted at people who are already marginalised in society. This means that if we don’t attempt to regulate hate speech, minorities are the ones who will be negatively affected.

Jessica Xu, UTSSA Welfare Officer and Jennifer Pham, Ethnocultural Officer, want to break the binary representation of this issue and offer some alternative discourses on the subject.

“They frame anti-vilification as a binary, which it’s not, and I think that’s pitting people against each other rather than taking it into a respectful approach,” Xu says.

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A side of the discussion that is often left out by the media is the effect which hate speech has on the victims.

Sometimes the experience may not be consciously hurtful, but the offensive language has a demoralising effect. In this way, hate speech itself restricts freedom of speech and democratic discussion, as it invalidates the opinions of minorities and creates a threatening or hostile situation where they may no longer feel comfortable sharing their views. Inciting hatred can easily lead to inciting violence.

According to Xu, “Unregulated free speech doesn’t recognise power structures and it doesn’t recognise how free speech can be used as hate speech. It can be used to exclude people from democracy, stop them from participating and prevent people from being involved in democratic discussion. It’s about including more voices and eliminating an exclusionary force.”

Not only can racial vilification exclude members of society from democratic debate, but it can also lessen their self-worth. It lessens the way people perceive their own capabilities; they internalise all the negatives and can end up, to a certain extent, actually believing them. Hate speech

widens an already uneven playing field and reinforces the power structures which oppress minorities.

“Theoretically, everyone is equal; we’re all people,” Pham says, “but there are structures in society that give privilege to people and do not give privilege to other people. You don’t realise that. It’s hard to see, and depending on the kind of privilege you have it will influence how much freedom of speech you have or your accessibility to information.”

However, anti-vilification laws can be problematic in themselves. They require someone to take offence and take action. If the victim doesn’t come forward and complain then there is no case. It is up to the victim to chase justice, and even if they do, does an apology recover what they’ve lost in the process of being vilified? Many of the victims of these crimes do not have the resources to seek legal action, and the entire process is made redundant.

In today’s society racism is not always demonstrated overtly.

Often racist speech or acts are swept aside as typical selfdeprecating Aussie humour. It is justified, “just a joke”, and people need to stop being so sensitive. But this defence doesn’t acknowledge who the humour is vilifying and the position of privilege the ‘joker’ often has.

“I just hate it when people say ‘it’s just Aussie humour’”, Jennifer said. “Like when people say ‘that’s un-Australian of you.’ What does that even mean? People are so invested in these ideas of being Australian but it’s just an idea and I don’t think you can just excuse it as being part of our humour.

I think what matters is how someone was offended by it. If

someone is offended, I think it matters more than intention.”

We must reflect on our daily actions if we are ever to improve as a society. If we’ve made a joke we need to question whom it is targeting and whether it’s relying on a negative stereotype or clichéd situation. Question what you have been brought up to believe and the lessons deeply ingrained in us through the media. These messages are often subconscious, but can be powerful enough to determine how we view certain people based on something as flimsy as race. Race is a social construct, after all.

One final important thing to remember in this fiery debate around free speech and hate speech is that in Australia, we don’t actually have the right to free speech written into our constitution. It’s only an implied right. Regardless, when thinking about this issue it’s important to ask whether free speech is truly being compromised. Is the freedom to hurt others really more important than freedom from hate and violence?

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VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

AN APOCALYPTIC MIXTAPE HATTIE O’DONNELL HAD A CHAT WITH WRITER AND PERFORMER, BRIOHNY DOYLE (AKA DR. APOCALYPSE). A PHD CANDIDATE IN REPRESENTATIONS OF THE POST-APOCALYPTIC, BRIOHNY HAS A FASCINATION WITH DAVID BOWIE, THE BANGLES, AND THE END OF THE WORLD. What’s it like to be a scholar of the apocalypse?

I really enjoy science fiction that centres on catastrophe, transmogrification, small scenarios in which relationships are put under intense external pressures. I also grew up loving the aesthetic of Mad Max, and anime like Akira and Neon Genesis Evangelion. I was obsessed with big spectacle apocalypse/ disaster movies, and where our spectacularisation of the end of the world would lead. That became the inspiration for a fiction manuscript, and I started to read about the history of apocalypse — what it’s for, its status as a protest literature, how it’s been used in the mobilisation of social movements as well as making normative claims about how people should be.

Then I went to Japan and became obsessed with how apocalypse is used to work through the shock of the nuclear bombings. By that point I had so many related yet disparate interests that I decided to use a PhD thesis to investigate the postapocalypse as a contemporary modification of apocalyptic traditions.

What’s the most climactic piece of music you know?

‘Mr Blue Sky’ by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It is a song that should be playing under a big decision. Like a wake-upin-the-morning-and-take-control kind of song. But of course there are all kinds of climaxes. We are a multiply climaxing species.

What do you listen to while you write?

I never listen to music while I write. I can’t handle that sort of distraction. When I edit or proofread my own work I sometimes listen to music, but it can’t have any lyrics, or too much narrative. The Necks is good and some Sun Ra, soundtracks if I don’t know the movie too well, and post-rock type bands

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like Godspeed, Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai. But even then sometimes I can’t hack it.

What is so appealing about the end of the world?

I think in film and literature it’s a good ‘what if’ scenario, one that lends itself to interesting relationships and high spectacle. In terms of the work I do on the apocalypse, it’s interesting to see it as a catastrophic transformation from which something else might emerge, or in which we can launch some critique on our present predicaments.

What’s the most earth-shakingly good album you’ve ever listened to?

David Bowie’s Let’s Dance is unfuckwithable. But the first album I bought was The Bangles’ Different Light. That REALLY blew my mind at seven. I was expecting it to just be ‘Manic Monday’ and ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’, which were cute, kidfriendly songs, but actually, it’s a really great, nuanced and hook-filled pop album and it sort of introduced me to the concept of ‘a band’ rather than just ‘songs’. And they covered a Big Star song on it, which led me, decades later, to listen to Big Star’s #1 Record, which is earthshakingly good.

What are five songs you would choose for the soundtrack of an apocalypse movie?

1. Le Tigre – ‘Phanta’ 2. Black Mountain – ‘Wucan’ 3. The Beatles – ‘A Day In The Life’ 4. L7 – ‘You And Me Till The Wheels Fall Off’ 5. Nina Simone – ‘Wild is the Wind’ More at briohnydoyle.com and @BriohnyDoyle on Twitter.

PODCASTS

YOU CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF HAS THIS PAGE HELPED YOU DISCOVER YOUR NEW FAVOURITE PODCAST? IS YOUR SMARTPHONE OR HIGH-TECH LISTENING DEVICE NOW FILLED WITH AWESOME AUDIO STORIES THAT MAKE THE COMMUTE TO UNI MUCH MORE PLEASANT? GOOD. HERE ARE THREE MORE YOU CAN ADD TO YOUR ITUNES LIBRARY. RECOMMENDATIONS BY BELLA WESTAWAY. Strangers: ‘Love Hurts’ Broadcast: August 14, 2014 Strangers is about chance encounters and the connections we make with strangers. It’s the brainchild of radio producer Lea Thau, Peabody Award winner and former director of The Moth (another great podcast featuring true stories about people and events).

In this episode, Lea delves into the reasons behind her singledom. After being in a string of long-term relationships since her teens, she is flabbergasted when she finds herself pregnant and alone in her late 30s, and begins to wonder if there is something wrong with her, or with the dating scene itself… Listening to Lea is like having coffee with your best mate. She’s warm, funny, self-deprecating, and talks about her sex life with cringe-worthy honesty. Committed to the cause, Lea goes as far as interviewing a guy she used to date and bluntly grilling him about why it didn’t work out. It’s raw, real, and pretty educational, albeit disenchanting for us twentysomethings who think we’ve already found the love of our lives.

All in all, not a bad way to spend 45 minutes stuck in traffic.

The Savage Lovecast: ‘No sex for you, anti-vaxxer!’

Broadcast: July 29, 2014 Dan Savage, the man behind The Savage Lovecast, is a gay author, journalist and editor. He’s crude, unapologetic, and likes to talk about sex. A lot. Gay sex, lesbian sex, bisexual sex – you name it, Dan knows EVERYTHING. Which is where the podcast comes in. The Savage Lovecast

is a weekly advice podcast, where listeners call in with their sex questions and Dan, you know, gives advice. But it’s so much more than that. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, ridiculously blunt, and so dirty that it requires an awkward “no-I’m-notexperimenting-with-my-sexuality-it’s-just-for-an-article” conversation with anyone who overhears a snippet while you’re listening in the bath.

In this episode, Dan chats to infectious disease doctor Jonathan Golob about getting down and dirty with an antivaxxer (“stop fucking this woman immediately”), consoles a poor dude who is worried about getting HIV from a blowjob gone wrong (“if you’re gonna suck the dicks of randos you meet on Grindr, you might wanna talk to your doctor”), and explains why male gynaecologists are not pervy creeps. I could tell you more, but I know you want to check it out yourself. Just don’t forget your headphones.

Sex with Timaree: “Slut Shaming 2014” or *Boobs and who needs to see them* Broadcast: July 21, 2014 Sex with Timaree is an ‘edu-tainment’ podcast with Dr. Timaree Schmidt, a pretty cool chick who is super keen on us youngsters getting more educated about human sexuality.

This episode is essentially a rant about slut shaming and why it’s completely stupid. Responding to an article on “some nice little Christian mum blog” called My Husband Doesn’t Need To See Your Boobs, Timaree eloquently and passionately deconstructs the argument that women who post provocative photos on social media are somehow making partners cheat.

She’ll have you nodding along the whole way.

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VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

LUKE RYAN: COMEDY SURVIVOR WORDS BY ANDY HUANG If we looked our age in life experiences, Luke Ryan would probably be a fat, 55-year-old man. He’s actually 29, but in his time on the earth so far, Luke has put on a show at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, which sold out; recently released a book, which received really great reviews; and survived cancer, twice. He’s also written for cool folks like Junkee, Smith Journal and The Lifted Brow, and many more. I chatted to him about writing, what he did in his twenties, and cancer jokes, and here are some of the takeaways.

It’s okay to laugh at cancer (which is the best way of giving the big ol’ C an FU. That is, aside from chemotherapy and medical help).

For anyone thinking about doing stand-up, it’s mostly “a very thankless, masochistic profession.” But it has its strange therapeutic ways too. Luke started to get into it after going to the Edinburgh Festival in 2006, which was like “this alcohol-fuelled, three week masterclass” on comedy. It took him about a year or so to do his first set, and it was around this time that he began to notice a strange, niggling pain in his upper back. Before that, he’d done a set where he joked about having had cancer once, and, “you’re never going to get cancer again, obviously.” Four months later, aged 22, he was diagnosed with cancer. Again, (the first time was at 11).

“I think I was just so residually pissed off about this turn of events, more than any of the other usual spectrum of emotional reactions for cancer diagnosis. I was just like, ‘Fuck you, cancer. No, not again, I’ve done this, I’ve done my time’. And so I was very adamant that I wasn’t going to let it affect my life, or change the shape of my life,” says Luke. And

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so he started doing comedy about cancer, which worked out pretty well, leading to sold-out shows and a comic memoir.

Most humans don’t have much idea about what they’re doing in their twenties, and that’s perfectly okay. Try a bunch of things, and you’ll (hopefully) work it out.

It took Luke a long time to figure out what he might actually do in the long term. He originally thought it’d be stand-up, but over a couple of years – and after a successful run of his show Luke’s Got Cancer at the Comedy Festival – he very much lost that momentum. At the same time, he was doing a bit of blogging, which gradually transformed into paid writing.

“I just started putting more and more energy into my writing because I was getting paid for it in the way that stand-up never did, because in stand-up you do your spot, and at best you’ll get, like, a drink token. So writing, to actually be getting even trace amounts of cash, I was like, ‘This is the best. I love writing’, and it just gently evolved over time.”

Luke still does comedy, as part of the sketch outfit The Lords of Luxury, but writing is the primary focus of his career.

“Again, I didn’t have any clarity up until that point – 26 or so – but I look back and across all the things I did do during my twenties, and I’m like, ‘Yeah. That was a nice varied bunch’.

I can at least say I tried a whole bunch of stuff and now I’ve come out with the thing that I seem to be best suited to.”

If you’re gonna cut it as a freelancer, you have to be across a lot of things, and open to new things as well.

Freelancing is hard, but it can also be fun. When you’re essentially working for yourself, there’s the freedom to do what you want. You write for who you want to write for (although that doesn’t necessarily go the other way) and you make as much as you put out, which is also scary because

The Internet / The World is huge, and for writing to be viable as a career, you’ve got to be across so much stuff – especially in the digital environment, where most freelancers start out.

“You have to just be ready to write, and ready to get into anything as well. And so you kind of have to have this fundamental degree of self-belief, that you can – given a topic – spin something interesting and funny,” says Luke.

“The world’s a big curious place. The best times in writing, is when someone’s paying you to investigate some fascinating thing, or talk to this fascinating person and get their story – that’s a really cool facet.”

And don’t just dismiss copywriting; it pays you real good dollars, and you can use it to fund the things you really care about. “… Like spending two-and-a-half years writing a book about cancer,” Luke tells me. Sure, copywriting isn’t exactly the most emotionally satisfying of labours, but that’s kind of where the money is. It’s an aspect of freelancing that’s often maligned (“probably unfairly”), but when it comes to the practicalities, you can’t be too picky. So it’s about striking a balance between producing something meaningful, and being able to pay rent to continue doing what you love – “using your skill as a craft rather than in art.”

Luke about the TV shows, music and books that he’s been enjoying lately: Watching…

• Broad City – one of the best comedies in the last couple of years.

• Review with Forrest Macneil – just nine episodes of pure excellence.

• Adventure Time – it’s one of those shows you just put on and everything’s gonna be okay; and it’s so well put together in so many ways, in both design and storytelling, and from a comedy standpoint.

Listening to…

• Lost in the Dream by The War On Drugs – unequivocally, my album of the year.

• Our Love by Caribou – the first single that came off that called, ‘Can’t Do Without You’, is my track of the year.

Reading…

• A Naked Singularity by Sergio de la Pava – very different and interesting and quite fun and infuriating, worth checking out.

“And in some ways, it’s very hard to be hoity-toity about your artistic practice in this day and age, because at some point you’re probably going to pen an article in desperation for an online site that will just involve cat videos, and is that really all that much better than writing copy for a cereal packet?”

Current Cultural Consumption Because there’s always time for fun distractions, I asked

Luke Ryan’s comic memoir, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Chemo, is out now through Affirm Press. More at lukeayresryan.com and @lukeayresryan on Twitter.

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VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX CLIMAX

SHOWCASE: ART

MELANIE KIM

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CULTURE / 45

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

Melanie Kim is a third year Visual Communication Design student. She likes to illustrate the daily things she encounters, places she goes and the people she meets​. She gathers inspiration from travelling, food, music, weird facts and stories.

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SHOWCASE: WRITING

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT WORDS BY ALISON WHITTAKER In tiny parcels come his first fingers. In a bundle wound once, twice, maybe three times with string come his feet – most of one and half of the other. I find the other half perched beside the torso in the miscellany box, and remind myself not to use Toll for my shipping needs anymore.

In tiny parcels come the first fingers, and I wait by the door until sundown to get the rest of him, but he never shows. The sun dips and laps at the horizon, a horse led to water only by inevitable, rolling time, its tongue pushed to the river by heavy, hot gravity. I should drink the tea lodged between my thighs, but I watch the sun swim and swim and of course, down the river it goes and then, rolling night.

In tiny parcels come the first fingers, but Toll have dropped one somewhere. I can’t believe I signed before I counted them all.

What the fuck can I do with nine fingers? Well, eight fingers and one thumb and one torso and miscellany and two halves of one foot and a whole foot. Do I have the legs – shit!

Yes, I have the legs.

In a bigger parcel comes the leaf, and in a bigger parcel comes the head, and in a bigger parcel comes the heart, and in a tiny parcel comes the hearth. The sun, rolling on, emerging wet and gasping from the river, casts itself at midday upon me heaving with a rasp and mortar, rasp and mortar, for the centre of the garden, I build him.

In a tiny parcel comes the stolen marble man, and his last finger comes from me.

Alison Whittaker is finishing up her Writing and Cultural Studies degree. That thing cost a lot of money. All she knows how to do now is write up creepy meta half-ideas.

CULTURE / 47

FREE

RAPID HIV TESTS Please tell reception if you want to book a Rapid Test

Sexual Health Check-ups See the specialists Show your Student Card and everything will be Bulk Billed.

www.tspc.com.au

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

NOW 98% FACT FREE

WORDS BY NICK LE’BACK An inquiry has been launched into the Australian electoral system after PUP Senator Jacqui Lambie let slip that she won her seat through a Paddle Pop promotion.

“I hate when people say that I didn’t have to work hard for my position,” Lambie told the press, as she jauntily flicked a turquoise scarf over her shoulder.

“Do you know how hard it is to get three Paddle Pop sticks that match up? Ask any kid; it’s a rare achievement. I ate nothing but Paddle Pops for three weeks.”

The Defamer’s investigations have unearthed a promotion run

by Streets in the lead up to the 2013 Federal election, in which

WORDS BY MYA BUTREEKS Over the past month the ActivateUTS board has been under pressure to register a new club for wankers. The founding members have pointed to the massive lack of under-representation for their ideas. Vocal wanker Richard Head said that the lack of a club for his kind of people “is stupid because you have all these people who don’t know what they’re talking

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candidates could secure their seat by collecting three matching Paddle Pop sticks. The competition details, which have since been removed from the Streets website, stated: “Three $ signs = Treasurer

about founding clubs that are glorified interest groups. You know what I find interesting? Interesting people. Shit man, you feel?”

When pressed on the principles his club would be founded on, Mr. Head said, “Life, like, real life. Not bullshit, you know? Nah I wasn’t asking a question bro.” Head went on to describe the kind of people who would be in his club as those who had “lived”.

DECEMBER 2014

Three cars = Transport minister Three penises = Prime Minister Mail your Paddle Pop sticks to Parliament House or log in online at www.government.com. gov.au.org.tone/metadata, but remember to get your parents’

permission first!”

This discovery has titanic implications for democracy in Australia. When The Defamer asked the Streets CEO, Paddle Pop Lion, how he possibly managed to rig an election, he simply pointed to the tiny triangle formed by the desk and his laptop lid. #Illuminatiforever There are signs that this corruption has infiltrated many other levels of politics. Rumours are circulating that the UTSSA election results were decided prior to the election in a heated game of Scissors, Paper, Rock. It is common knowledge that the Vertigo editorship passes to the team that calls “shotgun” first (no takebacks).

According to potential cofounder Mike Ock, UTS Wankers would have to care far too much about the way they dress, constructing outfits to consciously avoid trends and stereotypes so they don’t look like they’re trying to draw attention to themselves. Each member will have to have visited at least 10 European countries and not just “the ones white people care about”. Further, Ock revealed

that each member will also carry a vuvuzela to announce themselves before making comments in tutorials. “Everyone is tuned out by the time I’ve heard enough to contribute something worth saying. The vuvuzela is a cultural statement that will tell people they should get off their phones, that if they listen to what comes after they might just learn something.”

Ock had this comment to close with: “We’ll mostly just talk about travelling, how much better all the places you can travel to are than Sydney, trends we think are stupid, people we think are stupid, and the overall folly of society. If that sounds like something you hate then we hate you and you sound cool.”

ROOKIE’S GUIDE: SAYING NO

DESPITE FIRST ASSUMING THIS WOULD BE AN ARTICLE ABOUT ARTICULATION AND ACCENTS LARISSA BRICIS DID HER BEST TO GIVE YOU SOME TIPS ON WHEN TO CHILL OR BE CHILLED, ALL

BY SAYING “NAY”.

A visit to the UTS student acupuncture clinic the other week revealed that I’m a hyped-up ball of energy, running on a constant level of stress and disrupted sleep. “How would I rate my stress levels? Oh, I don’t know, I guess a seven or eight at best.” My answer was pretty honest, and one I couldn’t fault.

But it was not the right answer. A stress level of “seven or eight at best” elicited a furled brow and a judgmental “righhht” from the medical student.

It seems the compulsion to overcommit, to pen too many activities into sacred schedules plagues many (if not all) students. We need to learn how to say “no” when it’s in our best interest – and stand by it. Making time for yourself to stop and watch the world around you will help to prevent you burning out.

Saying no to your boss You’ve been insulted, asked to wipe baby vomit from the floor (shuddering as a little bit touched your finger), and dropped your packed lunch – all in one wonderfully chaotic shift. Then your boss, smiling like the friggin’ Cheshire cat, asks you if you’d please cover another shift – or four – this week.

Don’t say “yes” immediately. In fact, don’t say anything until you’ve had time to think. Do you realistically have the time for any more shifts? Have you slept at least twenty hours in the last three nights? Have you showered recently? If the answer to any of those questions is “no”, you should probably answer ‘no’ to your boss as well. No amount of money is worth more than your wellbeing.

Saying no to peer pressure Some people can function perfectly after three consecutive nights out; others struggle to stay awake after 8:00 pm. You know whether you’re the latter or the former, and you need to remember this when your best mate invites you out for another pub crawl. There are some times when you just have to – very politely – decline. Or, in the event of a particularly appealing offer, prioritise and negotiate. Just as Ron Weasley knew that his dear friend Hermione needed to “sort out ‘er priorities!”, so should you recognise the best option for you.

Next week works best because of that straight-from-hell law assessment? Say so. Don’t cave in just to make others happy.

Your friends will love you all the same, regardless of which day you meet up.

Saying no to distractions I’m loath to remind you, but you’ve got that degree thing to complete, which means lots and lots of assessments.

Probably quite soon. Like, very likely, right now. You need to say a very forceful ‘no’ to everything that isn’t a basic human need and simply focus on getting yourself through these hellish assessments and exams alive and well. Reducing your distractions (be they nights out, movie marathons or social media) will only be temporary, and will eventually lead to the sweet satisfaction of passing your subjects.

*Designers note: We asked someone to illustrate this article, but they said no because they were too busy with assignments. Above is a non-illustrator’s illustrated reenactment of the scenario.

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VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

GRAD’S GUIDE: FASHION

SOPHIE’S GUIDE TO #GRADLYF UTS FASHION GRAD SOPHIE CONNOLLY DROPS SOME ADVICE ON STAYING MOTIVATED, BEING WAY TOO PERSISTENT AND TURNING BEING A CHATTERBOX INTO A MARKETABLE SKILL. Why fashion?

I picked fashion because when I was at school, I looked forward to textiles and honed my creativity in on it, with pretty amazing results. I was featured in the HSC exhibit and went from there!

Who or what motivates you?

My own motivation is my main push. I really believe in doing everything to the best of my ability. Creativity unfortunately isn’t always that cut and dry, so it’s always good to get out and be inspired by things like architecture and natural wear and tear to major cities: urban landscapes, stripped back walls, etc.

Within your fashion and textiles degree at UTS, you majored in PR – what lead you to this decision and how do you see this skill set informing or assisting your career?

I chose to sub-major in PR to give my creativity a bit of standing and theory behind the practice. The sub-major gave me a great standing in Communications, which is really relevant to where I work now. I’m such a chatterbox, so it was great to hone in on this skill in a professional manner, and strengthen it to become a career objective.

What kind of projects or programs were you involved with while studying, and how have these helped you advance in your career?

The fashion degree at UTS is always pushing you to go as far as you can. I was fortunate enough in my honours year project to have won the Swarovski grant, whereby Swarovski Crystal sponsor a student, who can pick/choose/create with crystal

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as a medium. It was very exciting, because as a student, crystal is often out of the budget. I enjoyed working with the reflections, light and shadow... it really opened up a whole new design medium for me, pushing my style further.

What’s your interning record like?

I did six internships while I studied fashion. I didn’t do them to get a role, as the fashion industry is notorious for not hiring from interns. I did them to help me work out what environment and skill set suited my personality best. It helped guide me, but definitely still learning while I’m working! I landed the positions by being persistent. I emailed companies and kept pursuing. At the end of the day, I don’t think many people would turn down free work, let alone a persistent young worker!

Your work is beautiful – something Swarovski recognised when they awarded you a scholarship in 2012 – from where do you draw your inspiration and ideas?

Inspiration for me very much comes from our environment or the past. The Art Deco era is a favourite, it’s a bit darker and richer than other eras in my mind, as well as distressed urban landscapes, Moroccan tarnished colours... maybe that’s my next collection right there!

The theme of this issue is ‘climax’ – what do you envision as the pinnacle of your career?

The pinnacle of my career – I actually think it will be in five years time! Young and spirited, I’m hoping to push and break boundaries now, so that in five years, I’m managing people and directing them on the processes.

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

COLLECTIVES’ REPORT Post-graduate Report KATE ALWAY

Hi everyone, I’m proud to announce that the UTS Postgraduate Representative Union (PRU) has been launched!

We are a department of the Students’ Association, with our own Council of postgrads so we can run semi-autonomously.

We are already working on how to improve the uni for postgrads, as well as how to let you all know we’re here and encourage more people to get involved!

So whether you want to do something, or you want to get us to do something, get in touch at facebook.com/utspru or utssa. pg@gmail.com

Enviro Collective Report LARA PAIJMANS The Enviro Collective has been working on the Fossil Free campaign, which is asking the University to divest from the fossil fuel industry. We are concerned about the increasing impacts of fossil fuels on people and the environment and the role UTS plays in supporting these industries through financial investments. The University pumps money into fossil fuel companies, and they pump carbon emission into our atmosphere.

As part of the campaign, the Enviro Collective has organised a student referendum to ask students whether they think the university should divest. The referendum took place as part of the UTS SRC election ballots from October 20 – 22. We encourage, and hope, all students voted YES to DIVEST, to let the university know that we are calling for full divestment from the fossil fuel industry.

To avoid the worst of climate change, world leaders have agreed that we must stop temperature rise of more than 2°C. To achieve this more than 80% of he world’s fossil fuels must remain in the ground. This means that investing in fossil fuels is an economic risk because these investments are likely to become “stranded assets”. Given that the Aperio found that

removing investment from the top 200 fossil fuel companies affects risk by only 0.01%, it is investing in climate change that is the irrational decision.

Climate activists have marched in Canberra, protested and will continue to push for carbon regulation. But to win real legislative effects, we need to take the social license away from fossil fuel companies so that they can no longer dictate energy policy. Divestment is a way to both economically and politically marginalise the fossil fuel industry and to build a movement powerful enough to overcome the political clout of the industry.

Welfare Department Report JESS XU It’s been a year a big ideas – from affordable food initiatives to cheaper textbooks to free printing, stationery, and toiletries!

As we’ve mulled away on how exactly to bring the trickier visions to life, we’ve had a blast organising the beginnings of an emergency food project, a brilliant Scavenger Hunt, and weekly food liberation workshops (which are still going!)

Peer-to-Peer Tutoring is buzzing with many student tutors keen to help you through your studies! We are working to provide delicious $5 vegetarian meals every week. Cooking classes will also be trialled for launch next year.

The launch of the Cheap Eats project will happen on the UTS Students’ Association Facebook page – keep an eye out for tasty meals under $5! We also deliver (metaphorically) jampacked newsletters to your inboxes and newsfeeds, so get in touch!

By next semester, we will have a mobile cart of snacks, stationery, toiletries and goodies outside your next exam! If you’re keen to find out more or have ideas to share even over the summer break, join our Facebook group – search ‘UTSSA Welfare’. Take care of yourselves and each other, remembering Audre Lorde’s words – “caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.

FRINGE / 53

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

It’s that time of year again that students are being bugged left and right by this group or that group trying to get you to vote for them. Maybe it’s tempting to pull your jacket over your head and pretend it isn’t happening. I wouldn’t blame you. But remember – the people asking for your vote, many of them really care about you and your rights. They wouldn’t put themselves through all the drama otherwise. So please, I hope you voted, and thought hard about who you voted for; and for next year, try and be nice to the campaigners even if they’re annoying you. They’re human too!

In other university news, the Academic Board has discussed the new reform to a three ‘trimester’ year, which uni management is calling ‘balanced teaching periods’. It stalled at that meeting after vocal questioning by student representatives and staff – but if the management get their way we’ll see a three trimester year at the start of 2016. If you’re confused about how they can cut first and second semester down from 14 weeks to 11 without sacrificing quality, join the club. We’re asking the questions but we aren’t getting the answers we want.

In bigger news, the Senate is still stalling the Abbott government’s savage cuts to higher education. Students have been fighting hard on the streets and in the media and we’ve gotten the traction that has led to this stalemate. However sinking the destructive reforms that will see fees for some degrees increase by over $100 000 and slam students with a lifetime of debt will take more. That’s why we’re turning the fight to Vice-Chancellors – our upcoming National Day of Action will be hitting the grand champion of the reform, Michael Spence, VC at Sydney Uni. You’ll hear about it on our Facebook page at facebook.com/UTSStudentsAssociation Remember you can get involved by coming along to one of our collective meetings. We have: an Environment Collective for those who want to fight the devastation of our planet; a Wom*n’s Collective for wom*n-identifying students only; a

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Queer Collective for those who are sex and gender diverse; and Indigenous Collective for Indigenous students and many more – just check out our Facebook page and website.

Chris Gall Acting President UTS Students’ Association president@utsstudentsassociation.org

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

EDUCATION VICE PRESIDENT REPORT

SECRETARY REPORT

Hi there,

Hi all!

I’m currently the Acting Education Vice President, holding down the fort and keeping our Students’ Association and Education Action Group running. The final education national day of action for this year was on Thursday, 16th of October, where there will be not one, but two rallies! You can choose to go to one or both depending on your geographical location and time commitments! Hooray!

The first thing that should be mentioned is that you have a new Acting Secretary, me, Lauren Cairns. The reshuffling of roles has meant we have had a busy month or two at the UTSSA.

RALLY ONE: Parramatta Town Hall 11am start Followed by a ‘festival of dissent’ with bands, poetry slammers, speak outs, craft, and food.

RALLY TWO: University of Sydney Fisher Library 1pm start This rally will target USYD’s VC Michael Spence, and all other Vice Chancellors who support fee deregulation.

Good luck in your exams, congratulations to those graduating, and fuck fee deregulation.

Andie Yates UTS Students’ Association Acting Education Vice President education@utsstudentsassociation.org

Here’s what we have been up to: • The Secondhand Bookshop is in the beginning stages of upgrading their operational systems and their website.

This upgrade is occurring to increase functionality, and ultimately, make things easier for those who run the Secondhand Bookshop and the students that access this service. The SRC passed a 30% deposit for a web service developer to set this up for us.

• Providing financial assistance to students attending the Winter Activist Camp • Reimbursing the cost of maintaining the Vertigo Google Business Accounts • Approving collective spending.

• Approving payment to the designer of materials advertising the Scavenger Hunt and Post Graduate Representative Launch • Passing a motion to accept the Environment Collective’s request for a referendum to be held, asking students if UTS should end its investment in fossil fuel companies.

• Accepting the Acting Education Vice President’s and the Post Graduate Officer’s reports At our last SRC meeting we also passed a motion to thank Andy Zephyr for their service as President of the UTS Students’ Association and their ongoing commitment to the welfare of students at this university, which was carried unanimously.

I wish you all well in your academic adventures and educational endeavors for the rest of the semester.

Lauren Cairns Acting Secretary UTS Students’ Association secretary@utsstudentsassociation.org

FRINGE / 55

VERTIGO

ISSUE NINE: CLIMAX

UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

INCOME STATEMENT BALANCE SHEET YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2013 AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2013 REVENUE Funding Orientation Member subscriptions Interest received Sundry income Bookshop sales Vertigo advertising

EXPENDITURE Bluebird Breakfast Grants Bookshop Education Vertigo Magazine Clubs & Collectives SRC Orientation Legal Service

Profit/(Loss) before tax and dep’n

2013 $

2012 $

1 054 709 2 550 709 71 682 157 633 23 112

1 200 000 1 900 1 346 91 046 809 194 300 21 720

1 310 395

1 511 121

91 581 40 000 379 143 325 211 90 807 122 048 72 584 25 029 200 226

76 733 40 000 288 997 221 959 56 101 87 701 73 217 26 109 178 893

1 346 629

1 049 710

(36 234)

461 411

2013 $

2012 $

CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents Trade and other receivables

2 538 581 44 540

2 434 158 38 157

Total Current Assets

2 583 121

2 472 315

NON-CURRENT ASSETS Property, plant and equipment

26 378

8 471

Total Non-Current Assets

26 378

8 471

2 609 499

2 480 786

CURRENT LIABILITIES Trade and other payables Short term provisions

160 388 44 184

57 784 16 591

Total Current Liabilities

204 572

74 375

NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Provisions

43 498

8 748

Total Non-Current Liabilities

43 498

8 748

248 070

83 123

NET ASSETS

2 361 429

2 397 663

EQUITY Retained earnings

2 361 429

2 397 663

TOTAL EQUITY

2 361 429

2 397 663

TOTAL ASSETS

TOTAL LIABILITES Income Tax Profit/(Loss)

56 / FRINGE

(36 234)

461 411

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