Hello Dolly! Annabelle gets more laughs than scares. >> Pg. 5
thegazette
TODAY high 11 low 7
Spooning with Bradley since 1906
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014
WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE
Swipe left for racism: Race, attraction and online dating @JennaAtGazette
In a fast-paced society that relies on the Internet for so many things, it is not surprising that online dating has become so popular. Dating websites and apps like Plenty of Fish, OkCupid and Tinder require only a photo and short biography so that users can quickly and efficiently decide if they have found a potential partner. In the past few years, researchers have become interested in the relationship between race and attraction, hoping to understand why people find certain races to be the more attractive. In a controversial study published on September 10 by OkTrends, research was collected from OkCupid users to determine how race and attraction function in online dating. OkTrends found that black people and Asian men received generally lower ratings than people from other racial backgrounds. While many controversies exist surrounding the question of race and attraction, it is true that people often race into consideration when deciding if someone is attractive. “Even though we like to pretend we’re ‘colour blind’ it’s impossible to recognize someone, to see
VOLUME 108, ISSUE 22
Alleged “Western creeper” charged
>> FEATURE
Jennafer Freeman ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR
TOMORROW high 13 low 5
someone as another social being and not simultaneously see their gender, their race, their hair colour and potentially signifiers of class,” says Women’s Studies professor Jessica Cameron. Psychology professor Samantha Doralp agrees despite the fact that it’s not something people like to admit. “I would say that race does play a factor,” says Doralp. “But if you were to ask people explicitly they would say no.” It is even evident in the classrooms at Western that race is clearly something students think about when thinking about a future partner. Professor Wendy Pearson of the Women’s Studies department relates that in her class, “Intimate Relations: Sex, Gender and Love,” a guest lecturer asked students if they would consider marrying someone from a different race. “About half the class put their hands up and said they wouldn’t consider it,” Pearson notes. Although race does play a role in attraction, OkTrends is quick to point out that this statistic does not mean that users are racist. According to Pearson it is a lot more complicated. Pearson emphasizes that there are many different factors playing into attraction and explains there may be cases when someone simply falls in love and the question of race
could be completely irrelevant to them. Pearson also notes, however, that for some people race does become a factor, as there is an exoticization towards people of another race. “That becomes particularly problematic say in examples of our culture, by-in-large white people have more social power than people of colour do and white people are exoticizing people of colour and treating them as sex objects on that basis,” Pearson notes. Professor Nigel Joseph, who teaches “Reading Popular Culture” at Western, agrees with Pearson to some extent. Joseph notes that he has taught some classes where race is a significant factor but it works in two different ways. “On the one hand other races may appear as exotic and attractive because they are different but at the same time there’s distancing and revulsion — in the very same person you can find both of those attitudes,” Joseph explains. Joseph explains that a classic example would be a white male who would claim to be very turned on by an attractive black woman but would continue to be racist in general terms. Cameron agrees, saying that fetishes allow for a mixing of racist attitudes and attraction. >> see DATING pg.3
London Police Service have charged 49-year old Walter Figueiredo with 14 counts of voyeurism in connection with a series of incidents of a man recording students through their windows. Figueiredo was arrested on Monday in relation to an investigation into trespassing around Richmond St. and Cheapside St. He was initially charged with six counts of trespass by night. The charges of voyeurism were laid after complaints of an individual using a hand-held camera to film inside the bedroom and bathroom windows of female occupants were linked to him. The LPS conducted a search warrant for his vehicle and southeast London residence, as well as the camera he had when he was arrested, said constable Ken Steeves, media relations officer for the LPS. The man in the reported incidents became commonly known as the ‘Western Creeper’ due to the complaints taking place in student off-campus housing from outside the Richmond gates up to King’s University College. The incidents stretch back all the way to October 2013 and continue until the day of his arrest on September 29. “Through the gathering of the evidence we were able to identify five victims,” Steeves said. He added that some of the victims had no idea they were even being recorded. John Carson, director of Campus Police, reminded students to remain vigilant at night, especially when travelling alone. Reports of suspicious activity would encourage the police to increase patrols in a certain area. “It’s always important to not only be vigilant but if you see anything that is disturbing or appears to be inappropriate in any way that it gets reported,” he added. • Katie Lear
Inside
•••
October Mayor Madness: Arnon Kaplansky
• P3
Ward 6 Candidate Profile: Mike Bloxam
• P3
Students offer affordable meals to homeless
• P3
Worst things about Thanksgiving dinner
• P5
More to dating than just race • P6
2•
thegazette • Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Caught on Camera
CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer Midori Kuwahara • GAZETTE
WHAT’S POPPIN’? Hand popped kettle corn lures Western appetites in with its sweet, sweet scent. Popcorn works as a great midterm study snack!
News Briefs
Campus parking woes
The lack of parking space across campus has become a major issue this academic year. The campus expansion has continued with the opening of Ontario Hall residence and the new Richard Ivey School of Business building last year. Construction is also set to start on a new building that will house the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing and the Faculty of Information and Media Studies. Western’s student body has also continued to grow with the
4 Pizzas MEDIUM
2 toppings on each 2 FREE Dipping Sauces
$
19
99
university welcoming its largest incoming batch this year. “The amount of land we have on our campus is finite. So over time we’ve displaced parking spaces [for buildings] at the same time that there is greater demand for parking,” said Gitta Kulczycki, vice-president resources and operations. Temporary action taken to add parking space includes an impermanent lot expansion at the South Valley Parking Lot. In terms of long-term planning an application has been submitted to the city to add more parking spaces near Westminster Hall. According to Kulczycki, a multilevel parkade will most likely need to be built somewhere on campus. However, with expansion plans come expenses. “Parking is an ancillary operation which must self-finance lot construction and maintenance,” she said. “As well as all of their operating expenses and also makes an important financial contribution to university operations.” Kulczycki expressed that a strong transit system is a major solution that would enable fast and reliable access to campus and decrease the need for personal vehicles and increased parking space. • Rita Rahmati
Western alumnus wins undergrad award
More coupon savings in the Westernizer!
519.438.9999 Delivery from 11am daily 3-169 Wharncliffe Rd. S •••
www.pierospizza.ca
Solution to puzzle on page 8
Western graduate Milani Sivapragasam has been named on eof the international winners of The Undergraduate Award in the medical sciences category. The awards committee, which is based in Ireland, recognizes exceptional undergraduate work from students all over the world in 25 different academic categories. Each award is presented to one domestic and one international student. Sivapragasam is aware of the role her education at Western played in her success. “[Western] provided the professors and good mentorship to direct my learning. So obviously they have just as much a part to play in this as I do and my own work ethic does,” she said.
She added that her supervisor, Dr. Trevor Shepherd, had been a significant factor in her victory. “I would want to thank my supervisor Dr. Trevor Shepherd because he took me into his lab as a first-year and really invested a lot into my training and intellectual growth,” Siva pragasam said. Eleven other Western students were included in the ‘highly commended’ category in various sections. The award is being presented to the recipients in Dublin on November 19, and the overall winner will be published in the Undergraduate Awards Academic Journal. • Jonathan Hermina
Western places 248 in Times’ rankings
Western University was ranked 248 in the annual Times Higher Education World University Ranking. According to Keith Marnoch, the director of media relations at Western, this report illustrated that the university landscape is a competitive one and showed Western’s efforts in improving the university’s performance. Over the past four years, its scores for international outlook and citations have been improving steadily, while the scores for research, teaching and industry income have fluctuated. Other Canadian universities have been slipping in the rankings. Only the University of Toronto has maintained the same rank as it had last year—it continues to be ranked 20 in the world. “With internationalization as one of Western’s big picture priorities, we do keep our eyes on how and what other universities are doing to position themselves favourably on the world stage,” Marnoch said. The other Canadian universities in the top 200 include the University of British Columbia, McGill, McMaster, the University of Montreal, the University of Alberta and the University of Ottawa. • Diana Varyvoda
Write for us
to volunteer contact iain@westerngazette.ca
The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. © 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.
•3
thegazette • Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Canada’s blood reserves in the red
Courtesy of Mike Bloxam Courtesy of Arnon Kaplansky
This is the fifth of fifteen mayoral candidate profiles. Name: Arnon Kaplansky Phone: 519-679-2512 Email: arnonkap@hotmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/kaplansky4mayor Twitter: @ArnonKaplansky Website: www.arnonkaplansky.ca
This is the second of seven profiles of the candidates for Ward 6, which encompasses the university and the surrounding student housing. Name: Mike Bloxam Phone: 519-518-2273 E-mail: mike@bloxam.ca Web site: bloxam.ca Twitter: @Mike_Bloxam
ABOUT THE CANDIDATE:
ABOUT THE PLATFORM:
ABOUT THE CANDIDATE:
The slogan frequently used in Kaplansky’s campaign has been “cutting the red tape,” and this candidate certainly knows a lot about red tape. A developer, Kaplansky is best known for the creation of what have been called the Towers of Spite — the unattractive buildings at the corner of Huron Street and Audrey Avenue. Due to uncompromising regulations from the city, Kaplansky was unable to develop the property the way he had initially planned and put these structures there as a reminder of that frustration. Now, he runs for mayor with the goal of eliminating such conflicts between city hall and business owners. Emphasizing his business experience, Kaplansky presents himself as a candidate who can get to work immediately — managing budget concerns and facilitating efficient performances from city council.
In his platform, Kaplansky targets five primary concerns. These include taxes and spending, city services, licenses and permits, jobs, growth and accountability. For taxes and spending, Kaplansky plans to cut the redundancies in city hall budgets. More streamlined and understandable budgets is also an element of his accountability point, with elected officials and senior staff staying true to their commitment to the city. Licenses and permits should be issued without delay in order to stimulate growth and the economy, he said. After Kaplansky’s own struggle, support for London business should be significantly improved. This will not only benefit existing London business infrastructure, but will also attract new fields of work that can engage both current residents and graduating students.
Mike Bloxam was born and raised in London, where he presently runs his own business. Bloxam is educated in computer science from the University of Waterloo and has dedicated much of his time to volunteering, including 15 years with the London Food Bank. Bloxam is currently on the advisory committee for the environment at City Hall.
through such avenues as research and innovation, business and workers, arts and culture and mobility. Highlights include improving the city’s collaboration with Western and Fanshawe. Sustainability – Bloxam strives for decisions to equally take into account economic, community and environmental issues.
Blood reserves are running dangerously low, according to the Canadian Blood Services. “It’s not because there’s an increased demand for blood,” Michael Betel, the director of donor relations for South-Central Ontario explained. “We just used to get a lot more walk-ins. [Now] there’s a lot of appointment cancellations … and people not showing up for their appointments at all.” “This year alone, 199,000 people missed their appointments entirely,” he continued. Why is attendance so low? “People are busy with their personal and private lives — they have other priorities. Ultimately, we’re not top of mind — and we should be,” Betel said. According to Betel, every car accident — the most common sort — requires 50 units of blood. Fiftytwo per cent of Canadians will need or know someone who needs blood. The Canadian Blood Services needs 17,000 units of blood every week. “We’re at the point where we have a three-day supply of blood, and we really require a five to eightday supply,” Betel said. Students are critical in the blood donation effort. “We count on the universities heavily,” he added. “It’s incredibly important for students to come forward … especially at this time of year.” Mobile donation clinics will be at Western on October 23, 27 and 28 this year; the clinics are on the second floor of the UCC, in the Community Room, open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, and students as well as staff can book an appointment by visiting www.blood.ca or calling 1-888-2-DONATE. • Richard Joseph
ABOUT THE PLATFORM:
Bloxam’s platform rests on three pillars: integrity, prosperity and sustainability. Integrity – Bloxam maintains that Londoners have lost faith in city officials and aims to be open, accountable and accessible, including hiring an integrity commissioner. Prosperity – Bloxam wants to encourage economic growth
Healthy dollar dinners London Promotes Health and Wellness, a local charity initiative by Western students, has launched weekly dollar dinners to provide low-income youth and families with nutritious low-cost meals. LPHW is a grassroots initiative of LIFE*SPIN — a local London charity located in the Old East Heritage District. According to Rachna Sharma, a Western student and co-founder of LPHW, a growing issue in the community has been the increased consumption of low-cost, unhealthy meals. “Dollar dinners’ activities consist of a small cooking workshop and dinner at the low cost of $1.50 where participants are shown how to cook basic, low cost, healthy
meals,” Sharma said. The workshops cover a variety of themes including healthy baby food and healthy meals for diabetics. The recipes are later posted on the program’s social media accounts. According to Sharma, the response to the program has been good and emphasized that there are no weekly time commitments for volunteers. “We are currently looking for volunteers to help us deliver this program with the growing turnout,” she said. “We truly believe that they are the cornerstones for change especially in the not-for profit sector.” Volunteers are needed to assist with the setting up and cooking of the dinners and also to share their insights with the LPHW team and
the attendees. LPHW has planned and organized a number of other local community initiatives as well. These include Just For Us — a weekly discussion session for neighbourhood youth to talk about personal and societal issues. They also plan to provide home and living support workshops for individuals facing mental health issues. The individuals will be assisted with grocery shopping, laundry, getting haircuts, cleaning after themselves and other daily activities. The dollar dinners are held every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at The Gathering Place Church on Dundas and Ontario Street. • Hamza Tariq
Look here each Wednesday for special offers to Western students on health and wellness products and services from local businesses
4 •
thegazette • Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Find a user
Profile Settings Sign out Join A-List
Browse Matches Messages
2
0%
0%
Match
Enemy
Send a Message
Rate her profile
arts&life
More options
Visitors Quickmatch
Online Now
You might like Answer questions to unlock Answer
50
Answer
75
About
Photos
The Two of Us
Racism in online dating a complex issue >> DATING continued from pg.1
Recently visited
Personality
“On the one hand I don’t think that desiring somebody of a particular race is necessarily racist and I think that’s because all desire operates through some kind of fetishism,” Cameron explains. Cameron believes it is natural to have certain fetishes for particular physical markers — whether focused on gender, race, eye colour or any other physical qualities. Since it’s natural to have certain fetishes, this would mean that racial preference is politically neutral. “However racial fetishism always exists within colonial histories of white supremacy and it continues to exist in dynamics of systemic racism,” Cameron explains. “So we can’t say that racial preferences of any kind, whether it’s for the same race or for a different race, is politically neutral.” “I would say that the most common fetish is gender, and all of us engage in that kind of fetish, where we prefer somebody of the same gender or different gender,” she adds. However, not everyone believes that gender is the first identifier that people see. “I just read an article which said we actually
Interested? Go ahead...
register racial identity much quicker than gender by looking at the way our pupils dilate when we recognize people around the room,” comments Joseph. Although there are competing views concerning which fetish is most prominent, race is considered a common fetish. Fetishes for certain races are displayed through the media and have an effect on how students view racial preferences. “I think if you come from a predominantly white society that is exposed to white media then you’ve never developed preference for anyone else,” says third-year MIT student, Sheba Birhanu. Birhanu, who is the promotions officer for the Black Students Association, explains that the media often portrays a certain ideal when it comes to dating. “When you see a woman of colour finally get into a position of power on a TV show like Olivia on Scandal or Mindy on The Mindy Project, all the men they date are white often blonde and blue eyed males,” explains Birhanu. “So to see in the media women you identify with always date men like that is sometimes a little weird.”
Compounding the problem of portrayals of race in media is the fact that we live in a society that is white-focused. “Especially when you’re in an environment that is predominantly white, like Western, it’s kind of hard to step back and reconsider your decisions,” says Birhanu. Sometimes preferences are determined by intentions when it comes to online dating. If someone is looking for a quick hook up, attraction is likely going to be more important to them than personality and so race would come into question. However, if someone is using these websites in order to find a potential partner, it’s possible they might care less about a person’s race and more about their character. Joseph observes that much of online dating is focused upon the words included in a message and that it is theoretically possible for a person to be attracted to someone due to the content of their messages. While there may not be one answer to explain how race factors into attraction, racial preferences exist and that those preferences will take shape in how people behave on online dating sites. Swiping right or left may say a lot more about people than we think.
Send her a message
Graphic by Mike Laine
30,000 acres of Canadian wetland are destroyed by human activity each year. Help us protect what’s left.
longpointwaterfowl.org
•5
thegazette • Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Essentials > Worst part of Thanksgiving dinner with the family
HAVING TOO MUCH MONEY
SUCCESSFUL RELATIVES
INTOXICATED FAMILY MEMBERS
MASHED POTATOES
TURKEY CURRY
It’s crucial to remember to place the salad fork to the left of the dinner fork. Wait, the dinner fork goes to the right … maybe the left. Ugh. It’s a real drag when the butler is so preoccupied with arranging the potpourri in the cornucopia that he forgets to properly position the cutlery. Being rich makes Thanksgiving a filthy mess. The whole point of having a chalet at Mt. Tremblant is to avoid the family, so spending an entire meal with Mom, Dad and those other people is a punishment fit for second-degree murder. Osteria Francescana makes the best turkey anyway — the chef at home could never compare. Even dollar bills can’t wipe away the tears. So what if there’s a long weekend — tell that to someone who thanks gives a shit. • Conrad Floryan
As you’re nearing the end of your university career, family gatherings become more and more dreaded. The inevitable “so what are your plans after you graduate?” will be directed your way an uncomfortable amount of times. If you don’t have a plan you’re screwed and if you do actually have a plan – let’s say you’re thinking of living your dream and getting into the field of journalism – this surely will not be enough. Just as you begin to launch into your elaborate plan, your overachieving cousin who just wrote the MCAT will slide on in and you might as well have just said you plan to work at Wal-Mart for the rest of your life. But hey, at least there will still be mashed potatoes. • Jennafer Freeman
Enter the druncle: thricedivorced, no sense of personal space and already on his fifth glass of Reisling. You’ve reached that unfortunate age where he feels he can speak to you like an adult, so suffocating in an aura of cigarette smoke and emotional instability, you listen to his increasingly unlikely tales of sexual prowess. “Really! A hot air ballon? Whipped cream! My goodness.” You nod politely and push your plate decisively away. Undeterred, he speaks on through a mouthful of pumpkin pie. Your mother’s sidelong glances confirm a suspicion you’ve always had — you’re just there to keep his attention from the rest of the family. Resigned, you settle down to your role as human distraction. Maybe he’s not so bad — after all, without him, Thanksgiving would be about as exciting as a root canal. • Richard Joseph
Thanksgiving is a marvellous time in first term during which we can visit with-old family and friends but more importantly, eat quality food. After spending September surviving on fast food and weekold leftovers, you, the starving student, can eat something that does not only resemble food but also has the quality of homecooking. The turkey is splendid, the cranberries are divine, the yams are to die for but then you get to the cream of the crop: the mashed potatoes. There’s a lump. You shake it off. Clearly the masher missed a spot. There’s another. And another. You make a begrudged comment and suddenly the room explodes into finger pointing and shouting. It finally ends when your cousin’s eyeball ends up in the gravy and somebody eventually decides to call the ambulance. • Brent Holmes
Thanksgiving weekend has finally arrived and you come home expecting the smell of a turkey roasting in the oven and gravy on the stove — but not at the Jay household. No, the smell of spices linger on the porch and hits you in the face as you enter the door: cayenne, paprika, turmeric, cumin — behold, the turkey curry. Instagram fills with pictures of giant turkeys sitting as the centrepiece of the dinner table, but this proves to be difficult as diced Turkey pieces surrounded by the brown curry isn’t quite as picturesque Turkey glazed with gravy. However, doing Turkey with a South Asian twist is the only way I’ve known how, with even the mere mention making my mouth begin to water — so bring on the curry with a side of Turkey. • Jenny Jay
>> IN THEATRES: ANNABELLE
>> ON THE SHELVES: WAKING UP
Sam Harris provides a stirring read Richard Raycraft MANAGING EDITOR GGGGF Author: Sam Harris Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Dolled up tripe fails to scare Rebecca Kraus CONTRIBUTOR
GGFFF Director: John R. Leonetti Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, and Alfre Woodard Let’s face it — the incorporation of a menacing doll into any film of the horror genre often ensures cult classic status. Although they may lack a plot of any substance, the Chucky series, Child’s Play and Magic have all been watched and re-watched years after their theatrical releases. In the prequel to 2013’s supernatural horror film, The Conjuring, Annabelle makes a failed attempt at joining the list of treasured scary movies with iconic murderous toys. Situated in the 1970s, the film follows main characters John and Mia Gordon, (Ward Horton and Anabelle Wallis, respectively) as they struggle to overcome a traumatic attack by two members of a demonic cult. What the couple does not recognize
is that their recently purchased baby doll is the instigator of all the episodic disturbances that follow. This less-than-original plot line is the framework for a series of mildly suspenseful scenes that often unintentionally evoke laughter amongst viewers. The ghostly child who spontaneously transforms into a vicious older woman, for example, makes for a more convincing Second City headliner than she does a villainous young lady. Additionally, as the elevator door closes on Mia for a fourth time while she tries to escape from the deadly Annabelle, viewers mistaken this purportedly horrific moment for a slapstick sitcom re-run. Although the film successfully engages viewers into the world of the helpless couple and their newborn baby, it is neither innovative nor realistic enough to properly scare thrill-seeking filmgoers. The film’s representations of evil forces seem like last minute, slapped together cartoon drawings, and the characters lack the development for
audience members to truly empathize with them. John and Mia Gordon fulfill the roles commonly attributed to a cliché and conventional man-woman romantic partnership, but they do not present viewers with any sort of identity that strays from this notion. While John leaves Mia to go work, the latter sits at home knitting and awaiting his return. For a film of the 21st century hoping to find its place in the already repetitive world of horror classics, Annabelle does not stand out as anything that is new or different. Yet another mediocre movie about a wannabe Freddy Kreuger terrorizing a typical white American family, Annabelle cannot promise those in attendance much more than an evening of simple entertainment. While the film is not likely to stand the test of time, Annabelle, which drew in $37 million in its opening weekend, is a Halloween warm-up that will at least ensure a couple of laughs.
With a tide of godlessness slowly enveloping the West, millions are beginning to describe themselves as “spiritual, but not religious.” Author and atheist activist Sam Harris has long criticized such sentiments — witnessing a beautiful sunset is not a sign of your being spiritual — but in them he clearly sees opportunity. Harris is well-versed in the wisdom of the East. As a young man he dropped out of Stanford to travel to Nepal and India to become enlightened. He also has a Ph.D in neuroscience, and in his new book, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, Harris synthesizes these areas of expertise, and it makes for some damn good reading. Harris intention is clear: to introduce curious Westerners to spiritual practices. This ranges from meditation to psychedelic drugs to finding the right mystical guru. While rather short at around 200 pages, Harris touches all the bases clearly and concisely. The book is labeled as a guide but it really functions as more of an introduction, as Harris encourages interested readers to take a more in-depth into the various topics. If you’re already intrigued by the prospect of reducing stress levels, radically altering your traditional view of the self and exploring new forms of consciousness through dedicated practice — and possibly drugs — Waking Up can do a lot to motivate you. If not, it’s likely to
bore you. Though it’s written for a general and not an academic audience, it’s still focused on a specific type of reader. That being said, certain parts are likely to fly over the heads of most. The chapter on consciousness is downright confusing, too long and is placed too early in the book. Perhaps a lot of this is to be expected, as he is combining complex neurobiology and psychology with Eastern wisdom and packaging it for a casual Western reader with little exposure to either field. Still, the book could have used some further clarification at points. Waking Up is still a remarkable accomplishment. Fans of Harris who have read about his views on spirituality have tons to chew on here, and his mission in introducing us to a different way of seeing the world is a noble one. If you are at all interested in what it truly means to be spiritual, read this book!
6 •
thegazette • Wednesday, October 8, 2014
opinions
I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.
• Martin Luther King Jr.
Race shouldn’t Looks a latte like define racism, but it’s not relationships Breaking Brad
Bradley Metlin SPORTS EDITOR @BradAtGazette
There’s an epidemic that has been threatening campus recently — no, it’s not Ebola, but the menacing outbreak of the pumpkin spice latte. Getting it skinny or with the whip cream, it doesn’t matter. If you indulge in one of these handcrafted beverages from Starbucks, you will forever be labeled a “white girl.” I pretty much hear people brandished as a white girl everyday for various types of behaviour. Wondering where this label originated from, I began to question the phrase’s existence. I did as any good columnist would do and looked to a Buzzfeed list for “research.” What I discovered could be described as problematic. Here’s the thing, I don’t like to take on the role of the “political correctness police” and I understand that the word problematic is used ever so frequently in the age of Tumblr. With all that said, I came to the conclusion that using “white girl” is essentially bleaching what it means to be a stereotypical young woman. Things like having the ability to cite Mean Girls quotes, loving Ugg boots and going to yoga weekly are typical of every young person’s experiences. Or at least, they’re typical for those of a certain economic level. So essentially we’ve taken things that would be typical to everyone and labeled them things that are exclusively “white.” For some reason, going to get frozen yogurt — which I’m fairly certain everyone with taste buds loves — has
Your anonymous letters to life
been ascribed to white girls. Furthermore, there’s the implicit suggestion that enjoying a $5 latte is something exclusively in the realm of a white girl. When we think of what it means to be the stereotypical white girl, we ascribe a certain economic class. Would we do that for any other race of people? Perhaps what bugs me the most about this phrase being thrown around is those who get offended by it. It’s the same kind of people who cry “reverse racism.” I’d like to let you in on an inconvenient truth: you cannot be racist — nor “reverse racist” — towards a white person. The institutionalized nature of racism means those on top, i.e. white people, cannot be oppressed. To those who shrilly cry out, “stop calling me a white girl; that’s racist,” I challenge you. The things that are being ascribed as reason for your whiteness are not detrimental. You can afford to regularly consume $5 worth of caffeine, for example. What do you have to be offended about? At the end of the day, you can throw your Michael Kors bag onto your shoulder and walk away from the situation and get on with your life. But my Middle Eastern friend who is told to “go back to her own country” despite being born here — that’s the kind of attitude that will prevent her from getting a job. For my black friend who gets labeled “a mad black woman” — that’s the kind of attitude that makes people question her leadership ability. So drink your pumpkin spice lattes. You know what, you can even keep labelling others “white girls” for doing the things we would link to any young woman — or man for that matter. If you get offended, however, for someone calling you that, I suggest that you reevaluate your life and realize how good you have it. Oh, and don’t burn yourself on the hot foam.
Wacky Word
Wednesday
Dating comes in many different flavours. There are the high school sweethearts, the one-night stands, the on-again offagain couple and, occasionally, the interracial couple. It’s this last one that has become the subject of considerable research and interest in society. Despite all the progress our society has made in accepting a wide array of sexualities and relationships, interracial couples are still a major taboo among our peers. Part of the reason for this is that the media plays a large part in our cultural identity and it doesn’t help that there is a lack of diversity and a perpetuation of stereotypes in TV, radio, newspapers and the Internet. A good example is the show How to Get Away With Murder, which featured a black man going down on the female lead, and the immediate reaction on Twitter focused on their races. A scene played out with two characters of the same race would not receive such a reaction. Most people tend to stick to dating people within their own race — and that’s fine. When it comes to dating and attraction, it’s all about personal preference. There are more things than just the colour of someone’s skin involved in dating — usually, personality plays a major role. Someone who might not typically date outside their race could because they are not only attracted to them visually but attracted to their character. The problem is the reaction from someone’s family, friends and others, usually of the person’s own race, when they find out that they are dating someone of a different race. Among our own generation, the initial reaction is all too often an oblique reference or derogatory joke about the partner’s race. There seems to be an automatic interest and intrigue to the relationship just because the two people are of different races. While we likely won’t see the end of racism any time soon, recognizing interracial couples as legitimate and not only as an attraction based on race is an important step to societal equality. Furthermore, by saying no to all people of a certain skin colour based inevitably on stereotypes, you are blocking off a significant portion of the world’s population. Even if you don’t date someone from another race, there is a benefit to being as open-minded as possible. Race does play a part in attraction, but it shouldn’t be a defining feature for the people in the relationship and especially not the ones outside of it. • Gazette Editorial Board
Dear Life
Words that don’t exist in English but should:
Fika: Both a verb and noun in Swedish denoting the social institution of having coffee and sweets with family and friends. Similar to a “coffee break.”
Dear Life, Who thought it would be a good idea to let Bradley Metlin write for The Gazette? Dear Life, If you say you’re on varsity, I’m going to check the roster. Dear Life, Gazette needs to write more articles about varsity sports attendance. Having more McMaster fans on the student side than our own was amazing. Dear Life, Why is it that the USC president gets paid $40K for things I used to do in high school? Dear Life, What is the point of faculty sophs? I haven’t seen mine since O-Week, so I’m really not sure. Dear Life, As a grad purchase, I spent $208 on Mustangs football season tickets. I would have been better off burning the money and dancing on the ashes. Dear Life, Since when is it a big deal to swear in The Gazette? It is a student newspaper after all and, sadly, I don’t know of any student that doesn’t swear. Dear Life, Kevin Hurren is my spirit animal. [Editor’s note: Kevin, stop sending in Dear Lifes.]
Dear Life, I wonder if Kevin Hurren is single. His articles are so cool! [Editor’s note: Seriously though, stop. Go home, you’re drunk.] wgaz.ca/dearlife
thegazette
Volume 108, Issue 22 www.westerngazette.ca
Iain Boekhoff Big Spoon Brent Holmes Deputy Editor Richard Raycraft Managing Editor
Contact: www.westerngazette.ca University Community Centre Rm. 263 The University of Western Ontario London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial Offices: (519) 661-3580 Advertising Dept.: (519) 661-3579
The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.
Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff. To submit a letter, go to westerngazette.ca and click on “Contact.” All articles, letters, photographs, graphics, illustrations and cartoons published in The Gazette, both in the newspaper and online versions, are the property of The Gazette. By submitting any such material to The Gazette for publication, you grant to The Gazette a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to publish such material in perpetuity in any media, including but not limited to, The Gazette‘s hard copy and online archives.
Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Maja Anjoli-Bilic
Diana Watson
Gazette Staff 2014-2015 Christine Bonk, Sarah Botelho, Tabitha Chan, Jonathan Dunn, Spencer Fairweather, Conrad Floryan, Sam Frankel, Jennafer Freeman, Janice Fung, Stephanie Grella, Dorothy Kessler, Kevin Heslop, Jenny Jay, Nathan Kanter, Katie Lear, Emory Liu, Haida Liu, Winnie Lu, Cheryl Madliger, Sara Mai Chitty, Soheil Milani, Mackenzie Morrison, Robert Nanni Jr., Amy O’Kruk, Vidhant Pal, Lily Robinson, Morgann Sampson, Alex Seger, Tiffany Shepherd, Tristan Wu, Olivia Zollino
News Amy O’Kruk Hamza Tariq Katie Lear Olivia Zollino
Sports Bradley Metlin Nathan Kanter Robert Nanni Jr.
News-at-large Kevin Hurren
Photography Kelly Samuel Taylor Lasota Winnie Lu
Opinions Nusaiba Al-Azem Arts & Life Conrad Floryan Jennafer Freeman Jenny Jay
Online Megan Devlin
Graphics Jennifer Feldman Illustrations Christopher Miszczak Graphics/Video Mike Laine
• Please recycle this newspaper •
•7
thegazette • Wednesday, October 8, 2014
sports
saywhat? “I need to get in better shape, but I’m glad to be back.” • Penguins’ forward Evgeni Malkin on his possible return.
Rundown >> The Mustangs women’s softball team finished up their undefeated season last weekend, finishing at 21–0 • They defeated the Waterloo Warriors by scores of 12–0 and 9–1, ending the season in style.
NHL Season Predictions Richard Eastern
Nathan Western
Eastern
Bradley Western
Eastern
Western
1) Pittsburgh
1) St. Louis
1) Pittsburgh
1) Chicago
1) Boston
1) Chicago
2) Boston
2) Chicago
2) Boston
2) Anaheim
2) Pittsburgh
2) Anaheim
3) New York R.
3) Los Angeles
3) Tampa Bay
3) Minnesota
3) Tampa Bay
3) San Jose
4) Washington
4) Anaheim
4) Columbus
4) St. Louis
4) Montreal
4) Los Angeles
5) Tampa Bay
5) Minnesota
5) Washington
5) Los Angeles
5) Columbus
5) St. Louis
6) Columbus
6) Vancouver
6) Montreal
6) San Jose
6) New York R.
6) Dallas
7) Montreal
7) San Jose
7) Detroit
7) Dallas
7) Detroit
7) Colorado
8) Detroit
8) Colorado
8) New York R.
8) Colorado
8) Toronto
8) Vancouver
9) Florida
9) Dallas
9) Toronto
9) Nashville
9) Philadelphia
9) Minnesota
10) Philadelphia
10) Arizona
10) New York I.
10) Vancouver
10) Washington
10) Arizona
11) New Jersey
11) Edmonton
11) New Jersey
11) Arizona
11) New Jersey
11) Winnipeg
12) Toronto
12) Nashville
12) Philadelphia
12) Edmonton
12) New York I.
12) Nashville
13) Ottawa
13) Winnipeg
13) Ottawa
13) Calgary
13) Florida
13) Edmonton
14) New York I.
14) Calgary
14) Florida
14) Winnipeg
14) Ottawa
14) Calgary
15) Buffalo
—————
15) Buffalo
—————
15) Carolina
—————
16) Carolina
—————
16) Carolina
—————
16) Buffalo
—————
Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby Vezina Trophy: Carey Price Norris Trophy: Drew Doughty Prince of Wales Trophy: Boston Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Chicago Stanley Cup: Chicago
Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby Vezina Trophy: Tuukka Rask Norris Trophy: Erik Karlsson Prince of Wales Trophy: Pittsburgh Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Chicago Stanley Cup: Pittsburgh
Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby Vezina Trophy: Tuukka Rask Norris Trophy: Victor Hedman Prince of Wales Trophy: Boston Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Anaheim Stanley Cup: Anaheim
•••
•••
•••
Richard Raycraft
Nathan Kanter
Bradley Metlin
Hart: Sidney Crosby
I resisted the urge to choose a surprise underdog pick and went with my “Hart” on this one. Sid the Kid is unstoppable at the moment and looks set to scoop up the Most Valuable Player award for the second year in a row. What’s more, I think he’ll rack up another 100-plus points this season. Crosby and linemate Chris Kunitz have developed outstanding chemistry that makes the Penguin’s top line incredibly dangerous, and even if Evgeni Malkin doesn’t end up on his wing, it’s an offence that will be hard for any opponent to shut down.
Norris: Erik Karlsson
Okay, I’m letting my Ottawa Senators bias out in the open here, but I do honestly believe the Swedish defender will take back the Norris this year. The Sens offence is quite weak this season, and Karlsson will be expected to eat up the minutes and anchor the powerplay. Granted, he’s an offensively-minded defenceman and there have been accusations that his defensive play is lacking compared to other elite defenders. But I think the gravity of his responsibilities and his new role as captain will lead him to the Norris for the second time in his career.
Vezina: Tuukka Rask
First of all, Tuukka Rask is as flexible as an elastic band, which is just cool. Secondly, he has arguably the best team in the league, including titan Zdeno Chara, in front of him. After this season, Leafs fans – if they don’t already – will really regret trading him away. While I find it hard to see him beating last year’s numbers, I think he’ll stay consistent, and that means he’ll pick up the top-goalie award for the second straight season. Look to see the baby-faced goalie defend the title that’s rightfully his.
Stanley Cup: Pittsburgh Penguins
I really have trouble finding a chink in the Penguin’s armour. Their offence is absolutely outstanding as always, but especially the top line with Crosby, Kunitz and either Malkin or Hornqvist on his wing. The Pens are almost as good in every other area, however, with Marc-Andre Fleury returning between the pipes and a solid defence that includes Christian Ehrhoff, Kris Letang and Paul Martin. The big challenge will come from the Bruins, whose aggressive style of play and stronger defence may give the Pens a challenge. Still, look for the Penguins to hoist hockey’s holy grail.
Hart: Sidney Crosby
If you don’t think Sidney Crosby is the best player in the world, you’re wrong. Last year he won the scoring race by a whopping 17 points. Is he the most valuable player to his team though? If it were up to me, I would not vote Crosby as MVP because the Penguins would still be very good without him. In fact, over the past four seasons, Crosby has missed a total of 115 games and the Penguins have gone 69–36–10 during that span. I would vote for someone a team can’t win without, like Ben Bishop was last year for the Bolts. But that’s not how it works. When someone dominates as Crosby did last year – which he will again, if he stays healthy – then you can’t give the MVP to anyone else. Which is why im predicting the MVP will go Sid the Kid – again.
Norris: Victor Hedman
I suspect Erik Karlsson will lead all defencemen in scoring again, but his sub-par defensive play on a sub-par Senators team means he won’t win – and rightly so. So I’m going offbase here and predicting that Victor Hedman will take home his first Norris Trophy. The big Swede had a coming-out party last season posting 13 goals and 42 assists for 55 points – fourth overall for defencemen. I think what changes this year will be an improved Tampa team, mixed with a regression from Duncan Keith and Zdeno Chara. Also in the mix for the Norris will be P.K. Subban and Shea Weber.
Vezina: Tuukka Rask
Varlamov and Bishop both stood on their heads last season and neither will be able to repeat their stellar performances which is why I think the Vezina will come down to Rask and Price. Despite the Bruins loss of Iginla and Boychuk this off-season, the Bruins are still beasts of the east – a much easier conference. So my pick is Rask. He’s extremely athletic and very strong technically, plus his consistency is so good it’s scary. In 196 career NHL games, he has a save percentage of .928, which speaks for itself.
Stanley Cup: Anaheim Ducks
I’ve been a long standing believer that the Western Conference puts the East to shame. Most people figure the Kings and Blackhawks are the favourites and although the reigning champion Kings have virtually the exact same roster in tact, repeating will prove to be too tall a task. As for the Hawks, let’s just say I’m not a Corey Crawford fan. So my Stanley Cup pick is the Ducks.
Hart: Sidney Crosby
The pride of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia continues to dazzle hockey fans. Crosby was last season’s winner and — barring a major injury, which he has been prone to in the past — will likely repeat. His statistics really speak for themselves — he was the leading scorer, other players voted him the best player, etc. As a matter of fact, Crosby is such a foregone conclusion to win the Hart Trophy, it’s pretty difficult to write more about him.
Norris: Drew Doughty
Doughty is lights out when it matters, raising his game in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final and the 2014 Stanley Cup final. Sure, his raw offensive numbers have been mediocre, but the way the blue line is evaluated is changing. Analysts are beginning to look more critically at overall gameplay – especially for defencemen – rather than mere statistics, and Doughty does it all. He will likely never crack 55 points again – like he did 2009-10 – but he’s still considered one of the best defencemen in the game, and winning a Norris isn’t all about points, as Erik Karlsson can attest to. With Doughty constantly being in the conversation, this time is his year to finally win.
Vezina: Carey Price
Price has been long hailed as one of the best goaltenders in the NHL but he still has not managed to break through to win the Vezina Trophy. In terms of raw numbers, Tuukka Rask has performed better, but he just won last year. If Price ends up having a good year, there could be some rallying behind him to win the Vezina. Remember he did post 34 wins, a 2.32 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage last season, almost good enough more a nomination. That said, it would be hard for him to beat Rask so this is an inevitable dark horse pick if voters are feeling slightly sentimental.
Stanley Cup: Chicago Blackhawks
One will recall that last season the Blackhawks were ever so close to making it to the Stanley Cup final — where they would have all but certainly walloped the Rangers. Even without a strong second-line center, Chicago still managed to hold Los Angeles to the seventh game in overtime. Now, they return almost their entire roster and they’ve picked up Brad Richards, who — despite being on the last legs of his career — will add some depth to give the Blackhawks that last needed push to win a third cup in six years.
8 •
thegazette • Wednesday, October 8, 2014
The Good
The Ugly
The Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson saved his team from a nearly disappointing game against the Washington Redskins on Monday. As the Seahawks committed 13 penalties and almost gave up a 17-point lead, Wilson completed 18 of 24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. The quarterback rushed for 122 yards on 11 carries, achieving a personal career-high goal. Wilson’s performance was driven by some unbelievable combination of speed, agility and creativity in movement. His 122 rushed yards made for a Monday Night Football all-time record, thrusting him into a status of prestige as the fourth quarterback to pass for 200 or more yards with a touchdown and to score after rushing for 100 yards or more since 1970. Without these impressive feats, the Seahawks would have been lost in the red zone as two of their touchdowns were invalidated by penalties including a hold and a false start. Although Seahawks’ kicker Steven Hauschka finished the game with a 43-yard field goal, it was Wilson who truly brought it all together in the end.
Football and violence seem to be a too-conjoined topic lately. While National Football League running back Ray Rice beat his fiancée in an elevator, McGill University running back Luis-Andres Guiment-Mota was suspended for verbal and physical assault against his estranged wife. The best part of this all? McGill staff knew that GuimontMota had previously served jail time for the assault of a man in Quebec City, back in 2010. While we’re all for second chances, this doesn’t exactly set the greatest standard of expectations for players. McGill is informally known as Canada’s Ivy School equivalent and as such, we expected a stricter regime concerning academic entrances. The school is hardly an easy one to gain admission — and more so seeing as Guiment-Mota is in their well-known management studies program. Although temporarily suspended from the McGill Redmen team, the school is standing by their student as much as they can. While some might view this as honourable, it merely displays a truly questionable set of values for an educational institution.
The Bad Left-winger Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes has been once again rendered indefinitely sidelined by a headshot for a third straight year. Having lost 16 games two years ago and another five games in February 2013 to concussions, he will now lose another part of this season as doctors monitor his recovery. Skinner suffered an elbow to the face courtesy of Washington Capitals defensemen Matt Niskanen. The hit was unintentional, but this blow to the head is sure to negatively impact Skinner’s career. After losing centre Jordan Staal to a broken leg for about half the season, this second loss is nearly certain to make for a poor season for the Hurricanes. Though hardly a risk-free sport, the increased number of concussions and violence in the National Hockey League has opened the gateway to various mental and physical disorders. Though concussions may result in a poor season, Skinner’s repetitive concussions pose a larger long-term risk. Class_3x105_141008_GZ 10/7/14 7:53 PM Page 1
To place your classifed ad, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca
thegazette
classifieds
UPCOMING EVENTS
DANCE CLASSES AT DANCE STEPS- 275 Colborne St. between York and Horton Accessible by bus. Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop drop in or join a session. www.dancestepslondon.ca or contact us dance_steps@hotmail.com, 519-645-8515.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PUBLIC LECTURE
Western University’s Indigenous Services, Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Initiative (IHWI), and the Faculty of Education proudly presents
PUT YOUR SUDOKU SAVVY TO THE TEST! To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.
For solution, turn to page 2
DR. MICHELLE PIDGEON
UOIT Ridgebacks
Oh my goodness. The University of Ontario Institute of Technology is one of the newest universities in Ontario. Not just that but they’re also the first place to specify that you need to have a laptop to be enrolled at the school. You would think with such a forward-looking policy, UOIT would at least have a fresh logo — but you would be incorrect. The Ridgebacks don’t know what they want their brand to be. The typeface is old school. Think of the most stereotypical varsity jacket that you can think of — vanilla as shit — that’s the font UOIT chose to use. I’m embarrassed for them. If picking a crappy font wasn’t enough, UOIT decided to slap an angry-looking brown greyhound coming out of the “O.” I’m all for including canines on logos because why not? Who doesn’t love dogs? Everyone loves them. That said,
UOIT picked the most rabid looking dog possible. Not in an intimidating way either. UOIT should have looked to strike “stay away from that neighborhood dog because he’s mean” but instead, they decided on “what the fuck is wrong with that dog? Someone needs to put it down.” It has this weird lumpy, muscular looking thing going on. Also, the tail looks like an actual strand of shit. Have fun looking at the Ridgeback logo again, once I noticed the turd resemblance I couldn’t finish my breakfast sandwich. So UOIT — a progressive institution that requires all students to take an interest in technology — has an atrocious looking logo. Perhaps the designer had rabies and wanted to create a graphic representation of their malady? That’s the only excuse I’ll accept for this piece of shit. • Bradley Metlin
speaking on
INDIGENEITY IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 7:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
Community Room, Faculty of Education 1137 Western Road. Light refreshments will be served
RSVP by emailing: is.staff@uwo.ca by Monday, October 6, 2014 FREE parking is provided ARTS & HUMANITIES PRESENTS: The Coffeehouse and Silent Art Auction! On October 18th at 7:30pm, in partnership with St. Luke’s Anglican Church, we will be raising money for The Canadian Hearing Society (www.cha.ca/). The theme will be “Tapered Lips, Untapered Minds”, focusing on communication through artistic mediums. Come out for lots of food and drinks, entertainment and art! The whole event is wheelchair accessible, and if you would like to perform, contact mstorvol@uwo.ca WANT TO FLY? Soaring is the purest flight experience! Plus it is the most economical! If you are interested in getting a campus soaring club off the ground see tinyurl.com/oujy912 TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID BEING PHISHED 2. Visit banks' websites by typing the URL into the address bar. Phishers use links within emails to direct victims to a fake site. If you suspect an email is bogus, do not follow any embedded links within it.
ALL YOU CAN EAT! KOREAN BBQ & HOTPOT live, laugh, eat at 212 DEGREES!
519-452-0110 • 1180 Oxford St. E.