Woroni: Edition 13, 2014 by Woroni

THE LEGEND RETIRES

A DAY IN H O N G K O N G

LOVE.

E X C L A N P H S C A

U S I V U S O T N D A

E A O L

WORONI

S P O R T

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FEATURES

12-15

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SATIRE

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NEWS

ANU DIVESTS, 7 OCTOBER 2 0 1 4 - NO. 13, VOL 66 - WORONI.COM.AU - FACEBOOK & TWITTER

CAMPUS NEWS

DIVESTMAN SPEAK S

The Australian National University has made the decision to divest approximately 5.1% of its total equity holdings from seven companies that did not meet the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings specified by the Centre for Australian Ethical Research. The decision by the ANU is part of a movement away from fossil fuel investments, which has been undertaken by thirteen universities worldwide so far, including Stanford University. According to Fossil Free ANU, the reasons behind the divestment were primarily environmental. “[A]n independent review of ANU domestic equities undertaken by the Centre for Australian Ethical Research (CAER)… found that Santos, Iluka Resources, Newcrest Mining Limited, Sandfire Resources NL, Independence Group, Oil Search and Sirius Resources were the most socially irresponsible due to primarily environmental concerns.” This decision has been made following widespread protests by students in various forms. Divestman campaigned for presidency of the ANU Students’ Association to raise awareness of the issues surrounding fossil fuels and rallying support from students. Fossil Free ANU also held a referendum in August with the question “Should

TARA SHENOY

ANU stop investing in fossil fuels, such as coal and coal seam gas, which are the main causes of climate change and associated social injury?” 82% of students voted YES to ANU divesting from fossil fuels. The result of the referendum, however, was not referred to as a reason for ANU Council’s decision to divest. In response to a perceived lack of consultation by Vice Chancellor Ian Young, Fossil Free ANU presented a report to the ANU Council called Carbon Budget Consultation: Report to ANU Council. It included a petition, 52 written submissions, and statements of support from ANUSA SRC, NTEU ACT Division and ANU’s Environmental and Planning Committee. Josh Creaser also made a statement to ANU Council. “Many have acknowledged the risk to investors and the global economy of a growing carbon bubble – this includes the International Energy Agency, HSBC, Citi Group, ANU Professor (and former Liberal leader) John Hewson and an ex-Bush era Treasury Secretary.” Creaser further stated, “The rise of social movements and democratic organizing pose the single greatest source of risk to oil, coal and gas around the world.” Vice Chancellor Ian Young has said that 1

there should be an orderly transition from fossil fuels to alternative energies. “The reality is that this is a process that will take decades to occur.” According to GoFossilFree.org.au, we can only burn 550 gigatonnes of carbon emissions between now and 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change. However, the fossil fuel industry intends to burn 2860 gigatonnes of carbon emissions. Divestman has said that “As a superhero committed to environmental justice, I have one superpower: common sense. And common sense tells me that it is wrong for ANU to continue to profit from fossil fuel industries that are responsible for the wreckage of the planet. Today, ANU made a significant step forward in committing to stop its investments in Santos. But they still have investments in BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Woodside Petroleum, Wesfarmers. I hope they can take this as a starting point and an opportunity to take leadership in fighting for our future. Onwards to a fossil free ANU and a fossil free future!” ANU has previously approved a Socially Responsible Investment Policy (ANU) in November 2013. It states that ANU should not invest in companies “likely to cause substantial social injury.”

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

IN BRIEF

CONTENTS

No.13

No.13 CAMPUS NEWS

FEATURES

4. Gareth Evans’ IR Society Lecture - Waheed Jayhoon

9. Why Lecturers Should be Grateful to their Students - Dr. Kim Huynh

5. ISO vs ADFA

6. Labor Pair Stand Against Offshore Processing - Charlie Austin

6. Comment on the Iraq War 2014 - Anonymous

18. A DAY WORKING AS A ‘FIFTY-CENT-ER’: A Satirical Piece on ‘Occupy Central’ in Hong Kong -ANONYMOUS

SPORT

25. Travel: The Driest Place on Earth - Georgia Plummer-Quinn

22. The Rugby Championship 2014 -Zach Mackey 24. Derek Jeter: A Legend Retires -Joshua Chu-Tan

EDITORIAL BOARD

Woroni is published on the land of the Ngunnawal people. We respect elders past and present and recognise that the sovereignty was never ceded. Advertising inquiries and submissions can made at: advertising@woroni.com.au

S TA F F Dallas Proctor - Bookkeeper Olivia Kelly - Administrative Assistant

TUESDAY

ANUSA Mental Health & Wellbeing Week

MELC: Islam and the Headscarf Panel Discussion, 6:00pm @ Law Link Theatre

Menslink Talk, 2-3pm @ Student Space

SATIRE BY SATYROS

22. Both Suffering From Shellshock -Thomas Antioch

WEDNESDAY 8

Arts Revue 2014, 7:30pm @ Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre

Free Co-Op Lunch @ Union Court

Basic Self-Defence Class, 4-5pm @ ANU Sport

26. GIG GUIDE

Editor-in-Chief - Tara Shenoy Deputy Editor-in-Chief - Ross Caldwell Managing Editor - Alex Catalan-Flores Editor - Jacob Ingram Editor - Janis Lejins Editor - Polly Mitton Editor - Beatrice Smith Editor - Abigail Widijanto

Phone: (02) 6125 9574 Shop 15, Lena Karmel Building 26 Barry Drive, Acton 2601

(Image supplied by M.Turnbull MP)

MONDAY

LIFE & STYLE

20. “Allelujah! Don’t Divest! Invest!” - Léon Walrus & Barbara Denser

- John Casey

17. (Ex) Lesbian Boyfriend - Isabel Mudford

WORONINOMICS

26. Eat, Sleep, Pingers, Repeat? Listen Out 2014 - Mitchell Scott

SUB-EDITORIAL TEAM

Lead News Correspondent - Nina Haysler Lead News Correspondent - Sophie Yates Features Sub-Editor - Alice Zhang Comments Sub-Editor - Ben Stilling Arts & Reviews Sub-Editor - Hugo Branley Arts & Reviews Sub-Editor - Anna Dai Science Sub-Editor - Grace Elkins Life & Style Sub-Editor - Christina Rae Sports Sub-Editor - Josh Chu-Tan Head of Photography - Em Roberts Head of Videography - Matt Solomko Radio Sub-Editor - Giordano Borzuoloa Radio Sub-Editor - Ellen Stokes Radio Music Coordinator - Isaac Dugdale Managing Assistant - Mitchell Scott

FRIDAY 10

WORONI RADIO LAUNCH PARTY, 8:00pm

@ CHOP SHOP

Petting Zoo 11am3pm @ Union Court Universal Lunch Hour 11am-1pm @ Union Court Arts Revue 2014, 7:30pm @ Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre

28. MORONI E

THURSDAY

ANU Womens’ Department’s Sadie Hawkins Ball, 8:00pm @ Unipub

Outdoor Lunchtime Yoga, 12-1pm @ University Avenue Grassy Area

SATURDAY 11

WORONI WEEKEND! 9AM - 5PM @ WORONI

Graduate Studies Information Evening, 4-7pm @ University House

Australian Indigenous Entrepreneurial Leadership Seminar, with Michelle Evans & Ian Williams, 12:30-2:00pm @ Hanna Neumann Building

OKTOBERFEST, from 12:00pm @ ANU Bar

Singapore Students’ Association AGM, 6:00pm @ MCC

ANU BOAT CLUB GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION, 6:30PM @ Hyatt Hotel

HKSS X ASEAN X TSA Glow in the Dark Party, 7:00pm @ University House

SUNDAY 12

ANU Anti-Poverty Week: Sleep Out @ Union Court

Arts Revue 2014, 7:30pm @ Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre

Woroni is printed by Capital Fine Print.

Lateline was shit anyway.

16. Relationships: One Christian’s Perspective - Eleanor Kay

25. Two Haikus for Refugees -Mizuna Kudo 25. Horoscopes -The Retrograde Mystics

REVIEWS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

15. Not So Straight

MALCOLM TURNBULL

For being so unyieldingly spectacular and gorgeous and reminding us that all human endeavour is ultimately futile and that one day we all must die.

14. Long Distance: Achievable or a Myth? - Ginny Harding

CREATIVE WRITING

19. Thailand After the Coup - Suppanut Pongthavornpinyo

13. How’s Ya Love Life Goin’? - Camilla Patini

19. Out of Left Field. - Nikita Holocombe

WORLD

12. Lexicon on Love in Greek - Tom Chen.

18. Fashion In The Field - Satorial Symptoms of Listen Out 2014. - Mitchell Scott & Emma Holland

COMMENT

WORONI FEATURES

FASHION

6. ANU Academics & ISIS - Anna Kaufmann.

Thank You

FUCK YOU SUNSETS

LOVE.

10. Emma Watson is not Revolutionary - Alice Zhang

- Lizzie Storror

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

CAMPUS NEWS GARETH EVANS’ INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SOCIETY LECTURE CAMPUS NEWS After giving a lecture earlier this year in August for the International Relations Society 10th Anniversary Breakfast, the Chancellor and Honorary Professorial Fellow of the ANU Gareth Evans returned to give a similar lecture once again for POLS1006, a Global Contemporary Issues class. Although known for his significant contribution to domestic politics, in a number of different capacities – most notably as Foreign Minister from 1988 to 1996 – his work was just as relevant on an international scale after leaving office. From 2000 to 2009 Evans was

WAHEED JAYHOON the president and CEO of the International Crisis Group, an organization that had a substantial impact in providing early intervention and mediating conflict in Darfur, Ethiopia, and Sudan. He also co-chaired the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, an endeavor that was supported by the Canadian government to address the issue of mass atrocity crimes. His involvement with this commission was the main source of inspiration for his talk.

global events in the last 30 years required a shift in international thinking on how to appropriately respond to civilian threats in other countries. He also detailed the role of his efforts in finding a practical solution to the problem, which manifested into what has since been called the “responsibility to protect” (R2P), a concept that has changed our understanding of international relations in subsequent years. The R2P stated that civilian protection was a global responsibility and that military intervention may be necessary After a short introduction from to achieve this goal, an argument the course class representatives, that clashed heavily with the Evans spoke at length about how prevailing view of letting countries

sort out their own domestic issues. Given that the idea of R2P is largely credited to Mr. Evans, this guest lecture drew upon many of his personal experiences with the issue. He also elaborated on why he felt that R2P was the most prudent conclusion in answering the question of whether and the extent to which the international community should take action in cases of potential civilian threat.

Woroni presents

WORONI

WEEKEND 9am-5pm Saturday, 11th of October, 2014

Woroni invites you to a day of news workshops to hear first-hand from professionals working in the field and get their insight and tips for the media industry.

After a Q&A session between the Chancellor and students, Evans was presented with a bottle of wine as a token of appreciation.

ISO VERSUS ADFA: BRAINS OVER BRAUN

10:00 AM “Reflections of a Political Correspondent”

CAMPUS NEWS

Chief Political Correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.

On Saturday, September 6, South Oval set the stage for the inaugural ISO versus ADFA sports day, aimed at raising awareness for mental health charity, Batyr. Not unlike the fiercely competitive games of tunnel ball and tug-of-war at school sports carnivals, the event showcased heroic performances from the best players from both sides. While supporters were somewhat lacking at the girls’ AFL, the emerging sunshine brought out a sway of predominantly ISO spectators to cheer on the boys. The girls’ AFL game saw ADFA gain a comprehensive 28 to 14 victory, prompting casual banter about cunnilingus from the ADFA boys. ISO’s luck remained unimproved with a 53 to 33 loss in the boys’ game. Following a friendly sausage sizzle, greatly abetted by ADFA’s ability to handle meat, the athletes and onlookers headed to the sports hall for netball which

LIZZIE STORROR saw ISO finally secure a win with the girls scoring 33 to 6, only to narrowly lose the mixed game 24 to 17. The day was capped off with an after party at the Mercure, at which all attendees reportedly conducted themselves with the utmost modesty and grace. Jessica Hampton, captain of ADFA’s touch team, encapsulated the feelings of many attendees when telling Woroni; “We’re really glad it got up off the ground; it was great to mingle with ANU people. Let’s hope it goes ahead next year.” Several ISO representatives affirmed Hampton’s points, perhaps because a rematch would allow ANU the chance to recover some of its damaged sporting pride, but largely due to the great opportunity the event provides to raise awareness and make connections between two eminent Canberran institutions.

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

11:30AM “Freelance/Investigation”

MARK KENNY

SAM VINCENT Freelance writer and author of ‘Blood & Guts: Dispatches from Whale Wars’

1:30PM “Interviewing/Writing to your Audience”

3:00PM “How to Brand Yourself as a Writer”

PHILIP CLARK

CLEMENTINE FORD

ABC 666 Canberra Radio Presenter

Freelance writer, broadcaster and public speaker

The day includes: free lunch, afternoon tea & drinks; 4 x $100 vouchers to the Canberra Centre for the person who asks the best question in each session, and; information about the Woroni Scholarship - you could be the first person to receive an internship at a major newspaper and a $5000 equity scholarship.

Book your place now at: bit.ly/woroniweekend

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

ANU ACADEMICS: EXPERTS ON THE MIDDLE EAST ANNA KAUFMANN

CAMPUS NEWS

In the past few weeks ANU academics have become a much sought after resource, and authoritative opinion, on the current situation in Iraq and Australia’s involvement in the Middle East. Current events in the Middle East, with the actions of the group calling themselves Islamic State (IS), has sparked a dramatic response in Australia, with the terrorism alert level raised to high, military personnel deployed to Iraq, new anti-terrorism laws proposed, and anti-terrorism raids carried out across the country. This fear that the unrest in Iraq and Syria could extend to our shores, and a renewed focus on Islam and the Middle East, has seen Australian citizens asking more questions and calling for more information about the situation. ANU academics are answering that call, lecturers and researchers providing

commentary on radio and television, both locally and nationally, in the past couple of weeks, with four interviews on ABC radio alone. Among those is Dr Raihan Ismail, researcher and associate lecturer in the Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies (CAIS). Dr Ismail has appeared on both ABC radio in Canberra and Queensland in the past week, providing information in areas such as why Muslim women wear burkas and whether the wearing of burkas should be banned in Australia, and also explaining Sharia law. Another leading ANU researcher in the field is Dr Robert Bowker, adjunct professor at CAIS and former Australian Ambassador to Syria, also appeared on national radio in the past week expressing concern over Australia’s deployment of troops to

Iraq. “It is an extraordinarily fraught area for anyone to become engaged in anything that goes to the heart of Arab perceptions with their dealings with the West” Dr Bowker stated, encouraging that Australia “keep our intentions well understood and our objectives modest”. Other ANU academics include Jacky Sutton, scholar also from CAIS appearing on ABC radio and Sebastian Klich, appearing on The Drum last week. The prevalence of ANU academics in recent media illustrates the indispensable role the university plays in understanding contemporary political and social issues. If you’re interested in finding out more about the current situation in the Middle East and IS, Woroni will be holding a forum on this issue on the Tuesday, the 21st of October.

COMMENT ON THE IRAQ WAR 2014 COMMENT Many would expect staunch conservatives like me to be happy with war against the Islamic State (IS). However, when news came out that we would be deploying troops in Iraq I was incredibly disappointed with the Liberal government. It also seems I’m not alone — prominent international conservatives like Rand Paul and Nigel Farage have indicated opposition to intervention in Syria and Iraq. So why am I siding with trots in the Greens and Socialist Alternative on the question of whether we should deploy troops in Iraq once again? There are four strong reasons I (and everyone else) should oppose Australian plans to deploy troops against IS. As a fairly traditional conservative with classical liberal streaks, I seriously value sound economic management. I just don’t see participating in a war overseas as a part of sound economic management. The Second Gulf War cost Australia over $5 billion. The government claims this new

ANONYMOUS deployment will cost Australia a mere $500 million. This is unacceptable. While this money is only a fraction of Australia’s continuing budget deficit, all the small fractions add up to continue Australia’s government debt crisis. Even if you don’t believe the Australia’s staggering rate of debt growth is a problem, this is $500 million that Australia could be spending elsewhere. I just don’t believe a new war in Iraq is good financial stewardship of Australia.

deaths in Iraq alone numbered 66,081 minimum. I believe it is irresponsible to risk the lives of Australian soldiers and Iraqi/ Syrian civilians in another Gulf War. Make no mistake, IS behave in a horrific manner and deserve to be taken down. However, it seems to me that the threat IS poses to the world is drastically overstated. Consider this – generous estimates of IS strength suggest they have 50,000 soldiers. In comparison, the official Iraqi army has around 271,000 regulars. Australia is sending a less-thanoverwhelming 600 personnel. Australian deployment is merely a token suggesting we support the USA. After Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Second Gulf War, not to mention the ANZUS treaty, Australia no longer needs to prove that we’re America’s ally — there’s no use risking Australian lives in Iraq as a token.

Growing up, many of my friends, relatives and role models joined the Australian Defence Forces. As I grew up, I saw firsthand the appalling psychological effects the war had on Australian soldiers, including relatives of mine. Is it really worth risking Australian blood and the health of our troops in war again? Misguided international relations liberals may argue that Australia will save more lives by intervening. They conveniently forget the civilian cost of the last Gulf War. Civilian

threat to Australia. Indeed, the recent thwarting of an attempt to behead Australian citizens prove that IS is a threat to Australia. The only thing is that as a result of the prompt and informed actions of Australia’s intelligence agencies and police forces was able to thwart that attack before it became a reality. In fact, the discipline and professionalism of the Federal Police and intelligence agencies in thwarting all terrorist attacks over the past thirteen years seems to prove that Australia is capable of preventing terrorism without deploying soldiers overseas. The original conservative and a personal hero of mine, Edmund Burke, was responsible for the now clichéd saying “those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” I think deploying troops in the Middle East would prove Australia hasn’t learnt from its troubled past of expensive military interventions.

It’s not as if I believe IS poses no

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

LABOR PAIR STAND AGAINST BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR OFFSHORE PROCESSING CAMPUS NEWS

CHARLIE AUSTIN

Last Wednesday evening, Labor MPs Anna Burke and Melissa Parke condemned the Federal Government and the Opposition’s attitude towards asylum seekers in front of a large audience at the ANU. In a forum facilitated by the Refugee Action Committee, the Labor duo expressed their strong opposition towards the mandatory detention of asylum seekers who are sent to offshore processing centres after seeking asylum in Australia by boat. In June earlier this year, Burke and Parke took the bold step of standing against their own party’s stance by proposing a motion in caucus that called for Labor to cease their support of offshore processing and demand the closure of the detention centres in Nauru and Manus Island. While the motion was unsuccessful, it was seen as an important step by human rights advocates towards politicians finally beginning to challenge policies of arbitrarily detaining asylum seekers – a practice that has been in place

since 1992.

rather than lead it, Burke sighted ignorance as the primary reason for the Australian public’s widespread support for offshore processing. The former Speaker of the House reasoned that the Coalition and Labor Party’s competition as to who could be “tougher” on asylum seekers was provoked by the the political desire of the major parties to win the support of the electorates in Western Sydney. Alarm and disdain amongst the largely prorefugee rights audience grew when Burke made mention of the Abbott Government’s new agreement with the Cambodian Government to resettle refugees in Cambodia - a country that remains deeply troubled by corruption and in which one third of the population lives on less than one dollar a day. Burke concluded her speech by encouraging the audience to educate those in society who held misinformed and xenophobic views towards asylum seekers.

Parke noted that Australia’s policy of placing asylum seekers who had broken no law in detention was contrary to international law and a significant breach of their basic human rights. The former UN Lawyer criticised the inhumane conditions of detention centres, restating Professor McGorry’s claim that they were akin to “factories for producing mental illness.” Furthermore, she pointed to the recent speech made by the High Commissioner of the UN Humans Rights Council, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, as an example of Australia’s harsh treatment of asylum seekers causing international embarrassment. Al Hussein argued that Australia’s policy of turning back boats and processing asylum seeker claims in offshore facilities was “leading to a chain of human rights violations.” In contending that politicians follow community sentiment

ANU student and prominent member of the Canberra-based Refugee Action Committee, Geraldine Fela, joined the Labor parliamentarians in their disapproval of Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers but remained encouraged by the fact that a growing movement within Labor Party branches had begun to challenge the party’s stance towards asylum seekers. Fela cited the recent deaths of Iranian asylum seekers, Reza Berati and Hamid Kehazaei, in offshore detention centres as a clear sign that the Australian Government was failing their duty to protect those fleeing from persecution. At the end of the evening, the Refugee Action Committee encouraged audience members to attend the organisation’s ‘Walk for Justice’ on Saturday 25 October, starting at Reconciliation Place. For more information on the Refugee Action Committee, visit http://refugeeaction.org/

Experience ANU events.anu.edu.au

Featured events Public lectures

Wednesday 15 October, 4-5pm

Wednesday 8 October, 6-8pm

The next pandemic

Innocence Betrayed

Wednesday 8 October, 1-2pm

What will the next pandemic look like & where could it come from?

Screening will be followed by Q&A with the writer & director of the film, Professor Larissa Behrendt, University of Technology, Sydney.

Join ANU graduates James Lieutenant & Kate Vasallo as they discuss their installation Mistints. Canberra Museum & Gallery Theatrette, 176 London Circuit, Canberra Wednesday 8 October - Saturday 11 October, 7.30pm

Down the Abbott Hole ANU Arts Revue presents another year of parodies, skits & songs. Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre, London Cct, Canberra Charges apply, see events.anu. edu.au for more details.

Tuesday 14 October, 4-7pm

ANU Graduate Studies Information Evening Find out more about the coursework & research programs on offer at ANU. The Hall, University House, Balmain Cres

Thursday 9 October, 1-2pm

Knowledge exchange between scientists & decision-makers

Tuesday 7 October - Saturday 11 October

In conversation with . . . Michael Dante Mori

In what ways might drawing be understood as a vital space for cross-cultural interaction?

Symposium with Robyn Wiegman, Duke University & Annamarie Jagos, University of Sydney

National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton

Conference Room, Level 1, AD Hope Bldg, Ellery Cres Image from Dreamstate #3, inkjet print, U.K. Frederick (2013)

Sparke Helmore Theatre 1, ANU College of Law, Fellows Rd

Thursday 9 October, 6-7pm

Friday 10 October, 5.30-6.30pm

Queer objects

Phillipa Weeks Lecture in Labour Law 2014

Exhibitions

Copland Lecture Theatre, Kingsley St

Warlpiri Drawings: Remembering the future

Why can’t ‘they’ leave our labour laws alone?

Fenner Seminar Room, Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way

ANU/Canberra Times meet the author event with Professor David Horner AM, ANU.

Thursday 16 October - Friday 17 October, 9am-5pm

Wednesday 15 October, 5.306.30pm

Chris Cvitanovic, ANU

The Official History of ASIO 1949-1963

Wednesday 15 October, 5pm

ANU Emeritus Faculty, Building 1c, 24 Balmain Cres

Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of the David Hicks case & Mori’s determination to remain true to his ideals. Law Theatre, ANU College of Law, Fellows Rd

Transition: The Liminal Space PhD series by Keven Francis, engaging with reflection & transition. ANU School of Art Foyer Gallery, Ellery Cres, open 10.30am-5pm, Tues to Sun & 12-5pm Sat.

Law Link Theatre, ANU College of Law, Fellows Rd

The ANU campus is always alive with plenty to see, hear and do. All events held on the ANU campus unless otherwise indicated. Schedule is subject to change, please check website closer to the date to ensure event information is correct. youtube.com/ANUchannel @ANU_Events facebook.com/TheAustralian NationalUniversity

Film Wednesday 8 October, 4-5.30pm

Message from Mungo This film tells the story of one particular archaeological find – the human remains known generally as ‘Mungo Lady’. Theatrette 2.02, Roland Wilson Building, McCoy Cct

CRICOS#00120C_MO13163

Art forum

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

EMMA WATSON IS PALATABLE, NOT REVOLUTIONARY COMMENT

The context, delivery and reception of Emma Watson’s recent speech to the United Nations about the launch of ‘He for She’ demonstrates a troubling feature of mainstream feminism and of public receptiveness to its ideas: we only want feminism when it is presented to us palatably, eloquently, without ‘shrillness’ or ‘hysteria’. He for She, a UN Women awareness campaign, purports to engage men in a ‘solidarity movement for gender equality’. Responses to Watson’s speech and the He for She campaign have ranged from adoring praise for its refreshing take on feminism and its engagement of men, to Clementine Ford’s sarcastic commentary that “it’s a game-changer, folks!” (hint: it’s not), to criticism of Watson’s failure to engage with intersectional feminism, and for wresting power away from the women she seeks to empower by centering on the agency of men in defining their own gender identity. Watson’s speech is commendable for its success in reconfiguring feminism in the public consciousness not as a man hating, unreasonable movement bent on female supremacy, but as equality for all sexes. However, while well intentioned, its content is unremarkable, harmful in its perpetuation of certain assumptions about the gender binary, and careless in its negation of other dimensions of feminism such as race, able-bodiedness, cisgender and the experiences of transpeople. As Flavia Dzoda asserted, “my feminism will be intersectional, or it will be bullshit.” While Watson says that “It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, not as two opposing sets of ideals”, her message is confused when she refers to “both men and women”. While He for She recognises that men, too, are imprisoned by gender stereotypes, it stops short of validating the experiences of those who fall outside the traditional binary of male/female. Watson’s ideas are not revolutionary, impressive, nor game-changing for anyone who is even slightly versed in the discourses of feminism. I am mindful of the irony and counterproductiveness of belittling her speech, as her feminist cause is one that,

ALICE ZHANG, SUBEDITOR

foundationally, I am aligned with, and high-profile advocacy of feminism is all too rare and inadequately covered in the media. The central problem is that of public ignorance. Her speech should not have been characterised as a new message. It says a lot about our world and the state of gender inequality that we receive it as such. The legitimacy of feminist thought is often sidelined and dismissed as being too extreme, yet Watson’s speech has seen consensus in the mainstream media that it is so positive to be able to engage with someone who is so reasoned, passionate (but not ‘fiery’), and a great role model. It is likely that the same speech by a politician would have been received completely differently; if Hillary Clinton had launched this campaign, it would perhaps be a moderately sized blip on the media landscape. Julia Gillard’s speech on misogyny also provides an interesting contrast; while well received by some, she was also cast as an angry feminist who had emotionally and inappropriately hijacked the political arena. Why, then, was Watson’s speech so well received? In many ways, it is because she conforms to society’s standards of the empowered, but unthreatening woman: Watson is powerful, but not emasculating; passionate, but not shrill; intelligent, but not ideologically extreme. These ideas of a ‘strong female character’, ‘upstanding young woman’ and ‘female role model’ are so quintessential they border on a tired trope. For these purposes, Watson’s mode of delivery was flawless. The context of the United Nations commands immediate respect, and her appearance and respectful manner neatly conformed to these social parameters. Contrast the measured, conservative demeanor and tone of Watson’s speech with Miley Cyrus’ flamboyant brand of feminism: defiantly sexual, often permeated with expletives, and more colloquial in delivery. Which is received more positively? It is true that Watson’s stature as an internationally renowned actress makes her advocacy 10

WHY LECTURERS SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO THEIR STUDENTS COMMENT

well placed; yet in terms of pure prominence in the media and fame, arguably, Watson and Cyrus are quite equal. Watson and Cyrus have shared the double standards, sexualisation, and tribulations that permeate the life of a female celebrity from a young age. The important distinction between the two is, sadly, not the content of their message, but of the mode of delivery, and society’s construction of the woman delivering the message. Feminism is only taken seriously when it works within the confines of rational, reasoned dialogue. While it may seem odd and counter-intuitive to cast these as ‘confines’, these ideas of reason and rationality are often imbued with gendered, structural biases that dismiss the voices of those who do not conform to its narrow standards about what a strong female role model is. To reject these confines is not to discourage well thought out arguments, or to encourage anarchy, incoherence and intelligibility in the public reception of feminist discourse. It is merely to recognise the shortcomings of the dialogue as it currently stands in the public sphere. It is to recognise that feminists, whatever their gender, are dimensional and diverse human beings who are, too often, marginalised when they speak out. Feminism is not permitted to be fiery, raw or dimensional in its fight against systemic oppression and gender inequality. Feminism is only legitimised as rational and reasoned when it works within parameters dictated by the very perpetrators of inequality, on their terms; then, and only then, will it be taken seriously. We need to move toward a world where the reception of Watson’s speech is neither of adoration nor of apathy, but one where her speech is not praised for the newness and insight of its content because it is already basic knowledge. The widespread coverage of Watson’s speech is, sadly, attributable to her (probably unconscious) adherence to the condescending expectations that feminism, and other movements that challenge the status quo, be neutral, restrained, and measured.

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

This year I was nominated by the ANU for a national teaching award. In putting together the application, I realised that over the years students have taught me far more than I have ever taught them. Before I elaborate, let’s get some lecturer groanings out of the way. Students, it is sometimes said, are not what they used to be, and they were probably never that great. They have little interest in their studies and the life of the mind. For them, university is a high-end boarding school and a low-end resort, its primary purpose being to appeal to their privileged sensibilities. So goes the disaffected lecturer’s logic: the more I advance the more distant I become from each student intake. And I grow weary of explaining the same thing over and over. This inhibits my research, which is the true mark of intellect. Teaching is such a drag. While I have sometimes thought this way, I remain convinced that teaching – when applied in the right dose and manner – cures the most pressing academic malaises. Firstly, if our research ever seems esoteric, stale or inconsequential, then teaching can rejuvenate and reconnect it with topical matters and timeless questions. Often we hear about the efficacy of research-led teaching; however, it is also worth considering the value of teaching-led research. Good teaching-led research means not only coming up with new findings, but also communicating the importance of those findings to a broad and diverse audience. It involves delving into complex problems with a view to distilling a few specks of wisdom that can help us meet our fundamental quests for truth, wealth, justice and belonging. Secondly, if as scholars we ever feel inconsequential then teaching allows us to “leave our mark” and “make a difference”. In fact, engaging with students can be more rewarding than achieving high bibliometric scores and amassing grant money. There are few more influential and

DR. KIM HUYNH, LECTURER, POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

responsibility-laden positions in society than the lecturer. Politicians wield power, but are beholden to public opinion. Celebrities are well-known, but their influence is often shallow and transient. Teachers on the other hand command the attention of hundreds of people each year and are able to focus that attention on matters of substance for hours at a time. These students are impressionable without being naïve, and often go on to be prominent figures in their communities. When scholars retire they commonly dwell not so much on all the articles that they have published, but rather on the undergraduates and postgraduates who they have guided and shaped. The lesson in the academy, as in life, is that our human relationships count most. Thirdly, if as academics we ever feel or out of touch or adrift from our moral selves then our students can guide us back to the shore. The public, as many surveys show, still very much respect academics, and students are no exception. Indeed, my sense is that many students look up to their lecturers not only for what they know, but also for who they are. There’s something to be said for lecturers wanting to avoid student admiration in the same way that errant but honest football stars tell young people who are looking for role models to look elsewhere. From this viewpoint, we are value-free service providers. But there are strong reasons for scholars to embrace the expectations of virtue. If we accept that it is good to be good, then student expectations provide an impetus for and check upon academic goodness. We are more likely to be rigorous with our research and precise with our writing having promoted rigour and precision to others. Beyond the university, there have been times when I have refrained from swearing at that sorrowful buffoon, uttering that untruth, watching that extra hour of reality television or 11

buying that non-free-range egg in part because a voice inside me asks, “How would your students react?” I know that this sounds incredulous, but if we accept that we should be role models for our children and loved ones, should we not also try to do the right thing for the sake of our students? Is it so much to ask those who instruct us about democracy to care as much for the many as they do the few, for those who lecture about human rights to be fair and equitable in their dealings with others, or for educators of sustainability to separate their garbage from their recyclables? And while we should not necessarily resurrect the university as a religious institution, there is perhaps more than ever a need for a values-based tertiary education that elevates endeavour over sloth, openness over secrecy, courage over cowardice and self-awareness over self-centredness. This is what it means for academics and the University to be esteemed. And ultimately, the goal of so much research, funding, rankings and effort in universities is to be esteemed; that is, to encourage others to want to be like us. Being esteemed is not the same as having prestige. While prestige is commonly associated with things, esteem relates solely to people and can be found at the intersection of what it is to be wise, cool and classy. This is why the most esteemed universities in the world are also the best at teaching and outreaching. And it is why the ANU now encourages staff to join and rise up in the ranks of the Higher Education Academy which is a UK-based fellowship of mindful and dedicated tertiary educators. As it turns out, I didn’t win the award. But on the same day that I was notified of this setback, a quiet student sent me a summary of her essay in the form of two haiku poems. And I was reminded that the semester holds the promise of me teaching politics to my students while they teach me about rap, jazz, musicals and photography, much of which will surely enrich our common understanding of politics. I realized that teaching really is – here comes the final cliché – its own reward.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

LOVE

LOVE / LEXICON

This column is about words. More specifically, it is usually about a word that has no direct translation in English. If words give shape to thoughts and communication, then hopefully these words can provide you, dear reader, with more eloquent and shapely thoughts. This week, however, I shall mix things up by discussing how the word ‘Love’ is expressed in ancient Greek. For the ancient Greeks, the concept of ‘Love’ takes several distinct forms, each with subtle shades of difference. Three words are of particular mention are eros, philia and agape. In practice, you will probably find that most experiences of love are actually composed of a mixture of complex emotions. Greek distinguishes different kinds of love based on their underlying teleologies - their purpose. Eros (ἔρως) is used to describe sensual, passionate love. It is that magnetic attraction that seizes you when you find you cannot look away from someone, when everything else in the room seems to just fade into the background. Eros carries strong connotations of sexual attraction, although it is not exclusively sexual. It can be thought of as the impulsive yearning desire for beauty. Eros exists because people have what Plato would have called the natural human infatuation for ideal forms of beauty: “I love because beauty is pleasing to me.” Philia (φιλία) implies a sensation of fondness and appreciation for the other person. It is the love you feel for someone when they make your day

TOM CHEN

better through doing the small (and big) things that they know bring you joy. Philia serves a different purpose to eros. For Aristotle, philia requires mutual reciprocity from both parties, who cooperate to improve each other’s lives. It is a natural consequence of what humans need, being social animals: “I love because I want to feel loved, but it would be impractical to be erotic with everyone I wanted to all the time:

“For the ancient Greeks, the concept of ‘Love’ takes several distinct forms, each with subtle shades of difference. Three words are of particular mention are eros, philia and agape.” therefore, I choose philia.” Agape (ἀγάπη) describes a form of love which is more selfless and devotional than either eros or philia. It was classically applied in the context of spouses or offspring, and later adopted by Christian theologians to describe the love one feels for God. Agape does not require reciprocity and is much more selfless in its demands than philia. It also has strong paternalistic 12

overtones, as a form of love that need not be reciprocated or appreciated: “I love because I want to.” I could discuss more here but you probably don’t want to read my thoughts on Freud. And fathers. And phallic things. Some might find this Greek obsession for categorising things unnecessarily complicated. After all, love is love, right? You know it when you feel it. Daoist ontology, for instance, claims that the boundaries between apparently distinct objects are illusory. Eros, philia and agape might seem different, but that is only because they take different visible forms. The formless sentiment underlying it all is essentially the same. Water, ice, and steam all look and behave very differently, yet they all stem from the same combination of hydrogen and oxygen. The Daoist conception of love is therefore hesitant to distinguish between forms of love, because they are subject to transience and change. What initially begins as one type of love will develop and evolve over time into many different forms of love. The essential point of love is the sensation of wanting to be there with/ for someone, regardless of the mystical question of why. If you require further guidance please refer to ‘I want to make it wit chu’ by Queens of the Stone Age. Like words too? Exotic grammar? Esoteric languages? There is a society for this kind of thing. Like us on Facebook or email beyondthelexicon@ outlook.com

CAMILLA PATINI

Our otherwise interesting conversation had reached an impasse and I was sitting on the couch, lips pursed in disapproval. He - let’s call him James - had committed what can only be called a dating sin: he’d mentioned his ex and gone on to tell me the very long and weepy tale of his particularly painful break-up. Being ‘heart-broken’ and ‘emotionally barren’, he thought he’d never love again. I suppressed a nervous laugh and instead looked at him through a weary silence.

anytime soon. Because you have to be careful about who you invest emotion in – people always have the potential to hurt you. It’s not a risk you can take for just anyone. This time if I was going to pursue someone, they’d have to be pretty damn amazing.

So, he was still hung up on his ex. Perhaps he was hoping I, or someone else, would ‘fix’ him, heal his broken soul. Modern culture is always telling us that relationships are the answer to everything, that they’ll make us fulfilled and perhaps even solve all our problems but, of course, that’s not true.

“Whether or not we have a relationship shouldn’t matter to us in the slightest... Being fulfilled in our own lives means that we can be happy independently of whether or not we have someone to share it with.”

‘That’s terrible, I’m sorry’, I said, eventually, ‘I’d never do something like that’. She had, apparently, cheated on him with two other people. James and I had met a few weeks ago and had excitedly exchanged numbers after a great conversation, but now I could see that we weren’t suited to each other. Aside from the fact that he was, apparently, a ‘broken man’, I was happy and had a lot going on. He seemed morose and a little bit lost. I kicked myself for nearly repeating past mistakes. Last time, I’d fallen into the habit of seeing a guy I was wildly mismatched with and with whom I shared little in common. It had been, as they say, ‘physical’. Again, I could see I’d have to walk away. This time I wanted to choose better. Choose someone with similar values and interests to mine and save myself the time and heartbreak. The pain of disappointment was not something I wanted to be feeling again

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

‘Have you ever read Bridget Jones by Helen Fielding?’ I asked, wanting to change to the topic. I thought he might

have done so seeing as we’d talked about British comedy a few days ago. He had (surprisingly) and so I quoted: ‘One must not live one’s life through men [or women] but must be complete in oneself as a woman [or man] of substance’. It’s kind of ridiculous to quote from Bridget Jones but I wanted to make a point: we don’t need relationships to make us happy. It’s the other way around: if we’re happy, a good relationship is more likely to come our way.

When we have passions and pursuits which bring us pleasure and meaning in life, whether or not we have a relationship shouldn’t matter to us in the slightest. In fact, we’d have to be convinced into getting into one. Being fulfilled in our own lives means that we can be happy independently of whether or not we have someone to share it with. And Hollywood rom-coms have it all wrong: it has never been a good idea to latch onto the next person who comes our way. Knowing what you want is important and you have to be more discerning. I cut the date short soon after that because it was clear to me that it wasn’t going anywhere. Our perspectives on the world were radically different and he still needed time to get over whatever had happened in his past relationship. This was no solid foundation for any kind of friendship, let alone a relationship (although a relationship is not what I normally set out looking for). While driving home I took the opportunity to take stock of my past, from the one-night stands to the more committed connections. I paused and reflected on what I hoped to have by the end of the year. And it turns out that what I would like, apart from Tony Abbott’s timely death, a miraculous end to gender inequality, and straight HDs (the latter being less likely than the first two) is not a boyfriend or a casual fling, but a more mature life. Perhaps the ability to talk politely to my mother, and to hand in essays on time. And maybe, just maybe, if I’m so inclined, there’ll be some room for an amazing relationship. But for now, I propose that we should do more than just know how to be alone, we should love being single.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

LOVE / FEATURES

GINNY HARDING

“Long distance relationships never work.” “How are you two doing this?” “I could never be in a long distance relationship.” “Don’t you ever feel lonely?” These are the sorts of questions and statements that I find are constantly thrown at people who are in long distance relationships. Being in a longdistance relationship personally, I find that many friends and family members seem to wonder why my longdistance relationship is going so well, which sometimes even lead to fretful interrogations. This is understandable. Long distance relationships (abbreviated as LDR) are no easier than a normal long-term relationship and are more often more difficult to maintain. While I may be no love-guru, there are certain unique attributes that I have noticed stand out in long distance relationships and the people engaged in them. Whether a couple is able to meet up several times a year, is only able to meet after an extended period of time, or have only communicated online due to distance, these couples somehow have a little extra to drive them through the struggles of long distance relationships. Trust. A relationship where the couple trusts each other to always do the right thing is indicative of a strong relationship. Whether it is studying one-on-one with a friend to going out with friends for a drink, both partners should have trust in the other significant other for the relationship to blossom. Constantly texting or calling your lover while socialising would not just impact him or her, but could also potentially create

distance between your other half and their friends. There has been a small stage in my relationship where my significant other would text frequently while I was out to make sure I was fine and not having too much fun. While this started off as being sweet, it quickly made me feel as though I was not trusted enough to handle my own actions and caused a fair few arguments and fights. However, we learnt, as many other long distance

“Being in a long-distance relationship personally, I find that many friends and family members seem to wonder why my longdistance relationship is going so well, which sometimes even lead to fretful interrogations.” relationship couples have, to put down the phone while we were with others and to instead make separate time to talk to each other. I understand that a lot of long distance relationship couples feel the opposite about texting and actually feel as though there isn’t enough communication between the two. However I feel that trust is crucial to an LDR and that space is healthy for a good relationship. Communication. As someone who has been in a long 14

distance relationship for a substantial period of time I can safely say that long distance relationships are just like everything else in life, though perhaps slightly rockier and more challenging. However unlike life where each event is unique to you and you alone, the trials faced in long distance relationships can and should be shared equally between you and your significant other. That being said, regular and healthy communication is key. It should be healthy in a sense that both sides of the couple would talk issues out and clearly state what they think or feel while also being an apt listener to their partner. And yes. Skype is a lifesaver. Patience. Lastly, a long distance relationship definitely helps you build on your ability to be patient with others as well as your other half. Not only does the lengthy time distance make you wait for nearly a day to talk to your partner, but if one were to be in a cranky mood the other would definitely have to be considerably more patient since things cannot be talked out as easily from half way around the world. While I may be pointing out and connecting these different attributes to long distance relationships, they are equally as important in normal relationships. It would be wise to build up your relationship, long lasting or new, on trust, communication and patience. If long distance has taught me anything, it is to pay attention to these three key things. Sadly, many relationships may end despite trusting one another, having great communication and patience. Nonetheless these three things are important in building healthy and happy relationships.

LOVE / FEATURES

Relationships come in all sorts of complex styles and configurations from the long, romantic partnership to the short, passionate one-night stand. Now if there is one group that knows a thing or two about complexities, it’s the Queer* (LGBTIQAP*) community. The Queers have been at the forefront of exploring not just sexuality, but the very nature of relationships. Trust, dialogue and spice in the bedroom are some of the best queer tips I’ve picked up (for more, I’d highly recommend Hardy and Easton’s The Ethical Slut). If we are going to start anywhere with relationships, then we have to be honest, both with others and ourselves. Almost every queer person at some point in their life has had to grapple with themselves, with their identity and their attractions. The first step to coming out is acceptance, loving yourself before you can begin to truly love others. And there is no reason why this does not extend to everyone. We all have different wants and needs and it is important to acknowledge these. As most of us are still curious, young adults we may be more interested in casual fun than intense, romantic relationships. Some people who do want relationships want somebody to look after them, whereas others see a relationship as more of an equal partnership. Ultimately it is up to you what you want, but it is crucial that you maintain honesty to have a healthy relationship. On a practical level being honest in

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

JOHN CASEY

a relationship means engaging in the most excruciatingly difficult act of all: communicating. If the stereotype exists of lesbians talking about their feelings too much or of the gays congregating to gossip, it’s because active communication works. Too often we bottle up our feelings and won’t actually voice to our partners our problems. Of course confronting these problems requires tact and it is

“Now if there is one group that knows a thing or two about complexities, it’s the Queer* (LGBTIQAP*) community. The Queers have been at the forefront of exploring not just sexuality, but the very nature of relationships.” best to focus on particular behaviours of your partner that you don’t like, and actively talk about how it makes you feel. There is a big difference between “I feel you spend more time on your friends than with me, and it makes me feel unwanted” compared to “YOU spend more time with your friends than me”. The latter is an attack and makes a judgement about your partner that is actually just your subjective opinion. A deep relationship requires honest, open communication if it is going to 15

overcome inevitable obstacles. These two general principles, honesty and communication, can be practiced in all our relationships, from friends, to family, to loved ones. Too often we forget that our relationships with friends and family require just as much tender loving care as our romantic and sexual relationships. One final piece of advice from a queer to you on relationships is to keep things interesting is in the bedroom. Too often we get caught up in the idea that sex and intimacy are the same thing, yet there are a whole host of ways in which you can deepen your connections with a partner that don’t involve sex. After all not all gay guys have anal, lesbians are still wondering where the hell this ‘scissoring’ nonsense came from, and our queer* community includes an A for asexuality, or those who do not have strong desire for sex. Exploring each other’s bodies through touch, finding what pleasure and sensations one can elicit without having sex outright; these can go a long way in improving connections and intimacy with a partner. Of course this kind of exploration can run the other way towards ‘kinkier’ explorations too. It may not be for everyone, but mixing things up in the bedroom can both make relationships more exciting and more intimate. These ideas will by no means fix relationships or guarantee their success, but hopefully they will make for a gay old time whilst you try.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

LOVE / FEATURES

When it comes to relationships, you’d be right to think that Christians are a little different. I’ve had many curious questions from friends about the fact that Christians often don’t have sex before they’re married. Many people feel that Christians are unusually focused on marriage. I’ve also had friends challenge the idea in the Bible that wives should submit to their husbands, as they feel this is sexist. There has been a lot of debate about whether Christians oppose gay marriage and if Christians are homophobic. So what DO Christians think about relationships? One thing that is important to remember when discussing anything about religion is that there isn’t just one perspective - not all Christians believe the same thing. I want to share with you my own views on relationships. There will be people who disagree with me – Christians and non-Christians alike. But these questions aren’t black and white, the Bible isn’t always crystal clear about relationships (for example, dating was foreign in Biblical times), and people interpret it in different ways. This is my interpretation, and these are my thoughts. The most important thing for me when I think about relationships is the centrality of Jesus. That might sound odd, but imagine for a moment that you believe there is a God and he became man in order to save humanity from the death and destruction that is eating it away. (I know that for some of you that will be a stretch, but just go with me for a second!) If you really believe this is true and that you could have a personal relationship with the God of

LOVE / FEATURES

ELEANOR KAY

the universe who loves you intimately, wouldn’t that influence every facet of your life? As Christians, we believe Jesus is God and, although he is incredibly powerful, he wants to be part of our individual lives. For us, that is an offer that we can’t refuse. We want Jesus to be the centre of our lives, and thus Jesus is central in our relationships as well. But what on Earth does that mean?! For me, it means when I’m dating a guy,

“The Bible isn’t always crystal clear about relationships (for example, dating was foreign in Biblical times), and people interpret it in different ways. This is my interpretation, and these are my thoughts.” our common focus is Jesus. Obviously our relationship is about getting to know each other and enjoying each other’s company, but ultimately we constantly remember Jesus because we want his wisdom and involvement in our relationship. For example, I don’t want to have sex before I’m married because I believe God intended sex for marriage, and therefore sex will be best in that committed relationship. It’s my personal decision, motivated by my desire for great sex and my belief in God’s ultimate wisdom shared with us 16

in the Bible. I’d also like to put it out there that I’m a feminist. If I’m going to date a guy, he should be prepared to be equal in our relationship. And I see no conflict with the Bible here. I think the Bible is clear that God created both man and woman, He loves men and women equally, and in Jesus we are all one (Genesis 1:27; Galatians 3:28). I believe that sexism has no place in the church or in relationships because Jesus loves all people equally. On that note, I just want to mention that the equality of Jesus’ love extends to all people, regardless of sexual orientation. If Jesus loves me deeply, he also loves my gay friends. There are a lot more issues at stake in the gay marriage debate and honestly, I don’t feel I have fully grasped them all. But what I constantly want to keep at the forefront of my mind in all these discussions is the love of Jesus. Ultimately, I don’t need to get married to be fulfilled or to live a ‘good Christian life’. I find my worth in the fact that the God of the universe loves me. As I said before, if you assume just for a moment that the basic premises of Christianity are true – that there is a God, that he came to earth in human form, and that he died and rose from the dead to save me from death - it is pretty amazing and life changing. No human – family, friends, or lover – can love me as much as God does. There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends, and I believe that Jesus has done that for me (John 15:13). So ultimately wherever I end up, whatever my relationship status, Jesus will be with me, loving me more than I could ever imagine. That’s the best relationship I’ll ever be in.

Relationships are complicated and mine is no exception. My partner once considered himself a lesbian, and not in that creepy misogynistic way. When I first met Joel, that wasn’t the only name he was known by. All of his colleagues, and many of his friends and family didn’t yet know that Joel was transgender. Joel has a female body but considers himself, and is known and read by others now, as a man. We are seen by many of our friends, neighbours and strangers as a ‘straight’ couple, but according to the Government, we’re lesbians. How Joel and I consider our identities as a couple is sometimes crystal clear and sometimes it’s like mud. Isaiah Berlin argues that identity only matters when it is in conflict. Indeed, everyone’s discovery of their sexuality or gender identity is born within a maze of relationships, families, workplaces, and friendships. Some people are offered a map out, and some just have to figure it out themselves. Identity means a lot to Queer* people because they usually have to fight for it. Being L, G, B, T, I or Q is often a huge part of the way Queer* people recognise and identify themselves (hello undercuts, birkenstocks, and lentils). This stranglehold on sexuality or gender ‘identity’ is something we don’t share so much with our heterosexual or cisgender counterparts. Not long before Joel and I met, I had just been through a break-up with my boyfriend and somehow fallen for the Queen of all Queers. I knew immediately that I did not want to ‘come out’ because I felt I had never been in the closet. I come from a very supportive family and have loads of

ISABEL MUDFORD

awesome allies as mates. Nothing was ever going to be hidden from them. Anyone who knows me knows I just can’t keep a juicy secret like that to myself! More importantly though, for me, my non-heteronormative sexuality is something that is constantly developing, not something I was born with. I don’t believe this makes my sexuality a ‘choice’ as such. But I also don’t think that choosing to be gay or lesbian or whatever else should be seen as a negative thing to choose. If I had realised earlier that I could be living this lifestyle it would be have been rainbows

“Isaiah Berlin argues that identity only matters when it is in conflict... Identity means a lot to Queer* people because they usually have to fight for it.” and glitter from day one! Being Queer* is the most liberating feeling I’ve ever felt and I have developed so much as a person over the last eighteen months. But, that’s not to say it’s been very easy. It has been a challenge for me to start imagining myself as a Queer* person and then to find myself in a serious relationship with a dude. It’s especially complicated because parts of our relationship have been just like a lesbian couple. It was like the bowl of marshmallows had been given to 17

me and then, although I knew it was to happen, taken away - like a subject in the Mischel experiment. In Cube we get dirty looks, but outside, we can kiss with no fear of homophobic slurs. My dad thinks we are a ‘de facto’ couple having lived together for just a month, but my brother has been simply ‘living with his girlfriend’ for over a year. My ex says he is concerned, not because he thinks I am a lesbian in disguise, but that his friends do. We kind of live in some loved up limbo. It is clear to me that this idea of ‘identity’ is not just about how you see yourself, but how those around you understand you. Amongst Queer* theorists, there is the concept of Queer* time which explains how Queer cultures have developed new ways of tracking the passing of time in their lives with wedding anniversaries, children’s birthdays, and often the other celebrations of traditional family not available to them. Joel and I may be a ‘straight’ couple, but we can’t get married. In some states, we can’t adopt, or get IVF treatment. In many ways we are subjected to the same oppression that other Queer* couples encounter, but don’t fit into the same boxes. Like a lesbian couple, for years we may have to rethink how we celebrate our milestones and develop as a family all while seeming, to most, like your average ‘straight’ couple. Although we may be just as frustrated at these circumstances as our lesbian and gay friends, Joel and I like being Queer*. Each day is an opportunity for us to explore what that means for us as a couple and as individuals. How others and how we may one day see ourselves is unpredictable and complicated but will never be dull.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

A DAY WORKING AS A ‘FIFTY-CENT-ER’ A SATIRICAL PIECE ON ‘OCCUPY CENTRAL’ IN HONG KONG WORLD / SATIRE Herald K. woke to the sound of a bus stopping outside his window. He sat up and looked at the alarm clock on the plastic stool near his bed. “Fuck”, he said to himself, “it’s already 7.” He was supposed to wake up at 6:30. He puts on some random trousers and a shirt from the laundry basket and rushes off. Luckily for Herald, he arrives at the office just in time. He opens the door. then marches to his cubicle. From the window, he enjoys a great view of the Huangpu River at dawn, when the smoke from the chimneys of chemical plants on the other side of the river mixes with the sunrise and forms red clouds. Such images overwhelm him with coughs and, occasionally, patriotic pride. Herald K works as a ‘fifty-cent-er’ in one of the facilities of the Troll and Internet Harmonization Division under the Department of Propaganda. In essence, he posts pro-Government comments and deletes anti-Government comments on the Internet for a living. In his cubicle, he looks through the BBC homepage to update himself on world news. He relies on the BBC for information that could be twisted into up-to-date proGovernment spin. The news that the police in Hong Kong used pepper spray and tear gas on demonstrators in the “Occupy Central” movement excites him, for this issue provides, in the technical jargon, ‘many

ANONYMOUS materials to spin.’ As an experienced ‘fifty-cent-er’, Herald develops a two-step approach. He disguises himself as an ordinary citizen and asks the activists what happened. After they produce the facts, he randomly shouts out some pro-Government slogans, which inevitably provokes them. Under this approach, his scoreboard hits 50, or 25 RMB within 2 hours. The only benefit of working in the public sector is the three-hour lunch break. Since the Department adopted a new Holistic Management Strategy, everyone in the office knows that the boss only arrives after the break, and leaves at 5:30. The boss has one of the most onerous tasks dictated by the Strategy: the maintenance of friendly relationships through banqueting and partying with other Divisions. Such events often involve philosophical discussions, which extend beyond midnight, and end when she wakes up in a hotel room with one of the other male Division-leaders lying beside her. The boss is a woman in her 50s who wears a custom-made black jacket in winter. She wears a yellow/orange scarf with stripes and spots, which seems to have been stolen from her daughter. Occasionally, she carries a luxury handbag, with the crocodile logo pointing in the wrong direction. What really highlights her superiority is

VIOLENCE

not her appearance, but her unique diet. Unlike ordinary humans, she feasts not on food, but on others’ praise and flattery. To obtain her nourishment, she calls a meeting, in which she forces everyone to praise her. As a result, the meetings become prolonged, for those at the end often have to search very deep in their soul for praise that hasn’t already been said. Having fed the boss, Herald immediately returns to work, for he is sure that the ‘fifty-cent-ers’ in other facilities are getting ahead of him in neutralizing targets about ‘Occupy Central’. However, much to his relief, other ‘fiftycent-ers’ have been slow to react to updates on ‘Occupy Central’, and there are still many posts left for Herald to harvest. The smell of money quickly makes him a prisoner of his own greed, an automaton with nothing but two functions: spinning positive messages and deleting negative ones. Had there not been a temporary break down of power in the office, he would certainly have become the first martyr to die spinning pro-Government messages. Then Herald realizes that it’s already 9 pm, and he has to hurry for the last bus of the day. He looks at his screen, which tells him that he has managed to post or delete 200 Internet comments today. Knowing that he is one step closer in saving enough money to quit this job, he feels liberated. After all, as the Germans used to say, ‘Arbeit macht frei’.

T H A I L A N D AFTER THE COUP SUPPANUT PONGTHAVORNPINYO

WORLD

The political tension in Thailand deteriorated again in November 2013, after the parliament passed the amnesty bill and Yingluck was ousted by the constitutional court due to the claim of abuse of power. The Senate attempted to appoint a new prime minister, but was criticized by government supporters. At 4 a.m. on 20 May 2014, the military declared martial law before the situation could worsen. This move was unexpected by both society and the acting caretaker government, which claimed that there had been no consultation prior to the declaration. The Peace Keeping Command Centre (PKCC) was then formed to restore peace and order to Thailand, with reassurances from the military that this was not a coup, and that people did not have to panic. On 21 May 2014, a day after the declaration of martial law, the military held a meeting involving the Chairman of the Election Commission, the acting Senate house speaker, the leaders of both anti and pro governments protest movements, the leader of the governing Pheu Thai party and the leader of the opposition Democrat party. The purpose of the meeting was to mediate a solution to end the political gridlock. However, the mediation failed to solve the political conflict after just the first day. On the second

day, the meeting could not move forward as the government and the opposition could find no common ground. The parties failed to reach an agreement, and a military coup was announced immediately on 22 May 2014. Key personnel from both sides who attended the meeting were detained. However, both the Chairman of the Election Commission and the acting Senate house speaker were released. The new junta then formed the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). The NPCO ordered anyone who was involved in the political conflict to report to the Council, and these personnel were detained from three to seven days in the army barracks. On 22 July 2014, two months after the military seized power from the elected government, the King endorsed the new Thai interim constitution 2014 (B.E.2557). This interim Constitution is Thailand’s 19th constitution in eighty-two years of democracy. The key clauses of this interim Constitution stated that mandatory formation of the National Legislative Assembly, the Prime Minister and the cabinet, the National Reform Council and the Constitutional Drafting Committee. National

Legislative Assembly

‘Hong Kong Protesters Attacked, Violence Erupts - NBC Online 4th Of October’ Digital Painting. Janis Lejins

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

(NLA) has already been formed. 200 members were appointed by the NCPO, however 8 members resigned, thus the current National Legislative Assembly have 192 members. The National Legislative Assembly acts as both the House of Representative and the Senate. The National Reform Council (NRC) is still in the process of selecting its members. The purpose of the National Reform Council is to study and propose reforms in various areas. Similar to the NAL, the members of NRC are appointed by the NCPO. The Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) is tasked to prepare a draft constitution. It has 120 days to draft a new constitution after its inception through the NRC. Its members are appointed by the NCPO, NLA, NRC and the cabinet. The National Legislative Assembly, which all the members are selected from NCPO, selected General Prayuth Chan-ocha, leader of the coup, to be the Thailand’s Prime Minister. On 25 August 2014, the King officially endorsed General Prayuth Chanocha as Prime Minister. This recent coup has solved the political situation and brought stability back to Thailand. The coup has been widely viewed by the Thai population as an efficient solution, and the majority of

citizens view the coup positively. As the opinion poll shows that: “81.71 percent of the people are happy with the appointment of General Prayuth Chan-ocha as the prime minister as anticipated and hope he will be a good and decisive leader who will be able to perform his duty properly to bring the country forward” Suan Dusit Poll. (Thai Public Broadcasting Service, 2014) Thailand’s focus is now the National Reform Council and the Constitutional Drafting Committee. These two bodies will play a significant role in Thai politics as they will determine the fate of Thailand’s democracy and the nation’s direction. The junta government is committed to fixing the situation in the country, and will use all means to achieve their goals. General Prayuth Chan-ocha is an important figure in the future of Thai democracy. He has the power to appoint the key players in the National Reform Council and the Constitutional Drafting Committee. Given his position and power, the fate of Thailand’s future will be in his hands. The democratic future of Thailand is uncertain given the current situation, and democracy in Thailand may have to take a backseat for now.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

THE DRIEST PLACE ON EARTH

ALLELUJ AH!

DON’T

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

DIVEST!

I N V E S T ! WORONINOMICS

In light of Australia’s questionable performance at the recent UN Climate Summit, two economics students went to a decadent bourgeois coffeehouse (i.e. the Gods Café) to discuss climate change policies… LÉON: I just want to say I cringed when Abbott gave his speech about being a ‘good global citizen’ to the UN general assembly. BARBARA: But here’s the thing - even though most Australians believe climate change is real, absolutely nothing is happening on the policy front. And some people are blaming economists for it! But economics also says we should be doing more for climate action. The government should drop their ‘Direct Action Plan’ in favour of policies such as investment into renewable energy. Economics tells us people are generally risk averse – people prefer a certain outcome to an uncertain situation with the same expected payoff. It’s why we buy insurance even if our chances of a big accident in the future are tiny. The same applies to climate change. Runaway climate change is our accident and renewable energy is our insurance against it. By investing in renewables we are minimising the risk of a climate catastrophe in the future. Therefore, this is a welfare-improving policy for current generations. LÉON: Okay, ignoring the fact that you are assuming we can aggregate group preferences into a coherent social welfare function, government investment into renewables is problematic. Even if subsidies help the renewables

LEON WALRUS & BARBARA DENSER

Image courtesy of FLICKR

industry succeed, any apparent supernormal profits they make will likely be illusionary. This is because these profits are often merely compensating for an earlier (and very expensive and risky) R&D stage. Subsidies can create excessive market optimism, encouraging new entrants to the industry, who then incur heavy costs in the R&D stage before failing dismally in the marketing stage. Not every firm with a brilliant concept for nextgen solar cells or wind turbines will be lucky. That’s just a fact of life. With that in mind, subsidies could actually hurt the industry and its investors in the long-run by distorting incentives. Of course, it goes without saying that this is just as true for existing fossil fuel subsidies as well.

We need to begin looking elsewhere, lest we become stuck in a sunset industries.

BARBARA: But consider the potential jobs that could come out of investment into renewable energy! Renewable energy development is a sunrise industry - an industry that is relatively new and likely to be important in the future. As the demand for renewable energy increases, employers will hire new workers and develop new capital. This increases output and we could potentially tap into previously unrealised economies of scale. It’s a virtuous cycle of development! In contrast, the value of coal, our second largest export, is steadily dropping. In 2011, coal exports were worth 46.8 billion dollars and this was mainly to China. But China is slowly shifting towards renewable energy to manage an ongoing air pollution crisis and the price of coal has dropped almost 30% between January 2011 and January 2014. 20

LÉON: I’m afraid I have two final objections. First, a deliberate expansion of the renewables sector could harm other industries which rely on a common pool of resources, particularly if these resources are highly scarce and supplied inelastically. These are inputs such as rare earth minerals, as well as scientists, engineers, and other skilled workers. Using subsidies to expand renewables energy development could contract other high-tech sectors in the short-run or medium-run. Second, once you intervene in an industry you are creating a political constituency that may cause problems further down the line for policymakers. Whether you like it or not, the renewable energies sector is just like any other sector of the economy. If given the chance, it will attempt to seek rents and engage in regulatory capture. You only need to look at the political clout of the Australian carbon lobby to see how bad it can get. Ha. I can see it already: in one hundred years’ time, the Australian fusion energy industry will be struggling under the hegemony of the solar and wind energy lobby. Hmm… that could be a good idea for a science fiction novel… BARBARA: That would be a terrible novel. You should never, ever get published in any capacity. LÉON: Too late for that, I think.

TRAVEL

If you’ve ever wanted to travel to the moon but can’t quite afford the airfare, it’s time for you to visit the Atacama Desert, located where the borders of Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina converge. The Atacama is home to a whole host of other-worldly looking natural formations of stony terrain, salt lakes and felsic lava – plus you’ll regularly stumble across vicuñas and llamas, so it’s probably better than the moon anyway. Depending on your budget and time constraints, there are a few ways to see the Atacama, but the simplest way to make the most of her beauty is to base yourself in San Pedro de Atacama in the north of Chile. From here it is easy to take day trips around the area, and travel onward. San Pedro is also one of the starting points (or ending points depending on your direction) to take a tour of the breathtaking Salar de Uyuni in southern Bolivia. San Pedro itself is a pretty average town, with a few hostels and hotels, a couple of restaurants and bars, vendors selling your typical alpaca jumpers and beanies, and a butt-ton of tour agencies. The agencies are generally all on one strip, so it’s pretty easy to shop around and find good deals on various tours. The ‘must-sees’ are the Valle de la Luna, Laguna Cejar and Los Ojos (giant, deep pools in the middle of the desert), which are easy to visit cheaply on a tour.

GEORGIA PLUMMER-QUINN

Image courtesy of WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Additionally, for full-on moon-vibes, a pre-sunrise visit the the Geysers del Tatio is imperative, as you stand around in the cold watching boiling hot gases and water shoot out of the earth, metres into the air, before taking a dip in the hot springs.

your hostel to share some cervezas or a joint with. You should however reserve one night to visit the Ahlarkapin Observatory. Given San Pedros complete isolation, it is one of the clearest places in the world to look at the nights sky. There is a very cool telescope at Ahlarkapin, and they provide a great, informative presentation and even hot chocolate at the end. You can visit this either on a tour or it’s easy enough to organise transport if you have a group that are interested in attending.

If your budget allows, I would highly recommend a day trip to the Salar de Tara, which is way-away towards the

“The Atacama is home to a whole host of otherworldly looking natural formations of stony terrain, salt lakes and felsic lava.” Argentinian border. This is a less popular destination, as it takes a full day, but it is well worth the time and the money if you’re keen on feeling completely isolated (other than the 5 or so people that are generally in your group). There are amazing rock formations called the Cathedrals there – and it’s hard to believe that these shapes were created by the erosive forces of nature, not some 6th century Roman architect. While there isn’t exactly a raging nightlife, there are a few pubs around and you will inevitably find friends in

HOW TO GET THERE Flights to San Pedro operate from Santiago, but due to its isolated location they carry a pretty hefty price tag. The more economical (and fun) option is to travel overland – either by bus from Salta or Jujuy in Argentina; from further south in Chile, or ideally rom southern Bolivia on a 3 day tour through the Salar de Uyuni (well worth the visit on its own). (Tip: If you’re on your way back down or coming up from Santiago, you should also stop for a night or two at La Serena – they have an amazing, enormous observatory there, though you will want to make sure you’re in time for an English tour to get the most out of the stories – I went with a Chilean I met and could only nod and smile when I heard ‘la luna’ (moon) or ‘las estrellas’ (stars) … From La Serena you can also visit Isla Damas to befriend some dolphins, seals and penguins).

BOTH SUFFERING FROM SHELLSHOCK As a computer scientist I look at the universe and ask “Why? Why am I a computer scientist?” What separates me from animals? Well, people like animals. What differentiates me from computers? Well, computers don’t have panic attacks in nightclubs. Yet I maintain that I am better than a ferret or a calculator for one key reason: I am human. Ferrets and calculators are good and all, but they’ll never be able to take out a mortgage or have an awareness of microwave popcorn. These are obviously arbitrary measures, but they are increasingly what humanity has to cling to to assert its superiority. Advances in artificial intelligence mean computers will soon replace us all (see Someone I Met At A Bus Stop, 2013). They can think abstractly (ibid.) and be creative (ibid.), unlike wading birds with curved beaks that eat reptiles (ibis). It won’t be long before they start

taking our jobs and killing our children. Maybe there’s no reason to be alarmed. If we trusted the movie Her we’d know that no matter how hyper-intelligent AIs become, their dialogue will still be trite, unrealistic and delivered by an actress who couldn’t out-act a fish even if the fish was shy and had Alzheimer’s. But I personally trust Her about as far as I can throw it, which is roughly the distance to the nearest open sewer. We need to find out what makes humans the best. Perhaps empathy is what makes humans inherently better than machines. I mean, imagine that you’re walking through a desert when you see a tortoise lying on its back, unable to right itself. Because you’re a human you’d naturally turn it over. A machine wouldn’t do that – it’d just calculate pi or something. 1-0 humanity. But, I

THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2014 The Rugby Championship has almost drawn to a close, with Australia playing Argentina away and New Zealand visiting South Africa for the final round of the competition. Once again, though, Australian rugby has left me utterly disappointed and questioning our chances for next year’s World Cup.

the Wallabies. The Aussies’ next two wins against South Africa and Argentina were scrappy affairs where it seemed it was luck which won the game. Argentina had a few opportunities late in the second half to level the scores, and it was their unforced errors, predominantly, which didn’t allow them to follow through.

The June Internationals against France weren’t an adequate barometer of Australian rugby this year. Winning the series 3-0 shone a gleam over some very average rugby, which has been exposed by the superior opposition in the Rugby Championship. The first game in Sydney, the Wallabies should have been able to close, with countless opportunities to score going to waste as poor handling and unexplainable decision making led to a draw which the All Blacks were lucky to get away with. The Kiwis showed their mettle as the best team in the world the following week, coming out at Eden Park and, to put it nicely, embarrassing

Once again on the road to South Africa, the Wallabies showed their inability to win in “hoodoo venues,” drawing their losing streak in Cape Town out to 22 years. Allowing the Boks to roar home, scoring three tries in the last ten minutes, isn’t the type of side who will seriously challenge at next year’s World Cup. This can be put down to the closing ability of the Boks bench, where players such as Schalk Burger and Patrick Lambie helped close the game out, whilst the Wallabies bench which included names such as Kurtley Beale and James Horwill, all very experienced players, failed to deliver the same punch. This is a worry with a year to go until the

Week 8, Semester 2, 2014

THOMAS ANTIOCH

SATIRE BY SATYROS

hear you ask, what if the tortoise was a paedophile or a terrorist? What if it had 40 pounds of Semtex strapped to its shell and was planning to eventually explode an underage gazelle? Well, because you’re a human you’d naturally start monitoring all tortoises’ internet usage and lock up any reptilian whisteblowers. A machine wouldn’t do that. But, now that I think about it, their inaction probably gives them a better sense of human dignity than us. 1-1.

I didn’t think we should be friends anymore. However, after two weeks I returned to find that the program had gained sentience, ran off with my girlfriend and started a multi-million dollar business with my old school bully. I couldn’t believe that Sophie would run off with a computer program – especially one written in Visual Basic. Initially getting dumped made me cry and cry, but after a few weeks I started feeling myself again. That’s what men without girlfriends do.

Maybe pain is at the core of what it is to be human. I mean, most of my time is spent either feeling pain or sleeping. So I got to wondering: can computers feel pain? To test this, I wrote a program whose entire existence was to keep asking me to talk to it. I started it, waited for it to prompt me for input and then ignored it for two weeks. The idea was to give it the silent treatment and then curtly say that

So computers are smarter than us, more adaptable than us, respect privacy more than us and are apparently much, much better in bed than us. They’re superior in every way. And, as the calculators repossess our homes and steal our microwaves, we’ll be left trying to strike up conversations with ferrets and dreaming of the days when we had steam-powered sheep.

ZACH MACKEY

SPORT

World Cup, as you can’t expect to win games with only 15 men.

excited as I would be to see the Pumas finally get the maximum points from a game, unfortunately I believe this could come against the Wallabies, which would be another nail in the coffin. Argentina has recognised this, with the coaching staff stating they are targeting Australia as the side to beat.

One shining light of the game was the impact of Tevita Kurindrani at outside centre, finishing the game with the incredible stats of 16 runs for 134 metres, nine tackle busts, two linebreaks and a try assist to Adam Ashley-Cooper. Finally, it seems the Wallabies have someone to challenge the stranglehold of the All Blacks’ Conrad Smith. Meanwhile, the maiden win for the Argentines must be just around the corner. In this tournament, they have played some really good rugby and pushed South Africa in the first two games, where they were very unlucky to not come away with a win. They keep going from strength to strength, and they exposed some very serious cracks in the Wallabies in the only game the two have played thus far. They are a side that consistently come away with the bonus point, and are playing solid rugby. As

In other news, it has been reported that Sonny Bill Williams will make his rugby return through the New Zealand provincial competition, the ITM Cup, this coming weekend. It is also believed he will be selected in the New Zealand end of year Northern tour, adding firepower to the rampant centre stocks the All Blacks thoroughly enjoy. It will be interesting to see how SBW goes back in rugby, as it has seemed, this year in the NRL, he wasn’t as close to the blistering form he had the year before when the Roosters won the premiership. This writer for one is very excited to see how he goes, just maybe not against the Wallabies – we need all the help we can get.

WORONI No.12 Vol.66

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

? ? 2015 ALUMNI AWARDS Do you know an inspirational graduate or student who has made an outstanding contribution to their community in Australia or internationally? Nominate them for the University’s Alumni Awards. Nominations close 7 November 2014

alumniawards.anu.edu.au 23

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WORONI No.13 Vol.66

HOROSCOPES

DEREK JETER

A LEGEND RETIRES

SPORT/COMMENT

This past week, baseball witnessed what can only be called the end of an era. Derek Jeter, the captain of the New York Yankees for the past 17 years, took his last at bat on a professional baseball field. The face of the Yankees and the face of baseball, walked off the field to the applause of the whole crowd as they watched the celebrated number 2 disappear into the dugout one last time. The thing is, all this occurred in Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, home of the most hostile crowd in baseball and the biggest rivals of their New York neighbours. That’s what Jeter meant to baseball. Whether you love the Yanks or hate them, you can have nothing but respect for that man, and throughout this season we witnessed that first hand. Derek Jeter is the embodiment of a model athlete. He embraces and exudes the ethos of what it means to be a role model, and in a time where the world of sport is running dangerously low in athletes of good character (refer to my article in the previous edition of Woroni), perhaps one of the best in the business bids adieu to his throng of adoring fans. Let’s take a moment to recognize just how good of a ballplayer Derek Jeter was. With five, yes five, World Series rings under his belt, the Yankees shortstop is leaving behind an amazing career, with statistics that guarantee him a spot in baseball’s hall of fame. A true “one club” ballplayer, Jeter was drafted by the Yankees in 1992 and has never looked back since. Over his 20 years with the organization he had a career batting average of .309 racking a total of 3,463 hits, which is surpassed by only five men in the history of the sport. Fondly known as “Mr November” by Yankees fans, his postseason stats tell you why. He has accumulated more games, more total bases, more runs scored and more total hits in MLB’s postseason than any other player to have graced the sport. I, like many other aspiring baseball players, have grown up trying to

Week 8, Semester 2, 2014

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

THE RETROGRADE MYSTICS

JOSHUA CHU-TAN

emulate Derek Jeter. Countless hours spent in the backyard practicing his trademark “jumping throw” from shortstop to first. Trying my best to mimic his pre-batting routine with the expectation that if I did it right, I too could hit like the Captain. I personally witnessed his accumulation of World Series titles, one after the other, but most importantly, I, like every other person out there, saw the way that he carried himself on and off the diamond. Jeter has never been caught in the news headlines for the wrong reasons.

“Derek Jeter is the embodiment of a model athlete. He embraces and exudes the ethos of what it means to be a role model, and in a time where the world of sport is running dangerously low in athletes of good character...”

When the players he shared a field with were being investigated for domestic abuse, substance abuse, drink driving, physical assault, sexual assault as well as perjury (to name a few), their captain has never had a bad word uttered about him published. In a world where social media dominated, and athletes and celebrities let the world know their every move, Derek Jeter has never once tweeted or instagrammed a thing. His infrequent posts on Facebook are all related to his Turn 2 Foundation, established to help children and teenagers adopt a healthy lifestyle and avoid drugs and alcohol. I know what the naysayers may be thinking right about now. Something along the lines of, “all this hype, he’s just an athlete,” I’m guessing. However, his actions and character has played influence to the lives of many. He was an integral part of the 2001 Yankee team to instill hope and help the countless

New Yorkers struggling to cope with the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. In a time where spirits were down, he gave them something to cheer about. In a “polarized” America, Jeter has received spine-tingling ovations from the east coast all the way to the west. If you’re still unconvinced at his influence, consider the 50 year old woman from Baltimore who sat in a wheelchair waiting for Jeter’s autograph a mere 24 hours after receiving a grim diagnosis from her doctor. Why? “He never gave up,” she stated, Jeter is her inspiration, and in a way, her medicine. In his final game at Yankee Stadium, the game was tied 5-5 with the Baltimore Orioles in the bottom of the ninth. There was one out and one man on base when all of a sudden, 50,000 people simultaneously rose from their seats in applause. Chants began to fill the stadium “DE-REK JE-TER” as the announcer lets the fans know, perhaps for the last time, that their captain was up to bat. It was all set for a Hollywood finish, and with the first pitch, Jeter swings his bat and connects with the ball driving it between first and second base, past the infielders. The man on base rounds third and slides home as the crowd becomes deafening. Jeter jumps in the air, pure ecstasy etched through his face as he realized he hit a walk-off single in his last career at bat in New York.

Aries a powerful change the wind blows sand in your face scoop up all your hopes

Leo lady luck strikes gold fortune is in your favour hit the casino

Sagittarius a mirage shimmers skin and sweat and dares and dreams possibility

Taurus midnight adventure skip rocks upon the surface find tranquility

Virgo birds leave the old nest and spread their wings to new worlds old scars burst open

Capricorn alcoholic joy gold champagne flotsam and jetsam go where the gin flows

Gemini the shroud is boneless the clues will not unravel give it up, sherlock

Libra verbose gymnastics reflect the inner quandary time trickles away

Aquarius fumble at buckles lost intimacy sleeping reclaim the bodies

Cancer four pathways appear measure life in coffee spoons closure is nearer

Scorpio exam stress settles solace in liquor bottles keep persevering

Pisces he plucks your tulip you bask silver in moonlight steal your kiss YOLO

TWO HAIKUS

FOR REFUGEES POETRY MIZUNA KUDO

行きつつもなおも思いし祖国の地 Yukitsutsumo naomo omoishi sokokunochi

After the celebrations, he walked back onto the field to the ovation of the still standing crowd. He waves and thanks the fans as he makes his way to the hallowed dirt between second and third base, the place he called home for 20 years. He crouches down, making the sign of the cross, praying in silence. As he walks off the field, the crowd cheer, but it’s an eerie atmosphere. A sad, bitter look takes hold in people’s eyes as they knew they were witnessing Jeter in the famed pinstripes for the last time. Baseball was sending off a legend of the game. Farewell Derek Jeter, thank you for the memories. #RE2PECT

Having left the homeland, They remember it. Having left for protection, They pray for peace.

紙一枚命の手綱渡すのみ Kami ichimai inochinotazuna watasunomi

‘All for honor’ Illustration: Janis Lejins

Asylum seeking Documents Refugee status One procedure One paper Decides a life.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

EAT, SLEEP, PINGERS, REPEAT? - LISTEN OUT 2014 MUSIC REVIEW

Flume stoically continued to play his set throughout, and launched into his rendition of Hermitude’s Hyperparadise as if in celebration of the ordeal’s happy conclusion. As the beat dropped, the crowd forgot about the man with the hard-on for ecstasy, and began to move together in jostling unison. The rhythmic waves of bass pulled the crowd like an ocean current, and Listen Out 2014 was well once more.

FASHION IN THE FIELD. SATORIAL SYMPTOMS OF LISTEN OUT 2014

MITCHELL SCOTT

He was standing at the top of the tower with his shirt off, his eyes glazed with hallucinations. As he swayed high above the ground the crowd slowly turned, groggy as if woken from a dream. Some stared in wide-eyed horror, others became manic. For the most part the man on the tower remained unseeing, continuing to sway to the vibrations that filled the air. “Jump!” screamed a singlet-clad male beside me, gesturing wildly with a beer. After what seemed like a lifetime the man came to his senses, and decided to climb down the way he came. Sighs of relief became interspersed with laughter as he turned around to reveal his raging drug-induced boner.

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

Apart from the drama midway through Flume’s set, the festival went off without a hitch: Triple J Unearthed’s winner, Just A Gent, started the day with a catchy bassheavy set that got the crowd up and moving, showing the same potential as the newly-discovered Flume did on that same stage 2 years previously. One of my favourite acts, Ta-Ku, took the stage a few hours later, showcasing his unique combination of hiphop and trap influences. Chet Faker got off to a slow start thanks to technical difficulties, but blew all expectations as he sampled his own voice live, and stripped his set down to hear the whole crowd sing his anthems back to him.

Above: “I made these overalls myself because fuck it, you don’t have tie dye overalls and I do. That makes me better than you.”

Though the day was marred by a few drug-fuelled incidents and a Mount Franklin bottle to the side of the head, the acts at Listen Out performed with an earnestness rarely found at festivals. It was only as I was walking home that I realised that I hadn’t been requested to put my hands up at any point during the day. And that’s what sets Listen Out apart from other festivals: because, really, what are DJs but nerdy guys with a passion for making music?

WORONI GIG

Left: “My look says I like to have fun, but I also haven’t thought about the practicalities of moshing with large amounts of metal hanging from my neck.”

Photos by Emma Holland

RADIO GUIDE

Week 10 (6/10 – 12/10)

Week 11 (13/10 – 19/10)

ANU Bar Friday October 10 – Groovin the ANU

ANU Bar Thursday October 16 - Oktoberfest Friday October 17 – The Tea Party Saturday October 18 – BLUEJUICE (Farewell tour)

Trinity Bar Friday October 10 – Revelry Entertainment presents LDRU

Transit Bar Saturday October 18 – Glitoris

Transit Bar Thursday October 9 – Raus & Cracked Anchor (EP Launch) FREE Friday October 10 – Chuparosa FREE Zeirholz Saturday October 11 - ALLDAY

Photos by Emma Holland Captions: Mitchell Scott

OUT OF LEFT FIELD When hearing the term ‘festival fashion,’ the outfits that most likely come to mind are a variation of short shorts, flower crowns and tie-dye. However, festival fashion has sometimes gone beyond simply floral prints and wide leg trousers, and delved into the field of traditional headdresses and national traditions. The Native American headdress, the war bonnet, has become a ‘hipster’ festival favourite. The war bonnet was originally worn by Native American warriors and was a general symbol of authority, honour and courage. In response to this ‘hipster’

Above: “God I love yellow. I love it so goddamn much. That shit’s a primary colour. Also, tights are surprisingly nice to mosh in.”

NIKITA HOLCOMBE

craze, the Canadian Bass Coast Festival, have banned the wearing of the Native American headdress, for the “dignity of the aboriginal people.” The festival takes place on traditional aboriginal land, which, to the Bass Coast team, highlighted the importance of this respect.

and banned the traditional Hindu Bindi. The Bindi has fast become a fashion festival favourite, worn at Coachella by a multitude of celebrities. It’s growing popularity and demand becomes obvious in the extensive range of Bindies offered by indie’s favourite online store, Etsy.

Following Bass Coasts Festival’s lead, Australian music festival the Meredith Festival, has also banned the Native American headdress on its grounds. They have emphasised that the wearing of the headdress is disrespectful, as it promotes the stereotype of the Native American culture.

The traditional Hindu Bindi is placed in between the eyebrows, on the sixth chakra, which symbolises command, meaning concealed wisdom.

Even though there has been a strong ban against the wearing of the war bonnet, no music festival has followed this attitude 27

The banning of one traditional dress, but not another at a music festival poses a serious degree of double standard. The Hindu Bindi was not explicitly banned at the Bass Coast festival, however there has been a strong emphasis by music festival coordinators, Meredith

FASHION festival included, that strongly opposes culturally significant head attire including the Hindu Bindi. For keeping well away from the banned apparel for your next music festival, stick to classic overalls, gumboots and anything plaid.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

ORONI

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Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66

Week 10, Semester 2, 2014.

WORONI No.13 Vol.66