Written by Zach Siddiqui, Opinions Editor
“How did the internet go from being a safe queer haven to a minefield of unchecked rage?” – Justin Saint, Daily Xtra
This piece describes the Internet of 2008 as a sanctuary from the familial, social, and academic battles of the real world, particularly for queer people; flash forward nearly a decade, and it’s gone from a zone of respite to a legitimate warzone.
Online, hostility is now the mode of communication and what was a “safe queer haven” now forces people to dispute the veracity of their own identities regularly. Users frequently tell each other to commit suicide and it’s meant to be taken as the norm.
I liked this article for its sense of authenticity, and queer people of colour getting a platform to talk about their experiences is always a plus. I did think the Metal Gear Solid plug at the end felt a little forced, but it worked overall. Definitely a solid read.
“Cannabis sales need to involve a mental health-conscious marketing plan” – Katherine Dolmat, The Runner
Coming from Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s newspaper, Dolmat’s piece brought in a really cool point about legal marijuana: that there are psychological health risks associated with marijuana, despite its many benefits.
These risks, including “anxiety, panic, paranoia, hallucinations, and other psychotic symptoms,” often go ignored because of how much of a cultural phenomenon pot has become, and because of how rare it is that they both occur and get identified. If we just advertise marijuana the way we do alcohol, it can be dangerous to those who don’t know the risks.
One flaw is that it says we need “a health-conscious marketing plan” but it doesn’t actually offer a comprehensive one. As a result, I could reduce the argument of this article to Tweet size without losing anything major. Something like, ‘Marijuana can be dangerous to mental health; make sure people know that. See Bill C-45 and Health Canada and educate yourself.’
“It shouldn’t be taboo to criticize parents for having too many kids” – Kristen Pyszczyk, CBC News
Hot take. Pyszczyk talks about how having a huge number of kids in our global resource does more harm than good. Parents who desperately want big families also often ignore the option of adopting a kid who desperately wants a home.
She also discusses the gendered aspects of the debate: “Women have long been told that they need to have kids to have a meaningful life, and they are groomed for motherhood from a very early age . . . Women need to be presented with options for a fulfilling life that don’t involve taking 20 years of their lives to care for offspring.”
Personally, I can appreciate Pyszczyk’s logic and enjoyed the quality of this piece. At the same time, as someone who doesn’t plan to start a family and who also cannot speak from the female perspective here, it’s not necessarily my place to insert my voice into this debate.
