Is Beyoncé a feminist icon?

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March 24, 2014

She is! by Max Hill

Like it or not, for many people in our society, feminism is still a bad word. Female pop stars from Katy Perry to Taylor Swift to Madonna have openly rejected the term, citing the same tired “I’m not a feminist, I’m an equalist” argument we’ve heard a million times before. For this reason alone, the depressingly small number of female pop singers who do openly support feminism deserve our applause and support.

Beyoncé is one such woman.

It hasn’t always been this way — back in 2010, Beyoncé only referred to herself as “feminist in a way,” mainly because she valued her female friendships. But four years later, she’s publicly proclaimed herself a modern day feminist, both in her music and in her everyday life. She even wrote an open essay last year in response to a study which reported that 42 million women in the United States were living in poverty.

“We need to stop buying into the myth of gender equality,” she argued, urging men and women alike to fight for equal pay and equal treatment in society. That sure sounds like a feminist to me.

To be fair, Beyoncé isn’t a flawless exemplar of feminist ideology — her music videos skew towards the male gaze, and some of her lyrics are more than a little problematic. But arguing that these issues disqualify her as a feminist icon treats feminism like the kind of exclusive club that feminists have been trying for centuries to undermine.

Especially on her most recent album, Beyoncé, her lyrics have advocated sex positivity, self-confidence, girl power, and positive body images. With each new record, her feminist lens focuses more clearly on the issues affecting girls and women in North America and beyond.

Feminism is an open conversation, a movement with plenty of room for dissenting voices and different cultural experiences. Beyoncé’s is one such voice, and it deserves to be heard, both by her fans and her critics.

At the end of the day, Beyoncé is one of the most popular and influential women in the Western world, and she’s using her power to promote feminism and gender equality. What more can you ask?

No way! by Joel MacKenzie

Beyoncé is a strong woman. She’s a fantastic performer and artist. She is a feminist. But her feminism is problematic.

Feminism itself is a slippery term. Generally, it can be defined as advocating for women’s rights to achieve equality among the genders, on levels of economics, politics, and sociality. It is a movement that affects everyone, not just women. The problem is that it’s hard to say exactly what constitutes behaviour that strives to meet this goal. Thus, feminism is a constantly changing, open debate about the best way to do so.

Looking at Beyoncé’s music — the clearest vehicle for the pop icon’s opinions and influence on the general public — she only makes female empowerment statements in relation to men. This attitude does not contribute much to long-term gender equality.

Of course, I lack sufficient room here to do justice to anywhere near all of Beyoncé’s work. And she has done writing outside of her song lyrics that addresses feminism. But again, her lyrics are what she uses to communicate with the masses, and they should be seen as a fair representation of what she stands for.

I look here at two examples of her work, though this theme appears throughout.

Listen to “Single Ladies.” This song is an apparent response to not receiving a proposal from a man. From this point of view, the power remains in the man’s hands. The only agency that the woman assumes in the song is spiteful revenge amassed by flirting with other men.

Certainly, “Run the World” has a lot of explicit positives — suggesting that women college grads can be powerful, for instance. But beyond some simplistic notions about women power, the song begs for a gender struggle of women versus men, rather than equality. This perpetuates the same problem that feminism is a response to, and is exactly what spurs the reaction from loud-mouthed, ignorant persons (Men’s Rights Activists) who become threatened and take an opposite stance in the same gender struggle.

It is awesome that Beyoncé can stand as a strong woman and inspire anyone to feel empowered. And it is certainly necessary to talk about relationships amongst genders. But only when we can look at women as independent and equal, not only as such in relation to men, can equality be achieved.

Spaces of contestation: art, activism and the city

By

Peak Web

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March 24, 2014

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In a quiet room nestled in the SFU Woodward’s building, Stephen Collis addressed what it means to resist as a community in his lecture “Riot Dogs and Research Labs — Poetry and Struggle.”

The event was the fourth in a collection of talks, performances, public auctions, publications, and an exhibition that have made up the project Spaces of Contestation: Art, Activism and the City. The compilation, curated by Mariane Bourcheix-Laporte, examines the collective walk/protest/public demonstration as both a performance and a social formation.

The series was presented by SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement, the SFU Institute for the Humanities, and UNIT/PITT Projects. This fourth talk was a critical discussion in how to negotiate the future and build considerable capacity to resist what we don’t wish to see in our world, but also how to evoke alternative ideas about what we do want.

Collis is a poet and professor of contemporary literature at SFU. In his work, he invites us to embark on a journey of exploring the capacity to resist. In this dialogue-centered presentation he focused on three “spaces”: the street, the commons, and the future.

He began with the street, the most obvious contested space. When we — in Vancouver and the Western world — “take to the streets,” we are rebelling in a way that could be categorized as safe compared to acts of civil disobedience in other parts of the world.

For example, not only do many of us feel confident that nothing terrible is going to happen to us when we go to a demonstration or march, but protests in the city are safe in that they are often even escorted by the police force themselves.

Collis asked, “Are street protests rooted in the past?” He referred to the language around these events as well as their “reactive” nature. If we are simply reacting to something that’s already been initialized, what are we ignoring? Despite these thoughts, he said that the street is an important place of contestation as it builds capacity for resistance in a direct and immediate way, and it frustrates the state authorities.

Protests in the city are safe in that they are often even escorted by the police force themselves.

Collis then explored the “commons,” spaces characterized by shared livelihood. We have been dependent on common ground, he reminds us, throughout history.

Before the 17th century, there was absolutely no concept of private property: everything was communal. He urged us to see that in recent decades, capitalism has continually enclosed (privatized) these spaces, rendering different ways of thinking essentially impossible.

He evoked a sense of yearning for these places to which we have lost connection with a beautiful poem titled “Blackberries”; it’s about a berry patch that thrived in an abandoned lot, a junk space, off of Prior Street in Vancouver. The wild thorns and fruit draw our attention to a space absent of market relations and state. The berry patch represents another site where resistance occurs in a reactionary form.

Collis is interested in timelines — where do we cognitively map things in time and space? He explored the idea that we are always thinking of ourselves either in the past or in the future. It is fitting, then, that the third space he investigated is “the future.”

In the arena of climate change, he explained how we think of the future as an absolute — something that has basically already happened.

Corporations are already counting on burning all the CO2 that is still in the earth, as if it were already extracted and ready to go. As he explained, “Here we are, the dead of all times dying once again, but now in order to live.” He emphasized the importance of functioning as a “we” — a collective — in the future if we want to actualize futures that have not been created yet.

Reactionary resistance, he concluded, isn’t really about having true freedom and creating positive change. It is a negative discourse we employ as a way of saying, “no, I don’t want that.” Alternatively, capacity building moves beyond what’s happened in the past to proactively create alternative realities. It is this positive capacity building that Collis wants to continue to engage in, through his poetry, studies, and dialogue with others.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is immaculately immersive

By

Peak Web

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March 24, 2014

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Living in a Wes Anderson film is like living in a perfectly symmetrical doll’s house, but with complex characters and an overwhelming amount of 70s nostalgia.

Anderson’s latest masterpiece, The Grand Budapest Hotel, follows Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes) and his protégé Zero Mustafa (Tony Revolori). Gustave is the concierge and Zero the lobby boy at the esteemed Grand Budapest Hotel.

The diligent Gustave keeps the hotel in immaculate condition, much like Anderson and the aesthetic of his films. He is brutally honest, witty, vain and has a particular fondness for elderly rich women. His most notable fling is with Madame D (Tilda Swinton), who assigns Gustave the fictional renaissance painting Boy with Apple in her will.

When the time comes for Gustave’s inheritance of the painting, Madame D’s son Dmitri (Adrien Brody) is not keen on giving up the notable piece of art, especially to the man he accuses of murdering his mother.

The Grand Budapest Hotel follows the wild string of events that ensue to retrieve the painting and clear Gustave’s name. It also follows the beautiful friendship that develops between the kind and lowly lobby boy Zero and the clever, liberally-perfumed Gustave.

The story is narrated by Zero retelling the events in his old age. He portrays the hotel sentimentally, indicating his gratefulness for the place and all that happened there. The film is hilarious and made me laugh out loud on several occasions, but it is also poetically written and full of heartwarming connections.

This is the world of Wes Anderson, where polished, dream-like settings turn nostalgia into a backdrop for complicated humans.

Watching the world Anderson created in the film is like living in the doll house that you always wished would come alive when you were a child. The colours are vivid and, in true Anderson style, reminiscent of the 70s.

The buildings and scenery are almost cartoon-like, appearing as though they are made of clay — this is the world of Wes Anderson, where polished, dream-like settings turn nostalgia into a backdrop for complicated humans. The score is also eclectic, adding to the whimsical nature of the characters and plot.

The characters are brought to life by the cast, as Fiennes flawlessly delivers the genuineness and hilarity of Gustave. Saoirse Ronan plays Zero’s brave and fiery girlfriend Agatha. Zero’s character was cast perfectly with newcomer Tony Revolori, as the charmingly loyal companion of Gustave. All of the classic cameos you would expect from a Wes Anderson film are successfully delivered.

Watching The Grand Budapest Hotel is an immersive experience — it’s like playing a game that you get so involved in you don’t even know how long you’ve been playing. You are fully transported to witness the inner-workings of the hotel and the polished madness that is happening around Zero and Gustave. It is cheeky and so very endearing, and a more than worthy addition to the Anderson canon.

Of mice and men

By

EIC

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March 24, 2014

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Michael Silverman, an associate professor of biology at SFU, has made an important contribution to the collective knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease through his research on cellular neuroscience.

Today, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is undeniable. The degenerative disease targets the brain, resulting in loss of memory, behavioural changes and disintegration of language abilities. Alzheimer’s does not discriminate, and can seemingly target anyone as they age.

However, Silverman has come across a rare gene variation which may prove helpful in understanding the disease.

Two years ago, Silverman went to Japan for a fellowship, bringing his strengths in the field of cell biology to work alongside geneticists and physicists. During his time there, researchers did genetic marker studies on mice, without a specific goal in mind, but hoping to find a genetic pattern between the subjects.

After raising mice with indistinguishable genetic backgrounds in identical settings, scientists found that some of the mice had a specific gene that led to the slowing down of amyloid precursor protein (APP) transportation in the cells, resulting in greater deterioration. In simple terms, this is a gene anomaly that leads to Alzheimer’s.

After the initial studies, they tested for the same specific gene in people with the disease, and they too, had this genetic anomaly.

Silverman explained, “[This] doesn’t say it’s causative, necessarily — it’s correlative. If you have this gene variation, there’s a good chance you’re going to have this disease.”

Researchers have struggled with Alzheimer’s because it does not have a strong genetic component, at least not one researchers have discovered. While this discovery is promising, it does not necessarily mean researchers will find a cure for the disease anytime soon.

Alzheimer’s disease is still an incredibly complex enigma, but as Silverman said, “finding more pieces to the puzzle [is] essential.” Any information that can help doctors and researchers understand more about the disease is valuable and may lead to treatment or earlier detection for those who are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s, he concluded.

Post-secondary bullies

By

EIC

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March 24, 2014

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It seems the phrase “I’m just a big kid at heart” couldn’t be more applicable to current research from SFU, which revealed that cyberbullying (or cyber-harassment) is more prominent among students and faculty members than we’d expect. So prominent, in fact, that I am dismayed and ashamed of academic populations after learning the details.

The study, conducted by Professor Wanda Cassidy and her colleagues, included 30 interviews and a survey of over 2,000 people from four universities across the country. The results found that, surprisingly, many students harass their TA’s through social media smear campaigns, and faculty members harass each other most prominently through emails and text messages.

One situation concerning a TA grabbed my attention: the TA claimed that a colleague felt that she was being gossiped about, and consequently sent the TA derogatory messages up to 73 times a day. When the TA did not reply, the messages became worse.

Cyberbullying is what children do, children who are paranoid about popularity and self-image.

Other instances include professors who have been attacked by students calling them “lousy, incompetent and useless,” causing instructors to fear going to work each day.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who witnessed cases of cyberbullying while in high school. I’ve even been a victim, and (I’ll admit) at times a perpetrator of this harassment. I am well aware of the adolescent life played out through social media and texts, one that can be careless, self-absorbed, malicious, and without shame. Furthermore, being from a small town, it was fairly routine for cyber-harassment cases to spread by word of mouth to all the townsfolk.

After a particular instance in which one student attacked several teachers with a Youtube video, causing widespread distress among the school staff, I remember thinking to myself that I couldn’t wait to graduate and leave the degrading, single-minded woes of small town, adolescent life behind me.

Of course, I knew harassment would still exist, but I think these realities were shrouded by my vision of university as some kind of paradise, the adult holy-land of professionalism. Reading about cases in studies such as this further erodes the pit of reality in my stomach.

Cyberbullying is what children do. Children who are paranoid about popularity and self-image, who have trouble thinking before acting, and who don’t yet understand the values of creating and maintaining positive relationships.

When adults who claim to be mature individuals seeking skillful employment and companionship, turn around and harass each other like this, there are some serious consequences. Do you want your professional image tarnished? Do you want to be sleep-deprived and anxiety-ridden? How about thoughts of suicide?

As a guy who has very little tolerance for bullying of any sort, I am proud to say that I make an effort to treat everyone with kindness and respect, no matter their differences. I try to understand the outlooks of others, and I’ve come to learn the value of upholding positive relationships.

Clearly, these are concepts that too many striving academics have yet to grasp.

The power of the vagina comes to SFU

By

Peak Web

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March 24, 2014

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“Vagina” is a sticky word. While it refers to part of the female anatomy, it is incredibly intimate in connotation. Unlike its male counterpart, “penis” or “dick,” the word “vagina” is not used liberally in society; in fact its use seems almost like a faux pas. Yet it is that very body part that not only defines a woman in the physical sense but is also a powerful symbol of who she can be.

This is the mindset that The Vagina Monologues aims to tackle. Created by Tony Award winning playwright Eve Ensler, this beautiful collection of monologues explores the ups and downs of being a woman — with stories ranging from hilarious sex tales to heart wrenching accounts of sexual abuse.

It was this very collection of works which inspired the creation of the V-day movement — a global activist movement that aims to end violence against women and girls. The cause has now raised over $100 million through proceeds from productions such as The Vagina Monologues that are being performed all over the world.

SFU will be hosting a production of The Vagina Monologues with proceeds from the show benefitting the North Shore Women’s Centre. Eighteen talented young women have been hard at work in order to bring these stories to life.

“With media portrayals and public dialogue on the subject [often being] demeaning and oppressive, we need art like this to encourage discussion of our own experiences.”

Gabrielle Lamoureux, performer

Performer Gabrielle Lamoureux says of the show, “I think The Vagina Monologues is still so relevant because it deals with vaginas and womanhood in an open and often positive way. With media portrayals and public dialogue on the subject [often being] demeaning and oppressive, we need art like this to encourage discussion of our own experiences.”

Fellow performer Diana Bartosh agrees and says of her participation in the production, “I saw the show at UBC last year and immediately wanted to get involved because I missed doing theatre. The show starts important conversations that people can be afraid of initiating.” Indeed, even the title of the show is straight-forward and in your face, allowing for the societal taboo surrounding the word to be addressed before its opening lines.

Camila Cardenas, Nina Boosheri, and Erika Dee are the three students who have organized the event and worked with the actors to make it a reality at SFU. One of the directors, Camila Cardenas, says of her love for the show: “It is one of the shows that I have enjoyed [doing] the most. It is funny, sad, inspirational, intuitive . . . I think shows like this help to acknowledge the very real part of our humanity.”

It is not a raunchy romp of sex stories, although there are plenty of laughs in store for the audience. The stories of these women echo with threads of vulnerability, brokenness, and in the midst of it all, an inherent source of strength. Relatable and humorous, the show also explores issues such as how women are seen and treated in society.

The monologues will be performed on March 26 at the Orpheum Theatre downtown and on March 28 at the SFU Images Theatre on the Burnaby campus. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door and can be accessed through the link posted on The Vagina Monologues Facebook event page.

Open letter Re: fossil fuel divestment

By

EIC

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March 24, 2014

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As SFU faculty, we join with SFU 350 in calling on the Board of Governors to 1) increase transparency about the climate risk and carbon intensity of SFU’s investments, 2) immediately freeze any new investment in fossil-fuel companies, and 3) divest within five years from direct ownership and from any funds that include fossil-fuel public equities and corporate bonds.

[. . .]

It is not too late to limit climate change and thus reduce the suffering of millions of people around the world. To limit global warming to the “safe” target of 2°C above pre-industrial levels, it is increasingly clear that we must make a rapid shift away from fossil fuels.

According to the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, future global CO2 emissions from human sources must stay below 1.01 trillion tonnes (1,010 GtCO2) to preserve just a 66% chance of limiting warming to 2°C. Yet estimates of the emissions potential from existing, economically-viable fossil fuel reserves (2,800 Gt CO2) exceed that target several times over.

Proven and probable reserves in Canada alone amount to 174 GtCO — one sixth of the carbon budget for the entire planet. In other words, if we want to avoid the strong possibility of catastrophic climate change, most of the Earth’s fossil fuel reserves must not enter the atmosphere.

[. . .]

SFU aspires to be “a leader in our progress to a sustainable way of living” and, accordingly, it must advocate for immediate action to dramatically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. But when SFU invests in fossil fuels, it sends the opposite message: the university appears to be betting that the extraction of fossil fuels will continue unabated, and that we will fail as a species to come to terms with climate change.

Even if the world does continue to burn carbon at current rates, there is no reason to assume that SFU must invest in fossil fuels in order to fulfill its fiduciary responsibility. A study by S&P Capital IQ found that if universities had divested 10 years ago from their fossil fuel-based investments, their endowments would likely be larger than they are today. Many organizations around the world have already committed to divestment, including nine post-secondary institutions, 22 cities, 19 foundations, and 23 religious organizations.

[. . .] We call upon the Board of Governors to end business as usual at SFU and immediately begin the process of divestment from fossil fuels. Divestment is an opportunity for SFU to engage the world by boldly demonstrating a commitment to a sustainable future. To quote again from SFU’s Sustainability Plan, “Taking action on the environment means significant change in both social and economic structures. Behaviours and expectations need to be aligned around the unified goal of a healthier planet. If we are serious about this endeavor, educational institutions must help show the way.”

Michael T. Schmitt (Psychology)

Rosemary Cornell (Molecular Biology and Biochemistry)

Nilima Nigam (Mathematics)

Shane Gunster (Communication)

Arne Mooers (Biological Sciences)

Kirsten Zickfield (Geography)

A complete list of signees, a longer version of the letter, and how to add your name to this list can be found at http://sustainablesfu.org/actionareas/climate/fossil-fuel-divestment/open-faculty-letter-to-sfu-board-of-governors/

Tippy Top Ten: Puppy Therapy

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EIC

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March 24, 2014

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Here are the Tippy Top Ten Reasons Puppy Therapy is better than Regular Therapy…

10. They aren’t afraid to just go ahead and lick you

9. Seeing three at once won’t come across as a major cry for help

8. They actually listen to your story about the time you saw a squirrel

7. Eddie always had his life together way more than Frasier

6. You can be sure they’ve had all their shots

5. Probably won’t feel as much judgement for drinking out of the toilet

4. They rarely use electro-shock treatment

3. There will be more interest in your fajita than your father

2. They appreciate you scratching behind their ears

1. Requesting “a black one” doesn’t seem as weird

“Complete breakfast” doing just fine without Reese’s Puffs

By

EIC

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March 24, 2014

0

CLOVERDALE — A local breakfast is reportedly doing “just fine” on its own without Reese’s Puffs, a cereal long believed to be an essential part of it.

According to the group of three pieces of toast, scrambled eggs, a grapefruit and a medium-sized orange juice, they feel just as “complete” as ever even without the presence of Reese’s Puffs who was not purchased this week.

“I really don’t know what he was even bringing to the table,” one of the pieces of toast told The Peak, “I mean, we’ve already got grain, protein and most vitamins covered just among us.”

“Sure, he’s a sweet guy and he’s got a little protein but I don’t think it’s fair to say he completes us”

– OJ

These thoughts were echoed by the rest of the breakfast who just couldn’t see the legitimacy in the value that their chocolatey compadre always talks up on TV.

“Sure, he’s a sweet guy and he’s got a little protein but I don’t think it’s fair to say he completes us,” explained the orange juice. “Really, if anything he’s bringing us down, making us unhealthy.”

While the majority of the breakfast was quick to dismiss Reese’s Puffs, some did rise to his defence.

“I’ve got to admit, without him, we’re pretty boring; you’re never going to find a neat prize in a carton of eggs,” the grapefruit commented. “Plus, he’s the one who always gets the milk to come around and, if I’m being honest, dairy is pretty important to us.”

While the breakfast may be somewhat divided on the worth of Reese’s Puffs in their meal situation, they agree that the chocolate-snack branded cereal could be easily replaced.

“We’ve had everything from Frosted Flakes to Shredded Wheat come in here and do more than a great job in that role,” Toast-Piece #2 explained. “RP is fine to have around the house, maybe join us on weekends, but we can get along just fine without him.”

As of press time, Reese’s Puffs did not make an official statement regarding the situation although he is reportedly also doing just fine on his own, quote “actually making kids happy.”

Our Colour-Coded World

By

EIC

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March 24, 2014

1

There are few feelings that ever rivaled breaking open the seal of your brand new crayon box as a primary school student. No more borrowing crayons from the other kids at school. You could finally use any colour you wanted: Carnation Pink, Sky Blue, Brick Red. The anxiety of being stuck with the five most unwanted, useless colours to have ever existed in the Crayola world was gone.

Brown. Black. Yellow. Red. White. With so many different colours to choose from, these five colours seemed boring and ugly in comparison. So, who felt the need to categorize seven billion human beings — all with distinct, individual cultures — into five of the most disliked crayon colours of our youth?

Identifying people by their colour minimizes and marginalizes their individual identities.

To be clear, I’ve never been personally offended by someone calling me “brown”; I suspect this is because the term has become normalized in our society. I myself have been using the term casually for years.

But a conversation I had with my cousin from Manchester, who uses “Asian” to refer to the same group of people we North Americans refer to as “brown,” made me question the terms I use in my everyday life. Is it right to identify individuals by a colour, even if those terms don’t paint a complete picture?

“As long as your character is what precedes you, I’m okay with being called a black guy,” says Kayode Fatoba, an Health Science student at SFU. “Black is beautiful, I’m black and I’m proud . . . Calling me Kayode is much cooler, though.”

Colour labels might serve a beneficial purpose. I am Punjabi. It is the only ethnic label I feel proud and honoured to identify with. I was born in Punjab, India. Both my parents are Punjabi. But if I were given a list of countries and asked to check where I was born, I would be forced to check the box next to India.

Sovereign states are the foundation of our current global political economy and, therefore, have a monopoly on their citizens’ identities. If people used nationalities to describe individuals instead of colours in our society, I would be labelled an “Indian” and forcibly be identified with a state that has intentionally made a point of oppressing my people both historically and presently.

The label “brown” serves a purpose here: it doesn’t limit my identity within a political border, and allows me to fill in the blanks of my ethnicity myself.

Chantal Chow, a Communications major at SFU, struggles with a similar issue. Both of her parents are from Hong Kong, and if people were to refer to each other by their ancestral nationalities, she would most likely be labelled “Chinese.” According to Chantal, this label would not express her identity correctly, because there is a deeply embedded and significant reason for making a distinction between Hong Kong and China.

She’d prefer to be recognized as Canadian first since she was both born here and holds Canadian citizenship.

Taking this into consideration, using a colour to describe an individual transcends our traditional sovereign state system and avoids mistaking someone’s nationality or their preferred regional identity.

But is defying the traditional state system with the use of a broad and overly-generic colour-coding system a form of rebellion, or just laziness?

According to Mariam Hanjra, a Psychology major at SFU, labels, nationalities, and colour are not the best way to break down boundaries. Where someone is born or where their parents were born is not an accurate representation of their identity. As someone who is half-Pakistani and half-Filipino, Mariam knows all too well the problems with putting someone in the most convenient colour category, and ignoring a part of their identity in the process.

Identifying people by their colour or nationality is meant to be efficient, but that efficiency comes at the cost of minimizing and marginalizing an individual’s identity. After all, when you call me “brown,” what insights have you gained about me and my family? About who I am as a person?

We’re so much more than colours in a box. It’s time our language reflects that.

The colour-coding system also ignores specific ethnic groups and their historical struggle for independence and a sense of identity. The “white” category carries a strong stigma, along with all the other colour categories I’ve discussed. Imperialism, colonialism, and privilege are almost exclusively associated with the white race. In our society, however, we have conglomerated almost every country in the “Global North” under this banner of whiteness.

By continuing to use “white” to describe the Irish, for example, we effectively ignore the very crucial and significant history of the Irish people. According to Jess Furney, a Criminology student at SFU, who is half Irish, “To be fully alright with being defined by such an all-encompassing term seems a contradiction, and suggests disrespect to my family’s ancestry and circumstance in their fight against British exploitation, famine, and the like.”

So I ask you again: Is it right to identify individuals by a colour, or by their ancestral nationality?

It doesn’t have to be one or the other. It’s not primary school anymore, so why settle for such a limited colour palette? It may be more difficult to look past our system of categorization to see the person beneath, but it’s worth doing so. We live in a world bursting at the seams with culture and individuality — using simplified terms to describe ourselves only serves to minimize our diversity.

We’re so much more than colours in a box. It’s time our language reflects that.

She is! by Max Hill

No way! by Joel MacKenzie

Protests in the city are safe in that they are often even escorted by the police force themselves.

This is the world of Wes Anderson, where polished, dream-like settings turn nostalgia into a backdrop for complicated humans.

Cyberbullying is what children do, children who are paranoid about popularity and self-image.

“With media portrayals and public dialogue on the subject [often being] demeaning and oppressive, we need art like this to encourage discussion of our own experiences.”

Gabrielle Lamoureux, performer

“Sure, he’s a sweet guy and he’s got a little protein but I don’t think it’s fair to say he completes us”

– OJ

Identifying people by their colour minimizes and marginalizes their individual identities.

We’re so much more than colours in a box. It’s time our language reflects that.