Current students should focus their energy on climate change because it is the defining issue of our generation. It threatens the livelihood and existence of the human species; scientists argue a temperature increase of more than two degrees celsius will have an unpredictable and destructive impact on ecosystems, food sources,[Read More…]
Off the Board
Off the board: Political critique without personal criticism
Topics dealing with race, sex, and gender are inherently politically and personally charged issues. Critiques based on these issues are bound to one’s own experience and identity; when these issues are raised, the discussion can quickly become emotionally-charged. These conversations are crucial in order to highlight and dismantle oppressive structures[Read More…]
Off the Board: A eulogy for Korova
The news of Korova’s untimely end has shaken lovers of communal asphyxiation, smoke machines, and top 40 hip hop singles across campus. Just two days after a typically successful $ucka Free Monday (Staight Outta Compton Edition), Korova announced on its Facebook page that it was closing for good, and would[Read More…]
Off the board: Drawing the line between inspiration and appropriation
Following the release of Taylor Swift’s new music video for “Wildest Dreams”—the 5th single from her 2014 album, 1989—the singer and the video’s director, Joseph Kahn, came under fire for accusations of racism and glorifying colonialism. It is very easy to call out something as being racist or culturally appropriative—especially[Read More…]
Off the Board: 21st Century Fox/National Geographic partnership signals decline in accessible education
On Sept. 9, 21st Century Fox struck a 725 million-dollar deal with National Geographic, thus ending the 127-year-old magazine’s era of non-profit existence. Under this deal, Fox will own 73 per cent of the new joint media venture—National Geographic Partners—making Fox the majority stakeholders. Only 27 per cent will remain under[Read More…]
Considering Canada Day in the context of Bill C-24
Last week, I celebrated my first Canada Day as a new citizen. My family immigrated here a little over five years ago and earlier this year, I took my oath of citizenship. Being Canadian offers opportunities, rights, and privileges that being a citizen of Bangladesh does not. Although I received[Read More…]
Off the board: Rethinking the culture of lifehacking
‘Lifehacks’ is a word for “tricks, skills, or shortcuts that are meant to increase a person’s productivity or efficiency in their everyday lives,” according to KnowYourMeme. Entire websites are devoted towards this goal, and best-selling books have been written on the subject. Lifehackers advocate to ‘make everything in your life[Read More…]
Off the board: Gentrification, urban-ecoism, and cultural perspectives
The houses in Kathmandu, Nepal, where my grandparents live are very tall and narrow—there’s not a lot of buildable space in the actual city. My grandparents’ house doesn’t have central heating. It’s wired up to the electrical grid, but the electricity isn’t always there. For several hours a day, electricity[Read More…]
Off the board: “For an Asian” ignores all aspects of individual merit
I used to fill in my name as “Jenny” on my school and job applications, even though that’s not the name written on my birth certificate. Every time the ethnicity question came up, I would often select “Prefer not to say.” My relationship with my own race has been a[Read More…]
Off the board: Broadening the feminist scope – In defence of Lana Del Rey
In a now-famous interview with Fader Magazine, Lana Del Rey was quoted saying, “For me, the issue of feminism is just not an interesting concept,” and that she is “more interested in intergalactic explorations.” This resulted in backlash, harsh criticisms, and a firm ‘anti-feminist’ label on her and her subsequent[Read More…]
