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Creative

SSMU Who | Episode 2: What do they do?

by Sofia Mikton & Bilal Virji & Tony Wang on

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SSMU Who…? Wait…WHAT do they do? The Multimedia team sets up camp in the SSMU offices to ask the various executives about their portfolios, and their current initiatives. It’s time to find out exactly SSMU do.

By Bilal Virji, Tony Wang, and Sofia Mikton

Artistic Swimming, Creative

In Competition With: Artistic swimming

by Bilal Virji on

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Sports Editors Miya Keilin and Gabe Nisker join the artistic swimming team to see what it takes! Will they sink…or swim?

Video by Bilal Virji

Creative

The Road in 2019

by Benjie Higgins on

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Benjie Higgins and Isabella Greenwood explore what it means to be on The Road in 2019. How do we connect to people, and what spaces exist for us to do that?

By Benjie Higgins and Isabella Greenwood

Creative

Tribune Presents: Cool + Fun!

by Aidan Martin on

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The Tribune Presents “Cool + Fun”. This McGill-based band found their name in someone’s Tinder bio! Listen to them play “Look at that Train” and “Roland, My Love.”

Filmed by Aidan Martin, Beatrice Dimaculangan, Patrick Beacham, James Collier

Edited by Aidan Martin and Beatrice Dimaculangan

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

‘Cyclops’: McGill Classics Play entertains and educates

by Leo Stillinger on

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From Feb. 6 to 9, audiences at the Théâtre Sainte-Catherine Café-Bar were treated to an intrepid rendition of Cyclops, an ancient Greek play by Euripides. This run of Cyclops was the latest edition of a time-honoured theatrical spectacle: The McGill Classics Play.

Every year since the 2011 staging of Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, McGill students in the Classical Studies department have put their theoretical training into practice by staging an ancient Greek or Roman play. The experience gives students experience with amateur theatre, and an opportunity to engage more directly with their material of study.

This year’s iteration, Cyclops, was directed by Neha Rahman, (U2, Arts), and Daniel Whittle (MA1, Classical Studies). Rahman and Whittle were tasked with more than just directing—they also translated the play from ancient Greek into modern English.

Cyclops is unique in the history of Greek theatre: It is the only “satyr play” with fully intact scripts still available to a modern audience. As Rahman and Whittle explained before the performance, satyr plays were traditionally performed immediately after the conclusion of a Greek tragedy. Narrated by a humorous chorus of satyrs, sexually-frustrated half-horse, half-human figures of Greek mythology, the plays provided a comedic remedy to the weight of the preceding tragedy.

Opening with a lengthy rendition of a Greek folk dance, Cyclops is the humorous retelling of an episode from Homer’s Odyssey, in which Odysseus and his companions are trapped in a cyclops’ cave. In this version, Odysseus, joined by a blundering gang of satyrs sporting exquisite embroidered penises at their waists and played with comic bravado by Anthony Pavoni (BA ‘18). Rahman and Whittle’s lively translation featured hilarious exclamations and exchanges between the characters. One has to wonder how much creative liberty the translators took when, in mortal danger, Odysseus exclaims, “By Hades’ asshole!” The ridiculous nature of the script and story was perfect for the enthusiasm of the amateur cast, who created a truly entertaining spectacle.

Edith Hall, a professor at King’s College London’s visit to McGill enriched the Classics Play further. In her Feb. 8 lecture entitled“Was Cyclops a typical satyr play?”, Hall expanded upon the linguistic debates surrounding the work. She pointed out that, according to ancient sources, a typical satyr play would feature women in primary roles, often escaping capture by the satyrs, whereas Cyclops does not feature any female characters, although in this production many women actors shouldered traditionally male roles.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Michaela Drouillard, U2 Arts, the production’s set designer, opened up about the behind-the-scenes drama of Cyclops. In true satyr fashion, the production was dogged by tragicomic events of its own. Three weeks before opening, the actor playing the Cyclops dropped out, and Delaney Dunne (U3 Science), joined the cast just one week to go before the premiere. Meanwhile, another one of the satyrs was not let back into Canada for two weeks due to complications with their student permit. Just like Odysseus himself, the actor made it back eventually, and in the end, the Classics Play was a triumph of entertainment and education.

 

Features

Breaking Bread

by Gabe Nisker on

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Time slows down when I enter a Montreal diner. It slows down because the menu is so long, and it takes forever to read through and decide, for certain, what to order. It slows down because the plates are so big that it takes forever to eat a meal. And it slows down because conversations with friends, family, or simply the same waiters as last time are so enjoyable, and the jukebox soundtrack even more so.

Mister Steer is one such diner. It opened in 1958, with nine seats on the corner of Ste Catherine and Bleury. Working-class and immigrant populations flocked to it for the popular Steerburger, a kosher hockey-puck patty with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

The war on Valentine's Day
Off the Board, Opinion

St. Valentine’s Capitalist Manifesto

by Andras Nemeth on

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It seems that, every year, the public outcry against Valentine’s Day threatens to overwhelm the holiday itself. Browsing through the opinion sections of online publications, it is impossible to escape the feeling that a war is unfolding against the holiday. According to recent trends, the percentage of the population celebrating Valentine’s Day has been declining in recent years, with only 54 per cent of Canadians observing the holiday in 2018. This trend should be deeply concerning as Valentine’s Day is a boost to economic growth.

Valentine’s Day can, admittedly, be a source of significant stress. Expectations that the day be spent in the company of a romantic partner can be equally suffocating for those with a valentine as for those without. More than anything else, however, consumers bemoan the significant financial stress that holidays can impose; the average Canadian spends $164 on Valentine’s Day per year.

However, it is for this very reason that the benefits of commercialized holidays like Valentine’s Day, when viewed from an economic point of view, are important for encouraging consumer spending. According to the United States National Retail Federation, Valentine’s Day spending contributed $19.6 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018. Valentine’s Day encourages consumer spending and provides an important portion of the baseline of the retail sector. A population that has become disillusioned with Valentine’s Day will be less willing to spend money on the holiday, with potentially-grave economic consequences.

Saving an entire holiday is not an easy task, and economists will have to employ unconventional methods. We must use our platforms as intellectuals to convince the consumers of the importance of Valentine’s Day by appealing to emotion. Where politicians, journalists, authors, poets, philosophers, and teachers have let us down, we must not fail. We have to make people believe in love again.

But we cannot stop there. The compulsion to spend money on commercial holidays should be viewed as an unparalleled opportunity to induce economic growth. Until now, the commercial world’s primary concern with respect to holidays has been to boost consumer spending on existing holidays. However, once we’ve saved Valentine’s Day, we should shift our focus to the invention of new ones. As consumers, romantic partners, and family members, we ask ourselves: “Why do we have a holiday during which we celebrate our loved ones through seemingly-arbitrary acts of consumption?” But as economists, we should ask: “Why do we have so few?” Why not Cousins’ Day, a statutory-holiday to celebrate distant relatives over a box of chocolates? 

There is only one way to address this chronic under provision of empty, commercialized holidays: Governmental intervention. The private sector is unlikely to be of much use to us, since holidays are, for the most part, a public good, and their invention is unlikely to lead to enough direct profit for firms to research and develop them. As economists, then, we must encourage their provision through various government policies.

These policies need not see use only in times of prosperity. If packaged properly, the development of new, consumption-driven holidays could serve as an effective fiscal stimulus in times of economic stagnation. Indeed, one wonders if the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis could have been at least partially alleviated had governments worldwide imposed hosts of state-mandated observances. 

As for Valentine’s Day, perhaps we must reach some compromise to save spending. Perhaps, the focus on romantic love has proved excessive, in which case, alternatives like Galentine’s and Palentine’s day show potential. Love, as a phenomenon, may have other economic implications and should be the subject of further research. 

Inkless, employable personas
Commentary, Opinion

Employable, inkless personas

by Johanna Cline on

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Whether by feigning confidence in an interview or embellishing responsibilities on a resumé, people often present an enhanced version of themselves to prospective employers. Many industries, like law and finance, maintain conservative hiring practices that pressure prospective employees to craft an inauthentic personal presentation by covering tattoos or piercings and keeping hair dyed a traditional colour. Conservative hiring practices not only discriminate on irrelevant grounds, but they also compel people with non-conforming styles into obscuring aspects of their identity, alienating them from their genuine selves.

Companies hire candidates who they believe will be most capable of executing a job, and this includes assessing someone’s character for traits like respect and a sense of responsibility. Being impolite or reckless, for example, can show that someone lacks the moral character of a good employee. However, choices like enjoying expressive fashion or body art do not relate to moral character or employability. Nevertheless, a 2018 survey of hiring managers shows that applicants with tattoos were offered lower starting salaries than those without body art, and applicants with obvious and eye-catching tattoos were less likely to be hired at all. A 2017 study published in the journal Human Resources Management found that respondents rated images of tattooed people as eight per cent less employable than those without.

The bias against tattoos stems from antiquated stereotypes about people with body art. When tattoos first popped up in contemporary North American culture in the late 19th century, they were common among criminals and sailors, and, therefore, became associated with ostracized people. While tattoos have entered the mainstream in recent decades, some employers still view applicants with body art as uneducated, unintelligent or promiscuous, and setting a bad example. These same antiquated stereotypes extend to other forms of expression like non-traditionally coloured hair and piercings.

Moreover, even if employers themselves are unfazed by these forms of expression, they may argue that they need to hire employees with a clean-cut style to appeal to clients. If employers continue to let a prejudiced clientele shape their standards, hiring practices will remain in a rut. When the workforce tells people that their piercings or sleeve of tattoos makes them unworthy of a pay cheque, it enforces the idea that only people who fit into a traditional mould are respectable members of society, thus advancing the authority of outdated ethical standards.

In addition to holding no moral ground, conservative hiring practices separate people from their authentic selves. The more someone conceals their persona in the workplace, the harder it is for them to feel in touch with their identity during the day. Having to hide forms of personal expression urges an unnecessary suppression of individuality and can lead people to feel ashamed of who they are. This shame can easily trickle into one’s personal life, making them resent or discredit the forms of expression they would otherwise appreciate.

In recent decades, industries have made steps toward creating spaces for authentic self-expression in the workplace. For example, many workplaces have begun relaxing their dress codes and letting employees wear jeans instead of suits and pencil skirts, while more progressive fields like media and tech have also begun accepting tattoos and piercings. These changes allow people more freedom in expressing themselves. However, the work force still needs to improve its acceptance of all identities. Denying someone a job based on anachronistic conceptions of morality is unacceptable. Employers have the influence to redefine which identities are worthy of income; industries must move away from only hiring candidates that fit into a traditional framework  and start accepting more lifestyles and forms of expression as employable.

frosh
Commentary, Opinion

The lasting hangover of McGill’s drinking events

by Makena Anderson on

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With midterms right around the corner and classes proceeding at full pace, events like Carnival, E-week, and Science Games seem distant. While your onesie might be neatly stored away and the lingering smell of beer washed off of your clothes, the impacts of these events on participants’ health can linger. Following periods of intense drinking, young adults have been known to experience anxiety, have trouble performing academically, and face an increased risk of developing a dependency on alcohol. McGill drinking events may feel like a rite of passage to many; however, their existence fosters an environment that pushes students into depending on alcohol for enjoyment.

The organizers of competitions among faculties and departments often promote these events by supporting charitable causes: For example, the Management Undergraduate Society hosts Carnival to raise money for cancer research. While many students participate in races, auctions, and keggers under the premise of funding cancer research, hundreds of them inadvertently harm their own bodies through binge-drinking and substance abuse. In the hope of sharing an unforgettable week with their peers, students reinforce each others’ inclinations to drink, resulting in a conditioned association between social acceptance and over-consumption. Although drinking feels like a routine part of McGill’s student culture, participants should familiarize themselves with the long-term effects of alcohol abuse, including liver and heart damage, malnutrition, and, ironically, given Carnival’s charitable cause of choice, an increased risk of developing cancer.

The coughs and sniffles heard in libraries and lecture halls serve as ominous reminders of how McGill’s work-hard-play-hard mentality continues to plague students. Despite the first couple of weeks of the semester bearing witness to some of the McGill clinic’s longest lines, students continue to sign up for events that often end in their contracting the flu, STIs, and lasting health impacts. With illness being a corequisite for these events, it’s curious that their popularity does not falter.

While drinking events are more prevalent in the first weeks of the semester, they are not limited to January. There is seldom a Thursday night in Montreal when students aren’t lined up on St. Laurent—drunk, cold, and dreading the next morning’s hangover. Beyond the façade of good times, the pressure to drink in university can fuel a dependence on alcohol that can endure well after graduation and take a toll on their mental and physical health.

By now, students are aware of the short and long-term consequences of binge-drinking. Yet, in an intense academic environment, they still choose to forget their stress for a few hours and feel the confidence and ease that is only found at the bottom of a bottle. With an endless stream of Snapchats and Instagram stories documenting the night, the fear of missing out encourages students to say yes to the next drink. Although it’s easy to blame the lasting hangovers on youth, it is time to realize that being a university student doesn’t preclude alcoholism. Students shouldn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed in seeking help to curb their drinking habits. The university offers services through the McGill Counselling Services to students struggling with substance abuse. 

As Fac-O approaches, students should consider whether binge-drinking for five days is something that they want to do or whether it’s something they feel that they can’t say no to. Alcohol isn’t what makes you fun, and no one will remember the time you skipped a Thursday night— or even whole week—of drinking.

 

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