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a, Off the Board, Opinion

Off the board: Political critique without personal criticism

by Hailey MacKinnon on

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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 and ideas within an academic setting, such as in course conferences. At the same time, the way the conversations are being conducted may be more harmful than helpful due to the creation of an “us versus them mentality” which reduces the willingness to engage in constructive conversations.

When students begin to explore these topics, there is a tendency for those who are more informed about anti-oppressive terminology and measures to respond with criticism rather than feedback. According to Psychology Today, criticism focuses on one’s personality, implies blame, devalues an opinion, and assumes the worst. Feedback focuses on the future, respects autonomy, encourages, and focuses on behaviour rather than personality. It is a confusion between these two forms of communication that fuels negativity and resentment regarding politicized conversations on campus. For example, responding to a comment that one may deem offensive, often follows with, “You are inconsiderate,” or “You are racist,” rather than, “That sentence is insensitive because….It would be better to use this terminology instead” or, “This terminology is racist due to […]”

Using criticism rather than feedback engenders a hostile atmosphere. A misuse of terminology deems the user one of ‘them’—the misogynists, the racists, the homophobes.

An example of this is the frequent use and accompanying tone of the expression “check your privilege.” What once began as an insightful way for people to reconsider their point of views based on the privileges they hold and the ones that other people may not have, has been ironically transformed into one that drips condescension and denotes “your views are invalid.” “Check your privilege” has become enveloped in patronization, targeting others for their seemingly intentional inconsideration; this either shuts down conversation, or makes one conclusion acceptable—any other perspective is a product of privileged bias and should be deplored. The tone and overuse of the phrase has been subject to backlash, and has generally been reduced to a joke: It is used to mock what should be an important and genuine way to highlight and dismantle oppressive structures.

The result of using criticism rather than feedback engenders a hostile atmosphere. A misuse of terminology deems the user one of ‘them’—the misogynists, the racists, the homophobes. Calling out mistakes by means of shaming and ridicule is especially common in introductory-level classes where new terminology is only being introduced and mistakes are common. These tactics only deter students—who may not have been trying to be offensive in the first place—from participating in and contributing to the discussion, and may in fact polarize views instead. People will be more likely to discard inappropriate terminology if they are brought to understand why it is deemed so, which cannot occur through condescension and attack.

As stated by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, two writers who have extensively covered anti-oppressive measures on campus for Atlantic Magazine, “When the ideas, values, and speech of the other side are seen not just as wrong but as wilfully aggressive toward innocent victims, it is hard to imagine the kind of mutual respect, negotiation, and compromise that are needed to make politics a positive-sum game.” Using feedback rather than attack is more likely to lead to productive discussions, rather than the polarization of views and feelings.

While it is true that not all opinions are equally deserving of respect or attention, an effective way to strip the power of views deemed offensive is to dismantle them through rational discussion and understanding—which means they must be allowed to be discussed in the first place. Progress and education are achieved through the free flow of diverse opinions and ideas in a constructive manner. In order for this to happen, students must feel comfortable to share their thoughts without fear of personal attack. Students who find themselves on the receiving end of critiques must also do more to acknowledge the bias they may hold in order to understand where a peer is coming from. It is not the content of conversation that generally needs to be altered. It is the way the conversation is being conducted on campus that may be driving students to reject and resent the anti-oppressive discussion that takes place on campus. A middleground must be struck where all students can consciously, respectfully, and productively debate such conversations.

 

 

a, Science & Technology

Evaluating postpartum depression in men

by Wanlin Song on

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The birth of a child is typically considered to be a joyful experience; however, it can also be a stressful and difficult time in parents’ lives. Sometimes this stress can lead to conditions like antenatal depression or postpartum depression (PPD), which occur during and after pregnancy, respectively. In the past decade, research on antenatal depression and PPD has mainly focused on women. Recently, scientists from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) closely tracked the depression symptoms of expectant fathers during their partner’s pregnancy and found strong correlation between the men’s depression, sleep quality, social support, their relationships with their partners, and financial strain.

Although earlier studies have shown evidence of PPD in men, its association with antenatal depression had not been examined closely. In the present study, lead researcher, Dr. Deborah Da Costa, focused on the prevalence of depressive symptoms among first-time fathers in late pregnancy, as they are strong predictors of PPD.

To conduct the research, online questionnaires were distributed to couples, in which they were asked to report their mood, sleep quality, and distress in partner relationship. Their mental states and the stress factors were carefully measured by specific and well-validated assessments, such as the Edinburgh Depression Scale, which screens for symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The data collected from the research shows that older age, unemployment, and the lack of sleep accounted significantly for antenatal depression in men. Psychosocial variables such as lower social support and financial stress, also played a key role in causing depressed moods. Additionally, elevated depressive symptoms experienced by women during third trimester of their pregnancy negatively affected the mental states of their partners.

 Based on these findings, Da Costa emphasized the need to give expectant fathers more emotional support.

“Men tend to close themselves off […] while women are much more expressive, which is why people are unaware of the depression in men,” she explained. “[But] men and women share the same symptoms—sadness, loss of hope, not enjoying life—they just express [that] differently.”

Da Costa also recommended prenatal classes and online resources as a recourse of information for men who need help with managing their stress.  

“Unlike women, who tend to express their emotions, men are less likely to go to consultations of mental health because they feel the stigma associated with it,” she said. “In this case, internet might be a useful tool to offer help.”

Other ways to help first-time fathers include screening for sleep problems, addressing sleeping problems during transition to parenthood, more social support, and shifting marital strategies to reduce stress in a couple’s relationship. 

A new baby puts stress on both partners—not just new moms. As traditional gender roles change and evolve, issues like men’s mental health are getting the attention they need and deserve.

“[Studies on men] are necessary because good mental health is important to [everyone’s] life,” explained Da Costa. “When men feel depressed, they tend to engage in unhealthy behaviour such as drinking, [and], it can also bring negative effects [to] the relationship between the couples […] and affect the development of the child.” 

Jennifer Lawrence
a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Embracing feminism in Hollywood: Jennifer Lawrence and the A-list wage gap don’t have to be unrelateable

by Morgan Alexander on

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When Jennifer Lawrence wrote her open letter against the wage gap, she added in one particular clarification about her position as a “working women” in the hollywood paygrade. “I can safely say my problems aren’t exactly relatable [….] I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don’t need. (I told you it wasn’t relatable, don’t hate me).” Laurence immediately  worked to dissuade any claims that she was trying to usurp the feminist movement from ‘normal’ people. It was a necessary line; when Patricia Arquette dedicated her Supporting Actress Oscar speech to decrying the sexism in the Hollywood pay grade, Meryl Streep gave it a standing ovation, but columnists and internet commenters rolled their eyes as yet another multi-millionaire tried to make their problems seem meaningful. How dare they complain about unequal wages— working-class American would never complain about that type of salary—they should shut up and be grateful.

The above line of thinking is facetious of course, but it exposes a flawed frame of thinking that conflates the person with the cause, and in doing so, unfairly dismisses the overarching goal: Wage equality. It’s a noble cause, and one that supporters of gender equality have been fighting for since the movement began in the ’20s. There are a myriad of smaller issues behind the big picture: Pre-conceived notions of a woman’s worth, minority disenfranchisement, the repercussions of tone policing, and gender dynamics in the workplace, just to name a few. Inequalities are experienced by blue-collar workers and celebrities alike, so why, when Jennifer Lawrence speaks out about these issues, does she feel that she needs to to qualify her experience as ‘other,’ or else risk getting insulted for her arrogance?

Hollywood stars have been agents of change for a long time. When they aren’t running for office and winning the presidency, they’re speaking at the United Nations and organizing fundraisers for candidacies and federal causes. The Oscar stage has been used as a platform for social action on a multitude of occasions, and stars have played active and visible roles in campaigns for political reform, most recently for the legalization of gay marriage. Any time a celebrity speaks out on popular issues, they will face direct criticisms from all walks of life—something that is a given when one is in a continuous spotlight—but it seems that Hollywood feminism has become particularly difficult to accept.

There are issues of inherent sexism that plague society as a whole. A person who denies feminist issues in their personal life will of course be appalled if the notion arises in the Hollywood sphere, and misogynists are typically permitted to be harsher in their criticism of celebrities. The refusal of A-listers to use the term ‘feminist’ to define themselves could also be perceived as an issue, but demanding that women label themselves in certain ways ultimately counters the overall goal of independence and personal agency. Ultimately, it seems that people just can’t distance themselves from the idea of celebrity privilege and therefore disconnect these women from the rest of society. However, establishing female celebrities as ‘others’ demeans the feminist cause, and as a result, ultimately prohibits progress.

Preventing female celebrities from speaking candidly on sexism and racism in the workplace erases a global platform where these issues can be discussed. Hollywood actresses have millions of followers on social media, and speak at events that are broadcasted all over the world. Whenever they speak multiple newspapers reprint their stories to be read by young children who are often more influenced by their words than those of their parents. By virtue of the job, female celebrties exist as global microphones. Claiming that their words on feminist issues don’t matter  strips away their intellectual agency and stifles meaningful discussion. Acknowledging sexism in Hollywood and enabling celebrities to speak on feminist issues should be encouraged by the populace, because misogyny—no matter who it affects—should be fought against.

a, Science & Technology

McGill researchers examine global increase in placebo effectiveness

by Stephanie Fehertoi on

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Placebo, latin for “I will please,” refers to the psychological effect in which a fake treatment, such as an inactive sugar pill, receives positive results from patients simply because they believe it is helping them. In order for a drug to be first approved for the market, it must pass a clinical trial in which its often tested against a placebo to observe its effectiveness. 

A recent study from McGill University has confirmed what many researchers have been speculating—that the placebo response in clinical trials has been increasing over the years, but the effectiveness of the drugs has remained relatively stable; however, this seems to be a rather American phenomenon, as the trend was only observed in the U.S.  This “massive interaction with geography” was something no one had looked into before, according to Dr. Jeffrey Mogil, professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill, and one of the authors of the study. 

“It wasn’t a surprise that the placebo response was increasing—everyone thinks it’s increasing,” Mogil said. “The surprise was that this was only happening in the U.S.” 

The study, published in the Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain, was the first to analyze all of the data from previous studies that had looked into placebo response for neuropathic pain treatment. The team of researchers studied 84 individual clinical trials in neuropathic pain patients, in which 92 different drugs were compared to a placebo. They analyzed data only from randomized double-blind controlled trials, published from 1990 to 2013. While drug responses have remained stable, the placebo responses increased steadily, making the drug appear less effective than it actually might be. 

Placebo response ends up being the most significant factor affecting trial outcome, and many of these clinical drug trials fail as a result. Indeed, the study showed that by 2013, drugs produced only 8.9 per cent more analgesia (the loss of the ability to feel pain) than the placebo, compared to 27.3 per cent in 1996. Considering that pharmaceutical companies can spend up to $1 billion dollars in research and development, failing a clinical trial simply due to increased placebo response is troubling. 

Researchers also found that sample size and study length are positively correlated with placebo responses in the U.S., more so than personal characteristics of participants, such as age or sex. Essentially, the larger and longer the trial, the larger the placebo response. Indeed, U.S. clinical trials have increased in size and length over the years, significantly more than their Asian and European counterparts.

Longer trials may feature more “nonspecific therapeutic effects,” such as social support, education, and friendlier behaviour and attention from the staff, which can impact patients’ expectations about the drug treatment. Larger trials may also have relaxed eligibility criteria, so the type of people available or able to get into trials in the U.S. may differ from those elsewhere, resulting in different patient characteristics and interactions. This includes potential bias from patients paid or chosen to participate in the study, which can also result in higher expectations about the effect of the drug treatment.

U.S. pharmaceutical companies may be more likely to use for-profit companies to run and oversee their clinical trials. Despite disagreement from his co-workers, Mogil believes that because contract-research organizations (CROs) want more business from pharmaceutical companies for future studies, it is in their best interest to have the patients be as content as possible during the trials. 

“I personally believe it’s about non-specific factors,” Mogil argued. “[That] there’s something different about the patient experience in a clinical trial run at a CRO than the patient experience in a clinical trial run the way they used to be done, in hospitals and academic labs.”

If this is the case, then perhaps stricter eligibility criteria, patient regulation, or different trial methods altogether should be considered in order to reduce the effect of placebo response. 

“I think the simple thing is that, if this is true, then we need to have a little conversation about whether the trial process is still working or whether it might be broken,” Mogil said.

a, McGill, Montreal, News

Roxane Gay discusses identity, criticism, and feminism

by Catherine Wang on

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Roxane Gay, professor, editor, and author of Bad Feminist, spoke this Thursday in a public conversation with McGill PhD candidate Rachel Zellars. The two engaged in dialogue on subjects such as Gay’s Haitian-American identity, her responses to criticism, and how they have impacted her experience and viewpoints as a feminist writer. 

Zellars began by referencing a recent op-ed piece that Gay had written for the New York Times. The piece was a response to the death of Samuel Dubose, an unarmed African-American man shot dead by police this past summer, and Gay shared her thought process for the article.

“I feel these compulsions when these horrific crimes happen, and before I know it, I’m at my computer,” Gay said. “At the same time that Samuel Dubose was murdered, especially in the United States, everyone was talking about Cecil the Lion­—who was murdered in Zimbabwe I believe—and he was killed by a dentist. And everyone was mourning the lion, and saying ‘oh, what a tragedy,’ […] and that’s true […] but we had more cultural empathy for a lion than we did for a man.”

Gay continued to discuss the importance of nuance in many of the issues she writes about in her essays, and how she believes her multi-ethnic identity allows her to better understand these grey areas. 

“I think that one of the biggest challenges that we face in contemporary discourse is that no one’s interested in nuance,” Gay said. “I really do believe in looking at both sides of an issue, and trying to understand both sides […] and we don’t do that enough. We don’t acknowledge that people who disagree with us might, once in awhile, have merits to their arguments. I’m a Haitian-American, black woman who grew up in Nebraska. My whole life is a grey area […] I have this string of all these identities at once, and so that allowed me to see multiple sides of an issue.”

Citing Bad Feminist, Zellars asked Gay how women can nurture critical ,but not cruel relationships with other women. Gay explained the importance of taking criticism, and spoke to her own experience learning to do so as a female writer. 

“I wouldn’t even limit it to women,” Gay said. “I think human beings have a really difficult time being critical without being cruel. We have to overcome this lesser part of our nature in order to really be able to give criticism, and more importantly to be able to receive it  [….] I’m getting better at it, but I think it’s hard, because when you’re a woman who dares to write and publish opinions, you get told that you’re trash all day long. I have to counteract that nonsense with an overinflated sense of self, just to balance [that out….] So I’m working on learning to be wrong sometimes.” 

Gay concluded by stressing the importance of media literacy, another subject she claimed is not properly addressed in modern society. For Gay, enjoying problematic media is fine when readers remain critical and informed about its implications, but she believes the effect of its uninformed consumption is detrimental.

“That’s why I think we need to teach media literacy,” Gay said. “We don’t talk about that enough [….] I think we need to start teaching media literacy as early as kindergarten […] I don’t think they need to know the lyrics to ‘Salt Shaker’ at five years old, but I do think one of the keys right now, one of the stop-gap measures, is media literacy.”

The James McGill Chair in Culture and Technology, Dr. Jonathan Sterne, presented Thursday’s event, in junction with Concordia Writer’s Read, and the Montreal-based bookstore and publishing company, Drawn & Quarterly.

“I agreed to co-sponsor [the event] because Gay is an important and inspiring black feminist voice,” Sterne said. “And Bad Feminist is a great book.” 

Zoe Koch, an artist living in Montreal, praised the event.

“[Gay] has complicated viewpoints, which I really respect and admire, and I really wanted to hear what she had to say,” Koch said. “I loved it. She […] really bridged that gap between what is really deep and dark and scary for us all to talk and think about [… with] what is funny and light.”

McGill University Arts Building
a, Opinion

Commentary: McGill spirit more than homecoming

by Emma Avery on

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Last week, McGill students might have pretended not to notice the one lonely person standing at the Y-intersection flaunting a poster for McGill homecoming in front of disinterested passing faces. Unsurprisingly, having a one-man promo team accosting students didn’t work. His words fell on deaf ears; nothing he could have said in his 30-second pitch would have convinced any passerby of his cause. To conclude that McGill suffers from a lack of school pride, however, would be unjustified. At McGill, a different kind of school culture develops that doesn’t depend on gathering with the rest of the school to support a common cause. It’s not better or worse—just different.

McGill pride, in a reflection of the impersonal institutional structure of the school, is based on finding individual niches. It is not a mass-movement; instead, it is individualized. The scene at the Y-intersection was a sad metaphor for the general lack of student interest in sport-related fanfare. It’s telling that the first line of the description in the Facebook event for McGill’s Homecoming read, “OAP IS BACK!!!!!!” in a not-so-subtle nod to the fact that cheap beers, burgers, and nostalgia for summer hold significant sway on the decisions of McGill student.

At McGill, a different kind of school culture develops […] It's not better or worse—just different.

Despite ongoing attempts to expand school spirit to sports by McGill Athletics and Recreation, the administration, and student groups such as Red Thunder (which plans various events on game days and allows members to attend varsity games for free), students outside of the athletics community just aren’t interested. The general sense of McGill pride simply has very little to do with school sports and the accompanying culture of tailgates, homecomings and school-wide displays of spirit.

Attendance at McGill varsity games is notoriously low. For students, this is not an issue of cost, nor is it that sports culture doesn’t exist at Canadian schools; at some schools homecoming is arguably the biggest event all year. Many McGill students will actually bus to Ontario for homecoming at Western or Queen’s. Apparently, paying to parade around small-town Ontario sporting colours for a school one doesn’t even go to is more fun than cheering on McGill’s own varsity teams right at home.

Yet the problem does not reside in the structure of athletics. McGill pride simply manifests itself in a different form. By virtue of living in Montreal, it is inherently tied to being a part of the wider city and everything it has to offer, even if for some this only consists of the comforts of the “McGill bubble.”

At McGill, students benefit from living in the heart of Montreal. They have their choice of concerts, clubs, bars, restaurants and other events all year long, so they don’t need the school to create entertainment. Of course, sometimes they will indulge their curiosities and travel to Ontario to see what all the hype is about, to see what life is really like on the other side—but we still wouldn’t be caught dead being mistaken for anything other than a McGill student.

At other universities, school-wide events such as homecoming might create an important and unique sense of kinship and make students feel tied to the larger community. Any student would attest to the fact that McGill students have just as much pride as any Western or Queen’s student does, but it’s a pride tied more to the ways in which McGill exists uniquely within the city of Montreal. It is the misfortune of McGill Athletics to be the casualty of this unique school culture and pride.

 

 

Emma Avery is a second year anthropology and urban systems student at McGill. Her favourite television show is (still) The Office.

 

@McGillTribOp | [email protected]

 

 
a, Men's Varsity, Sports

Redmen repeat as CCBA champions

by Elie Waitzer on

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McGill Redmen Baseball (23-6-1) defeated the Holland College Hurricanes 4-1 on Sunday to clinch their second consecutive Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association (CCBA) Championship. 

The victory marked McGill’s fifth overall national baseball title, having won three championships in the old Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA). This victory, however, was the first time the Redmen have defended their title. McGill entered the tournament as the team to beat—they won five straight games to close out the regular season—and lived up to their billing, capturing the banner without dropping a single game. 

After breezing through the first three games of the tournament, the Redmen dismantled the Carleton Ravens 11-1 in the semifinal to advance to the finals. Sophomore Rob Sedin, who was named tournament MVP and CCBA Northern Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year, led the way with a dazzling seven strikeout performance. Every Redmen batter recorded a hit in an offensive blowout that featured a seven-run third inning. In the championship game against Holland College, junior starter Adriano Petrangelo held the Hurricanes to just one run. It was all the Redmen would need as senior third baseman Zachary Aaron would deliver the go-ahead knock in the first on a two-run single. 

McGill outscored its opponents 35-8 over the five games, with only one game being decided by less than three runs. Senior shortstop Tyler Welence went two-for-four and scored twice. Sedin, Welence, rookie catcher Sam Groleau, and sophomore left fielder James Pavelick were all named to the all-tournament team. 

It’s easy to throw around the ‘dynasty’ label, especially in college sports, where key players are lost to graduation every season,  but this team has all the hallmarks of a true powerhouse.

a, Recipes, Student Life

Recipe: Indian cauliflower sweet potato soup

by Liz Willcock on

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If there’s anything to be learned at McGill, it’s that once midterm season hits, the last thing students want to do is cook for themselves. When faced with a full day of studying, even the prospect of making a sandwich to take to the library sounds taxing; it’s easy to rack up quite a bill at Subway, Quesada, and SNAX, trying to keep lunches as quick and as close to the library as possible. This recipe may look daunting, but give it a shot and it might actually save you time, and money.

This soup-verging-on-curry is stocked with cauliflower and sweet potato, and will fill you with enough energy to power through a long day of studying. It is hearty enough to sustain you—but more importantly, it keeps very well in the fridge, so you can whip up this soup on a Sunday night and eat it throughout the week. If you’re planning on bringing this soup to the library during weekdays, all you need to do is omit the spinach, then add it to each serving as you go—this prevents it from from getting soggy in the fridge. As you heat up the soup in the microwaves, the spinach should wilt perfectly. Better yet, this recipe is not only healthy, but it’s also vegan—a positive-sum game for both you, and the environment. Your mind and body will definitely thank you come November when you’ve swapped out burritos for this healthy, veggie-filled lunch. 

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

1 tbs of olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs of ginger, minced

1 1/2 tbs of curry powder

1 tbs of ground coriander

1 tbs of cumin

6 cups of vegetable broth

1 cup of dry red lentils (rinsed)

1 medium cauliflower chopped into thumb-sized florets

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

2 cups of spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium. Add onions and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes.  

2. Add ginger, curry powder, cumin, and coriander, and stir for two minutes until fragrant.

3. Add the broth and lentils, and boil at medium heat until simmering.

4. Once simmering, add cauliflower and sweet potato. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Add spinach and stir until wilted

6. Serve, or seal in BPA-free containers.

 

Inspired by Oh She Glows

a, Opinion

Confirmation bias on social media limits conversation

by Albert Park on

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Between Facebook posts, online publications, and Reddit threads, it is overwhelming to begin to imagine the amount of different opinions, ideas, and information a regular internet-user processes in a single day. Consequently, the digital age is heralded for supposedly allowing people to become educated on a broad assortment of topics and form unique opinions. However, some publications such as the CBC and The Guardian have argued that the sharing and gathering of information online, particularly through social media, is largely flawed because it leaves users susceptible to the effects of confirmation bias.

While social media has made it more effective for people to access different ideas and information, the current way in which many people use these websites makes them prey to confirmation bias and actually limits the variety of perspectives that they encounter due to the personalized and insular networks that are created.

Essentially, because of the way information-sharing works on social media—such as the Facebook news feed which mainly shows stories shared or liked by the user’s friends—people end up only finding and absorbing information which validates their own points of view or prior knowledge.

Through the like and up-vote systems that exist on Facebook and Reddit, people sharing an opinion can collectively try to bring attention to comments or posts that back-up their own ideas.

The issue of confirmation bias has become increasingly critical due to the way social media is fundamentally designed. It encourages people to create their own network of friends and peers whom they already have a common link with. Users of social media can actively decide the people, publications, or threads they want to follow on the internet, which in turn determine what kind of posts and information they read on a day to day basis. The natural outcome is that people end up following sources that will provide them with information that confirms their beliefs rather than question them.

This concept actually expands past individuals’ selection of information. Through the like and up-vote systems that exist on Facebook and Reddit, people sharing an opinion can collectively try to bring attention to comments or posts that back-up their own ideas. This system often perpetuates a cycle of linear thinking and self-validation. People naturally associate highly liked comments (which are algorithmically set to appear first) as credible. Even though these comments might provide narrow-minded or even inaccurate perspectives, many readers will take the information that they find on social media as unequivocal, and not feel the need to research further or critically debate the issue.

Consider the unofficial McGill subReddit, for example. Almost every thread containing a controversial issue posesses a very uniform collection of opinions. This issue was perhaps most evident during the women’s-only gym hours controversy last year. While it is understood that for any argument, there will be less-expressed minority perspectives, there was a clear lack of actual discussion or productive information presented in the threads. Instead, it seemed abundantly clear that the main purpose of these threads was for people to validate one another’s collective opinions and pile on ideas and evidence that support their beliefs. Any contradicting ideas are either absent or down-voted to near invisibility.

Social media systems perpetuate bias by making it more difficult for people to share their opinions on controversial issues. In practice, likes and up-votes essentially denote a value on people’s opinions. As a result, people feel more reluctant to share and cultivate their own thoughts in the fear of being dismissed or even harassed by the masses.

 

 

Albert Park is a third year microbiology and immunology student, and a staff writer for the Opinion section.

 

@McGillTribOp | [email protected]

 

 
a, Student Life

Midterm stress from both sides of the cafeteria counter

by Ariella Garmaise on

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With midterm season taking McGill campus in full force, student stress is reaching peak levels. Stress manifests in a variety of ways: Physical symptoms can include low energy, headaches, and insomnia, while mental symptoms can include irritation, feeling overwhelmed or depressed, and exhibiting withdrawn behaviour. One place where these symptoms  become most apparent are in McGill’s cafeterias.

With five dining halls and 18 retail locations—almost all of which serve coffee—McGill Food and Dining Services is at the centre of every student’s midterm season. From early morning cappuccino fixes to late night pastry cravings, sugar and caffeine fuel the long hours spent studying. Staff are integral to the smooth operating of these student spaces; however, the people that work there are often overlooked. 

Conversation between students and staff are often limited at food kiosks and checkout counters due to time constraints and long lineups.  Unfortunately, some McGill staff have grown accustomed to students rushing by as exams approach and stress-levels run high.  

“When [students’ exams] come, they’re so preoccupied with [them],” Bishop Mountain Hall (BMH) cook, Angelo Calamita, explained. “So when [students] come to the cash, they’ve either got something in their ear, they’re talking to someone, looking for cash […and are] not organized at all.”

The tone of these interactions are most likely fuelled by the stressful period of the year.

“When I’m in the middle of studying for midterms, it’s easy to forget to say hi to the service staff,” said Declan Embury,  U0 Arts. “I feel bad about it sometimes, but there’s just so much else on my mind.” 

One of the most effective ways to counteract stress, however, is to open up and talk with peers about what one is going through. While there are services to deal with stress at McGill, university food staff are an under-appreciated and friendly resource for students. 

Kelsey Davis is a Royal Victoria College cafeteria staff and an archeology major. One of the most interesting parts of her job is that some students have in fact relied on her for solace. 

“I’ve had a few students break down to me because I’m not in their [friend] group,” Davis explained. “All their friends have scholarships or are good students, so they don’t feel they can talk to them.” 

Davis is an example of someone who understands the competition and stress that comes along with midterms and finals, and is able to offer insight. 

“There’s an air at McGill that you’re supposed to do well with the least amount of effort,” she said. “When that doesn’t work out for you, it can feel isolating.” 

Davis is not the only McGill food staff with valuable advice for students. 

“Some students come in here excited about passing,” Rachel Durand, a cashier at the Carrefour Sherbrooke cafeteria, said. “I like to see them doing well [….] It is so much better to see them happy than depressed, and it motivates me to work harder. It makes me happy to see them happy.” 

Tyrone Durand, a dish room employee at Bishop Mountain Hall (BMH) added that simply lending a sympathetic ear can offer much-needed support to stressed-out students.

“I know around midterms and final exams, everyone gets nervous,” he added. “But realize you’re smart and everything is going to be okay.” 

Some students have already acknowledged the benefit of stepping out of a study mindset when grabbing a snack or a drink. 

“Everyday I look forward to seeing certain employees,” Liam O’Callaghan, U0 Engineering, said. “Besides food, they serve entertaining 30-second conversations that brighten my day.”

U0 Science student Tristan Sparks also remembered a time when McGill staff helped alleviate her anxiety. 

“A worker at BMH comforted me last week because I was having a panic attack over physics, and he’s a physics major,” she recalled.

While it takes time out of students’ busy study schedules to engage in conversations during these stressful times of year, both students and staff stand to benefit. Even just a short interaction can reduce stress levels among students and make staff feel appreciated and respected—a win-win situation for both parties. 

 

 

 

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