On International Sex Worker Rights Day, March 3, Montreal sex workers and advocates organized to call for the decriminalization of sex work in Canada. While the current law governing sex work—the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, implemented in 2014—has received praise, it ultimately fails to adequately protect sex[Read More…]
Tag: Capitalism
Capitalizing on fanbases is a win-win for artists and companies
Celebrity fanbases such as BTS’s “ARMY,” Beyoncé’s “Beyhive,” and Taylor Swift’s “Swifties” all have one thing in common—they are incredibly loyal. From buying front-row concert tickets to investigating every detail of social media posts, these fans follow their idol’s every move. Such devout admirers make for perfect marketing targets for[Read More…]
The problem with the pornography industry
*Content warning: This article includes mentions of sexual violence and discrimination. A December 2020 New York Times article by Nicholas Kristof exposing Pornhub’s refusal to take down videos depicting rape and child abuse has sparked international outrage. Since then, credit card companies like MasterCard and Visa have cut ties with the[Read More…]
Switch banks: It may save the planet
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) recently became Canada’s first major financial institution to refuse to invest in fossil fuel drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). RBC’s new policy comes after the U.S. government’s controversial decision to open some of the refuge for oil and gas development, to[Read More…]
Reap what you sew
During the first few days of lockdown in March, I decided that I needed a good hobby to occupy my time, so I bought a sewing machine. When I was a kid, my aunt had taught me how to sew pillows, so I figured sewing dresses wouldn’t be that much[Read More…]
Reimagining self-care
Capitalism has sunk its teeth deep into the ambiguous concept of ‘self-care.’ Many students have become accustomed to citing self-care to justify money wasted on frivolous purchases. What’s more, the western world’s ethos of perpetual, hyper-speed productivity has led to the ballooning of self-importance at the expense of others’ wellbeing.[Read More…]
TNC’s ‘Owners’ explores the dynamics of “dis/possession”
Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre (TNC) is a McGill theatre company run entirely by students. Its first production of this season, Owners, is a tragic exploration of love, temptation, and ambition in the age of late capitalism. Written by Caryl Churchill in 1972, Owners is a a two-act play about obsession[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: Narcos, Netflix’s capitalist critique of capitalism
Treading the line between documentary and crime thriller, Netflix’s newest original series Narcos—short for the Spanish ‘narcotraficante,’ or drug trafficker—tells the tale of Pablo Escobar’s rise to power and the blood of Colombia shed along with it. Faithful to history, the show gives a fairly accurate depiction of the rise[Read More…]
