The F Word

What starts in F and ends in -uck?
Firetruck.
The more relevant question:
What starts in F and ends in "a whole lot of talk, redundancy, and frustration "?
Feminism.
And perhaps a relationship without sex.
But that's besides the point.
There is a long standing tradition that every woman stands up for Feminism because it is her personal battle. I do not disagree with this tradition. I am taking up issue with the fact that after lifetimes of hard work, of valid points, and difficult fights, Feminism has come so far... and then hit a wall. Women today care less and less for what they still call their "fight". Except if they were in a boxing ring, I believe the corpse would be cooling in the morgue at this very moment. There used to be such legacy in being a Feminist, and now it has become all but superfluous.
The eighties was perhaps the epitome of Feminism - the working woman was all the rage, independence was hot, it was becoming socially acceptable for a woman to be promiscuous. And who could forget those shoulder pads? The two decades before saw massive protests, the gain of the universal suffrage in Canada from a group of five determined ladies, the burning of thousands of bras that represent man's oppression of women, and countless other fights. That was the nature of Feminism - it was a battlefield.
Lately, Feminism seems to have lost this momentum. It has become not so much a battle as the stereotypes it has fought to throw off - whiny, inactive, and lacking powerful vigor. Women simply seem to care less, now that we have "come so far" here in the Western world, Feminism seems less of a cause and more of something that has been obtained. To me, as a woman, Feminism has become a subtle breeze. There is so much talk pertaining to the fact that women now have the vote, they have respect as equals, but at the same time make less than a man's dollar and are held to double standards that it's a wonder that Feminism is still taken mildly seriously.
How can you? After all this complaining, all we Western women are doing is holding ourselves hostage with our own winded speeches. There's a motto that says if you want something done, then to get out there and do it yourself. So do it. Don't sit around whining about the fact that while the average frat-boy gets a shiny medal for going out, getting wasted, and getting stupid, your average college girls are simply referred to as "walk of sham-ers", change it. Don't pay attention to the labels, don't label yourself. Do what you want with your body and mind, as they are yours, and let everyone know it. Words and thoughts are only empowered when you believe in them, so stop the talking and start the doing.
Feminism is not supposed to be a passive fight - no human rights cause is. Women have just seemingly lost the courage to stand up and do something. Not everything can be left to talking, ladies. It's so obvious that the cause is slowly dying here in North America as well. You still see the same depiction of women as being submissive in advertisements - of having a shampoo/perfum/vacuum make you more attractive and therefore more worthwhile. The sad part is that women now run ad adgencies just as men do. It has no longer become an issue of men oppressing us. They got bored of listening to us long ago, and with sense. The issue now is that we are prisoners of our own habits. It was so easy to sit around and let society work for us that we forgot how to take a stand.
Now more than ever there are actual worthy causes - we may be able to take foregranted our status as equals here, but what of the girl in the Middle East who was raped and persecuted for "bringing it upon herself". It was that sort of thing that made Feminism a reality to begin with. What of the countries under the same oppression our sex has been? When given the choice between bemoaning the plagues of society, and curing them, what is the correct answer?
So cut the chat, the venting, and the downright laziness, and get out there and DO something, "Feminists" of the world, you may yet accomplish something.

The Bubble

Today is the first time I left campus in two weeks.
It's like this small, neatly organized and beautifully foliage-d bubble has been created.
Leaving it is a completely foreign option. We have everything here - decent food, great views, a nudist beach, Starbucks, and even a liquor store... what more could a humble student ask for?
Yet, it's vaguely reminiscent of high school, putting the "real world" even farther from the Real World - otherwise known as life after higher education. Building a comfy cocoon is all well and good, since everyone needs somewhere to relax, recuperate, and build some sort of social network. But at some point you have to face reality.
Reality involves: ... well, I'm not actually clear on what it involves on a grand scale, considering everyone has their own perception. Since perception creates every individual reality, I think attempting to figure out what reality is in a broad sense (other than the definition) is mostly completely pointless. If our perceptions were to narrow to simply our own view of life, what would we be left with? A bunch of zombies walking around like their I-pods are on too high without actually experiencing the world. So, in order to broaden our reality, I assume we must first start with our perception.
I guess realizing that the world is broader than your circle is a good place to start when broadening your the way you look at the world. Broaden. I'll stop now. Go out into the city and explore, listen to one of the (numerous) protests, just pull yourself out of the haze of studying and partying and hanging out to get a breath of fresh air. Vancouver is amazing. Actually, many places are amazing, but since it's about "carpe diem" and not "carpe anno" it would probably just be best to appreciate what's right outside your door to begin with.
On that note, there are even events taking place on campus that tend to yank one from the bubble-daze.
Stephane Dion, whatever prejudices I may have against him and his leadership abilities (please don't leave the country in his hands, voters...), spoke here last week and that's something. Since the world is divided into personal troubles and societal issues, it's refreshening to consider issues instead of just what plagues us day to day. Sometimes the distraction is even what you need to solve these problems, and then you've helped yourself in more ways than one.
In the end it all comes back to you... and your friendly neighborhood bubble.

Another Privilege to Abuse

Stylishly and romantically portrayed being 19 (or 18 in those provinces that actually make sense), is something everyone lusts for. It's a privilege often take for granted and even more often abused. From experience I know that the day of the "adulthood" birthday is often the epitome of this - drink, lottery, gamble, etc. - everything you could maybe get away with before, that you are now allowed to do. It's wonderful - the second one becomes an adult we revert back to the gluttony of a two year old. It's a perfect tradition, and should never change.
I, however, am taking up issue with the continued abuse of all these privileges - and one that is quickly approaching in importance. Let's look at a couple equations.

Irresponsible drunkenness = drunk tank. Instant repercussion = never repeat. Or here's hoping.
Irresponsible gambling = empty wallet = no food and no rent. Probably won't repeat.
The worst though? The one that actually may impact more than your person?
Irresponsible voting = potentially harmful leader of entire country. May repeat. Over and over.

Voting, because it is seen as the least cool of all the many facets of adulthood, is the one that is given the most thoughtless irresponsibility. It's also the one that is the highest privilege, and the one with the broadest spectrum of effect.
Personally, I am aware of people who take the time to register to vote (a lengthy process probably set up to discourage voters who don't really care... or just everyone in general), go to a polling station, and then simply pick the funniest name on the list. This is absolutely ridiculous.
Voting was originally a privilege given only to those of a certain class, income, etc. The ability to vote was given to the "every-person" with the hopes that they would choose a body to govern them, make their decisions wisely, and represent their interests. The vote only requires us to care once every blue-moon (or, to some, an election), instead of requiring careful consideration every single day, from everyone, about every little problem the country may face.
The US is on to something with the "blue" added to the "red and white", because although our voter turnouts are on par, the campaign trail in the US is like some sort of sport. People love watching, people lose sleep over it, people care about who will make decisions for them. Canadian politics, though, are committed to grudgingly, with a certain reluctance. There is no excitement or gratitude for the people who make our decisions; many people don't even consider who exactly they are handing their country off to. It simply isn't exciting enough.
Comparatively speaking, would you rather get drunk with your buddies and have a "fantastic" Saturday night, or spend five minutes bubbling in a ballet only to go, "Fuck yeah! I voted!". Honestly, which one will get you more high-fives? Which one will give you a higher social standing with your peers?
Voting lacks the shiny exciting-ness of drinking or something else "expected" of a new adult. But nevertheless it is expected, and this is where the Irresponsible Voter comes in. The person who doesn't really care, but knows they should, and so ends up abusing the privilege of voting more than they could ever abuse another right of the "adult".
Everyone has some prior knowledge about the major parties (or perhaps has heard of the more obscure ones), but going in to a booth to make a decision about who you want looking out for you, who you want to give your tax dollars to, and who you want to trust with your country, without having any real concrete knowledge is just silly. Reread the sentence - silly. What justification can someone give for not spending five minutes to sit down, read the "mission statement" of each party and then vote. Even at that simplistic point, one can categorize their self as an "informed voter".
What excuse is there, really, for not caring about the country that you live in? Even if voting is not such a "tradition" of adulthood, it is a right that everyone has, and is expected to live up to. And, if you can't look at it in those terms think about this: it's government that decides just what shenanigans you can get up and how often and what your various punishments will be. Why wouldn't you want to exercise some control over that?

The Petri-Dish

For all you science students out there - a lovely metaphor. Although, since a metaphor is at home in the Arts discipline, I guess you are officially being excluded. Ah well, you've probably got work to do anyways. This is officially a distraction.

Everyone remembers that weird lull that came about after high school: the initial experiment in which people were thrown together, creating bonds, and explosive drama had reached a stand-still. It was the second during a breath in which there is no air in your body, and you are waiting.

Of course, we have obviously now entered "the real world" and begun something outside this experiment; outside the neat petri dish. 

In the course of corresponding with those still living in that flat plastic bubble I have come to the realization that they have all remained in the delirium of the summer. Absolutely nothing has changed, and while, yes, this must be considered sad-bordering-on-pathetic, it's also just plain weird. How is it that someone can leave a city for months and come back to find nothing changed? Personally, upon my return my friends will still be dating the same people, playing the same video games, and living in the same basements. The fabled "year off", I think it should be known from here on out as the "same thing".

The expectation that if you change, if you remain in constant motion, particles vibrating at high frequency, that those around you will too is not wrong. I had just forgotten that I moved - I moved on, we moved on - and they - did not. I'm hoping they will, mostly because it weirds me out to think of an entire social group remaining stagnant. And I, um, care about the well-being of the basement-livers too... they're like my lovely collection of science student friends, but with less purpose.

And on that note, the case of the petri dish is closed.

It's Not Another Bad Rap Song

We're not a "It's wh-wh-wh-what were all about" place. We don't come bearing vendettas against authority, or knives to be placed in other publication's figurative backs. We may or may not come with hatred borne against Saskatchewan, a love of Converse high-tops, and something to say about the world, or the world as we see it. There is no ultimate purpose (unless you count taking over the world, but that's only out of originality) but to comment on life, as students, to write about whatever happens to be bugging us, and to provide an alternative writing source to students here at UBC and abroad. So say what you want, write what you want, and think what you want, 'cause we're sure as hell going to.