the
love
in this issue
issue
There is no shortage of cliched, blanket statements about love. Love is a battlefield. Love will save the day. Love is hell. All you need is love. Even if you would go so far as to claim that true love does not exist, there is no denying that there is power in the idea of love, if only because it seems to be everywhere. It’s in pop songs, television shows, films, books. We are constantly bombarded with other peoples’ images of love, lust, obsession, and romance. How, in a world of social constructions, can we determine if ‘true’ love exists, and if so, what it is? Yes, I see the concept of love overused and diluted in pop songs. I see it used to manipulate or control others, such as in abusive relationships. You don’t have to look further than the new hit series Twilight to see a textbook abusive relationship between a vampire and his girlfriend glorified as our generation’s greatest romance. There is nothing quite as sad as love being proclaimed in systems of oppression; when what should be the purest positive emotion is used to dominate and manipulate others. Despite this, I can proudly say that I believe in love. I believe that it can take many forms, and be embodied and represented in an infinite number of ways. I believe it can appear where it is least expected. I believe it can be used to achieve lasting good--that if there is a greater paradigm shift from living through fear, hate, and greed to living through love and empathy, the world could change dramatically for the better. I believe it is important to constantly remember what you love about life, school, friends, your partner, and most importantly, yourself. In this issue we have stories of love for a stuffed animal, love for a mythical sea creature, love gone stale, and love gone psychotically violent. These each reveal a little bit of what conceptions of love exist, and how they shape our lives and our culture. Please engage with each article, because love is so much better when experienced, rather than simply observed.
Essays the Love of Dinosaur 4 For Kevin Hatch Say Love is Blind 8 They Anna Fisher
Art 16
Literature 6 7:43 Praveen Alwis
Poetry on Love 3 Thoughts Richard Garvey 5 10 15
Love Clothes Janice Lee Ithaca Sarah Colleen Dillon Note on a Fridge Andrew Posen
Erin Epp
Beholder IV Nuno Teixeira Emmanuel Xerx Javier
10
I Could Tell You Maeve Strathy
11
Seek to Know Love Graham Engel
13 16
LOVE for the sacrifice of Matt Mousseau You Kate Richards
new content • every thursday • blueprintmagazine.ca
Editor-in-Chief
blueprint magazine Volume 9, Issue 5 January 2010
75 University Ave W. Waterloo ON, N2L 3C5
Management
WLUSP Administration
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor: Print Content Managing Editor: Visual Content Promotional Director Production Assistant
Erin Epp Morgan Alan Carly Lewis Kelly Grevers Lakyn Barton
(519) 884 0710 x 2738 (519) 883 0873 (fax) blueprintmagazine.ca Next Issue Friday, February 12th Theme “Patriotism” For advertising info contact email: angela@wlusp.com phone: (519) 884 0710 x 3560
Contributors Praveen Alwis Sarah Colleen Dillon Graham Engel Anna Fisher Richard Garvey Kelly Grevers Kevin Hatch Emily Kennedy Dale Langford Janice Lee
President General Manager/Advertising Production/Advertising Chair of the Board Vice-Chair Treasurer Director Corporate Secretary Distribution Manager
Bryn Ossington Angela Foster Angela Taylor Jordan Hyde Luay Salmon Suhail Hafeez Kyle Muizelaar Maeve Strathy Nicole Weber
Colophon Carly Lewis Hayley Lewis Sarah MacDonald Matt Mousseau Andrew Posen Kate Richards Maeve Strathy Nuno Teixeira Emmanuel Xerx Javier
Blueprint Magazine is the official student magazine of the Wilfrid Laurier University community. Started in 2002 as Bluprint, Blueprint Magazine is an editorially independent magazine published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by a board of directors. Opinions in Blueprint Magazine are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the management team, Blueprint Magazine, WLUSP or WLU. Content appearing in Blueprint Magazine bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent. The circulation for a normal issue of Blueprint Magazine is 3,000 copies.
cover by dale langford inside front cover by nick lachance inside back cover by hayley lewis back cover by carly lewis