Portland State Vanguard Volume 75 Issue 17

VOLUME 75 • ISSUE 17 • NOVEMBER 10, 2020

2020 ELECTION RESULTS

-9 P. 8

NEWS Domestic terror is on the rise P. 3

ARTS & CULTURE “We Are Rose City!” highlights Portland’s soccer fever P. 12

OPINION Biden wins, but do we?

P. 14

CONTENTS

COVER BY SAM PERSON

NEWS DOMESTIC TERROR, STANDING BY

P. 3

ON ELECTION NIGHT, ACTIVISTS MARCH FOR BLACK LIBERATION

P. 4

INTERNATIONAL COURT RULING ON ABORTIONS LEADS TO PROTESTS IN PORTLAND

P. 5

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY RELEASES THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VACCINE DISTRIBUTION

P. 10

ARTS & CULTURE THE END OF THE CONSOLE WARS

P. 11

SOCCER CITY, USA

P. 12

THE NEXT GENERATION OF FANTASY

P. 13

ANTI-FRENCH DEMONSTRATIONS CONTINUE IN MAJORITY MUSLIM COUNTRIES

P. 6

THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD

P. 7

COVER IN CONTENTIOUS ELECTION, OREGON RESULTS COME ON TIME

OPINION BIDEN WINS, BUT CAN HE LEAD?

P. 14

P. 8–9

BIDEN’S WIN AND TRUMP’S LOSS MATTER TO THE WORLD

P. 15

DESIGNER SHOWCASE SAM PERSON

P. 16

STAFF

EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Justin Grinnell MANAGING EDITOR Nick Townsend NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Dylan Jefferies INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Karisa Yuasa SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Béla Kurzenhauser ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Morgan Troper OPINION EDITOR AJ Earl

ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Nick Gatlin

COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon

PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sam Person

CONTRIBUTORS Sean Bascom Juliana Bigelow Conor Carroll Aineias Engstrom Claire Plaster Luis Ramos Mackenzie Streissguth Meghan Utzman PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Annie Schutz

DESIGNERS Farah Alkayed Sam Garcia Shannon Steed DIS T RIBU TION DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dylan Jefferies T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow Kahela Fickle George Olson John Rojas

A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while

upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.

contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Tuesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.

A BOU T Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff,

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.

DOMESTIC TERROR, STANDING BY

AKE AMERICA MAKE AMERIC MAKE AMERICA E AMERICA KE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN GREAT AGAIN MAK GREAT AGAIN MA A GREAT AGAIN

GREAT

GAIN

SAM GARCIA

WHITE SUPREMACY AND DOMESTIC TERROR ARE ON THE RISE CONOR CARROLL Two recent reports assert the threat of domestic terrorism informed by white supremacy and fascism is on the rise, despite the Trump administration’s assertions that far-left organizations represent the largest threat of political violence in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security recently published a Threat Assessment Report, which was presented by the acting director of DHS Chad Wolf, who stated he is “particularly concerned about white supremacist violent extremists who have been exceptionally lethal in their abhorrent, targeted attacks in recent years.”

Trump has been criticized for not actively disavowing white supremacist groups that have ties to Nazi-sympathetic ideologies. He has expressed he believes the far-left group antifa is more dangerous than far-right groups. However, contrary to Trump’s claims, the Federal Bureau of Investigation does not designate antifa as a terrorist group, and according to Chris Whey, the head of the FBI, “Antifa is an ideology, not an organization.”

At a recent presidential debate, Trump said the Proud Boys, a right-wing activist group, should “stand back and stand by,” when asked if he would condemn the group.

Another study on the rise of white supremacy in the U.S. is the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), which stated, “militia groups and other armed non-state actors pose a serious threat to the safety and security of American voters…these groups have become more assertive, with activities ranging from intervening in protests to

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

organizing kidnapping plots targeting elected officials. Both the [DHS] and the [FBI] have specifically identified extreme far right-wing and racist movements as a primary risk factor heading into November.”

Several states with active protests have been issued a warning by ACLED regarding possible violence from right-wing activist groups following the Nov. 3 election. According to ACLED, “this report finds that capitals and peripheral towns, as well as medium-population cities and suburban areas with centralized zones, in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Oregon are at highest risk of increased militia activity in the election and post-election period, while North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, California, and New Mexico are at moderate risk.”

Several heads of state received kidnapping threats by rightwing groups prior to the election, specifically in Michigan and Virginia, as well as in Wichita, Kansas. Trump recently encouraged his followers to chant “lock her up,” referencing the governor of Michigan at one of his rallies. Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has been an outspoken critic of the president regarding his response to his COVID-19 pandemic response.

The Nov. 3 election, one of the most contentious in recent memory, is over. However, if global threat and crisis management organizations are correct, the danger that America faces as a nation is far from over.

The International Crisis Group is an “independent organization working to prevent wars and shape policies that

will build a more peaceful world,” according to its website.

It recently published a report entitled “The U.S. Presidential Election: Managing the Risks of Violence,” which states that “the U.S. has seen slavery, civil war, lynching, labor strife and the ethnic cleansing of indigenous peoples. The wounds of those legacies have never fully healed. The country is awash in firearms, has gun homicide levels unmatched by any other high-income country, and is home to a white supremacy movement that…is growing in virulence.”

Stephen Pomper, the Senior Director of Policy at the ICG and former Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the National Security Council under former President Barack Obama, echoed these sentiments in a recent statement on behalf of the aforementioned report, which he primarily authored. He stated “the U.S. is a mature democracy…and hasn’t faced the kind of risks around elections that other countries around the world have faced…but then things changed.”

He concluded “when we look at those factors [from the report] we would come to the conclusion that a serious threat is looming…America doesn’t get a free pass when it comes to political unrest.”

The looming threat of domestic terror and political strife will not simply vanish with the election of a new president.

In fact, the opposite may be true. These reports shed light on the potential dangers of domestic terrorism. It remains to be seen whether or not the American government and its people will heed their warnings.

NEWS

3

ABOVE: A PROTESTER LEADING CHANTS AS THE CROWD MOVES WEST ON STARK, BACK TOWARD REVOLUTION HALL.

ON ELECTION NIGHT, ACTIVISTS MARCH FOR

BLACK LIBERATION

LEFT: JAHDI, AN ACTIVIST AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST, LEADS THE CROWD IN CHANTS AND SONGS SUCH AS, “NO GOOD COPS! NO GOOD PRESIDENTS! GIVE THE LAND BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL RESIDENTS!”

SEAN BASCOM While the country sat on the edge of its collective seat watching election results start to come in on Nov. 3, a very large crowd gathered at Revolution Hall in Southeast Portland. The event, titled All Power to the People West Coast Solidarity, began with speakers discussing defunding the Portland Police, little-known incidents of oppression in the United States and defining Black liberation as the ability of a people to control their own destiny.

The crowd of around one thousand protesters, according to the Portland Mercury, then marched east up Stark and Belmont Streets to Cesar Chavez Boulevard and back west on Stark, returning to Revolution Hall.

Photos were taken by Sean Bascom.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: PATRONS OF A BELMONT ST BAR CHEER AS THE MARCH PASSES. A WHITE HOMEOWNER STANDS ON THEIR PORCH SHOUTING, “DON’T DO ANY PROPERTY DAMAGE.” THE CROWD APPROACHES TO EXPLAIN THEIR POSITION. FRONTLINE DRUMLINE KEEPS THE PULSE OF THE MARCH. ORGANIZERS LEADING CHANTS AS THE MARCH MOVES UP BELMONT. MARCHERS CHANT, “HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT!”

4

NEWS

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

COURT RULING ON ABORTIONS LEADS TO PROTESTS IN POLAND KARISA YUASA Following a high court ruling on Oct. 23 that would create an almost total ban on abortions, thousands took to the streets of Poland.

The court ruled that abortions due to fetal defects—approximately 98% of all abortions conducted in Poland, according to CNN—were unconstitutional. One of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, the ruling would make abortions legal only in cases of rape, incest or risk to the mother’s life.

Human rights organizations have joined protesters in denouncing the court ruling.

“This judgement is the result of a coordinated systematic wave of attacks on women’s human rights by Polish lawmakers, and represents their latest attempt to ban abortion in Poland,” said Esther Major, a senior research adviser at Amnesty International, in a statement.

“Legal prohibitions on abortion do not prevent abortion or reduce the rates of abortion; they serve only to damage women’s health by pushing abortions underground or forcing women to travel to foreign countries to access abortion care they need and to which they have a right.”

Poland is one of only two European Union member states to not allow abortions on request or on broad social grounds.

Following the ruling, women’s rights groups organized protests throughout the country, despite COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings.

Over 400,000 protesters filled the streets in a nationwide strike on Oct. 28, according to Al Jazeera.

“Now it’s not really just about abortion, it’s a protest about the loss of humanity,” said Emma Herdzik, an attendee of the protest in the capital of Warsaw, to The New York Times.

“I think it is a whole backlash against a patriarchal culture, against the patriarchal state, against the fundamental-

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

PROTESTERS TAKE PART IN THE NATIONWIDE DAILY ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN POLAND. CZAREK SOKOLOWSKI/AP PHOTO

ist religious state, against the state that treats women really badly,” said Marta Lempart, a leader in the All-Polish Women’s Strike movement.

On that night, protests in Warsaw concluded at the residence of Jaroslaw Kaczyński, the leader of the ruling right-wing Law and Justice Party, who is widely seen as the de facto decision maker in Poland.

Kaczyński called the protesters criminals seeking to “destroy the Polish nation,” according to The New York Times.

In a Facebook post, he urged supporters to “defend Poland, defend patriotism.”

Following Kaczyński’s statements, Robert Bakiewicz, leader of an ultranationalist group, said his supporters would form a “Catholic self-defense” force.

“The sword of justice is hanging over them and, if necessary, we will crush them to dust and destroy this revolution,” Bakiewicz said. “If the Polish nation isn’t able to give us this security, we will take action.”

On Oct. 30, organizers reported that approximately 150,000 people protested in Warsaw alone—one of the largest demonstrations Poland has seen in decades. Police announced 37 people were detained in the protests.

Violence has erupted from the protests between protesters, nationalists and police. Outside of one of Poland’s holiest Catholic shrines, the Jasna Gora Monastery, police deployed tear gas to separate the two opposing groups, according to local radio reports.

The day after the ruling was announced, videos also surfaced on social media showing police using excessive force on protesters. In one video, officers can be seen surrounding a protester on the ground and hitting the person with a pepper spray can, according to CNN.

Amnesty International has criticized the way authorities have handled the protests in Poland.

“Their right to protest against these restrictions must be upheld. The police must facilitate those wishing to protest peacefully in support of women, including by safeguarding protesters against harassment and violent attacks by counterdemonstrators,” said Draginja Nadazdin, Director of Amnesty International Poland.

Following the protests, Polish President Andrzej Duda submitted an amendment that abortions will remain legal when “prenatal tests or other medical indications indicate a high probability that the child will be born still or burdened with an incurable disease or defect that will lead to the death of the child inevitably and directly.”

“It is an extremely delicate and painful situation for every mother, for every parent,” Duda said in a statement. “In the case of lethal defects, the death of the child is inevitable. The protection of his life is therefore beyond human power.”

The deadline for the ruling to be published passed on Nov. 3 with the ruling remaining unpublished and therefore on pause indefinitely, according to The Guardian.

“A discussion is ongoing,” said Michał Dworczyk, the head of the prime minister’s office. “In this situation, which is difficult and causes a lot of emotions, it is good to give ourselves a bit of time for dialogue and for working out a new position.”

As the government works out its plan on how to continue, opposition remains high.

“In this country, because of the politics and doctrine of the government and the religious fanatics, someone who is different is worse. The way they treat LGBT people, migrants, all minorities—and now women…society has had enough,” said Maria Kowalczyk at a protest in Warsaw, according to The Guardian.

INTERNATIONAL

5

ANTI-FRENCH DEMONSTRATIONS CONTINUE IN MAJORITY MUSLIM COUNTRIES IDA AYU KARINA DWIJAYANTI French President Emmanuel Macron’s vow to protect the right to caricature prophet Muhammad has led to protests by tens of thousands of Muslims in Pakistan, Lebanon and elsewhere, according to The Guardian.

Macron said France would not give in to any terror attacks, especially after the latest event where a man killed three people in central Nice at the Notre Dame Basilica. The man was carrying a 17-centimeter knife as he entered the church around 8:30 a.m.

According to the French Media, the man was 21-year-old Tunisian national Brahmin Aouissaoui. He entered the country illegally, via Italy, in early October.

City police described the scene as a “vision of horror,” after shooting the killer several times. Aouissaoui reportedly refused to drop his knife, injuring an officer.

This attack came 13 days after an 18-year-old man beheaded a school teacher in France who showed caricatures of the prophet in class. Tensions between the country and Muslimmajority nations further escalated.

As the national anti-terrorist prosecutor claimed that the event was linked to a terrorist organization, Macron insisted on cracking down on Islamist extremism. This led him to shut down mosques and other organizations deemed violent and radical.

Different nations demonstrated in their capital cities, where some demonstrators turned violent, as they expressed their anger towards Macron. In the capital of Pakistan, Islamist activists hanged an effigy of the French president while marching towards the French embassy in Islamabad.

6

INTERNATIONAL

SUPPORTERS OF A RELIGIOUS PARTY HOLD A PROTEST AGAINST FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON. FAREED KHAN/AP PHOTO In Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, demonstrators headed towards the Palais des Pins, waving white flags with Islamist insignia while others threw stones at police. The demonstrations in the country were considered an embarrassment for its prime minister, Saad Hariri, who is aiming to form a new government that implements the French plan for economic reform.

In Istanbul, protesters filled up a Shia mosque where they chanted religious slogans while holding signs and burning posters of Macron. Unlike Prime Minister Hariri in Lebanon, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not think they were an embarrassment. “I appeal to my people. Don’t ever pay attention to French brands. Don’t buy them,” Erdoğan said, according to Al Jazeera.

Israeli police dispersed and detained Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem, the third holiest place in Islam. The militant Hamas group also organized rallies across territories in the Gaza Strip, responding to Macron and the insulting caricature.

Hamas Official Fathi Hammad vowed to “stand together to confront this criminal offensive that harms the faith of about 2 billion Muslims.”

The Egyptian minister of religious endowments, Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, stated “love of the prophet cannot be expressed by killing, sabotaging or responding to evil with evil,” addressing all Muslims, in response to the attacks in France, according to The Guardian.

Macron acknowledged these issues during an interview with Al Jazeera. “I understand the sentiments being expressed and I respect them. But you must understand my role right now, it’s to do two things: to promote calm and also to protect these

rights,” Macron said. “I will always defend in my country the freedom to speak, to write, to think, to draw.”

During a meeting of Turkish President Erdoğan’s governing Justice and Development Party, Erdoğan criticized Macron, saying, “What is the problem this person called Macron has with Islam and Muslims? Macron needs mental treatment.”

AP News reported the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo is known for provoking Islamists and mocking extremists, despite an attack in 2015 where two people, inflamed by the caricatures, rushed the news room and killed 12 people. The publication has been constantly pushing the limits of French hate speech laws by expressing their belief that the intolerance and politics of Islam threaten the country’s democracy.

“We need strong actions to stop Islamism but also to condemn the slightest gesture, the slightest intolerant or hateful word toward French people of immigrant backgrounds,” Charlie Hebdo’s editor Riss said.

According to Al Jazeera, the editors of this magazine even believed that it was essential to reprint caricatures of Muhammad on the eve of the trial of the 2015 attackers. Most critics believe that the principle of free speech is victimized by “Islamic rage,” not just the cartoonists.

Amas Barlas, retired professor of politics, shared her opinion on the matter.

“It is difficult to see how anyone—not only a Muslim—could find a cartoon of the prophet as a terrorist/suicide bomber amusing without also treating terrorism itself lightly,’ Barlas said. “After all, how many of us can laugh at a cartoon of a suicide bomber, irrespective of who that person is supposed to be?”

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

THIS WEEK

around the

WORLD

Nov. 1–7

2

3

4

1

5

1

November 1

PHILIPPINES

Typhoon Goni made landfall in the Philippines with sustaining winds up to 195 mph. Although the typhoon missed a direct hit to the country’s capital, Manila, 16 people were confirmed to have died from the typhoon in the Bicol region, southeast of Manila, according to The New York Times. The typhoon, known in the Philippines as Rolly, was the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in world history and the fourth to hit the Philippines in the last three weeks. Relief organizations have estimated that between 80–90% of houses were damaged on the island of Catanduanes, where Goni first made landfall.

Civil defense officials in the Philippines estimated that 370,000 people have been displaced due to damages. “This typhoon has smashed into people’s lives and livelihoods on top of the relentless physical, emotional and economic toll of COVID-19,” said Richard Gordon, the Philippine Red Cross chairman as reported by The Guardian.

2

November 1

MINSK, BELARUS

Over 200 protesters were arrested when tens of thousands took to the streets to demand President Alexander Lukashenko step down. Police also fired warning shots into the air and used stun grenades toward protesters, according to Reuters. This has been

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

the 12th straight week of protests in the Belarusian capital. The European Union later placed sanctions on Lukashenko and his son for their actions to repress the protests. These sanctions block travel visas, freeze assets in member states and forbids EU citizens and companies from lending to them.

3

November 4

TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA

In response to an attack on a federal military base by regional troops in Tigray, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops and declared a “military confrontation.” Ahmed blamed the region’s ruling party the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPFL) for the conflict. Tensions have been rising between the two parties since Abiy’s party took power in 2018 following decades of the TPLF being Ethiopia’s dominant party. “This war is the worst possible outcome of the tensions that have been brewing,” said William Davison, International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Ethiopia, according to AP News. “Given Tigray’s relatively strong security position, the conflict may well be protracted and disastrous.”

4

November 5

GUATEMALA

Following torrential rains from hurricane Eta, over 100 people are believed to have been killed in a landslide in Guatemala City.

Guatemalan search groups reached the mountainous area and began the search for bodies on Friday. The teams were forced to spend over half a day walking to the site after being forced to abandon their vehicles due to blocked roads and broken bridges. The effects of the landslide adds to the death toll of 65 already known in other Central American countries, including 23 in Honduras. “There are at least 20 to 25 homes totally destroyed,” said Francisco Muss, a retired Guatemalan army general who has been coordinating rescue efforts, according to The New York Times. “125 lives have been lost in this disaster.

They are gone.”

5

November 7

ABIDJAN, CÔTE D’IVOIRE

Opposition leader and former prime minister, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, was arrested for creating a rival government following the re-election of President Alassane Ouattara.

N’Guessan and other opposition leaders are facing terrorism charges. Following the election on Oct. 31 that many opposition leaders deemed uncredible, protests have occurred that often turned violent. As of three days after the election, opposition leaders said that at least 30 people had died in election related violence. The United Nations reported following the election, over 3,200 people had become refugees, hoping to escape the electoral violence.

INTERNATIONAL

7

TOBIAS READ

JEFF MERKLEY

IN A CONTENTIOUS ELECTION, OR

WHEELER WINS REELECTION; POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY COUNCIL IS IN THE W HANNA ANDERSON While most of the trials and tribulations of 2020 were nothing anyone could have foreseen, there is one we all knew would come for years now, and yet is no less of a historical event: the election.

This election year, a global pandemic spread across the U.S. and pushed people into their homes, protests for police reform and racial justice pulled people into the streets and the country continues to be increasingly polarized by politics. Now, everyone gets to vote about it.

And vote people did. With a universal mail-in voting system, current events left Oregon’s election largely unchanged, and by the end of election night, a record number of 2.4 million Oregonians had cast their ballots. The turnout percentage was 81%—no record, but slightly edging out 2016’s 80%.

Here is what they voted for.

PORTLAND After a close primary and an even closer runoff, Ted Wheeler will serve a second term as

8

COVER

Portland’s mayor after narrowly beating out opponent Sarah Iannarone. He will be the first Portland mayor to serve a second term since Vera Katz, who won her first reelection in 1996.

Wheeler won the race with 46.2% of the vote as of Nov. 6, while Iannarone pulled in with 40.8%. An additional 13% went to write in candidates, a pool that included community activist Teressa Raiford, who ran a write-in campaign.

Being the incumbent was a running point for Wheeler, who campaigned on leading and continuing to lead Portland through the COVID-19 pandemic and protests for police reform. Wheeler narrowly missed winning reelection in the May primary, but without 50% of the vote, missed the mark required for an outright win by about 1%.

“The people of Portland are powerful,” Wheeler said in his statement following the election. “We are united by a deep conviction in shared values. Black Lives Matter. The urgent need to restore a safe climate. Safe and affordable housing as a right. Economic opportunity for all. Preschool and a great

education for every child. I’m proud of our response to the pandemic. And I’m proud of the progress we’ve made on housing, homelessness, economic opportunity and climate change. But there is more to do.”

Both candidates are Democrats, but Iannarone campaigned as a more progressive alternative to Wheeler, a political moderate.

Both candidates named similar priorities, including economic recovery after COVID-19, houselessness, public safety, police reform and climate change. However, Iannarone promised a stronger approach. Her campaign also emphasized running on public campaign financing and small donations from community members.

“I love that over half of Portland voters went not for the status quo, but for change, this election,” Iannarone said, after conceding the race and congratulating Wheeler during a livestream on Wednesday. “We must remain conscious of all the victories while conceding this one battle...it is our collective responsibility to empower Mayor Wheeler to succeed, and also to hold him accountable.”

Portland City Council also had one last race for commissioner this year, where Community Organizer Mingus Mapps beat incumbent Chole Eudaly with 55.7% of the vote.

Mapps’ win cements the most diverse city council Portland has ever had. Carmen Rubio, who won her commissioner seat during the May primary, will be the first Latinx member of the council, and Mapps will be the fourth Black member. Along with Jo Ann Hardesty, three of the five city council seats—which includes the mayor—will be people of color.

The race between Mapps and Eudaly was another fight between moderate and progressive politics, where moderate politics won again.

Along with politicians, the election brought with it new measures for voters to consider, the most notable of which is one to create a new police oversight committee for the city. The measure passed overwhelmingly with 81.7% of the vote, more than any other city measure.

With its passage, the city of Portland will begin to create a new system for police

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

TED WHEELER

MINGUS MAPPS

SHEMIA FAGAN

SHANNON STEED

REGON RESULTS COME ON TIME

WORKS; PSILOCYBIN IS LEGAL WHILE OTHER DRUGS ARE DECRIMINALIZED accountability, run by a civilian committee. The new committee will replace the Independent Police Review, which is run by the city auditor, and will have the power to investigate uses of deadly force by police and allegations of police misconduct.

OREGON The state itself has measures of its own. Four made it onto the 2020 ballot, and all four of them passed.

Two are unique to Oregon: Measures 109 and 110.

Measure 109, which passed with 55.7% of the vote, makes Oregon the first state to legalize the supervised use of psilocybin mushrooms, a hallucinogenic drug, for use in mental health treatments. Psilocybin is classified by the federal government as a schedule one drug, which is labeled as having a high risk for abuse and no approved use in medicine, and is currently illegal in Oregon.

However, measure 109 will give the Oregon Health Authority two years to develop a

program for psilocybin therapy, where the use of psilocybin will be supervised by therapists, and only in state-licensed facilities.

Measure 110, with 58.5% of the vote, makes Oregon the first state to decriminalize illegal drugs, which includes drugs such as cocaine, meth and heroin. The measure reclassifies the possession of these drugs as a civil, rather than a criminal, offense. The measure also pulls funding from Oregon’s marijuana taxes to go toward addiction recovery services and treatment.

Oregonians also passed Measure 107, amending the constitution to allow laws that can limit campaign donations, and requiring that campaigns disclose the donations and who paid for them, with 78.4% of the vote. Measure 108 passed with 66.4%, raising Oregon’s cigarette tax and establishing a tax on e-cigarettes.

Oregon’s governor had no election this year, but other executive offices did—and have all gone to the Democratic party.

The only one that wasn’t filled by a

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

Democrat before was the secretary of state position, currently held by Republican Bev Clarno, who was appointed after the death of previous Secretary of State Dennis Richardson. As part of that appointment, Governor Kate Brown added the condition that Clarno could not run for reelection, which she agreed to.

The office now goes to Oregon Senator Shemia Fagan, with 50.4% of the vote.

Among the responsibilities of the position is to be first in line for governor, if the office is ever left vacant. The secretary of state is also charged with overseeing Oregon’s elections, and after the census, if the state legislature can’t approve a way of drawing new boundaries for state congressional districts, the responsibility will fall on the Secretary of State—a key responsibility, ahead of redistricting in 2021.

Both incumbent State Treasurer Tobias Ree, and incumbent Attorney General Ellen Rosenblaum won reelection, with 51% and 56% of the vote, respectively.

UNITED STATES Oregon, a strong blue state that hasn’t voted Republican in the presidential race since 1984, had its 2020 pick called for former vice president Joe Biden almost as soon as polls closed. Since Friday, Biden continued with a comfortable lead at 56.5% and is slated to take Oregon’s 7 electoral votes.

As for Congress, Senator Jeff Merkley won his reelection bid with 57% of the vote against Republican opponent Jo Rae Perkins. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader all won reelection in their respective congressional districts.

Congressional District Two stands out as the reliably red side of Oregon, tasked with voting for a new representative after incumbent Greg Walden announced he would not seek reelection. Fellow Republican Cliff Bentz won with 60% of the vote.

All election data comes from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office. All totals are considered unofficial until certified.

COVER

9

OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY RELEASES THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VACCINE DISTRIBUTION

OREGON GOVERNOR KATE BROWN. BETH NAKAMURA/THE OREGONIAN VIA AP, POOL

BÉLA KURZENHAUSER Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced new restrictions regarding social gatherings in a press conference on Friday, Nov. 6.

The restrictions will run from Nov. 11–25 and apply to Malheur, Umatilla, Marion, Jackson and Multnomah counties. These restrictions include setting a 50-person maximum to large social gatherings and a six-person maximum to small, interpersonal gatherings.

Oregon has seen a significant increase in COVID-19 cases throughout the last two months, signifying a third wave following a decreasing trend throughout May and August. Daily cases hit a record high on Nov. 7, with The Oregonian reporting that 988 new cases were detected, a significantly higher number than the previous statewide record of 805 new cases just two days earlier on Nov. 5.

With Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings on the horizon, health officials are concerned about the role that family and social gatherings for such events could affect and increase the spread of COVID-19. “A Halloween party has led to at least 14 infections, and after people went to the party, the virus spread further to a workplace outbreak that we’re continuing to investigate,” said OHA Public Health Director Rachael Banks at Friday’s press conference. “Another example we’re investigating is an outbreak associated with a family party. Multiple people attended the party when they were infectious...the virus then spread and has led to two

10

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

long-term care facility outbreaks with a total of 24 cases and one death.”

Earlier in October, the Oregon Health Authority released its three-phase plan on distributing vaccines once a safe, reliable and consistently effective vaccine has been developed. As the supply of vaccines will not be able to meet high demand, the OHA plans to initiate a first phase of vaccine distribution that will grant immediate access to the vaccine for essential healthcare workers, doctors and nurses, as well as other essential workers with high risk exposure to COVID-19. Additionally, priority will be given to vulnerable long-term care residents.

Once the supply of a vaccine is more adequately fit to meet the demand, additional vaccines will be given to vulnerable and marginalized populations such as Latinx, Black, Indigenous and Pacific Islander communities, elderly demographics, houseless people and patients with potential comorbidities like diabetes or heart disease.

The third and final phase will allow more people outside of vulnerable communities and demographics to get vaccinated at pharmacies, health centers, clinics and hospitals. As a vaccine has yet to be FDA-approved, the OHA is focusing on building points of dispensing (PODs) to administer vaccines. One of the current major roadblocks halting development of a vaccine for COVID-19 is a reliable rate of effectiveness. The minimum effectiveness required for a vaccine to be FDA-approved is 50%, meaning 50% of people who get vaccinated will not

contract the virus. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Dr. Anthony Fauci stated in a June 28 interview with CNN he “would settle for a 70% or 75% effective vaccine.”

Additionally, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Oct. 27 that Oregon, Nevada and Washington have joined California in a multi-state plan to independently review any FDA-approved vaccine for COVID-19.

“The independent review conducted by this panel of doctors, scientists, and health experts will ensure that a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is available to everyone, especially communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this disease,” Brown stated in a press release from Newsom’s office.

The group will consist of public health experts from each state who will jointly review the safety and efficacy of any vaccine that has been approved by the FDA. Despite the fact that no current vaccines have been FDA-approved, several vaccines from public research universities, government institutions and private pharmaceutical companies are in the final stages of development and trial.

“I think it’s incumbent upon our federal government to get their act together and assist not only the states, but our local governments, cities, counties, tribes and of course, individuals that are struggling with the impacts of COVID-19,” Brown said in her closing statement for the press conference.

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

THE END OF THE CONSOLE WARS

MICROSOFT AND SONY’S DUEL FEELS LESS LIKE WARFARE AND MORE LIKE A GENIAL GAME OF TABLE TENNIS BETWEEN TWO FRAIL, GREYHAIRED COLLEAGUES

MORGAN TROPER

SAM GARCIA

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

Believe it or not, there was a time—the ‘90s— when someone’s favorite video game console was as essential to their identity as their political beliefs.

That epoch is deftly portrayed in the new documentary Console Wars—a Seth Rogen-produced adaption of the 2014 book of the same name.

Console Wars highlights the bitter rivalry between Sega and Nintendo and their 16-bit home consoles, the Genesis and Super Nintendo. This might sound like an overly narrow conceit to people who didn’t experience the generation-defining phenomenon that was gaming in the ‘90s. But much like The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters—the 2007 documentary about a hot sauce magnate and school teacher who compete for the Donkey Kong world record—Console Wars’ insular focus is offset by a fundamentally great story and a cast of bizarre characters who are—unbelievably— real people.

Heading into the ‘90s, Nintendo was an immovable object. It had revived the video game industry and become synonymous with it. It was also cutthroat and infamously a litigious bully: it fought to make video game rentals illegal, charged third party developers unnecessarily expensive licensing fees and its American chapter threatened to withdraw product from retailers who dare carry its competition’s.

If there is a protagonist in Console Wars, it’s Tom Kalinske. Kalinske was a veteran of the toy business; at Mattel, he made Hot Wheels, Barbie and He-Man household names. In the early ‘90s, Kalinske was poached by Sega—a Japanese video game company with a nonexistent American presence—and given the unenviable task of muscling in on Nintendo’s turf.

Nintendo may have revived the video game industry, but Sega—and Tom Kalinske specifically—are responsible for distinguishing games from toys. By tapping into the edgy ‘90s zeitgeist, Kalinske made video games palatable to self-conscious adolescents and young adults. They openly talked shit on Nintendo in their ads, they employed meaningless buzzwords like “blast processing” to describe their hardware and their version of Mortal Kombat was so violent that it caught the attention of disingenuous boomer and failed presidential candidate Joe Lieberman. Nintendo was hair metal; Sega, grunge.

Kalinske and his subordinates at Sega come off as infinitely more likable than the rogues’ gallery of rapacious, pencil-necked capitalists who comprised ‘90s Nintendo of America. That’s why it stings when he ultimately loses—inter-corporate competition started brewing between Sega of Japan and Sega of America in the mid-‘90s, putting the company in a deadlock.

Frustrated that his novel ideas were no longer being considered, Kalinske bailed. The documentary ends with the release of Sony’s PlayStation in 1995, which would go on to eclipse both the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis at 112 million units sold. The documentary attempts to frame Sony as the underdog in the race, which is ridiculous, and I’m not sure what the

moral here is, exactly. That capitalism is unpredictable? To never underestimate a multinational electronics conglomerate with its fingers in literally every technological pie?

It ends like an incomplete sneeze, but Console Wars is a worthwhile watch. It’s especially resonant because it comes right on the eve of a brand new console war—between Sony’s PlayStation 5, which releases on November 12 in North America, and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S, which releases on November 10. The names of these new consoles alone typify the comparative blandness of contemporary console wars.

Gone are the days of snappy superlatives like “super” and “turbo.” Instead, we get boring-ass letters and numbers.

One of the most illuminating scenes in Console Wars comes from an early ‘90s news clip showing parents angered over the Super Nintendo. Some people apparently thought of video games as a universal medium then and interpreted a new Nintendo console as a case of manufactured obsolescence—they felt like they were being duped into buying the same thing for their kid twice.

Clearly, that was not the case—the jump from the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System to the 16bit Super Nintendo was obvious to anyone who had played a video game. But that charge wouldn’t seem too outlandish today. Many of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S launch titles will also be playable on current generation consoles. This won’t always be the case, of course, but it makes buying either console at launch difficult to justify.

Gamers and tech geeks will endlessly quibble over which new piece of hardware is superior, but to the average person, these differences are relatively discrete.

True, the new PlayStation’s DualSense controller boasts some revolutionary haptic technology—it’s like a rumble feature with its third eye opened—but it’s no longer as significant as the choice between Mario and Sonic. Your console preference likely boils down to instinctive brand fealty, which controller feels better in your hands and which shape is least offensive to your aesthetic sensibilities—the console that looks like a mini-fridge or the console that looks like the product of a forbidden tryst between an air purifier and the Tower of Sauron. It’s truly an either/or proposition—either way, you’ll get to play mildly enhanced versions of games nobody cares about like Dirt 5 and Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer Edition and your living room will look slightly uglier.

Console Wars offers an aperture into the era when its namesake was much more high stakes. Buying a game console meant committing to a specific library of exclusives, unless your parents were rich. Of course, this polarization was ultimately constricting for the consumer and it gave rise to a particularly terrible brand of fanboyism and corporate simping. Nonetheless, Console Wars makes me long for the days when children’s entertainment felt legitimately dangerous.

ARTS & CULTURE

11

MEGHAN UTZMAN

SHANNON STEED

SOCCER , CITY

USA 12

ARTS & CULTURE

“WE ARE ROSE CITY!” HIGHLIGHTS PORTLAND’S SOCCER FEVER

Whether you’re a sports fan or a history buff, the Oregon Historical Society’s exhibit, “We Are Rose City! A History of Soccer in Portland,” will peak your interest in the game and how it became a city staple.

Portlanders were first introduced to professional soccer in 1975 by The North American Soccer League (NASL), and the success of the Timbers’ premiere season verged on poetic. The team placed second in the NASL Championship, and nearly quadrupled their fan attendance from 8 ,0 0 0 – 3 0,0 0 0 in a single year— ultimately leading the press to dub Portland “Soccer City, U.S.A.” Following a sevenyear run, the NASL folded in 1982. The Timbers were briefly revived in 1985 through 1990 during the Western Alliance Challenge Series, before professional soccer left the city for 11 years.

Yet Portland became Soccer City once again in 2001 when the Timbers joined the United Soccer League (USL)—and it hasn’t looked back since the team’s Major League Soccer (MLS) debut in 2011.

This year marks the 10th anniversary​of the Timbers with the MLS, and while the men’s team may have a more storied legacy, the Thorns’ track record shines brighter. Since their 2013 premiere, the Thorns brought in ​two National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Championships​and sent seven of their players to compete in the 2016​ Rio Olympics​. History and accolades aside, the exhibit brings to life Portland’s one-of-a-kind soccer culture, while highlighting the positive impact the sport has left on the community.

The exhibit itself is split in half, with separate rooms dedicated to the Thorns and Timbers.

Murals of photography stretch across each wall, while clusters of MLS scarves hang above like chandeliers. Nostalgic Timbers and Thorns artifacts abound: There’s a Timbers Army helmet of the late Hartmut Bless, old-school apparel from the 1998 Portland Python’s indoor league and a 7” vinyl record of “Green is the Color,” the original Timbers fight song.

“Between the colors, the content and the scarves overhead, I wanted to create a sense of organized chaos that comes with going to a game,” said exhibit curator Morgen Young. “I didn’t want it to be a show about tactics, or the mechanisms of the sport. We were more interested in highlighting the social history of the game.”

The first era of Portland Timbers—which spanned from 1975–1982—were primarily from England​. “We were like the Beatles coming to town,” former Timbers player Mick Hoban said. “No one really knew what to think of us, the way we spoke, or the sport.

At that time, soccer wasn’t widespread in the city [or America], and it wasn’t something that the majority of people engaged in or had knowledge of.”

Mick Hoban was the first player signed to the Timbers in 1975. Historians have anointed Hoban a “U.S. Soccer Ambassador,” and he was inducted into the P ​ ortland Timbers Ring of Honor​in 2014. “He epitomizes the type of excellence the Timbers Ring of Honor recognizes,” said team owner Merritt Paulson during Hoban’s induction​. “The highest quality on the field and in the Portland community.”

While Hoban wasn’t playing on the field, he served as the team’s Community Relations Director. “In the first three years with the Timbers, we had done over 1,000 community appearances,” said Hoban.

Indeed, in 1975, it wasn’t uncommon for a Timbers player to also coach in the Portland Interscholastic League (PIL), volunteer at the rotary club or hold clinics for local high schools. “Portland was more passionate and connected than other cities in America I’d played for,” Hoban said. “Our great connection with the fans was mostly due to how much work we did in the community.

From then to now, the growth of soccer has been exponential in Portland. It’s a norm now. Soccer is an accepted sport.

It’s no longer something that exists in the shadows of other games.”

At the exhibit, fun and flashy displays of technology provide an escape down memory lane. A 3D soccer ball that reaches 10’ in the air sits with its center hexagon lit up like a TV screen, playing game clips from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s; around the corner is a jumbo television in the shape of a jersey displaying a Thorns slideshow.

Floor-to-ceiling murals that highlight Timbers and Thorns players and historical moments are spread throughout the exhibit.

There’s information about the roots of The Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters, the origins of Timber Joey and the valuable role that Portland’s recreational soccer league has played for children and refugees in the area.

“The game is so much more to people [than just a sport],” Young said. “That’s what we’re trying to convey.”

As the only visitor at the exhibit, I looked around at the elegant 30’ high ceilings and plush carpet of the empty foyer. I asked an exhibit employee—who requested to remain anonymous—whether the pandemic had affected attendance.

“It definitely hasn’t been the turnout we wanted,” the employee said, “Attendance is down 78% compared to last year, and it’s all due to COVID.” Blue and yellow circles across the floor of the exhibit offer friendly reminders to maintain social distance and bottles of hand sanitizer are discreetly placed around each corner.

“We’re only allowing 100 guests at a time, but we probably only average 30 visitors every day,” the exhibit employee adds. “We want people to know that it’s safe to come here.”

“We Are Rose City! A History of Soccer in Portland” debuted on July 24, and will be open through September 26, 2021. ​T icket prices range from $5–10, while Multnomah County residents can visit for free. ”When teams come to play Portland they ’re not just playing the Thorns,” reads a quote inside the exhibit from world renowned player, Christine Sinclair.

“They’re playing the whole city.”

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

THE NEXT GENERATION OF FANTASY CONTEMPORARY FANTASY AUTHORS TAKE THE GENRE IN NOVEL DIRECTIONS

LUIS RAMOS Gone are the days of J. R. R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Lately, it even seems that mainstream fantasy epics such as The Wheel of Time and A Song of Ice and Fire have been left on their shelves to accumulate dust.

But who are the authors that are making strides in fantasy now? What does the next generation of fantasy look like? If Time Magazine’s controversial “The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time” listicle is any indication, the future of fantasy looks exciting, and new voices are eager to make their presence felt in the genre.

If you want something grim, dark and full of despair, look no further than Joe Abercrombie. Abercrombie is leading a grimdark renaissance with his character-driven stories and morally gray protagonists. The author has constructed a massive universe with The First Law series of books. At times darker than Game of Thrones, The First Law novels follow a cast of undeniably flawed anti-heroes. Abercrombie himself is a prolific writer; the ninth entry in The First Law universe, The Trouble With Peace, was released this past September, and book 10— The Beautiful Machine—is scheduled for next year. Judging by how big a cultural phenomenon Game of Thrones proved to be, I wouldn’t be surprised if Abercrombie’s work was turned into an HBO show as well.

While I look for darkness in Abercrombie, I get my optimism from Brandon Sanderson. Even more prolific than Abercrombie, Sanderson has published 17 books with The Cosmere Series, and another one—Rhythm of War—is scheduled for publication this month. Sanderson is a masterful writer; he’s the author who completed The Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan passed away. With only notes and half-written drafts, Sanderson finalized the series with three additional books, turning The Wheel of Time into a 15-novel epic. To say that Sanderson is good at what he does would be an embarrassing understatement; he excels both in character work and immersive worldbuilding.

The worlds in his stories are occasionally more reminiscent of sci-fi than fantasy, with their unique plethora of races, cultures, fauna, animalia and weather patterns. Sanderson will likely go down as one of the greatest fantasy writers of all time, and future generations of fantasy-inclined readers will likely revere The Cosmere Universe as a canonical work.

Elsewhere, fantasy authors are crafting worlds with less Eurocentric leanings. For example, The Poppy War, written by

R. F. Kuang, is set in a world that mirrors early 20th century China. Kuang, who has a background in Chinese studies, incorporates her knowledge and experience into her fantastical worlds. Kuang’s books are filled with Chinese politics and martial arts and touch on such topics as poverty, gender and skin color. Although fantasy has historically looked to other races and cultures for inspiration, The Poppy War is unparalleled in the sense that its narrative voice is unique to Kuang. Kuang has released two installments in The Poppy War series, with a third installment, The Burning Gods, scheduled for publication later this month—and it can’t come soon enough.

Similarly, Tomi Adeyemi has introduced readers to a world with a vibrant culture. Children of Blood and Bone was a massive hit in 2018, and its universe draws heavy influence from Yoruba culture. For young adult fantasy fans, this book should not go unnoticed. It’s a novel with strong characters who defy all odds and restore magic to the Kingdom of Orïsha. Adeyemi’s second installment in the series, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, was a sequel with unexpected twists that took its plot and characters in new directions. Adeyemi has a third and final installment planned, and I have a feeling that The Legacy of Orisha won’t end happily ever after.

There are also writers crafting worlds that more closely resemble our own. Urban fantasy is making a comeback, and, believe it or not, it’s actually good. The City We Became, written

by N.K. Jemisin, is set in a fantastical version of New York. In Jemisin’s universe, entire cities are living organisms that possess their own spirits. Jemisin has already won two Hugo awards for her sci-fi series The Broken Earth Trilogy, and The City We Became further proves she’s an author the fantasy world should keep an eye on. Another author making moves in urban fantasy is Fonda Lee with her novel Jade City. Set in a world reminiscent of Hong Kong’s industrial era, Jade City combines fantasy elements with modern technology, completely scrapping the medieval fantasy setting characteristic of the genre.

This new wave of fantasy is destined for greatness. Most of these writers already have new books in the works, and some have even signed on for film adaptations. The days when Tolkien reigned might be over, but fantasy is alive and well.

SAM GARCIA

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

ARTS & CULTURE

13

BIDEN WINS, BUT CAN HE

LEAD?

AJ EARL If the vote counts are to be believed—and there is zero proof to suggest they should not be—former vice president Joe Biden is now president-elect. Perhaps not officially, as that comes when the electors of the Electoral College meet in December to certify the election, but every indication is that President Donald Trump has come up short in numerous states and is unlikely to claw back to the margins he needs. The future of the government, then, is in the hands of the two-term former vice president from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Now begins the work of justice.

His job will not be easy, of course, and there’s probably going to be a lot of GOP interference in his legislative goals, but Biden should do something the Democrats have rarely done, and that’s make an aggressive effort at listening to all the marginalized communities they’ve invoked.

Already we’re seeing a celebration of Stacey Abrams and other Black women, but there are Black women beyond just Abrams, and their material needs must be met as much as their political ones. The queer community, too, has been held up as a vital constituency for Biden, but here too there is a need for attention that goes beyond honorable mention.

A good example of this dynamic is evident in the Trump administration’s attacks on critical race theory, a formerly obscure frame of understanding that up to now was found in the halls of universities, but is now a favored bogeyman of the far-right. The ultimate harm of Trump’s attacks on this theory is not the universities, it is the marginalized communities that would benefit from investigation into the inherited biases that make u p much of our political system. Yet, there does not seem to be a comfort among Democrats to turn back such attacks. This is wrong.

Having seen the damage that almost four years of Trump has done to epistemological

growth and reckoning with our nation’s failings, it would be wrong for Democrats to shy away from the hard work of acting on these new understandings that such a field brings.

Questioning how race, gender, sexuality, class and other characteristics are impacted by the government might not be popular within the Oval Office or its future iteration, but that is not an excuse for failing to act.

Black trans women face extremely high mortality rates, in many cases murdered by people who are trained to not see them as human. This public health crisis is so extremely focused on its violence that immediate action is necessary.

Biden should take this up. The benefit of speaking to trans rights is not just limited to the trans community, but a broad-based approach is not what Biden needs to take. There is no moral failing, no downside, to treating Black trans lives as important and cherished while also acting to protect them and make their lives better.

Indigenous people, too, face a difficult terrain now, with Trump tearing up tribal lands for his wall, courts struggling against Indigenous sovereignty and COVID-19 destroying households on reservations. In its heritage of taking from Indigenous people, the United States should be rebuked. Biden should be the one to do so.

My own optimism around this kind of revolutionary action is not too rosy. I simply cannot believe that the Biden administration will act in ways that go beyond cautious line-stepping. The things our marginalized communities need require actions that will not play well with media narratives, opening Biden up to criticism, and yet, it’s about time a president acted anyway. Trump has spent the past 3 years and 11 months acting to harm communities without restraint, attacking Indigenous sovereignty, attacking the trans community, attacking criticism of the U.S. Biden should not hesitate to take similarly aggressive action but in the interest of uplifting people.

Imagine a U.S. that’s not afraid to look at the Black community and say that its trans sisters are being taken too soon, there is nothing wrong with material care and assistance from the government, the country has failed to protect the community’s health. Imagine a renewed respect for tribal sovereignty, respect for the land that treats it all as Indigenous land, action that ensures reservations are homes and not prisons.

Unfortunately for all these possibilities, Trump has been more harmful than many of his predecessors. Shrinking social concern in favor of maximizing political output, the money-hungry golden calf of the GOP has staunched momentum toward social justice and has moved us backward in many regards. Portfolios might be healthy but the country as a whole is not.

Biden should not let this opportunity slip by.

SHANNON STEED

14 OPINION

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

BIDEN’S WIN AND TRUMP’S LOSS

MATTER TO THE WORLD

AINEIAS ENGSTROM

Midterms week is never much fun, but this past one was worse. Worse because, on top of everything, it involved hours of staring at red-and-blue maps, anxiously waiting for new “vote dumps” and trying to make sense of gradually shifting margins in slow-counting battleground states.

Although we don’t yet have final election results from all states, the outcome of the presidential contest is now clear: Joe Biden will be the 46th President of the United States. Donald Trump might continue to fight the outcome by refusing to acknowledge his defeat and spouting unfounded claims of election fraud, but his time in office will end in 10 weeks.

Biden, however, could face an uphill battle to make meaningful change happen once he’s in office—even his pretty moderate idea of change.

After all, Republicans gained seats in the House of Representatives, kept control of key statehouses and seem likely to hold on to a narrow majority in the Senate. The confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett also secured a six-to-three conservative majority on the Supreme Court.

As a result, the Biden administration will probably face “obstruction at every level,” similar or even worse than during the Obama years, according

to The Guardian. Major domestic policy reforms such as universal health care, higher taxes on the wealthy, electoral reform, etc., probably won’t happen if the Senate really stays under GOP control.

Internationally, however, the impact of this election will be felt. The U.S. is still one of the countries the world looks to for leadership—and foreign policy is an area where the president has broad authority to act on his own. It’s debatable whether or not that unilateral authority is generally a good idea, but it could allow Biden to repair at least some of the grave damage that Trump’s presidency has done on the international stage.

Biden’s foreign policy agenda is expansive. He has the unenviable task of restoring relationships with wary allies and assuring them that the U.S. can again be relied upon to keep its agreements and commitments. He is faced with transnational threats that Trump has ignored or exacerbated, above all the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis.

He also needs to rejoin multilateral

institutions like the World Health Organization and UNESCO to show that America hasn’t abandoned the idea of international collaboration.

Tackling all these issues won’t be easy, but Biden can address them without worrying as much about an obstructionist Congress. Some other pressing problems—for example, the expiring arms control treaty with Russia—would require action by Congress. But, thanks to the long-standing deference given to the executive branch on foreign policy matters, there is a lot that the new administration could change.

Biden will bring considerable foreign policy experience to the Oval Office. His long record on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is not perfect by any means. His presidency will probably mark a return to the imperfect, but at least somewhat principled and predictable liberalism of the Obama years. But, at the very least, I trust that Biden won’t insult African countries by calling them shitholes, won’t take the word of foreign strongmen over his own intel-

ligence agencies and won’t praise the dictatorial leader of our most serious geopolitical adversary, North Korea, as a king. That would be a marked improvement.

On that note, it’s not just Biden’s win that matters to the world; it’s also Trump’s loss. Although the outcome was too close to say that Americans truly rejected Trump’s ideas, his defeat—the defeat of the poster boy of contemporary far-right nationalism—sends an important message to allies and adversaries around the world, all of whom were most definitely watching.

The way Trump lost also matters. Although it is too early to say exactly what tipped the scales, there are early indicators that Trump lost the election because the very groups he has disparaged the most fought back. Black activists fought voter suppression and were crucial in driving up turnout that helped flip Michigan, Pennsylvania and maybe even Georgia against Trump. Women voted against Trump at least as decisively as they did in 2016.

Latinx organizers mobilized against Republicans in Arizona to help turn that state blue in the electoral college for just the second time since 1948.

Trump’s loss, especially in the way it came to pass, is a powerful signal to the world that maybe hate won’t prevail, maybe democratic values count for something and maybe the resurgence of nationalism and xenophobia can be defeated.

SHANNON STEED

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

OPINION

15

VANGUARD

DESIGNER SHOWCASE

CE L PLA ERIA 22 A ALGARY DA A C N.E. TA, CAN R ALBE 1 J T2E 3

16

DESIGNER SHOWCASE

SAM PERSON

BUSINESS REBRAND

For this project, we were tasked with rebranding a real or fictional business. I thought an airline would be fun to do, so I chose WestJet, which had a very basic and dull brand to use a starting point. This project involved creating a new logo, a full brand book and plenty of brand collateral such as business cards and envelopes, as well as more fun stuff like a livery, boarding pass and in-flight napkins.

IMS ED S IAL PL ADA ER 22 A TA, CAN R ALBE 1 J T2E 3

PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com