Volume 51 Issue 8

The Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Toronto Mississauga Since 1974

Issue 8 Volume 51 October 21 2024

themedium.ca

Illustration credit: Buket S. Baykal

02

NEWS

Editor | Samuel Kamalendran news@themedium.ca

UTM to establish an endowed chair in Sikh studies Dr. Davindra Singh and U of T donate a total of C$5 million to bridge the gap in Sikh studies through education.

Photo credit: provided by Davindra Singh and Raji Kaur

Aaron Calpito Contributor

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n October 9, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) announced its establishment of an endowed chair in Sikh studies, the first of its kind in Canada.

The announcement comes after the University of Toronto (U of T) received a C$2.5 million donation from Dr. Davindra Singh, a dermatologist and former chair of the Sikh Foundation of Canada. The gift was matched by U of T, bringing the total donation to C$5 million.

An endowed chair allows for the “recognizing and promoting” of “academic programs and fields of study,” according to the U of T’s Academic Administrative Procedures manual. The holder “is expected to develop the field of interest through both teaching, and where relevant, research.”

UTM’s new chair marks a new chapter in the university’s focused study of Canada’s fastest-growing religion and will enable developments in Sikhism-related research, education and engagement with the local and global Sikh communities.

The chair will involve initiatives across U of T, bringing with it new opportunities for “undergraduate studies at UTM and graduate studies at St. George,” according to UTM’s announcement. The chair is also meant to attract international scholars to breed new collaborations and produce future students and researchers who “will go on to become academic stars.” UTM will also develop a Sikh literature repository in its library.

In an interview with The Medium, Dr. Singh outlined his motivations for making the donation, explaining that he “strongly believes this chair will establish U of T as a global leader in Sikh studies, driving new research and fostering deeper engagement with the Sikh community.”

Through his donation, he hopes to “bridge gaps, foster deeper understanding, and create an environment where all learners, regardless of faith, can engage with Sikhism and appreciate the rich traditions, values, and history of our faith.”

Reflecting on what inspired him to make such a considerable donation, Dr. Singh highlighted his “lifelong belief in giving back, particularly through education”—a passion inspired by his father, a teacher, who arrived in Ontario in 1956, and his own education experience in Ontario.

Dr. Singh chose to contribute to education because of its potential for change and its importance to Sikhism. “For Sikhs, learning is fundamental to who we are, and I’ve always believed that knowledge is what bridges divides. Through education, we can create a more understanding and inclusive society.” Dr. Singh also pointed to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, as “the most wonderful example of someone who lived his life according to these principles.”

Regarding why he chose U of T to bring his vision to life, Dr. Singh pointed to how the institution has “been a huge part” of his own career and academic journey; its reputation as “one of the best institutions in the world;” and how its “proximity to the largest diasporic Sikh population” makes it “the ideal place to advance Sikh studies.”

Dr. Singh also discussed how by exploring Sikh history, philosophy, arts, culture, and politics, “learners can apply these teachings to their everyday lives and better understand our universal values like equality, compassion, service to others, justice, social responsibility, etc.—concepts that resonate with people of all cultures.”

The founding of the chair is just another accomplishment added to Dr. Singh’s star-studded repertoire, chronicling his rich history of community service. “Service has always been at the heart of my work, whether in healthcare or through community initiatives. I’ve seen firsthand the difference that can be made when we help those in underserved areas.”

As a physician, Dr. Singh started his career in rural Northern Ontario, which he still visits monthly to provide care. In Toronto, Dr. Singh founded AvantDerm, a clinic that “helps to solve the current healthcare crisis by creating the first and only rapid access clinic for dermatology.”

Dr. Singh also took the opportunity to thank his family, friends, and colleagues and noted the work of UTM Associate Professor Ajay Rao and UTM Executive Director of Advancement Andrew Stelmajovich, who he described as “visionaries” who were instrumental in driving forward the chair’s development.

The Medium also sat down with Mohkam Singh and Gurjaap Singh Brar, co-presidents of the UTM Sikh Students’ Association, who considered the establishment of the new chair a major step forward.

Prior to academic work regarding Sikhism, Gurjaap explained, “There was this very basic understanding of the faith [in academia] that oftentimes was blatantly incorrect,” reflecting on an incident in a UTM course about Sikhim where he had to correct an exam as he was writing it.

“We’ve had empires, huge battles fought, so much literature written, so much philosophy, and all of it just gets overlooked.

Having that represented academically is not something you would get without an endowed chair.”

Regarding the new funding, Mohkam said it will help to expand upon existing Sikh and Punjabi studies at UTM and create more learning opportunities. “We can see there’s a desire for this in the student community,” he mentioned, “so this [funding] will help us bridge this gap and give students what they want.”

The co-presidents also stressed the importance of guarding the integrity of Sikh studies moving forward, considering historical and recent instances of persecution of Punjabis and Sikhs, especially by the Indian government.

“Foreign interference happened in a lot of these chairs in universities around the world,” Gurjaap explained. “Making sure that foreign interference doesn’t impact the literature that’s being produced, the research that’s being produced, and the chair that’s coming in—all of that factors into maintaining the integrity of the new position.”

Gurjaap and Mohkam said that student reactions to the new funding have mostly been very positive. However, they noted that there have been some worrying instances of opposition from students, especially online.

“We’ve seen a lot of students feel upset about it, and wrongfully so,” Gurjaap said. “To have that kind of rhetoric and racism push back against this, it shows that there’s a lot of work that has to be done.”

Gurjaap stressed the significance of receiving this kind of recognition and noted, “Having this academic support is going to be huge for that, for raising awareness and making sure that our voice is heard.”

03

Over 115 dead after gang attack in Central Haiti More than 6,000 people have fled their homes due to the attacks, and most are being sheltered by families living in nearby towns.

U of T Professor Geoffrey Hinton awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics The award has shone a spotlight on Professor Hinton’s extremely impactful work and has been accompanied by copious congratulations from educators and leaders across the world.

Samuel Kamalendran News Editor

O Illustration credit: Buket S. Baykal

Celesta Maniatogianni Staff Writer

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t least 115 people, including three infants, were killed and another 16 seriously injured after an hours-long gang attack in the central town of Pont Sondé in the Artibonite department on October 3, making it one of Haiti’s biggest massacres in recent history. Two gang members were also injured during an exchange of gunfire with police.

Moreover, the gang’s control over the city’s agricultural production, which produces 80 per cent of the nation’s rice according to an April 2024 report, has worsened Haiti’s food insecurity crisis.

According to the World Food Programme, Haiti already has some of the highest levels of food insecurity in the world, with nearly half its population facing food scarcity. This is partly due to extreme weather events, which Haiti is particularly vulnerable to.

Last week, Kenya called for urgent financial support from the international community to sustain a police deployment in Haiti. Kenya has been an active respondent to the crisis, heading the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, which was approved by the United Nations Security Council in October 2023 and was renewed for another 12 months in late September 2024. As of September 30, 410 Kenyan police officers were stationed in Haiti, with the number of total troops expected to grow to 2,500.

According to a statement by United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, the “Gran The MSS mission is a response to Haiti’s Grif ” gang used automatic rifles to shoot gang violence, which escalated to a fullcivilians before reportedly setting fire to scale crisis following decades of instabilat least 45 houses and 34 vehicles. ity after the assassination of Haiti’s Prime Minister Jovenel Moïse in 2021. AccordOver 6,000 people have been displaced by ing to the United Nations Human Rights the attack, with many being sheltered by Office, more than 3,600 people have been families in other towns while others are killed so far this year in Haiti by gang viostaying in makeshift camps. In a country lence. that experiences numerous massacres and seeks little justice for its victims, loFurthermore, at least 700,000 people, cal authorities say this attack is one of the more than half of which are children, deadliest in recent years. have been internally displaced by the violence, according to the International In an audio message published on social Organization for Migration. In the past media, Gran Grif ’s leader, Luckson Elan seven months, more than 110,000 Haiclaimed responsibility for the assault and tians have fled their homes due to gang blamed the government and Pont Sondé violence. residents for the attack. He was sanctioned by the United Nations a few days Some Haitians have also attempted to flee before the violence. the country altogether, seeking refuge in the neighbouring Dominican Republic The Gran Grif gang, which is the power(DR). However, in early October, the DR ful gang in Artibonite, has already been announced plans to forcefully return up accused of mass kidnappings, rape, murto 10,000 Haitian migrants a week, an inder, hijackings, child recruitment, and tention which has long been opposed by the forcing of farmers off their lands. the UN.

n October 8, University of Toronto (U of T) Professor Emeritus of Computer Science Geoffrey Hinton was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside Princeton Professor John J. Hopfield for “foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks,” according to the award’s press release.

Professor Hinton won the prize for specifically building on Hopfield’s work and developing the Boltzmann machine, which, according to the press release, “can autonomously find properties in data, and so perform tasks such as identifying specific elements in pictures.”

The machine’s impact “has already been of the greatest benefit,” said Ellen Moons, Chair of the Nobel Committee of Physics, by how it has contributed to the current explosion in artificial intelligence (AI) and its many applications, which include large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.

Revered as the “godfather of AI” for his work in developing artificial neural networks, Professor Hinton is “internationally renowned as a pioneer in the field of deep learning,” which is considered one of the most influential scientific endeavours today.

Professor Hinton, who was born in England, completed his PhD in 1978 from the University of Edinburgh in England before working in English and American universities prior to moving to Canada, where he joined U of T in 1987.

Professor Hinton has supported the Canadian Institute For Advanced Research, co-founded and serves as the chief scientific advisor of the Toronto-based AI research non-profit, the Vector Institute, and American tech giant Google, which he left in 2023, citing his desire to speak freely about the risks of AI. The announcement of Professor Hinton’s awarding of the Nobel Prize put international attention on Professor Hinton and his work and initiated an onslaught of congratulatory messages.

U of T President Meric Gertler stated that he was “absolutely delighted to congratulate [Professor Hinton] on receiving the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics” and that “one cannot overstate the impact of a win like this on the ability of Canada, Toronto, and the University of Toronto to be able to welcome talented newcomers, great students and wonderful faculty from across the country and around the world because of the recognition that arises with Geoff ’s win.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Professor Hinton in a statement on October 8 a “stalwart in his field” and an “outspoken advocate for the responsible development and adoption of AI, educating the world about the benefits and challenges this technology poses.”

Illustration credit: Ramiya Sureshkumar

Professor Hinton also was congratulated by esteemed institutions and organizations such as his alma mater, Cambridge University, the Royal Society, and the Alan Turing Institute. He was also congratulated by learning and government leaders, like Stanford Professor and C0-Founder and CoChairman of learning platform Coursera Andrew Ng, Professor Hinton’s former doctoral student and co-founder of OpenAI, Ilya Sutskever, and Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Phillipe Champagne.

Interestingly, despite the worldwide attention to AI development, which Professor Hinton believes will “exceed our intellectual capabilities,” such positive sentiment concerning the prospects of AI in the 1990s was rare, leaving Professor Hinton to persist in his research despite how “many researchers lost interest in artificial neural networks,” according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

In a virtual press conference hosted by U of T, Professor Hinton spoke on this, stating that it was “slightly annoying that many people—in fact, most people in the field of AI—said that neural networks would never work.”

Professor Hinton also discussed how he hopes “AI will lead to tremendous benefits…and to a better life for everybody” but also spoke of the need for more research on AI safety as “we don’t know how to avoid [catastrophic AI scenarios] at present.”

On October 10, Professor Hinton was honoured at a U of T event in the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, which featured various dignitaries, scholars, and university leaders, including 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient, University Professor Emeritus John Polanyi, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, and copious AI researchers and scholars from U of T, the Vector institute, and Google.

The event saw Professor Hinton share valuable memories of his research work and reference a variety of individuals, including his “brilliant graduate students and post-docs” and late Stanford psychologist David Rumelhart, who Professor Hinton believes “should have won the Nobel Prize.”

Speaking on Professor Hinton’s accomplishments, Chrystia Freeland noted how she was “constantly struck by how Geoff thinks about the bigger implications of his ideas and how Geoff thinks about really wanting to make Canada and the world a better place.”

President Gertler compared Professor Hinton as “one of the great minds of the 21st century,” who “literally created new ways of thinking about thinking and learning.”

MASTHEAD EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Hannah Wang editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Aya Yafaoui managing@themedium.ca

04

OPINION

Editor | Mashiyat Ahmed opinion@themedium.ca

Editorial

News Samuel Kamalendran news@themedium.ca Opinion Mashiyat Ahmed opinion@themedium.ca

Or an international day of self-expression?

The meaning of Halloween is changing for many around the world.

Features Madhav Ajayamohan features@themedium.ca A&E Keira Johannson arts@themedium.ca Sports Joseph Falzata sports@themedium.ca Photo Sara Li photos@themedium.ca Design Buket Simsek Baykal design@themedium.ca Copy May Alsaigh may@themedium.ca Maja Tingchaleun maja@themedium.ca

WRITE FOR US

Sara Li Photos Editor

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here’s no doubt that Halloween has gained immense popularity in Asia.

Growing up in Asia, Halloween has always been one of my favorite parts of Western culture.

My love for Halloween began with a special childhood memory.

In my kindergarten, on a kid’s birthday, their parents would bring a treat for everyone in the class to celebrate together. Since my birthday is very close to Halloween, I remember one birthday in kindergarten when my mom ordered over twenty delicious little pumpkin-shaped cupcakes and handed them out to my classmates and teachers. That day, we celebrated both my birthday and an early Halloween together. This lovely memory was my first impression of what Halloween looked like.

As a child, I believed Halloween was all about colorful candy, orange pumpkins, tattered black-and-white ghosts, and purple witch hats. But as I grew older, I realized that Halloween meant more than just these items. Wearing a Halloween costume was no longer solely about being spooky; it became a means of self-expression and even a reflection of one’s own culture, or the culture they are passionate about.

Last year, I was pondering what costume to wear when an idea struck me: why not dress as Yayoi Kusama, my favorite artist? All I needed was to buy a pink wig from Amazon, cut out lots of round shapes from colored paper, and stick them on my body to mimic her iconic art style. My costume made me realize that Halloween costumes aren’t just about scaring people anymore.

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People’s Halloween costumes are increasingly vibrant and diverse. Some meticulously recreate their favorite anime or movie characters, while others turn their attention to imitating some controversial political figures or internet memes to make a satirical point. Halloween seems less like a horror fest and more like a playful cosplay convention, with a dash of horror, glamor, and humor, without any fear of judgment or embarrassment. It’s evolved into what I see as a “self-expression day,” especially for the younger generations.

Last year’s Halloween parade in Shanghai went viral online, showcasing how the Western holiday has become a joyful and creative celebration for people in different cul-

Photo credit: Sara Li

tural contexts. Beyond the traditional scary costumes, participants dressed in playful, satirical, and even absurd ways. For instance, someone dressed as a notorious influencer known for tax evasion, mocking his public excuses. Others wore ridiculous, oversized meme-inspired costumes, and some even walked their pet geese with a special made costume on the streets. One particularly memorable moment was when a traffic officer who was maintaining the parade had to clarify to the crowd, “I’m not in cosplay — I’m a real cop!” alongside all the festivities.

Beyond the humor and satire, some young Chinese people creatively fused elements of traditional Chinese culture with Halloween aesthetics. They paired the iconic Peking Opera characters with realistic, bloodied vampire fangs, or reimagined characters from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West with a spooky twist.

As an international student, I’m learning to adapt to Canadian culture while staying connected to my Chinese roots. Seeing the Shanghai Halloween parade made me genuinely happy — it was thrilling to see how two vastly different cultures could blend so seamlessly, creating something new and meaningful in the process. I believe this trend reveals a strong desire for self-expression and a strong indication of cultural confidence in modern days.

Instead of conforming to traditional spooky themes, people now have the freedom to decide how they want to present themselves on Halloween — whether it’s cute, cool, sexy, scary, crazy, or quiet.

In my opinion, this diversity and inclusivity make Halloween a holiday that has incredible artistic value. People from different cultural backgrounds come together and use their costumes to showcase either their national pride or their confidence in various other cultures and styles. This is why Halloween will always remain popular.

It’s a celebration of culture and humanity, one that will continue to thrive as new cultural trends actively emerge in our globalized society.

05

Playing Devil’s Advocate:

a look into the many (mis)representations of the Devil in our culture The commodification of Satan serves to perpetuate religious abuse.

Illustration credit: Buket S. Baykal

Zainab Hassan Contributor

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espite popular belief, Satan is not an inherently Abrahamic — referring to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism — character. Religions as old as Zoroastrianism and Hinduism have their own versions of the devil, a personification of evil and a harbinger of doom to all those who heed his world. But increasingly, the modern- day devil is seen not as a religious boogeyman or the remonstrance against immoral behaviour, but rather as another way to make money, whether that be through streaming a Netflix show or buying a Halloween costume.

A brief history of Satan The term “Satan,” meaning adversary or accuser, is a Hebrew word, and the concept of an angel that tests humanity originates from the Torah. However, the majority of the modern representation of the Devil comes primarily from depictions in Christianity. A corruptive force that stands in opposition to God’s inherent purity and innocence, Satan was originally an angel who fell from grace because he thought he could challenge God’s power. Sa-

tan is associated with the sin of pride, as well as considered the first sinner. In the Bible, he is referred to as a liar and represented both as the snake of Eden and as a dragon.

Aside from these fundamental personality traits, there is not a lot of description about Satan in either Christianity or the other Abrahamic religions. The purpose of the devil in religion is to serve as a warning, a guide on what not to do. At its core, Satan is religion’s representation of the absolute worst version of what a person could become and, to depict that, Satan must be a figure that is malleable and transmutational. The devil could look like anything, behave like anyone, because every person has the potential to lose their way and be swayed into his hand.

And yet, when we think of the devil in pop culture, we have very strong views of what he looks like. A basic Google image search will show you a red horned man with a goatee and hooves, and no Halloween costume is complete without the horn headband, the tail, and the pitchfork. When you ask why such an almostcomical caricature exists, no single easy answer comes to mind.

There are references to Satan as a horned beast and a red dragon in the Bible, but the imagery could also be attributed to Pan and Hades from Greek mythology. Dante’s Inferno depicted the devil to have three heads, one of which was red with bat wings. In any case, the many iterations of Satan — some more monstrous and animalistic, others more humanoid and barbaric — have mutated over the years.

However, depictions of the devil didn’t shift to comical in nature until Satan began to feature as a character in children’s animations. A notable example would be the 1929 Disney short “Hell’s Bells”. “Hell’s Bells” was a huge cultural

shift because not only did it set up Satan as a joke character, it marked the beginning of the devil’s commodification, informing further depictions such as the Devil in the Cuphead game and cartoon, and HIM from Powerpuff Girls. This marked the devil’s (second) fall from grace as he went from a terrible monster you needed to stay away from to a comical adversary for kids to laugh at as he failed and their cartoon protagonists triumphed. And so, the devil became a caricature for children and Halloween costumes, no longer feared but ridiculed.

The late 1900s and early 2000s saw the rise of a different interpretation of the devil, one that was much more sympathetic. TV shows such as Lucifer, Supernatural and Good Omens, and comics like the DC extended universe explore the devil in a more favourable light, depicting him as the victim of an unsympathetic God or angelic hierarchy.

There are two possible reasons for this. On one hand, by making the devil a favourable character, you reduce the severity of the behaviour he’s associated with. How evil can vices really be if Satan himself isn’t that bad of a guy? By reducing the sins of the devil, humanising the worst creature in existence, are we not finding a way to justify our own bad behaviour?

We must consider that thought experiments such as “could the devil be a good guy?” are the natural reaction and critique of a society traumatised by religious institutions and wishing to voice its discontent. There is no such thing as an evil religion, but institutions are just as capable of being corrupt as individuals.

Historically, religion has been used as the excuse to colonize and oppress people, the justification being that enlightened pilgrims are saving “savages” from the devil by leading

them to the way of God. When a religion is forcefully inflicted in such a manner and at such a scale, when you are repeatedly called devilish for your culture, beliefs, and practices, would you not find sympathy for the devil?

What God exists other than an unsympathetic one if he orders your destruction? And if God is unfair to you, perhaps he is unfair to the devil you find yourself compared to.

Either way, modern media has transformed the devil from a warning to a victim or a fool.

And it begs the question, is this acceptable?

Religion is a major aspect of many people’s lives. Is it alright to take an integral part of so many people’s religions and mould it to suit the needs of entertainment and corporations? No. The commodification of anything is manipulating people for capitalistic gain.

Taking advantage of, or even going as far as to mock, a person’s religion for money, humour, or prestige is fundamentally disrespectful. But that doesn’t mean the exploration of Satan as a character with depth is wrong or disrespectful. In the end, it’s all about intent and context.

Religion impacts not only those who practise it but also all those who are exposed to it. And it is the right of any person to grapple with the things that impact them as they wish, assuming they are respectful with the material.

No one is stopping you from seeing Satan as he was intended to be seen from the religious context, or as a unique and dynamic individual worth exploring the implications of, as long as both groups understand and respect the many different contexts the devil is a part of. Exploring the role of the devil in religion is a great way to critique religious institutions and the way they wield and use power, and I believe all institutions need to be critiqued regularly. But there is a difference between exploration and exploitation, and commodification falls solidly in the latter.

06

How consumerism erased a festival Halloween may be all about costumes and parties, but its origins lie in Samhain, a spiritual celebration of life, death, and the changing seasons.

Debbie Wong Contributor

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hether you are a 5-year-old looking forward to trickor-treating or a 20-year-old university student looking forward to attending the best parties in town, everybody looks forward to Halloween.

But in the process, people often overlook the deeper cultural and spiritual meaning to Samhain (pronounced sah-win), a Gaelic festival celebrated by many Pagans, even in modern days.

The name Samhain originates from the Gaelic word for “summer’s end,” and the festival is celebrated on the evening of October 31.

It is the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next, marking the witches’ new year.

However, it is not only linked to the seasons’ cycle but also the cycle of life and death. It is said that the veil between the spirit realm and the world of the living is at its thinnest on this date, bridging the worlds and allowing the spirits of our loved ones who have passed away, including pets and animals, to come visit us. Pagans set up altars and offerings to make the spirits feel welcome and remembered. With the boom of Christianity in Europe, Samhain was incorporated into Christian celebrations as All Hallows’ Eve, which later became Halloween.

As one of the four main sabbats on the Wheel of the Year, the festival has various traditional practices. Celebrants would gather to light a community fire using a wheel that creates friction, sparking flames. People would honour their ancestors by telling stories about family history or making a special meal to honour those that have gone before. These traditions strike a contrast with common Halloween customs today, like wearing costumes, going trick or treating, or painting pumpkins, which are far from the original meaning of honouring ancestors.

Halloween has been commercialized in many ways. It is not hard to notice this phenomenon when you see houses decorated excessively with strip lights, scary skeleton figures, inflatable pumpkins, and even toilet paper hanging around trees in your neighbourhood. Halloween is also used as a theme for house parties, events, and theme park as attractions, centering it for the spooky vibes with printed paper plates, cake toppers, and store bought paper cutouts of ghost figures.

Fear and horror have become more prominent than reflection and honouring the dead, and the holiday has completely shifted away from its original, deeper cultural meaning of thinking about death and mortality.

It can be beneficial to reconnect Samhain’s themes, fostering mindfulness, treasuring the present moments, and building a healthier relationship with mortality by acknowledging it. “Memento Mori”, a Latin phrase that translates into “remember you will die,” reminds us of our mortality and the passage of time. This is especially relevant to today’s society where everyone is constantly stuck behind a screen, blinding themselves to the realities right in front of them.

With Halloween approaching soon, I urge readers to incorporate Samhain traditions into it this year, connect with its meaningful origin, and take it as an opportunity to honour your ancestors.

There are a few ways to bring elements of Samhain into Halloween celebrations. Reconnect with your family history by delving into family genealogies and stories from your grandparents. In Samhain fashion, consider cooking a traditional meal with your loved ones in honour of those who have passed away. It is also a common practice to make a charitable contribution with the intent of honouring our loved ones that have passed away.

Incorporating Samhain traditions into Halloween allows us to reconnect with the festival’s rich cultural roots and its themes of life and death. Together we can move away from the commercial focus and connect with the deeper meaning of honouring ancestors and reflecting on our mortality by blending modern celebrations with ancient practices, creating a Halloween that is not only fun but also spiritually meaningful.

Illustration credit: Kirsty Carnan

Our fascination with true crime Navigating the fine line between curiosity and exploitation.

Illustration credit: Ramiya Sureshkumar

Vanessa Bogacki Contributor

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eople are obsessed with true crime, and more and more podcasts, documentaries, and streaming series are being created to meet this demand. True crime has gone from being an odd side hobby for people to a mainstream entertainment that has given rise to movies and TV series on the gory details of their murders. But why are we interested in serial killers and their psychologies? What social impact does this perversion have? And why is this happening now in a more extreme way than before?

First, true crime media accessibility has increased significantly so that almost anyone with a smartphone can consume true crime anytime, anywhere. Televised and online streaming service providers have seized this opportunity to air compelling, easily digestible, top-shelf content series, with only a skippable content warning standing between the gory details of Ted Bundy’s murders and the audience.

However, there’s also social media, which has short clips of shocking stories that millions watch, discuss, and analyze as crime content.

True crime offers something strangely comforting in an era of uncertainty and anxiety: a story with a beginning, middle and end.

There is often a sense of justice at the end, giving some form of order in a world of confusion.

But can this truly be explained by mere curiosity? I think it might be rooted in something more nefarious. At the heart of our fascination is an age-old human instinct: an interest in the forbidden, especially when dealing with matters of morality. Most significantly, serial killers embody flagrant disregard for the most basic norms of existing as human beings. Those stories interest us because they let us face all our worst sides while being relatively safe. Psychologists also believe that true crime might give a sense of associative control over the uncontrollable.

We feel safer when encountering a killer like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer in a crime show or a newspaper.

However, this area is where so many people express remarkable interest that might not be as innocent as it appears. Nothing is as disempowering to the victims of these crimes as endowing the perpetrators with a cult-like fascination bordering on fame. Ted Bundy,

Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy’s sick and twisted violence have been heavily commercialized, with several documentaries, books, TV shows, and movies dedicated to understanding their stories.

Ironically, although these portrayals depict the terror of these killers’ acts, they can also make them legends in the eyes of the public. In the process, the countless victims are erased from public memory. We know the names of the murderers but not the names of the individuals they murdered. This imbalance raises serious ethical questions: when we focus on the killer’s psychology through fictional detective work, are we inspiring more killers?

Exposure to such content in excess also has the detrimental effect of numbing the viewers.

In commercializing violence through an emphasis on shock value and sensationalism, we forget that these stories are rooted in real pain and loss. How do we consume true crime in a more mindful and less parasitic way? First, one must remember that this is not an arbitrary collection of fiction; it constitutes reallife occurrences involving real people.

Documentaries and podcasts should not undermine the victims’ importance by focusing exclusively on their pain, but should also commemorate the lives they led before they were victimized. In addition, true crime media should emphasize the context of the crime and what led to such killers being on the loose for so long, instead of the gruesomeness of the crime or details of the killer.

In true crime, if the main aim is education, then even the format of the true crime content can be altered drastically. For example, the series Unbelievable on Netflix has done what many have failed to do: centering the victim’s experience. Media, instead of focusing on the act of violence, can humanize victims and make the audience more empathetic while watching accurate crime content. On the selflevel, consumers must also step away from proper crime waves to avoid desensitization.

On the daily, it can help to engage with true crime more critically. Though this can be said with any media, I think it applies most aptly with true crime. To consciously consume true crime means to ask ourselves what stories are being told, with what tone, and who’s telling them. True crime is not slowing down anytime soon. And because of this, true crime must be appreciated with the respect and consciousness it deserves, something that the most profitable brands of true crime are not very good at. If true crime changes the tone from celebration to illumination and focuses on victims over perpetrators, we can safely consume it as more than just ratings fodder.

07

features

Editor | Madhav Ajayamohan features@themedium.ca

Lessons from trick-or-treating in my twenties Halloween is far from fading—explore Mississauga’s many spirit-filled neighbourhoods that make Halloween night truly unforgettable.

Photo credit: Eraj Zaidi

would leave him quite perplexed) while spooky music played in the background? Other houses had whole neon gardens of ghouls and puppets jumping out at you from doorways.

Though you may spot some quiet houses in this neighbourhood, you’ll find no deficiency in creativity. If the heart is set on large heaps of candy, then travel to Mississauga Road.

Eraj Zaidi Contributor

“Aren’t you too old to be trick or treating at 21?”

Yes, I am—and you should join me.

Maybe you have a younger sibling to take candy collecting. Or, you are a twenty-something-year-old University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) student who loves Halloween. Perhaps you stay home every year and wonder what Mississauga is like on October 31. It doesn’t matter—there’s plenty to discover about the local festivities.

There’s the welcoming Elora Drive down Rathburn Road, the notoriously massive Mississauga Road mansions, and the festive Palgrave Road tucked into a pocket on Kariya Drive. I have phased in and out of all three neighbourhoods and found that each has its own unique features.

You’ll find yourself stumbling upon houses decked out in Halloween spirit throughout the neighbourhoods. Sure, you could take a lap inside a Spirit Halloween, but these neighbourhoods are not only more festive but also free. I promise Halloween is just as fun as when you were a kid. I don’t think Halloween is fading from tradition, so let me show you how to make the most of it in Mississauga neighbourhoods.

Mastering the art of trick-or-treating 1. The ideal time to start trick-or-treating is 6:00 p.m. I find that busy neighbourhoods run out of candy around 7:30 p.m.

2. Bring an extra bag—not to carry the extra candy—but to encourage people to give you extra candy. Leave the other bag in the car or place an extra bag inside your growing haul.

Showing up to doorways with the empty bag lures out a surplus of sympathetic sweets.

3. A car goes a long way. Having someone to drive you will save you the trip of dashing down avenues to get to the next street.

4. The classic rule—a good costume reels in profit. Even your favourite mask will do.

5. Trick-or-treating is a marathon, and costumes slow you down. A bizarre mask is a proper substitute, but the best option is a painted face. A painted face allows for clear vision and easy breathing which certainly helps if you’re pacing through streets for an hour or more.

Exploring Elora Drive with the little ones

Channelling your inner child on Palgrave Road

Décor rating: 4/10 Candy rating: 4/10

Décor rating: 10/10 Candy rating: 7.5/10

Elora Drive is a family-friendly neighbourhood filled with kids and parents. It is the neighbourhood that gets excited to give out toothbrushes and boxes of raisins. Sometimes, though, the house next door might give you a family-size pack of Twizzlers, like what happened to me back in 2016.

While some houses give out huge candy packs and some hygienic products, they are all equally enthusiastic about Halloween night. Although the Halloween décor is minimal, most houses signal they have candy with pumpkins, plastic bats, and doorways drowning in spiderwebs.

If you’re worried about cavities, crowds, or clowns, Elora Drive is a welcoming community where you can feel at ease, especially if you’re going door-to-door with your little ones. However, there’s more to discover than just Elora.

Maximizing profits on Mississauga Road Décor rating: 7.5/10 Candy rating: 10/10 Mississauga Road was the neighbourhood that gave out fullsized candy bars, cones of caramel popcorn, boxes of jellies, and, sometimes, cans of soda—the absolute jackpot if you ask any kid. Candy haul records are broken here.

Looking back on 2021, on Halloween night, say around 8:00 p.m., a thorough walk through these streets left me dishevelled, dehydrated, and my shoulder almost dislocated—but it left me with more candy than I could carry. I remember having fullsize Aero chocolate bars, chip bags, a box of jellies and countless other classic chocolates. My haul would cover my entire dining table and would last me until spring—a night I will always remember.

One downside is the dim streets. Maybe that’s your vibe, but I think the wide roads and the tall windows, especially when unlit, make the road a little too dreary.

Another memory from 2021 is watching The Nightmare Before Christmas on the giant windows of Mississauga Road houses.

And how could I forget about this particular clown roaming another driveway, inviting passersby to be his friend (a yes

In 2022, I nicknamed Palgrave Road Halloweentown after the Disney Channel original movie. Tucked just behind Kariya Park, this is my favourite place on Hallow’s Eve. Each year Palgrave transforms into a festival of makeshift magic wonderland where neon inflatables will guide you, 12foot Jack Skellingtons will greet you, and levitating teapots in windows will spook you—and if you get lost, simply follow the palm tree tangled in golden fairy lights back the way you came (picture above).

The candy usually will run out long before 8:00 p.m. Unlike the other neighbourhoods, trick-or-treaters flood the sidewalks like extras in a Halloweentown sequel—motivated, chattering, and dressed to impress. This street is where teenagers dressed as Luffy and Zoro (if you know, you know) and adults as inflatable Nickelodeon cartoons parade down Palgrave Road.

On Palgrave Road, for the first time, candy was not the most exciting part of the night for me. I didn’t care about my 2,000word essay due the next morning. I wanted to stay in this corner of Mississauga where ghoulish garages and skeleton-infested backyards stay open to trick-or-treaters, neighbours stand outside their homes eager to give, and palm trees glow.

Since 2022, I have continued to trick-or-treat down Palgrave Road. As the lights finally dimmed, backyards closed up, and families returned to their homes or slipped through side gates, I always hoped I would be able to return to this neighbourhood every year on Halloween night.

Is trick-or-treating fading?

If you ask most people, they might say trick-ortreating in your twenties is too old, but I would say it is freer than ever. It taught me that the right places do exist.

Festivities may phase in and out of communities, but the spirit of neighbours is hard to rid of.

I do not believe Halloween is fading, rather, I think parental concerns and traditions are teaching us that we can outgrow this holiday. But fun is hard to outgrow, and neighbours love transforming an ordinary night into a spell. So, I am going to continue trick-or-treating in my twenties not only because it’s fun, but because I know someone out there has a candy bowl waiting for me.

08

UTM Capital:

the club that sets you up for financial success Co-presidents Nilesh Goburdhun and Carrie Dang provide the inside scoop on why financial knowledge is important and how their club helps students delve into the finance industry.

Photo credit: provided by Carrie Dang

Biggest misconception about the finance industry “Many people have this stereotype or bias that finance is all about numbers,” Dang expressed. She explained that while this is partially true, the finance industry involves much more than quantitative research.

Gisele Tang Contributor

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stablished in 2018, UTM Capital is the first student-run investment fund at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). It is open to all UTM students and free to join.

In an interview with The Medium, Nilesh Goburdhun and Carrie Dang, co-presidents of UTM Capital, discuss the importance of financial knowledge and why the club is dedicated to exposing students to the finance industry, regardless of their background.

One-of-a-kind opportunities UTM Capital hosts bi-weekly meetings where general members, also referred to as analysts, meet with their assigned investment leaders. Investment leaders guide analysts through what to research when investing in stocks of their coverage groups.

At the beginning of each academic year, analysts get placed into their coverage groups of choice. The six coverage groups include Technology, Media, and Telecommunication; Financial, Insurance, and Real Estate; Consumer and Retail; Power, Utilities and Infrastructure; Metals and Mining; and Healthcare.

“The reason why they meet up bi-weekly,” Goburdhun explained, “is because [the analysts] are going to come together and check on each other’s progress and try to complete an investment pitch together in eight months.”

These efforts are meant to help a member expand their financial knowledge and provide them with experience in the field.

Additionally, analysts get the chance to follow through with their own pitch.

“Essentially, we pick the top three presentations and invest money in the three winning presentations,” Goburdhun explained.

The benefits of joining UTM Capital do not end here. The club also hosts networking events such as the Alumni Panel and Speaker Series.

“A Speaker Series is where we bring in a highly successful person from a designated field,” Goburdhun shared. “For example, we could invite a managing director at a bank. They could then give a keynote speech about how a bank is structured and how to break into this particular field.” After the presentation, students get the opportunity to network with the keynote speakers themselves.

On the other hand, the Alumni Panel offers students a chance to build connections with alumni to increase opportunities for career advancement in the future.

UTM Capital values The club abides by three main values: inclusivity, collaboration, and education.

In terms of inclusivity, Dang emphasized the club’s goal to educate everyone including finance and non-finance students. “We believe that students from any background can learn about finance,” Dang said, “there are no restrictions.”

“We want to equip students with relevant skills that they can use to develop a career in finance. Or just to learn about personal finance skills that they can use in daily lives,” Dang added.

Importance of financial education “According to the Government of Canada, only 13 per cent of people in Canada are considered financially literate,” Goburdhun stated. “And obviously, this is quite a low number.” The club wants to improve its member’s financial literacy by teaching them the basics.

“We can’t change how things are done in schools. But what we can do is to help students develop an interest in building their financial literacy through our club,” Goburdhun explained.

“The quantitative part is when you look at the company’s financial reports, trying to see the numbers through analysis. But, there’s also a qualitative part where you’re trying to understand the core business of the company.”

Qualitative research includes analyzing the entire structure of a company. It includes analyzing the company operations, the company’s strengths, weaknesses, and management quality.

To fully grasp the finance industry requires plenty of logical thinking and knowledge of societal aspects, such as the state of the market, supply and demand, or even politics. These are all factors that could affect the financial market.

Elevate your financial knowledge “Start with the qualitative research,” Dang suggested for those looking to enhance their financial skills. “Try to read the news and watch YouTube videos.” Wall Street Journal, New York Times, or even Artificial Intelligence can be helpful to kickstart your investment journey.

Aside from that, it is important to build a healthy mindset around money management.

“Essentially it starts with setting yourself up with discipline,” Goburdhun advised. “For example, if you’re on a paycheck from a part-time job, just save or invest five or 10 per cent of your paycheck. You can set it aside and forget about it. Just let the money do its thing.”

Even though you might not see a dramatic difference in your assets short term, decades later, you might thank yourself for your consistent investment.

A good way for anyone to start in Canada is through applications such as Wealthsimple and Questrade. For more information on how to use these applications, watch some tutorials on YouTube.

How to get involved

He also emphasized the importance of investing, “Many people focus a lot on minimizing spending and saving money. But truly, what you should be doing, at least in my opinion, is that you should be investing some of that money.”

The registration period for UTM Capital is usually between mid-September to mid-October. All you need to do is sign up through the link provided on their Instagram.

Goburdhun explained that inflation is usually much higher than the savings rate one would receive from a bank. If you’re not investing your money, then you are losing money. Therefore, investment is a crucial skill not just for future Wall Street investors but for people like you and me.

If you are interested in setting yourself up for financial success, there is no better way to start than to join UTM Capital.

The club provides you with plenty of opportunities as well as professional, life-changing knowledge. So, what are you waiting for?

09

Arts

Editor | Keira Johannson arts@themedium.ca

The changing predictability in horror films Although the horror genre is often repetitive and anticipated, certain subgenres and modern movies are changing the game and making room for more nuanced horror stories.

Photo credit: Milica Samrdzic

Skyler Piskoroski Associate Arts & Entertainment Editor

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any people will turn on a horror flick this Halloween season, but instead of being scared, they will call out where the next jump scare will come from. This is because the horror genre has fallen too far into its tropes and, thus, has become easily predictable.

From a character’s first introduction, viewers can guess whether they will survive.

This is particularly true within the slasher sub-genre: films that typically have one main killer who goes after the main group of characters until there is one lone survivor to continue onto the sequels. This lone character is often a woman, referred to as “the final girl.” Other factors that contribute to whether one will survive include drinking alcohol, having sex, or going to investigate something alone.

These tropes are brought up in one of the classic slashers, Scream (1996). Scream includes these tropes and does so by calling attention to them, especially through Randy’s explanation in the film. By making fun of these cliches that viewers were already familiar with in the 1990s, Scream introduced a new way of approaching the horror genre and inspired horror filmmakers to begin working outside of the box by changing how they use these tropes.

Horror tropes can also be seen as social commentary. The zombie and werewolf cliches are seen in films such as Blood Quantum (2019) and Ginger Snaps (2000).

Blood Quantum uses the zombie infection story as an allegory for the violence of colonization, whereas Ginger Snaps highlights the struggles of female puberty and teenage angst through the werewolf transformation. Megan (2022) uses the “doll comes alive” trope to reflect on technology in the present day, particularly the use of artificial intelligence (AI), and the increasing use of this technology by young children. Similar to Scream, these movies fit into typical horror “boxes” in their inclusion of predictable storylines while also providing a twist that offers viewers more nuanced stories.

Psychological horror is another sub-genre where filmmakers diverge from these typical elements of horror. They tend to focus on mental and emotional states, especially within realistic storylines, to instill fear, while still providing social commentary, such as Get Out (2017) and Immaculate (2024). Get Out focuses on racial issues, particularly the current and historic racism against Black people in the United States.

Immaculate surrounds issues regarding women’s bodily autonomy. Though not as gory as films previously mentioned, they are just as, if not more, scary than your typical slasher. The horror in these films comes from the suspense and building anticipation that reflects from the main character onto the viewers, as well as the real-life implications regarding racial and gender relations present in the films.

While horror can be predictable and repetitive, these modern films and their associated sub-genres are revamping the genre by changing the tropes typically used in horror films to make for more interesting storylines.

The pop culture trap How has such an easy thing as picking a costume become so difficult? lier renditions. Marvel and DC Comics superheroes, Wicked, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are just some examples.

Kirsty Carnan Contributor

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ompare something for me: what was your most loved costume at ten years old and what are you wearing this upcoming Halloween? Same or different?

When I was younger, I felt like I was limited to costumes like being a princess, witch, or animal. My twin brother often picked his beloved superhero, Batman. As kids, our idea of dressing up was rooted in play and living our believed fantasies of the world. Being a princess or superhero for a day fulfilled our lifelong dreams (at least the dreams we had as children).

In contrast, dressing up as teenagers and young adults has become rooted in appeal and standing out. The game has changed.

Over the years, media and consumption have encouraged us to continuously change our Halloween costumes, possibly having multiple each year for different occasions. Media provides us with new and old characters that spark our interest. At the same time, consumption creates a desirable way to be fans of the characters we love, only adding more options to our costume possibilities. Further, pop culture tends to frame what is deemed as “cool”.

This tends to change from year to year.

Media reuses and reintroduces iconic characters by making new movies, new plot lines, and expanded versions of ear-

Last year, Barbie, a real-life action film that imitates our favourite dolls, skyrocketed at the box office. As young adults, the movie helped us live out our adoration without being childish. There were hundreds of people dressed up as Barbie last year, from the hot pink western cowgirl Barbie to the OG Barbie, girls and guys (can’t forget about Ken or Allen) found a way to relive their childhood play through Halloween.

Pop culture does not just stop at our old favourites but creates new favourites that are often indulged in. Modern TV and films such as Saltburn, Peaky Blinders, Euphoria, IT, and The Boys have influenced costume choices in years past. Among everything pop culture offers us, we may look for inspiration from others online. However, the overlap of social media and pop culture forms trends that are constantly being reiterated in peoples’ posts and content. Quickly finding what is considered a “good” costume often revolves around what has been released from recent media.

Using a character from previous years can be “so last year” and even if it is a classic (and genuinely a good costume), it is, perhaps, overdone.

We search and search for a costume that meets all the criteria: appealing, unique, and on-trend, but we get stuck with few options. Pop culture, despite widening the range of costume options has, in a weird way, also shrunk it. Maybe... we should change the game.

Illustration credit: Kirsty Carnan

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10

Blurring the lines between reality and unreality with magical realism Expressing the contours of reality in literature.

Lina Tupak-Karim Contributor

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art of the allure of creative prose is that authors are not restricted to the limitations of reality, whatever that might be, to construct a compelling narrative. A complete rejection of reality can offer riveting commentary on diverse subject matter. Creative world-building that constructs imaginary worlds is a visionary way to interrogate notions like otherness and our responses towards it—like through le fantastique, the French term for the genre that embraces Gothicism and ghost stories.

Some styles play with reality rather than reject it. Magical realism is a style of writing applied to literature in Latin America that accepts the strange and surreal as compatible with preexisting understandings of reality. Often, this style explores

elements of Latin American culture and history about mystical occurrences. As a result, magical realism serves as an instrument in unsettling Western narratives of history.

Magical realism departs from genres like fantasy because it is rooted in real experiences of the otherworldly, and genres like fantasy depend on breaks from reality being central to the narratives. As such, readers are encouraged to reckon with a different starting point—one that questions notions of reality and objectivity while maintaining a plausible enough basic fabric.

García Márquez positions the inhabitants of Macondo, the fictional village that appears throughout the body of his work, as more than mere extensions of European presence in the Global South. He does this by blending myth, history, and folklore—compressing time and engaging in a non-linear, cyclical mode of narration.

In The Fragrance of Guava, a book based on conversations between García Márquez and his friend Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza, García Márquez suggests that the magical text is, in fact, more real than the realist text: “disproportion is part of our reality too,” he contends.

And, as literary critic and theorist Robert Scholes argues, the linguistic model that prose employs is insufficient in capturing the complex contours of reality.

Traditional realism seeks to depict life as it appears: externally, physically, and in linear order.

But the reality is far more complex than this.

Illustration credit: Sehajleen Kaur Wander One of the most famous It embodies contradiction and confusion and is examples of literature that experienced, whether there is an objective world embodies the sparkle and subversion of magical realism is Ga- or not, through subjective interpretation, which is flawed and briel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. In this complex. Magical realism considers this and presents the unnovel, the extraordinary is rendered unremarkable through real as part of the collective human experience, as part of our narration, void of censure or surprise. The extraordinary—the journey through the world. In this vein, magical realism remagical—is a facet of reality that serves as an instrument to a flects the religious and spiritual experiences we take seriously larger narrative. in a creative new way.

Have Halloween celebrations frighteningly decreased?

The popular Halloween practices of trick or treating and scary house decorations are reportedly in decline.

Yusuf Larizza-Ali Contributor

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alloween has historically been a widely celebrated holiday, complete with costumes, candy, and spooky decorations. Like red and green Christmas lights, it’s a Halloween tradition to decorate houses with pumpkins, skeletons, and other scary-looking symbols. Spooky symbols and costumes are synonymous with Halloween, but these practices are declining.

Fewer houses are being decorated for the holiday, and fewer people trick or treat. Like everything else, our methods of celebrating evolve, and even familiar Halloween traditions have strayed away from the holiday’s original roots. University of Toronto professor Kyle Smith writes about the historical aspect of Halloween in his book chapter, “The Deep History Lurking Behind Halloween.” Smith explains that the original holiday was called “All Hallows Eve” and included a Celtic ritual where the veil separating the living and dead would thin and become permeable, resulting in a night where skeletons crawl from the ground. As such, Halloween has a deeply spiritual root and reasoning behind its celebration that most people are unaware of today.

Today, Halloween primarily involves costumes, gathering treats, and spooky decorations—none of which is seen with any religious significance. With the religious significance of Halloween’s origin removed, how people celebrate it inevitably changes.

Illustration credit: Ramiya Sureshkumar

Reports suggest that the practice of trick or treating has decreased, with Mississauga residents attesting to fewer kids knocking on their doors for candy. One reason listed in the report is that parents choose to bring their kids to public business events instead of door-to-door. Since the purpose of Halloween is to receive treats from strangers, parents may have identified safer ways for them to do so.

Another reason for fewer trick-or-treaters is the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought many activities we knew to a halt.

Canadians were reportedly anxious about “door-to-door exposures” and only 44 per cent of the population opened their doors. In 2020, Ontario made note of high-risk areas to avoid trick or treating, which likely led to prolonged anxiety about handing out sweets. This could also explain the lack of festivity since Halloween decorations also serve the purpose of attracting trick-or-treaters.

Despite this, Halloween festivity is far from endangered, as many neighbourhoods are recognized for their foreboding decorations. I have also seen many great decorations in my own suburb, as well as businesses on Dundas Street. There’s even a pumpkin present on the notable Cooksville sign.

To keep the Halloween spirit flourishing in your neighbourhood, you could start with the classic pumpkin on the front porch, which, while simple, is very symbolic of Halloween.

Skeletons, ghosts, vampires, and other foreboding symbols can enter the mix, especially since some of these directly connect back to the original roots of Halloween. You might also consider crafting these yourself by carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns and using other decorations to form a scene of ghosts or bats haunting your porch.

11

sports & health

Editor | Joseph Falzata sports@themedium.ca

The dark reality of sports injuries While blood and broken bones take months to heal, mental health problems can persist for much longer.

The core of healing any injury — mentally or physically — is to accept that one is not okay.

When athletes acknowledge that they are hurt, they ease the level of frustration and anger with which they are suffering. By accepting the pain, athletes open their minds to what truly hurts, whether that is the physical or mental aspects.

In turn, they allow themselves the opportunity to communicate with professionals regarding their pain so that the appropriate steps are advised.

Photo credit: Sara Li

Maram Qarmout Contributor

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he body and the mind are interconnected. When one is hurt, the other follows. For athletes who are more prone to physical injuries, their mental health can easily deteriorate.

In every sport, some physical injuries are more likely than others. For example, football players are bound to have more concussions because of constant helmet-to-helmet contact.

Runners often face shin-splints from running on hard surfaces such as roads or sidewalks. One third of professional baseball pitchers undergo shoulder surgeries at some point in their career. Athletes cannot commit to any specific sport without the guarantee of physical injuries.

While physical injuries may differ depending on the sport, the subsequent mental health challenges athletes endure are often very similar.

Mental challenges of athletes with physical injuries Injured athletes commonly struggle with depression, anxiety, anger, resentment, and fear. As one sports injury clinic explained, injured athletes go through depression due to a loss of identity and purpose. For many athletes, sports are their entire lives. Therefore, an injury that disables them from the one thing they love prompts feelings of disorientation and loss of identity.

Boston Children’s Hospital also points out that athletes who develop depression due to physical injuries face higher levels of pain and increased complications post-surgery rehabilitation.

Knowing that they may no longer play or recover from their injuries often heightens anxiety levels in athletes. The hospital connected higher levels of stress and anxiety with prolonged recovery times. Recognizing that they may never fully recover only increases anxiety, causing the cycle to repeat.

As athletes repeat the incident of their injuries nonstop in their head, they begin to foster feelings of anger and resentment. These feelings are often directed towards themselves and towards the situation that led to the injury. As a result, many athletes struggle with intense regret and frustration, believing a difference in their actions may have resulted in a better outcome.

Furthermore, this anger and resentment may be reflected on teammates or the opposing individuals who inflicted the injury. An athlete with growing anger and resentment develops a cloud of misjudgment, and fails to perceive the situation in a more positive mindset, which could have aided in their healing journey.

Injury relapses are also a major fear of many athletes. They worry that returning to sport and fully exerting themselves will result in new or reaggravated injuries. This fear prevents them from enjoying what they once loved, and may also put them in a slump. Once they enter that phase, it becomes very hard for them to overcome their fears and fully commit to the sport like they did in the past.

Of course, every athlete faces different mental challenges. Their desperateness to return to normal, commitment to rehab, and love for sport will always result in different healing outcomes.

Healing from injury Interestingly, some athletes thrive from injuries. Rather than letting the injury overtake their mind, they use the opportunity to better themselves. Their strong identity as athletes encourages them to persist through their rehabilitation with positive mindsets. The injuries become a source of motivation for them to take better care of their bodies in case of any future injuries. Injuries also allow athletes to reset their approach to sport so that they are more conscious of how to avoid injuries, both physically and mentally.

However, not every athlete is built to view an injury in an optimistic manner. It takes counseling sessions, revisions with coaches and teammates, familial support, and other help groups for athletes to heal mentally from their physical injuries.

Henry Ford Health encourages injured athletes to set clear and realistic goals that they should aim to achieve in their healing journey. Athletes are natural goal setters. They grow themselves through established goals. This is why setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals could help them reconnect with their journey as athletes.

Henry Ford Health also recommends that athletes stay optimistic. They can accomplish this by visualizing a healthier version of themselves. When an individual pictures their future, they are more motivated to push through any challenges they may face. Therefore, when an athlete visualizes a healthier version of themselves, they are more likely to overcome any mental or physical obstacles, no matter how long it may take.

It is also important that athletes focus on the present. Trying to see too far into the future may cause many athletes to rush their healing process, which may lead to further anxiety and higher levels of frustration. Thus, it is vital for them to understand their situation, and what needs to be done here and now, not in a year or two.

The core of healing any injury — mentally or physically — is to accept that one is not okay. When athletes acknowledge that they are hurt, they ease the level of frustration and anger with which they are suffering. By accepting the pain, athletes open their minds to what truly hurts, whether that is the physical or mental aspects. In turn, they allow themselves the opportunity to communicate with professionals regarding their pain so that the appropriate steps are advised.

Most of all, athletes should remember that they are human and that it is okay to rely on others. Connecting again with coaches, teammates, counselors, or family members is a great way of building a support network that would have your back no matter how many times you fall. Relying on others is the first step that any injured athlete should take.

Everyone can heal. It’s just a matter of time and effort.

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12

“Are E-sports real sports?”: An interview with UTM’s E-Sports Club The UTM E-sports club answers the most frequently asked questions and debunks myths about the world of e-sports.

Photo credit: Matthew Ganotisi

Gisele Tang Contributor

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he UTM E-Sports Club aims to provide a place for video game lovers to bond and explore their common interest together.

In an interview with The Medium, UTM E-Sports Club executives, Vice-President Philo Sidhom, Events Coordinator Matthew Ganotisi, and Treasurer Marc Lunar introduce the club and dive deep into the hot topic, “Are e-sports real sports?”

How the UTM E-Sports Club works The UTM Esports Club is a student group that focuses on casual and competitive video games. On their casual side, the club provides a space for video game lovers to relax and discuss games.

On their competitive side, however, the club has collegiate teams for games like Valorant and League of Legends. The club also hosts tournaments for fighting games like Smash and Street Fighter.

Unlike traditional sports, e-sports don’t have a one-size-fits-all rulebook. Instead, their scoring systems, training, and formation of teams are highly dependent on the nature of the games themselves.

E-sports training can be broken down into different categories.

“You can practice games against players from other teams,” said Lunar, “as well as between players in your teams.” Players can also have one-on-one sessions with coaches and watch recordings of their previous gameplay. Coaches then analyze a player strengths and weaknesses, and work to improve their mechanics.

Surprisingly, e-sports coaches aren’t always professionals or top players. “Sometimes, they just happen to have a really good mind for the game,” Lunar explained.

Debunking the biggest misconception about e-sports

“Take League of Legends as an example. They know about which items are good on which champions.” Additionally, good coaches also have the knowledge of which team setups are an optimal to win games depending on the situation.

While some people might believe that e-sports are easy or that becoming a professional e-sports player doesn’t require much commitment, the UTM E-Sports Club revealed a much different truth.

“I think one of the things that stands out about e-sports is just the way that you approach strategy,” Ganotisi explained.

“People are constantly finding new ways to strategize around, say, for example, specific game mechanics or exploits of game engines.”

“You have to realize that millions and millions of people are playing these games,” says Lunar. “To be the best of the best, you have to be in the top 0.1% of all those players.”

Even for games that have been around for a decade or two, players can still find new things to learn and develop the full potential of characters that were not as popular in the past.

Similarities and differences between Esports and traditional sports Aside from their shared competitiveness and coaching sessions, the mental fortitude required for e-sports players is just as demanding as for traditional athletes.

“I think both e-sports and real sports do heavily depend on your mentality and how focused you are on what you’re doing,” shares Sidhom.

According to Sidhom, the main difference between e-sports and traditional sports lies in their different proportions of mental and physical energy usage.

“Obviously,” began Lunar, “physical sports have a higher physical barrier and physical demand to it, as opposed to e-sports, which is mostly mental.”

Although anyone can participate in e-sports, it requires as much effort as traditional sports would take to become a professional player.

Sidhom suggests that joining tournaments and getting involved in local e-sports communities are a great way to meet players and become more immersed in the e-sports world. Watching competitive sets, YouTube analysis videos, or livestreams are other ways new players can learn more about e-sports and develop their skills.

Answering the big question Sidhom, Ganotisi and Lunar all agree that e-sports are real sports.

“I think it depends on how you define sports,” explained Lunar.

“Some organizations would define sports as a purely physical thing. But then you look at sports, say, Formula One driving.

Obviously, there is a physical aspect to it.”

“Activities that have large mental demands, such as chess, are getting recognized as real sports,” added Sidhom. “I think for anything, as long as there’s a competitiveness for it, it can be considered a real sport depending on how popular it is.”