Volume 45, Issue 6

"Flatlined" Since 1980 Volume 45, Issue 6 • November 19, 2024 • thelinknewspaper.ca

News

PEQ closure abandons PR applicants p.3

Fringe Arts

Take a peek at Montrealer fits p.8

Sports

"Stingers" eludes ConU flag football team p.11

Opinions

Social media and misogyny p.13

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3

NEWS

Futures at stake without warning Closure of key permanent residence programs leaves Montreal workers stranded for options @hannah.sctt

Hannah Scott-Talib

P

ooya Khoshabi was on track to securing his permanent residence (PR).

He had completed all his French courses, passed the necessary French tests and had nearly finalized his PR application documents when he encountered a major setback—the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) had closed without warning.

The PEQ is one of the immigration programs managed by Quebec. Like most programs in Quebec, PEQ requires French-language proficiency and is best suited for candidates who have worked in Quebec, like Khoshabi.

Khoshabi moved from Iran to Montreal three years ago to pursue a master’s degree in computer science at Concordia University.

He graduated from the program in November 2023 and found a fulltime job in the city shortly after.

Before the provincial government announced the PEQ’s sudden closure in October, Khoshabi had been working towards gaining PR status through the program for half a year.

“It happened in one night,” Khoshabi said, snapping his fingers in demonstration. “I gathered my documents and I was in the process of filling out the forms and everything, when suddenly Quebec’s government announced that they’re suspending this program.”

The PEQ wasn’t the only program that got suspended. On

and workers,” said Manuel Salamanca Cardona, a community organizer with the Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal. “These people are at risk of losing their status in the near future—that is very likely to happen to some of them.”

The suspension of the PEQ and the RSWP will last until June 2025 and it comes as a result of the province wanting to “limit the number of people admitted as permanent immigrants in 2025,” as stated by Roberge via social media on Oct. 30. The provincial government also stated that this decision will impact the volume of admissions for Quebec immigration programs in 2026.

This suspension of Quebec’s two main PR programs was announced on the same day that the province stated it was looking to welcome up to 67,000 immigrants in 2025.

“My point of view is that it’s a sort of intention to push people to leave the country, like a hidden deportation [method],” Salamanca Cardona said.

He added that just recently a woman had come into his office asking questions about the PEQ and the RSWP. According to him, she felt that the most suitable path towards PR status was through one of these two programs, as she could not find any other way to get a work permit in the province.

“She had some hope of applying through the RSWP because she’s from France. But as you see, this option is now closed. She came in

finish filing all his documents and apply.

“At this point, I was very disappointed, very frustrated,” Khoshabi said.

He added that he was not the only one left with a false sense of security with this deadline.

“There were a lot of people who were secured and they had everything ready, and they just wanted to press a button to apply for the program, but they couldn’t do it,” Khoshabi said. “Why do you announce a deadline if you want to close [the program] at any time that you would like?”

Pegah Abdolkarimi is another recent graduate dealing with PEQ’s closure.

“I had all my documents prepared, but suddenly it was shut down,” said Abdolkarimi, who, like Khoshabi, came to Montreal a few years ago to pursue her studies, and has stayed since. She too was in the process of obtaining PR status.

“We have been trying so hard for this program,” Abdolkarimi said. “It wasn’t fair, what they decided to do all of a sudden.”

Khoshabi mentioned that many people will no longer be eligible for the PEQ when it reopens at the end of June next year. The program, targeted towards recent graduates of Quebec post-secondary academic institutions, states that applicants have to have received their diploma within the 36 months preceding their application. Anyone ap-

"She came in [to the office] and she was crying. What can she do now? She was very disappointed, and I’m talking about a French person, a white person.

You can imagine the situation for people who have less privilege.”

- Manuel Salamanca Cardona, representative of the Immigrant Workers Centre Oct. 30, Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration JeanFrançois Roberge announced a moratorium on the Regular Skilled Worker Program (RSWP) as well.

The majority of the province’s economic immigrants come from these two programs. “[The moratorium] closes the door to many people who have developed their lives, both students

[to the office] and she was crying.

What can she do now? She was very disappointed,” Salamanca Cardona said. “And I’m talking about a French person, a white person. You can imagine the situation for people who have less privilege.”

For Khoshabi, learning about the decision to suspend the program was especially difficult as he was initially given a Nov. 23 deadline to

proaching the 36-month mark for their application this year risks not meeting the eligibility criteria for the PEQ by the time it returns.

Both Khoshabi and Abdolkarimi have been learning French for around half a year, practicing for the mandatory French evaluation that is a requirement to apply for the PEQ and RWSP programs. The evaluation requires

POOYA KHOSHABI MOVED TO MONTREAL TO PURSUE A MASTER'S DEGREE AT CONCORDIA. COURTESY POOYA KHOSHABI

immigrants to pass in four different sections: speaking, listening, writing and reading. Khoshabi and Abdolkarimi both passed the evaluation.

The two expressed that it was an added layer of frustration that so much personal time and effort went into learning an additional language, only for the programs to be shut down just days later.

Khoshabi explained that one of the biggest motivating factors for him was knowing that, at the end of the day, these French classes would lead to his PR status. He would spend most of his spare time outside of work practicing for the evaluation.

“Every day that I could have a vacation for, I was studying French,” Khoshabi said.

The government-offered French lessons, while being what she described as a good and helpful resource, were a daily commitment that she could not fulfil given her full-time job. Due to the nature of her job, Abdolkarimi had to resort to spending

money for private French lessons.

Now, both she and Khoshabi are uncertain whether the evaluation they passed will still be relevant by the time the programs’ suspensions are lifted in June 2025.

Despite her love for the city, Abdolkarimi expressed that she will likely search for a new job outside of Montreal now due to the moratorium, adding that she’d rather not have to pay out of pocket for more French lessons if it comes to it.

“We are human, we have to decide what to do for our future, we have a schedule,” she said.

According to Khoshabi, immigrating to Montreal was already difficult and he would rather not have to start the process over elsewhere.

“I didn’t have a family [in Montreal] at first, but I started building up friendships and networking so I preferred to stay here for work, and I found a place to work so everything is good here,” Khoshabi said.

“I really like my life here, so [staying] is my priority.”

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NEWS

4

7,523 Concordia students set to strike in solidarity with Palestine The strikes follow unwavering pushback from students demanding divestment from the university Safa Hachi

@safahachi

A

total of 7,523 students at Concordia University as of time of publication have voted in favour of a two-day strike on Nov. 21 and Nov. 22, organized in response to a national call for action for Palestine.

Six student associations within the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA)—including the Sociology and Anthropology Student Union (SASU) and Geography Undergraduate Student Society (GUSS)—as well as all students in the Fine Arts Student Alliance (FASA) will join the strike.

Concordia associations aren’t the only ones participating. Across Montreal, several CEGEPs are striking as well, most notably, Dawson College, whose 11,000 students will be striking on Nov. 21.

The academic coordinator for SASU Juliana Rodriguez, highlighted the importance of the strike.

“Students have been asking the university to divest for over a year,” Rodriguez said. “Concordia claims to educate us to transform the world, but it avoids addressing its own complicity in global issues.”

For GUSS member Cory Bentz Kuttner, the upcoming strike is an example of Concordia’s history of student activism.

“This university has a legacy of protests for social justice,” Kuttner said. “By voting to strike, we’re continuing that tradition and sending a message to the administration that these concerns won’t go away.”

GUSS’s demands for the university include disclosing and divesting from all ties with Israel, prohibiting police presence on campus, and issuing a statement condemning the current genocide and scholasticide in Palestine.

Student associations aren’t the only ones calling for a strike. Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR) is also taking part and is urging students, faculty and staff to show solidarity with Palestine by refusing to attend classes and participate in university activities.

SPHR has outlined a list of demands fuelling the strike. Central among these is the demand that Concordia terminate partnerships with specific corporations—Lockheed Martin, CAE, Pratt & Whitney, Airbus and Bombardier—that engage in military production linked to Israel's operations.

An SPHR member, who was granted anonymity for safety reasons, described the strike as a way to mobilize students around

long-standing issues.

“This is about making our voices heard and building pressure for change,” they said. “We’re showing the administration that the student body is united and committed to these demands.”

GUSS has confirmed with The Link that they will establish hard picket lines to prevent classes from proceeding and other associations may decide to follow suit in the coming days.

Additionally, some student groups like SASU are planning educational initiatives during the strike.

“We want to create spaces for students to connect their academic work with the social realities that matter to them,” Rodriguez said.

Organizers are optimistic about the turnout, noting widespread support across faculties. GUSS reported strong attendance at its general assembly to approve the strike motion, with near-unanimous support from members. Rodriguez noted similar enthusiasm among SASU students.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Rodriguez said. “Students want to take a stand.”

Organizers hope the strike will prompt the university to address

HARD or SOFT Each student association votes independently on which picketing method they will enforce.

Regardless of the method, the main goal of picketing is to discourage students to enter classroom and encourage them to strike.

HARD

SOFT

Physically blocking the classroom door so that students and faculty are unable to enter.

Announcing that class is cancelled because of the strike and encouraging students and faculty to not attend .

If a student decides to enter the classroom, they have “crossed” a picket line.

INFOGRAPHIC MARIA CHOLAKOVA

student demands for transparency and accountability.

“We’re not just going to forget about the university’s actions,”

Kuttner said. “We want them to take responsibility now, not decades later with an empty apology, as we’ve seen them do before.”

ASSOCIATIONS ON STRIKE On campus:

Total students on strike at Concordia University:

7,523 INFOGRAPHIC MARIA CHOLAKOVA

VOLUME 45 • NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Off campus:

Geography Undergraduate Student Society

Students of History at Concordia

Dawson College

Sociology & Anthropology Student Union

Women's Studies and Sexuality Studies Association

Cégep de Maisonneuve

Fine Arts Student Alliance The School of Community and Public Affairs Student Association

Urban Planning Association Concordia Undergraduate Psychology Association

College Lionel-Groulx

Cégep Marie-Victorin Select UQAM, UdeM and McGill associations

Upcoming votes: COMS Guild Concordia Nov. 19, 11:30 p.m.

Political Science Student Association of Concordia Nov. 19, 7:00 p.m. *AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION

5

NEWS

FedUp Concordia calls for food sovereignty Students will be able to vote for sustainable food measures at the upcoming CSU by-elections Soraya Yale-Ramanathan

S

tudents at Concordia University will be able to vote on FedUp Concordia’s food sovereignty proposal in the upcoming Concordia Student Union (CSU) by-elections.

FedUp Concordia is a new group on campus formed by students frustrated with the quality and ethics of the food served at the university. Its goal is to move away from corporate food ownership at Concordia and switch to student-led initiatives.

The advocacy group had presented its referendum question on food sovereignty at a CSU council meeting in September. If the referendum question passes at the by-election, FedUp’s measures will be included in the CSU’s official Positions Book.

FedUp calls for three goals to be added.

The first goal calls for Concordia to create new regulations in accordance with the National Student Food Charter, which puts emphasis on values like social justice, sustainability and self-governance.

The second asks that Concordia supports and fosters more student-led food initiatives, like the Hive Café Solidarity Co-op or The People's Potato.

The third goal stresses the need for Concordia to end its contract with Aramark—a multinational food service provider—and to instead streamline access to local food services.

Aramark is notoriously known as the largest food provider in U.S.

private and public prisons.

Eli Zeger, a volunteer with FedUp, said that one of its main objectives is to get Concordia to end its current contract with Aramark.

The food advocacy group also does not want the university to sign future contracts with any other multinational corporation once its current contract expires in 2026.

Zeger added that these measures, if implemented, won’t just improve the sustainability and social impact of the food served at Concordia, but also the quality.

“Aramark has a monopoly over the food-related real estate at Concordia and they are depriving consumers of the right to shape the policy that affects them on a daily basis,” Zeger said.

With the exception of student-led groups like The Hive Café Solidarity Co-op or The People’s Potato, Aramark’s contract gives them complete authority over the food served on campus.

As part of its contract, Aramark partners with other companies to bring them onto campus. This includes the Starbucks in the J.W. McConnell library building and companies that have shared investors, like BlackRock and The Vanguard Group.

BlackRock and The Vanguard Group are also shareholders in Lockheed Martin, one of the biggest U.S. arms manufacturing companies complicit in the genocide in Gaza.

Zeger and his colleagues point to

FED UP CONCORDIA IS A GROUP ADVOCATING FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY ON CAMPUS. PHOTO SORAYA YALE-RAMANATHAN

FED UP CONCORDIA’S REFERENDUM QUESTION WILL APPEAR ON THE NEXT CSU BY-ELECTION BALLOT. PHOTO SORAYA YALE-RAMANATHAN

several of Aramark’s business practices that don’t align with students’ visions for food at Concordia. This includes large-scale food waste— which FedUp claims is, in part, due to the multinational’s all-you-caneat, buffet-style service—and its use of prison labour in the U.S. The food advocacy group also takes issue with the company’s proven history of workers’ rights violations. According to the non-profit Good Jobs First’s violation tracker, Aramark has had to pay over US$9

million in wage and hour-violation-related fines since 2000.

“There have been reports of raw chicken being served in the dining halls, reports of people biting into bugs instead of fruit and, overall, the chances are you’re gonna get low-quality food for a high price,” Zeger said.

Those living in residence bear the brunt of these issues, since they have no choice but to pay $6,525 per year for their meal plan.

Olivia Ersil, a former Grey Nuns resident, recalls regularly eating unappetizing food.

“I remember one morning I went to scoop strawberries onto my plate and it was just mold,” Ersil said, “so that put me off strawberries for the foreseeable future.”

Without having other ways to cook her own food, Ersil says she was stuck eating in the cafeteria or having to spend even more money on eating out.

Winning the referendum may not only be beneficial to students who live in residence.

According to Danna Ballantyne, CSU external affairs and mobilization coordinator, it’s important to have FedUp’s referendum questions added to the Positions Book, as it would give the CSU the authority to face off with administration and launch campaigns to tackle these issues.

“Just having these positions is what keeps me safe in my everyday

tasks,” Ballantyne said. “I'm only able to do this and represent the students because they have voted on that, because I have the right given to me by the student body.”

Ballantyne and the other CSU executives unanimously co-signed to endorse the proposal in September. Ballantyne said that most of the demands of the referendum question tie into other existing positions in their Position Book, such as concerns with food insecurity and financial difficulties. She further explained that this proposal could help unify the many food organizations at Concordia and create a united front.

“The university is constantly relying on the talking point that they don't hear complaints from the students and it lets them go on giving us unacceptable services. It is just so important that students let this be known because this is so real and it affects so many aspects of student life,” Ballantyne said. “I really hope students show up to vote, and literally just clicking that button will help us to get the ball rolling here.”

Undergraduate students will be able to vote for the FedUp referendum question in the upcoming CSU by-elections between Nov. 19 and Nov. 21. Students will receive an email with their online ballot information to vote remotely, or can cast their vote at in-person voting stations across campus.

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NEWS

6

Trump wins. What’s at stake for Canada?

Experts say a second Trump presidency could affect jobs and force Canada to up its military spending Zachary Cheung

@cheung.zach_

F

ormer president Donald Trump is returning to the Oval Office after a decisive victory in the U.S. presidential elections on Nov. 5, making Trump the second president to win two non-consecutive terms.

Experts say that Canada could be in for a sense of déja-vu if his second presidency is anything similar to his first one.

What’s at stake for Canadian workers?

Canada’s trading future with the sleeping elephant down south is precarious under a Trump presidency,

working for exporting companies alone. In 2022, Canada sent over 75 per cent of all its exports to the U.S., totalling around US$458 billion, according to The World Bank. “[Tariffs] might be really good for some American manufacturers because they would have zero foreign competition,” Brawley said.

A tariff is a tax on imported goods.

But the extra money isn’t paid for by the foreign companies producing those goods, despite Trump claiming that these taxes are "not going to be a cost to [Americans], it’s a cost to another country."

"If he doesn't hear what he wants to hear, he may make life difficult for Canada."

- Vincent Rigby, former security advisor according to Mark R. Brawley, professor of international political economy at McGill University.

On the campaign trail, Trump has proposed to slap 10 per cent tariffs on all foreign imports. Given Canada’s close trade relationship with the U.S., a tax of that kind could hit many working Canadians hard.

Canada’s economy is heavily reliant on trade, with one in six Canadians

Rather, the American company doing the importing would pay the fees, which would make foreign imports to the U.S. pricier.

McGill emeritus professor of American history Leonard Moore said that the past has proven Trump’s claims to be misleading. In 2020, Trump’s tariff policies cost the U.S. up to US$12 billion in bailouts after farmers struggled under tariffs other

countries enforced in retaliation.

“The thing that distinguishes Trump and [James David] Vance is that they lie without restraint,” Moore said. “They're like a firehose of lies.”

Trump’s sweeping tariffs would affect workers on both sides of the border. It’s the American consumer who pays for the added tax; and up north, Canadian workers could face cuts as companies struggle to make revenue.

According to Brawley, decreased access to the American market would mean less income for Canadian companies, making Canadian jobs more scarce.

Canada has already witnessed a 1.5 per cent rise in unemployment since the start of 2023, with the rate sitting at 6.5 per cent as of this October, according to Statistics Canada.

Excluding the pandemic years (202021), Trading Economics reports that the rate is now at its highest since the start of 2018.

Possible solutions One possibility would be for Canada to negotiate an exemption with the U.S., similar to how Australia was exempted from US tariffs on steel and aluminum in 2018.

With US$3.6 billion worth of goods crossing the Canada-U.S. border each day, Canada could make a solid case for an exemption according to Vincent Rigby, Prime Minister Justin

Trudeau’s national security advisor from 2020-21.

“Our economies are so interlinked,” Rigby said, “so I think the argument we'd be making to the U.S. is the classic ‘You'll be cutting off your nose despite your face.’”

However, it’s unclear whether Trump would let Canada off the hook that easily, according to Rigby. He said that tariffs could be a useful bargaining chip for Trump to push Ottawa into upping its military budget.

Canada faced criticism from the U.S. this summer for not meeting the minimum North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) requirement of committing 2 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to military spending. At this year’s NATO leaders summit, Trudeau pledged that Canada would meet the spending target by 2032.

“It can get nasty,” Rigby said. “[Trump] could say, ‘How are you doing on that 2 per cent?’ If he doesn't hear what he wants to hear, he may make life difficult for Canada.”

In October, the NATO Parliamentary Budget Officer stated that part of Canada’s projection in reaching the 2 per cent figure by 2032 was “based on an erroneous GDP forecast.”

“There's economic levers he could use, you never know with Trump,” Rigby said. “He's going to drop a surprise on us as a form of punishment for not pulling our weight.”

QUICKIES ARTM considers cutting three train lines According to a document acquired by Radio-Canada, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) is considering completely shutting down the three least active train lines— Candiac, St-Hilaire and Mascouche—as well as stopping service at certain stations on the Vaudreuil-Hudson and St-Jérôme lines. The closure of the three train lines could save the ARTM up to $21 million per year.

New migration and society institute at Concordia Concordia announced it will launch the Institute for Research on Migration and Society, the first bilingual research institute on migration in Canada. According to the university’s website, the research hub aims to bring “informed discussion on how to help immigrants adapt to and augment Canadian society” and answer “pressing questions about immigration” in Canada.

Quebec cuts hours for over 1,000 healthcare workers As of Dec. 1, Santé Québec, the employer for all Quebec clinics and hospitals, has asked that all healthcare employees working additional hours in different hospitals select only one position. The Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux told The Montreal Gazette that this could place additional strains on the healthcare system, potentially raise costs and compromise patient care.

Montreal councillors bring forth motion on houselessness According to the CBC, two independent city councillors brought forward a motion declaring a state of emergency with regards to Montreal’s unhoused situation during a council meeting last week. The councillors are urging the city to implement mobilization measures such as more housing solutions before winter and dedicate more resources to shelters for the unhoused.

A FEW DOZEN TRUMP SUPPORTERS GATHERED AROUND ONE OF THE CAMPAIGN BUSSES IN LIMERICK, PENNSYLVANIA FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION. PHOTO DAVID JOUSSEMET-BEAUDOIN

VOLUME 45 • NOVEMBER 19, 2024

7

FRINGE ARTS

Sew much more than trends Swim and loungewear brand Em&May emphasizes sustainability and quality over making a quick buck Hannah Kazemi

I

@hannahkzmi

n her bustling Mile End studio, Emilie Pittman shapes more than just swim and loungewear.

As the founder and CEO of clothing brand Em&May, Pittman started her business six years ago and has championed slow fashion and sustainability since. First working alone, she created custom-sized swimsuits and posted them on Instagram for purchase.

Em&May has since expanded.

Now with eight employees and nearly 30,000 Instagram followers, Pittman operates out of her studio, where everything is handmade. She emphasizes minimal waste in her business, offering 28 top sizes for swimsuits and a range of versatile pieces and loungewear to choose from.

Slow fashion emphasizes sustainable production and consumption, principles central to Pittman’s made-to-order business model.

“Made-to-order is such an easy way to have the least amount of waste possible and really just only create for the demand,” Pittman said. “Also, having that freedom of not having to produce beforehand and predict quantities [...] really gives us the ability to make things custom or make adjustments on pieces as we’re cutting them.”

Even so, the made-to-order route has its challenges.

“Ninety per cent of the time, the sustainable option is more expensive,” Pittman said, explaining that shopping sustainably means there are restrictions on the type of deadstock fabrics she can purchase. For her, sustainability comes first.

“That’s never something that we’re going to sacrifice for the sake of making more money,” Pittman said.

For instance, a similar sentiment is echoed by Concordia student Maya Gorinov, who criticizes tactics used by fast fashion brands to make a profit.

“Fast fashion follows micro trends and really capitalizes on it,” Gorinov said, “[and] is aimed at making the most money off of the consumer instead of providing them with something that will last.”

“I feel like the excuse of ‘It’s cheaper’ is not even accurate anymore, because prices are rising, and some fast fashion brands have the same pricing as us,” said Naëla Adjoualé, head seamstress and production manager at Em&May. “The only difference is, do you care about the ethical aspect of having [clothing] produced ethically by people who are actually paid

properly to do that?”

“There’s always a person at the end of that machine,” Pittman added. Being aware of where individuals purchase things and who makes them is important to Pittman. For her, the “whole mentality of consumerism” in the fast fashion industry blurs people’s understanding of quality clothing.

Unlike many brands that charge more for plus-sized options, Em&May offers custom sizing at no extra charge.

“I would never want to be a company that somebody can’t buy from because of their body,” Pittman said. “I’m already cutting each piece individually because things are not batch cut. So what difference does it make for me to add a few centimetres onto your hem?”

Commitment to inclusion is key to Pittman’s brand and is part of what makes it so special.

When Adjoualé was studying to be a seamstress in France, her instructors made it clear that clothing designers must charge for everything, including customization. But working with Pittman, Adjoualé’s mentality quickly changed.

“To see the feedback of people saying that they never felt confident in swim[wear] before or an intimate,” Adjoualé said, “and that they found a piece with us that made them feel good and beautiful, it was so moving.”

Pittman values the versatility of the pieces they create. When creating their new “Fox” skirt, for example, the team started by cutting a big square fabric, and tying and pinning it in different ways to see what worked.

“We couldn’t understand where we were going with it,” Pittman

said, “but then we found the most perfect plaid fabric ever, and it just all made sense.”

The Fox skirt can be tied and reshaped by the wearer and is one of their most versatile pieces yet.

“Giving a piece multi-purposes is a better bang for your buck,” Pittman said. “And everybody loves pockets in skirts and dresses. People love to wear things in different ways.”

As a self-identified “chronic mood-boarder,” Pittman finds inspiration from many places.

“It’s not garments, necessarily, that I’m looking at. It’s tiles, prints; we are looking at all these different things,” Pittman said.

And sometimes inspiration doesn’t make sense—but that doesn’t mean Pittman and Adjoualé don’t embrace it.

“For the collection that’s coming out, we called it ‘Rogue,’” Pittman said, explaining that many of the pieces came from a medley of ideas that didn’t fit in their previous collection. “It just kind of happened out of nowhere,” she said.

Creative chaos is typical for Pittman and Adjoualé, as they describe their process as making sense of the senseless.

“We also love the aspect of, ‘Oh shit, I’m making this cool chaos, and it’s right now, and that’s just what I’m doing,’” Pittman said. “We make our own rules.”

For folks wanting to get into slow fashion, Pittman and Adjoualé suggest thrifting, because you can find original pieces from the eras they originate from, instead of the new remakes, according to Pittman.

With fast fashion remaining a multi-billion dollar industry and companies like Zara introducing

THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF INSPO AND CREATIVITY IN THE EM&MAY STUDIO. COURTESY EM&MAY

new styles almost every week at compelling prices, overconsumption has become a consequence of low-priced, trend-driven clothing.

Transitioning from fast to slow fashion may be difficult, according to Adjoualé.

“You can’t jump from one to the other fully,” she said. “Stay educated on the subject. The more you read about how your clothes are actually made, the more people realize, [...]

‘It doesn’t align with my values..’”

Pittman added, “[Look at] what kind of fibres are on your body.

Look at the tags.”

When it comes to affordability, Pittman recognizes that many slow

fashion brands may be out of financial reach, especially for Montreal’s large student population, but she said that “slow fashion brands have sales, too.” The two believe that if people keep their eyes peeled for slow fashion brands that align with their values, they’ll find them.

And for folks who may not be able to support slow fashion brands yet, Adjoualé has some advice.

“Maybe you can’t invest right now, but somebody around you can,” she said. “Even just to share and have people more aware that these brands exist, and that there’s an alternative to fast fashion, is also a free, good way to support.”

PITTMAN’S VISION SLOWLY COMES TO LIFE. COURTESY EM&MAY

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FRINGE ARTS

8

Style and the city From everyday looks to funky and experimental, Montreal students show what style means to them Valerie Page

M

ontreal is a city with a vibrant and diverse fashion scene. As the temperature drops, many people are wondering how to stay warm while still expressing their personal style.

To learn more about style in the city, The Link spoke to Montreal students.

Srabanti Mazumdar is a thirdyear software engineering student at Concordia University who runs @mtlslays on Instagram. The local account has just over 2,000 followers and highlights stand out outfits and innovative dressers across the city. Mazumdar started the account around two years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I just remember I noticed people's outfits outside and I would analyze them,” Mazumdar said. “I wanted to memorize the pieces they were wearing, but I couldn't, because I didn't have a picture of them. And then I saw someone from Toronto doing the same thing—their account is called @416_fits—so I DM’ed them and I asked if they would mind if I did the same thing in Montreal.”

Even before starting the account, Mazumdar was drawn to fashion from a young age.

“I'm Bengali, and in my culture fashion is a big thing. The fabrics we use for our saris or our lehengas are super nice, and they look very extravagant,” she said. “So even though it's not the same style, I think it's always been a part of my life.”

Fashion, she explained, goes beyond clothing; it’s a tool for connection and storytelling.

“Fashion also connects people.

It signals subcultures together; they can identify each other with the way they dress,” Mazumdar said. “If you see someone else dressed in punk, you know that person is probably anarchist. But it can be as simple as seeing someone with their school’s name on their sweater.”

For Mazumdar, practices like thrifting can reveal hidden stories behind clothing.

“It's a form of art that becomes a part of you,” she said. “I love it when you go thrifting and you see a cool shirt, and there's a whole life behind it. Someone lived a whole life prior to this shirt being in the thrift store. Or even when an outfit has pieces from people in their life. Like, ‘Oh, I stole these jeans from my sister, and this necklace

was gifted to me by my friend.’ It's like, there are so many little stories behind it.”

Through @mtlslays, Mazumdar (pictured) is exposed to many creative outfits around the city.

Montreal fashion expands into an array of different styles, sometimes fitting in specific subcultures and “-cores,” and other times breaking away from these molds.

Noah Spivack is the founder of the Sustainable Fashion and Thrift club, also known as Second Soul Montreal. The club is a community for Montrealers who value second hand clothes as an alternative to fast fashion.

Their club motto reflects on giving previously unwanted clothing another life.

“We like to view things as caterpillars and butterflies. Caterpillars are the garments in your closet that don’t see too much love, but other people can see these clothes and love them,” Spivack said. “It is just a matter of reallocating them to the people that love them as butterflies.”

ARIANA NOCHE (LEFT) AND LAUREN HUANG (RIGHT)

Lauren Huang is a nursing student at McGill University and Ariana Noche is a cinema and communications student at Dawson College.

“People in Montreal are very experimental with their style,” Noche said. “You won’t see two people dressing the same way. They always have something different about them.”

MAZUMDAR AKA @MTLSLAYS

Emma Sexton is a human relations major with a minor in religions and cultures at Concordia.

“The most fun I have with fashion is in the city,” Sexton said.

“I feel more emboldened to try out crazier looks when I’m in Montreal because I feel everyone else is also experimenting.”

NOAH SPIVACK

VICTOR OKORO

ALEX

EMMA SEXTON

VOLUME 45 • NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Alex is a film production student at Concordia.

“I used to be inspired by high fashion,” Alex said, “but now I see a piece and I like it or I don’t.”

Victor Okoro is a computer engineering student at Concordia.

“Start buying pieces you like instead of trendy stuff,” Okoro said. “Get colours you’re comfortable with, stuff you’re comfortable in, and never be scared to explore.”

PHOTOS VALERIE PAGE

9

FRINGE ARTS

Exploring the universe with Ruby Waters The Canadian singer-songwriter gears up to burn the house down at Beanfield Theatre Cole Cooper

L

et’s set the scene: singer-songwriter Ruby Waters is playing a concert in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It’s a Friday night and she’s in a bar bathroom across the street from the venue. She’s taking a shit.

“These girls were in the stall next to me, and I guess they were coming to the show,” Waters recounted, affable as ever. “They were talking about what they wanted to hear that night and I heard one of them say, ‘I really hope she plays “Honey,”’ and the other girl’s like, ‘I don’t think she will.’”

“Honey,” a fan favourite off of Waters’ first EP, Almost Naked, wasn’t on the setlist for the night.

“But during the acoustic part [of the set], I told the crowd, ‘I was taking a shit and I heard one of you say you wanted to hear this song—I was in the bathroom, bitch!’” she said, laughing. “It’s things like that that are like, ‘Just do it.’ You’re lucky enough to have fans that want to hear it.”

In her music and in conversation, onstage and onscreen, Waters is often many things at once. Irreverent and bawdy, goofy as hell. Sexy and a little bit drunk. Broke in the pockets but rich in the mind, or sad

you’ll ever meet,” said Waters’ guitarist Marcus Ramsay, describing her disposition.

Ramsay, a sought-after multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter, met Waters in 2020 through mutual friends. He started to record with Waters and her longtime producer Sam Jackson Willows the following year, and he joined her live band in 2022 as they returned to the road post-pandemic.

“It’s inspiring. She’s one of the most true-to-her-craft artists I’ve had the opportunity to work with,” Ramsay said. “There’s no shortage of good times when Ruby’s around.

She can make any situation into a fun situation.”

Waters’ music is a full body exercise swirling around one immovable fact—she has a voice like a bursting dam. It's deep and fluid, sedimented with rushing history. It can pick up the shrapnel of an afterparty and press it into poetry.

Waters released her debut album What’s The Point at the end of May. The 10-song collection, ripe with those impellent vocals and reflexive writing, was largely recorded over seven days in the pillow-fort sound

planted beforehand in ideas Waters or her producers brought to the table.

“They’re all really talented people and everyone’s ideas kind of got infused into the record,” she explained. “We worked long and hard, but quick at the same time. We didn’t lose that soul or feeling or emotion.”

Waters’ international What’s The Point Tour will culminate on Nov. 21 with a show at Montreal’s Beanfield Theatre. Bring earplugs—a Ruby Waters concert is just about the opposite of the silent films the theatre was originally built to show.

"I personally take a lot of pride in it feeling like a real rock and roll band—two guitars, drums, bass,” Ramsay said. “I think in an age of a lot of performances that come across exactly like the record, it’s often new interpretations that we play live.

There are a lot of sections of the show that can be improvised and changed from night to night, and it keeps us on our toes.”

Logan Kearns, co-founder of Camp Music Management, has been working with Waters since late 2017. He calls her development as a live performer one of her biggest

WATERS’ BURNING SOUND IS PROBABLY BEST PAIRED WITH A BEST FRIEND'S COUCH ON THE COME DOWN FROM A NIGHT OUT. COURTESY BRAYSBRAIN

and a lot drunk. However, there are three constants: she’s always dynamic, always grounded and always flush with gratitude.

“It’s pausing, breathing, counting your blessings,” Waters explained. “If you’re not thankful for what you got, you don’t fucking deserve it, in my opinion. I don’t know, I’ll just try to be thankful forever and maybe that jadedness will never come.”

“Oh man, she’s the best person

booths of a secluded British Columbia cabin.

“It was like, what you hear about in the fucking movies or back in the day when bands used to trap themselves trying to write their album,” Waters said. “There’s a bunch of producers and me. So, a little different.

But still, that was trying to capture that feeling of cabin fever and see what comes out of it.”

Many of the records’ seeds were

markers of artistic growth.

“Her live show has gone from her and an iPod, pushing play for the music, to a four-piece band and touring crew and a touring bus,” Kearns said. “You know, working with her when we were doing 200-person venues to growing this thing to the point where she’s selling out Danforth [Music Hall] and Commodore [Ballroom], all these 1000-plus cap venues? The Trou-

RUBY WATERS' SOULFUL POP IS A BLEND OF GRITS, GUTS AND GOOD HUMOUR. COURTESY BRAYSBRAIN

badour in L.A. and Music Hall [of] Williamsburg in New York—these are iconic venues, and to see her up there headlining and owning the room has been incredible.”

Even as the venues have grown and her name has moved up the billing, Waters’ backstage attitude has stuck around.

“I get the same nerves every show and I try to sing my best every show,” Waters said. “That’s pretty much how it’s always been and I feel like how it’s always going to be.”

Nowadays, coping with those nerves looks like a couple fewer PBRs and less tequila on the rocks.

More warmups.

“I hated even the idea of vocal warmups. I was like, ‘God! It’s so not rock and roll,’” Waters admitted.

“In fact, it totally is, and it’ll help you sing for a long time.”

Moments of mindfulness have become part of her routine—taking the time to acknowledge and process what she’s feeling.

“My mom always said that if you’re nervous, it means that you care,” Waters explained. “So I always try to tap in and remind myself. Like I’m really fucking nervous: ‘It means I care. It means I care. It means I care.

It’s going to be an awesome time.’”

Waters attributes the gravity she finds in many aspects of her life to

where she comes from.

“There’s definitely a parallel universe where none of this shit ever went the way it went,” she mused.

“I feel like I was raised good and we didn’t have a shit ton of stuff by any means; didn’t have a lot of money.”

Growing up in the dirt road country of Shelburne, Ontario and Chapeau, Quebec, Waters cut her teeth playing for pedestrians and bargoers. After years of bouncing back and forth between Toronto and British Columbia, she’s now settled in Whistler full-time.

“I bought a dirt bike this year; that was a ball out moment,” she said smiling, considering the ways in which the events of this universe have changed her life. “Bought a crazy booth at a strip club in L.A. recently. That was a ball out moment.”

As the tour winds down and Waters starts to plan for the future— maybe an album next year, maybe an EP or maybe even both, she said—there’s bound to be one more ball out moment, this one a show of gratitude.

“The last day of every tour, which is always the craziest show, you’ll find Ruby running around town putting together loot bags for everyone and little handwritten letters,” Kearns said. “She’s painfully Ruby.”

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SPORTS

10

Concordia flag football’s fight for varsity recognition Historic championship highlights push for resources and league support Conor Tomalty

W

@conor_tomalty

hen the Concordia University flag football team secured its first-ever provincial championship on Oct. 26, it was a momentous achievement, but arguably not the program’s top priority.

The debut season in 2021 set in place a pilot project that was initially planned to end in 2023 with a decision to establish a league inside the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).

Come 2023, however, the team was told that it would take another year to reach a decision. The message was reiterated recently to Concordia flag football head coach Alexis Labonté.

“It’s going to be our fifth year next year and we’re either going to exist as the RSEQ league, or I don’t know what could happen,” Labonté said, speaking on the pilot project.

The program currently runs as a club team under the Concordia Student Union (CSU), meaning that the team does the bulk of the administrative work. Players are tasked with acquiring funding, sponsors and equipment, complicating the experience of being a student-athlete.

“When we signed up for the football team, emailing five sponsors a day wasn’t necessarily part of what we thought we’d be doing,” said Isabella Virgona-McGovern, a third-year receiver on the team.

“We’ve built this program from the ground up and we’ve sustained it for four successful years. We’re ready to take the load off of our

shoulders and hopefully get some assistance behind the scenes. Let us be athletes.”

The barrier prohibiting the team from becoming Stingers is not Concordia, but rather a condition demanded by the RSEQ. The league asks that a minimum number of universities commit to participating, according to Labonté, who met with the RSEQ to discuss. Universities must demonstrate that they can provide the necessary resources to support the team, such as organizing transportation and ensuring administrative support. “[The RSEQ] want us to be in the league, they want to support our league,” Labonté said, “but the decision has to be made by all the sports directors from the schools.”

Each institution has its own unique situation, according to Labonté. While the Université du Québec à Montréal team is part of the Citadins because the school has provided sufficient resources, the Université du Québec en Outaouais team was unable to participate this season because it did not have a coach.

When it comes to Concordia, the Stingers have indicated they will support flag football if the RSEQ establishes the league.

“We’ve been fully supportive from the get-go,” Concordia Athletics associate director Graeme McGravie said. “We’re happy to continue that, and if [they come] on as Stingers, we’d be happy to call them that, that’s for sure.”

CONCORDIA WON ITS FIRST-EVER PROVINCIAL FLAG FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ON OCT. 26. COURTESY CÉLINE RAYMOND

VOLUME 45 • NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Concordia may seem gung-ho about supporting the flag football program, but there are budget constraints to consider. The reduced enrolment seen by the university since the Coalition Avenir Québec tuition hikes has diminished revenue. Concordia reported a 28 per cent enrolment drop from out-ofprovince students, with university president Graham Carr stating that the decline is costing approximately $15 million. According to McGravie, the upcoming fee levy referendum in the CSU fall by-elections could provide some financial relief for club teams such as flag football.

“If that fee levy does go through then obviously some of those funds from that, we would be able to put towards clubs to kind of help them out,” McGravie said.

McGravie also spoke on the pay-to-play status the flag football team follows, saying that it would still be the case.

“It’s not like they’re going to be varsity and all of a sudden there’s going to be like $50,000 or $100,000 and they’re going to be a fully funded team,” McGravie said. “They’re going to be able to call themselves Stingers, and we are going to try and help them out as much as we will, [...] but it’s still a pay-to-play model.”

Should Stingers status be granted, Concordia flag football would be able to benefit from certain luxuries, such as scholarships, that the pilot project has obstructed.

According to McGravie, when the project began, the Stingers com-

PLAYERS FROM CONCORDIA'S FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM SHARE AN EMBRACE. COURTESY CÉLINE RAYMOND

mittee decided that they would not award bursaries to flag football players because they weren’t RSEQ members.

“There will be some possibilities of some bursaries for sure,” McGravie said. “But not a lot. Enough to

have everybody coming here for free to play flag football.”

The varsity status has a larger significance separate from monetary gain. For Labonté, it’s a chance for the players who comprise the program to attain what they deserve.

“It’s kind of a small thing, but I think just to have the Stingers logo on your T-shirt instead of having ‘Concordia Flag Football,’ it is a difference for these girls,” Labonté said. “They earn it, they deserve it.”

The RSEQ will hold a vote in February 2025, and it’s there that a decision will be made regarding varsity status for all participating universities. The sport’s growing popularity—such as its addition to the Olympic Games in 2028—has made for a compelling case to join a team, according to Virgona-McGovern.

“To be able to have coaches that know flag, that their primary sport is flag, and learn from those people,” Virgona-McGovern said, “it makes me very optimistic for the future of flag as a growing sport and it makes me happy to see Quebec at the forefront of the Canadian world of flag.”

The Link contacted the RSEQ for comment and did not receive a response in time for publication.

11

SPORTS

Concordia football well-represented at RSEQ awards Three Stingers take home Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec honours Anthony Maruca

@_maruca27

T

he Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) announced the individual football award winners for the 2024-25 regular season on Friday, Nov. 8. The event was held on the Université Laval campus, the host of the Dunsmore Cup game.

Of the 10 individual awards, Concordia football was represented three times. The awards were given to defensive backs Mendel Joseph and Isaac Pepin, and assistant coach Émilie Pfeiffer Badoux. Joseph was named defensive player of the year, Pepin won the leadership award and Pfeiffer Badoux won assistant coach of the year.

Stingers football head coach Brad Collinson praised all three award winners, expressing how fortunate the organization was to have them.

“As a coach, seeing them reach their individual goals is incredible,” Collinson said.

Joseph played his second season as a Concordia Stinger excellently, earning him the honour.

“It was amazing for real,” Joseph

said, recalling how it felt surreal to win the award. “When coach told me, I needed some time to take it all in.”

Opposing quarterbacks may not have often thrown the ball his way, but when they did, it was not with much success. In eight games played, Joseph finished the 2024-25 regular season with 21 solo tackles, six pass breakups and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

“You could tell [the] offences respected him,” Collinson said. “They didn’t throw much to his side.”

Joseph’s play impacted the game in many tangible ways, but he was also on a mission to make a psychological impact on the opposing team.

“I want the opposing quarterback to fear throwing the ball to my side,” Joseph said.

Pepin took home the leadership award thanks to his philanthropic work off the field and leadership in the locker room. Collinson raved about Pepin’s involvement in his community and his drive to help others.

“What he’s done is exceptional,” Collinson said. “We look forward to what we can accomplish with him moving forward.”

Pepin took some time to adapt to his new environment in NotreDame-de-Grâce last season after playing high school football in Tennessee, USA. The second-year player has now fully integrated and become involved within his new community, as he worked diligently with a local charity. Pepin’s work within the community will be demonstrated publicly shortly, with an announcement coming soon, as per Collinson.

Pfeiffer Badoux was recognized as assistant coach of the year for her impact in the locker room and staff meetings. Collinson highlighted her work ethic as a full-time police officer in Montreal on top of coaching and still being able to be such a crucial part of their operation.

“She’s been incredible,” Collinson said. “The number of hours she puts in, it’s unbelievable.”

The Stingers football program

received credit for hiring a female coaching assistant in a male-dominated space, but Collinson said that wasn’t on his mind at the time of the hire.

“We interviewed her and other candidates, but she came out on top,” Collinson said. “It had nothing to do with gender, she was simply the

most qualified.”

The Concordia football team finished the season with a 2-6 record, finishing fourth in the RSEQ division, and falling to the Laval Rouge et Or in the RSEQ semifinal. The Stingers hope to combine individual and team success next fall as they look forward to the 2025-26 season.

DEFENSIVE BACK MENDEL JOSEPH WAS ONE OF TWO STINGERS PLAYERS TO TAKE HOME RSEQ AWARDS. PHOTO CAROLINE MARSH

Hotspots for PWHL expansion Many North American cities are considered for a franchise Louis Paillier

T

he Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced in late October its intention to grow with up to two new teams for the 2025-26 season.

Here are a few cities you should keep an eye on to potentially secure a PWHL team.

Chicago, Illinois, USA Chicago seems like a match made in heaven. The city already has an original six National Hockey League (NHL) franchise in the

Blackhawks, possessing a rich history and a passionate fanbase. The Blackhawks had the fifth-highest attendance in 2023-24. It would be surprising to see Chicago’s United Center accommodate another team’s games, as the Blackhawks and the National Basketball Association’s Chicago Bulls both use the arena for their home games.

However, the city’s Wintrust Arena holds a capacity of over 10,000 fans—perfect for a PWHL team.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Another potential great fit

THE PWHL ANNOUNCED ITS INTENTION TO ADD TWO MORE TEAMS FOR THE 2025-26 SEASON. GRAPHIC UDIT HASIJA

would be Pittsburgh. The city’s PPG Paints Arena hosted a PWHL game between Montreal and Toronto last season, which drew just under 9,000 people. The arena is only home to the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, which makes scheduling much easier if it were to host a PWHL team’s games. Also, seeing the iconic Pittsburgh black and yellow colourway in the league would be awesome.

Detroit, Michigan, USA The city that is most likely to get a franchise, might be De-

troit. Motor City, like Chicago, is home to an original six NHL franchises, the Red Wings. Given its proximity to other PWHL franchises like Toronto, Montreal and Boston, securing a franchise here makes perfect sense. Boston and Ottawa played a neutral-site game at Little Caesars Arena last year, breaking records. It was the highest-attended PWHL game in the United States, with more than 13,500 people in attendance. Like the Blackhawks, the Red Wings had the fourth-highest attendance last year, ending the season fourth in that category, which is further proof that Detroit is already a hockey-crazy market.

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax does not have an NHL franchise, but it does have a team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Halifax Mooseheads, who have a fantastic fanbase. Last year, they finished second in attendance.

Halifax will also be a lucky host of the Canada-USA women’s hockey Rivalry Series, which will come to

the Nova Scotia capital on Feb. 6, 2025. It’ll be a great opportunity for fans to show others the extent of Halifax’s love for hockey, and prove why they deserve a PWHL franchise. With the Scotiabank Centre and its capacity of over 11,000 seats, the city is well-equipped to support such a venture. While they aren’t the flashiest market, keep an eye on Halifax as a dark horse to land a team.

Quebec City, Quebec The PWHL already has teams in Montreal, but that hasn’t stopped the rumblings surrounding Quebec City. Ever since the Quebec Nordiques left Quebec for Colorado, USA in 1995, many have been vocal about their desire to bring an NHL franchise back to Quebec. It could make a lot of sense to bring a PWHL franchise to the provincial capital. The Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL had the best attendance last year, and there’s no doubt Quebecers would come in droves to watch another hockey franchise.

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OPINIONS

12

Forming a misogyn-army, one post at a time How “manosphere” creators are reinforcing patriarchy in young cis-boys Sean Richard

I

t seems like every man is running a podcast telling his audience about the plight of modern cis-men.

Young boys, the primary audience of these podcasts, are getting indoctrinated by the so-called “manosphere,” an internet ecosystem that preaches self-improvement next to extreme forms of misogyny.

Andrew Tate, a 37-year-old British-American retired kickboxer, is the face of this movement. Despite being arrested on Dec. 29, 2023, for human trafficking and rape, he continues to gain fans around the world.

Tate’s content consists of short-form TikTok videos in which he explicitly uses deeply misogynistic rhetoric to farm engagement and discourse. His goal is to direct people to his online academy, Hustlers University.

A shirtless man smoking a cigar surrounded by multiple luxurious cars and women is an image that can be alluring to some, leaving young impressionable minds searching for the lifestyle Tate advertises. However, the attainment of this ideal conditions young boys’ brains into thinking that they must embody problematic behaviours; they must

emulate Tate’s personality and beliefs to attain a life of luxury.

This highlights a failure of systemic patriarchy, socializing men into thinking Tate is someone to look up to. When a man experiences some form of rejection or hurt, in-

stead of self-reflecting on his behaviour or asking for help, he is encouraged to blame women. This is the feeling that people like Tate wish to exploit through misogyny and other forms of bigotry.

Feminist author bell hooks de-

scribes in her book The Will to Change how patriarchy hardens boys into thinking that there is no alternative. She explains that boys who are brutalized by patriarchy end up embracing the same behaviour that originally hurt them.

TOXIC MASCULINITY HAS INFILTRATED SOCIAL MEDIA AND IS INFLUENCING YOUNG MEN. GRAPHIC NAYA HACHWA

Social media algorithms fuel this mindset, putting a spotlight on this exact type of content. If you interact with it once, you are offered a sea of misogynistic content and creators who preach it. This concerning trend in young boys is leading to worried educators sharing that this way of thinking is making marginalized students feel unsafe in the classroom. Boys become alienated from making diverse social connections, and this ideology radicalizes them into adopting deeply conservative attitudes. This incentivizes harassment of or assault against minorities.

Change starts with calling out your male friends when they say something out of pocket. We all seek validation from our peers, and being honest about the problematic behaviour of the men in your life is better than going along with it.

As it continues to grow in popularity, this movement will not disappear any time soon. But in every interaction where we accept this behaviour, we involuntarily perpetuate its existence.

You do not have to be fuelled with hatred and anger to be a man.

Am I the main character?

Social media’s tendency to fuel egocentrism

Y

ou are the main character of your life—but can you recognize that, beyond your own perspective, billions of other “main characters” live unaware of your story?

In an era dominated by self-focused social media, it’s easy to get lost in our own narratives, fuelling a culture that is breeding a narcissistic generation.

From a perfectly curated profile for others to see to the constant presence of photos and videos in daily life, egotistical behaviour manifests itself in various ways, making you hyper-aware of your appearance at all times.

I've had many comforting moments of sonder—that sudden realization that every passerby has a life as rich and complex as my own. Social media, however, tends to pull us in the opposite direction, making us take ourselves too seriously and convincing us that the world is much smaller than it really is.

A popular message circulat-

ing on social media is the idea that anything that "no longer serves me" can simply be discarded. While shedding toxic aspects of life can be healthy, this mindset sometimes feels overused—even misplaced. It suggests that conflicts or challenges, like a disagreement with a friend, aren’t worth working through if they don’t immediately serve our needs.

This attitude risks fostering an expectation that life should always cater to us, as though we’re owed a frictionless experience.

On the other hand, "romanticizing your life," also popularized by social media, is a concept that I actually support. This mindset is not purely a product of the internet.

Long before social media, people found ways to add beauty and meaning to their everyday lives. It’s a wonderful outlook to have, but the danger lies in becoming too self-oriented and neglecting essential connections.

Despite being more interconnected than ever, genuine in-

VOLUME 45 • NOVEMBER 19, 2024

terest in others’ lives seems to be fading. We seem to be in a “texting burnout”—many of us are exhausted and no longer want to answer our messages. I’ve noticed fewer people reaching out just to ask how someone is doing; texting to catch up has become rare, almost burdensome.

It’s strange that we now rely so heavily on social media to give us daily updates about each other, removing the intentional effort to directly check-in. On the rare occasions that we actually reach out, we leave each other’s messages unanswered for days, leaving conversations fragmented and divided by lapses in time.

Not everyone slips into these patterns, nor do I believe it’s always intentional, but it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on how we connect with others.

When we really look at our habits, we might realize just how much we’re missing in each other’s lives and how absorbed we are in our own.

Claudia Beaudoin

SOCIAL MEDIA IS FEEDING OUR EGO. GRAPHIC SYLVIA DAI

@claudiaclx

13

OPINIONS

Beyond the final girl The uniquely feminine horror films of 2024 Chloe Siohan

F

or generations, women in horror have functioned as “the final girl,” who is typically tough and agile, but not much else.

Carol J. Clover, who coined the term, considered the final girl trope to be based on sexist assumptions about gender roles when it first emerged in horror cinema. Clover asserted that women who partied and were openly sexual were the first ones to be killed off. Therefore, only the most modest women prevailed, but not before becoming corrupted through physical violence.

I would argue that the final girl is the hellspawn of cinema, created to satisfy the male gaze, a concept created by Laura Mulvey in 1973.

Mulvey argues that there is inherent voyeurism in watching a movie that can be exemplified through highly sexualized shots of women that appeal to men. The male gaze ends up reinforcing normative gender roles, such as the glorification of modesty that’s embodied in the final girl trope.

However, the horror genre has evolved with time, as evidenced by

this year’s films. In 2024, a subcat- boundaries of an already disturb- in unrealistic, self-harming ways. egory of horror cinema that touch- ing genre to effectively commenFilms such as The Substance es upon uniquely feminine and tate on the reality that 40 per cent question the physical and mental gendered themes has spawned, of women around the world face: suffering women put themselves through films such as The First a lack of control over their own through to retain status in an aesOmen, Immaculate, The Substance, bodies. Immaculate echoes similar thetic-obsessed Hollywood. Faced Smile 2 and others. with the possibility Some of the of becoming young critical themes reagain, albeit with conditions, the prolated to femininity tagonist has no issue that are explored in injecting herself with horror movies this a mysterious new year are concepdrug, despite the potion and childbirth tential for serious conagainst one’s will. sequences. Director They are turned Coralie Fargeat’s perinto horrific, viosonal feelings regardlating endeavours, ing aging are explored echoing the conthrough a queasy body cerns of women in horror lens that aca world where accurately depicts the cess to abortion beviolent toll these issues comes increasingly take on women. The restricted in places HORROR MOVIES HAVE BECOME A COMMENTARY ON THE FEMALE EXPERIENCE. GRAPHIC OLIVIAN SHAN industry-wide objectilike the United fi cation of women has led to nearStates. concerns by depicting the horror ly one-third of women in the U.S. Arkasha Stevenson’s direction one woman endures when she feeling self-conscious about their of The First Omen is particularly conceives non-consensually. bodies, making it a salient topic to brutal, sparing no details in one Horror films this year also exexplore in such a gruesome way. birth scene with visceral, gory plore the pressures women face while Smile 2 brings forward the close-ups. Stevenson pushes the being expected to look and perform

crushing burdens that women are expected to handle, and the consequences when they aren’t believed about their experiences.

Tortured by disturbing visions, the main character is constantly crying out for help, but no one seems to listen. While Smile 2 is riddled with jumpscares and other crowd-pleasing moments, its underlying message advocates for a society where women’s mental health is taken more seriously amidst a culture that undermines women’s experiences.

These are only a few horror films this year that highlight uniquely feminine themes— MaXXXine flips the “modest” final girl trope on its head by centring the film on an adult film star; Heretic points out the dangers of male control through an evisceration of religious doctrines that keep women metaphorically caged.

In a multitude of ways, 2024 horror films moved beyond simply portraying the stereotypical final girl, offering more nuance on the intersections between femininity and horror.

The twenties dilemma The beautiful chaos of being in your 20s

I

n recent years, the concept of the quarter-life crisis has gained significant attention, highlighting the unique challenges individuals in their 20s face.

It captures the mix of uncertainty and anxiety that comes with trying to find your footing as you transition into adulthood. You’re juggling newfound independence with overwhelming pressure to make all the right decisions, and it often leaves you feeling more lost than prepared.

If you had told 15-year-old me that I’d leave my family home and move to a new city, I would’ve laughed in your face. But there I was, 17 years old, signing a Montreal lease in the summer of 2020, just a couple of months after graduating high school.

Maybe it was growing up in a North African household with the expectation that one must stay and take care of the home, or maybe it was all the movies that made independence in your early 20s seem

out of reach.

It was thrilling and terrifying in equal measure.

After four years of living in Montreal, I’ve begun to feel the weight of that pressure myself. What once felt thrilling and new has started to shift. The novelty of living on my own, exploring the city, and trying new things has worn off.

As I approach graduation, it all feels more serious—Montreal might actually become my long-term home. With that possibility, the uncertainties of the future are starting to set in.

I can’t shake the feeling of being in a strange, in-between phase.

Everyone keeps saying these are the years to live it up, that you’ll never be this young or have this many opportunities again. It feels like a countdown, where every choice carries more weight than it should, intensifying my fear of wasting time.

I want to try things for the sake of it, to experience the thrill of the unknown, but it’s hard to ignore the

creeping awareness that the choices I make now shape the person I’ll become. I can feel my fear of getting

Safa Hachi older creeping into the centre of my decision-making process, making me question if I am doing enough or

YOUR 20S ARE A TERRIFYING TIME OF SELF-DISCOVERY. GRAPHIC SARA SALSABILI

@safahachi

if I'm on the right track. Every boring weekend, failed date and missed job opportunity feels like I'm letting time slip through my fingers.

These feelings are the key element of the quarter-life crisis, a developmental phase filled with self-reflection and personal exploration. While it may feel overwhelming, these moments often lead to meaningful growth and a strong sense of identity.

All this being said, I wouldn’t change a thing about this period of my life.

The tension between the freedom to choose and the pressure to get it right is exactly what makes being in your 20s both exhilarating and unsettling. It’s a beautiful kind of chaos, it allows you to explore all the possibilities life has to offer.

Maybe the grey area, despite being uncertain, messy and hard to navigate, is exactly where I need to be, where the real growth happens.

For now, I’ll welcome the chaos as it comes.

THELINKNEWSPAPER.CA

OPINIONS

14

Are podcasts the new voice of the people?

Podcasts are redefining the way we share and listen to stories Emma Augello

S

torytelling has always been the way we’ve received and delivered news. We live in such a fastpaced world that we have grown comfortable with receiving news in a rapid and condensed way.

Podcasts have transformed and simplified the way we normally get our news.

Podcasts have a long history, dating back to the 1980s when they were known as “audioblogs.”

They gained popularity over time, but it wasn’t until the release of the true-crime series Serial in 2014 that they were launched into the mainstream. This series broke records that year, gaining 300 million downloads in its first season.

Ten years later, the concept of podcasting has become widely popular, with an average of 12 million Canadians tuning in each month across various platforms in 2023. It’s now extremely simple to find podcasts on platforms like Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts or even Spotify.

What’s great about podcasts is that they can vary in length, and you can easily pause and resume them whenever you want. You can listen to them anytime, anywhere: On a morning run, at the gym or even on your way to work.

The podcast world is so diverse, and because of this, it allows there to be many different genres. There are over 15 podcast categories on Spotify alone.

Podcasts have allowed journalists to explore stories in greater depth, providing rich context, nuance and a human touch. By combining journalistic practices and a new format, podcasts give reporters the opportunity for experimentation, all while giving the listener an engaging experience. These elements are much harder to obtain on traditional media platforms like radio, due to

PODCASTS ARE REVOLUTIONIZING JOURNALISM. GRAPHIC MYRIAM OUAZZANI

the need to confine news into predetermined time slots that must easily grasp people's attention.

Media outlets are branching out into audio storytelling, attracting a group of consumers who are eager to listen. News outlets such as CBC have even launched their own podcasts to try and adapt to current trends and appeal to the younger generation. Podcasts are demonstrating

a societal shift toward consuming news and entertainment in a more personalized format.

Looking to the future, podcasts would not only be a great resource for journalism but could also push the boundaries of news coverage and consumption. They could develop into a popular and credible source for journalists.

As fake news proliferates, listeners are looking for trusted sources. By combining easy accessibility with the ability to explore complex topics more deeply, journalists can build stronger connections with their audiences, offering transparency and authenticity.

Podcasts are giving journalists the freedom to explore new realms within the industry, providing a platform for experimentation and creativity. As they continue to gain popularity, it's clear that podcasts will play a crucial role in keeping journalism relevant in our fast-paced society.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE: Living on the edge

BY YUUYA COOK

VOLUME 45 • NOVEMBER 19, 2024

EDITORIAL

15

Disclose. Divest.

We will not stop, we will not rest.

F

rom protests to walkouts to encampments, the fight for Palestinian liberation has been upheld with strength in academic institutions across Quebec. Now, strikes are being organized across different universities and CEGEPs. Since Oct. 7, 2023, student associations at Concordia University have requested that their institution divests from its financial ties to Israel. The Palestinian Youth Movement and the Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR) chapters across Montreal have called for a strike on Nov. 21 and Nov. 22 to protest the ongoing Palestinian genocide. More than 45,000 students across Montreal will participate, including eight Concordia student associations.

According to SPHR Concordia, students demand that Concordia disclose its investment portfolio, eliminate its ties with any Zionist entities, and end its employment partnerships with companies such as Airbus and Bombardier, which continue to supply firearms complicit in the genocide of Palestinians. By continuing to hide its partnerships, the university is intentionally ignoring its students' ethical concerns.

The anti-genocide movement has highlighted the university administration’s complete disinterest in listening to its students.

The university consistently turns a blind eye to their requests. However, this mobilization highlights the continued commitment of the student body to the Palestinian

Volume 45, Issue 6 Tuesday, November 19, 2024 Concordia University Library Building, Room LB-717 1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Montreal, Quebec H3G 2V8 Editor: 514-848-2424 x. 7407 Arts: 514-848-2424 x. 5813 News: 514-848-2424 x. 8682 Business: 514-848-7406 Advertising: 514-848-7406

OVER A HUNDRED FINE ARTS STUDENTS GATHERED IN THE VAV GALLERY TO PASS A MOTION TO STRIKE ON NOV. 18. PHOTO ALICE MARTIN

cause. This strike is meant to challenge Concordia’s indifference.

The Link stands by students who have voted to go on strike.

We refuse to stay complicit in the genocide of Palestinians, and we will continue to use our voice to denounce Concordia’s apathy.

Student movements have proven many times to be the key to real and tangible change. The ongoing strikes are part of this effective form of activism, showcasing the power of collective action.

Students are making their voices heard and their stances clear.

As the movement for Palestin-

ian liberation continues to gain momentum, students find various ways to remove financial power from companies contributing to the genocide. The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement encourages people to refrain from consuming brands known for being complicit, like Amazon and McDonald’s.

This movement has grown, spreading itself to all corners of the world. The boycott has greatly affected corporations such as Starbucks, which has lost over US$11 billion in value since November 2023. The BDS movement has left

an impact, not only in terms of university divestment campaigns but also in the financial world.

But it isn’t only about individuals boycotting. Movements supporting a free Palestine will take thousands of people demanding change. We are seeing this advocacy right in front of our eyes.

We can expect over 7,000 Concordia community members to mobilize at the time of publication.

This strike will consist of picketing classes, chanting and setting up tables as a way to educate students who are not in the loop, all in solidarity with the cause. For the

student associations who have yet to call a general assembly, The Link encourages them to do so.

However, the worry for students’ safety is looming heavy on every participant, considering students have been facing a significant increase in police and security presence on campus. On Sept. 25, three students were arrested during a student walkout for Palestine.

A month later on Oct. 31, two students were arrested during a “Cops Off Campus” protest.

As multiple instances of profiling and discrimination come forward, we wonder if students will be protected or harmed. Concordia has tried, on multiple occasions, to silence its students. The events demonstrate a pattern of escalating tension and brutalization.

That is unacceptable.

Due to the current climate, The Link cannot even guarantee the safety of its staff while covering the strikes. We should, at bare minimum, expect—not wish—for the safety of our staff who are exercising their right to cover such demonstrations.

Although we cannot predict how the strikes will go, we hope that the students in unity, stay safe and look out for each other and that Concordia thinks twice before calling the SPVM to be its guard dog.

The Link calls on Concordia to listen to its students; to disclose and to divest. Power to the student movement, as it has shown it will not stop and it will not rest.

The Link is published twelve times during the academic year by The Link Publication Society Inc. Content is independent of the university and student associations (ECA, CASA, ASFA, FASA, CSU). Editorial policy is set by an elected board as provided for in The Link 's constitution. Any student is welcome to work on The Link and become a voting staff member. Material appearing in The Link may not be reproduced without prior written permision from The Link. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters 400 words or less will be printed, space permitting. The letters deadine is Friday at 4:00 p.m. The Link reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length and refuse those deemed racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, libellous or otherwise contrary to The Link 's statement of principles.

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Coordinating Editor Creative Director Co-News Editors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2024 - 2025: Voting Members: Jessica Hungate, Miriam Lafontaine, Iness Rifay | Non-Voting Members: Hannah Vogan, Varda Nisar, Jonathan Cook.

TYPESETTING by The Link PRINTING by Hebdo-Litho.

CONTRIBUTORS: Soraya Yale-Ramanathan, Safa Hachi, Zachary Cheung, Jocelyn Gardner, Hannah Kazemi, Valerie Page, Amelle Margaron, Cole Cooper, Conor Tomalty, Anthony Maruca, Louis Paillier, Sean Richard, Chloe Siohan, Emma Augello, David Joussemet-Beaudoin, Caroline Marsh, Udit Hasija, Yuuya Cook, Sylvia Dai. House Ads: Myriam Ouazzani, Panos Michalakopoulos Cover: Myriam Ouazzani

Features Editor Fringe Arts Editor Sports Editor Opinions Editor Photo Editor Video Editor Graphics Editor Copy Editor Business Manager

HANNAH VOGAN ALICE MARTIN MARIA CHOLAKOVA PANOS MICHALAKOPOULOS GENEVIÈVE SYLVESTRE HANNAH SCOTT-TALIB CLAUDIA BEAUDOIN INDIA DAS-BROWN JARED LACKMAN-MINCOFF LORY SAINT-FLEUR ANDRAÉ LERONE LEWIS MATTHEW DALDALIAN MYRIAM OUAZZANI DANA HACHWA VARDA NISAR

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