The McGill Tribune Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017 | VOL. 37 | ISSUE 4
FEATURE
McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE
EDITORIAL
POP RHETORIC
The irony of social media How technology makes us lonely
McGill residences: More than just a roof overhead
PGs. 8-9
PG. 5
Selling post-horror
Studios mismarket art-house thrillers, viewers pay the price at the box office
PG. 12
(Daria Kiseleva / The McGill Tribune)
Markets of Montreal: A guide to exploring Montreal’s fall food venues PG 16
Playing the polite host: How Harbison critics made a statement without saying anything at all Keating Reid Contributor As I sat waiting for George Harbison’s “The Victims of Socialism” talk, hosted by the Conservative Association at McGill University, one thing was clear: Its organizers
were hoping for the best, but had prepared for the worst. A uniformed security officer guarded the door, and several more were inside, along with at least one in plain clothes. The Conservative McGill executives, seated in the front row, seemed to be making nervous small talk. Their anxiety wasn’t without cause: In the days prior, the event’s Facebook
Intersessions encourages accessibility and diversity in DJ culture Meagan Peters
Contributor
There is a distinct lack of diversity in the Montreal electronic music scene. Many hopeful musicians feel the music industry is inaccessible because of the group of predominantly heteronormative males controlling it. Intersessions, founded in Vancouver by electronic musicians Rhi Blossom and Chippy Nonstop, is a series of workshops working to change this lack of diversity
by providing underrepresented demographics with DJ and music production classes. The project’s goal is to address the electronic music industry’s remarkable gender and sexuality-based imbalance by providing inexpensive classes for people on the LGBTQIA2S+ spectrum. On Sept. 19, Montreal’s first production workshop was hosted at Outro, a local company that provides creators with access to free artist-to-artist samples and loops. Musicians Blossom and Maddie Ross led the workshop in Outro’s studio space. PG. 12
event page had degenerated into a lawless Internet brawl, replete with accusations of threat-making and white supremacism. While Harbison’s talk consisted mostly of recapping the undeniable atrocities committed by communist regimes, he went on to claim that left-wing academics possess an “intellectual, self-serving pathology.”
And then… nothing. No chanting protestors, no shouting audience, and no pulled fire alarms. The talk was completed without interruption. During the Q&A session that followed, several audience members made comments challenging Harbison, which generally led to brief, civil debates.
PG. 6
Phishing scam plagues McGill student inboxes McGill IT Department warns against dangers of fraudulent links Caitlyn McConnell Contributor Since the summer, students have reported receiving ‘phished’ messages in their McGill emails. ‘Phishing’ is the fraudulent practice of impersonating a credible source and sending emails requesting the reader to hand over personal details. The emails had subject lines such as “Verify Your Email!,” or “Important Alert from McGill University Admin” and contained fraudulent links requesting personal account
information. Phishing attempts have recently received national media attention with organizations like Wells Fargo, Yahoo!, and the Democratic National Committee reporting breaches. Such attacks occur more frequently during times of the year when people need to submit personal information. For the general public, this is often during holidays such as Cyber Monday, Boxing Day, and Christmas, when massive increases in online shopping take place. In McGill’s case, the start of
the semester and course registration typically mark a significant increase in fraudulent emails. In a statement to The McGill Tribune, the McGill IT Department explained how these phishing attempts endanger students. “Once a criminal gets access to your data, they will likely sell personal information to third parties, and look for additional information that they may use to gain access into more lucrative sources, like your online bank account,” the statement read. PG. 4