Volume 121 • Issue 3 • March 2014
DYSTOPIAN TIMES + exclusive photographs and coverage of trinity come dancing 2014
EDITOR’S NOTE
– DO NOT PLACE TEA HERE
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that most occasional student magazine readers will religiously ignore the editor’s note. Instead, it is commonly used as a mug-mat for stale coffee, or as the final resting place of a discarded slice of Mizzoni’s pizza, covering the common niceties which plague the awful text. Such as: • excessive expressions of gratitude on your picking up the magazine in the first place; • useless camaraderie over the weather; • expressions of astonishment at the time of the year, followed by the inevitable “WOW. Time flies”; • a clarifying statement on the theme of the issue, in case the glaring writing on the front cover had somehow managed to escape your notice; • and finally, more sycophantism and common niceties about hoping that you will “enjoy the read” Not of course wanting to break such a cherished tradition: How lovely that you picked this up, truly. The magazine really appreciates this. Well now, the weather has been awful, has it not? Difficult to believe it is March already, GOSH! Time really does fly. This is issue will deal with the topic of scientific progress and the dystopian possibilities that could await us in the future, a topic which gains in relevance everyday, as internet giants such as Google and Facebook assume qualities reminiscent of Big Brother. This issue also includes an exclusive coverage of Trinity Come Dancing. We, here at MISC, really do hope that you enjoy the read. Editor MISC: Trinity College Miscellany Magazine is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. This scheme, in addition to defending the freedom of the press, offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear
MISC: Trinity College Miscellany Magazine
6 Trinity College Dublin 2 www.trinitymisc.com trinitymisc@gmail.com
Printed by Grehan Printers, 12 Brunswick House, Dublin 2
C O N T E N T S
EDITOR Denise Wilkinson
PolItically Minded 4 Better, Faster, Stronger:
DEPUTY EDITOR & POLITICS EDITOR Cillian Ó Fathaigh
Potential Developments of Biotechnology and Capitalism William Foley
GEEK OUT EDITOR Matthew Corbally
7 Ed-Tech Henry Longden
ONLINE EDITOR Bernard Mackey
8 Missed Connections of the Third Kind Tommy Gavin
DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR Thady Senior
Voices
ILLUSTRATIONS AND ARTWORK Michelle Buckley Denise Wilkinson Mary-Ellen Cullinan Charli Mathews
11 Dance The Night Away:
Trinity Come Dancing Exclusive MISC TCDancing Team
ADVERTISING, PR AND EVENTS Aisling Ní Mhaoláin Lydia Fischer-Dooley Máiréad Ní Chonghaile
20 Don Jon: Taking a Subtle
Hatchet to your 21st Century Porn Ben Collopy
BUSINESS Ciara Forristal
Geek Out 22 Never Let Me Live: Utilitarian Science and Social Conditioning Matthew Corbally
24 Sons of the Frontier / The Frontier of Anarchy Ciara Forristal
26 Horror of Horrors: A
...are you sure he’ s not just a really tall
Ewok?
(...more AGONIES on page 30)
COPY EDITORS Ciara Forristal Aisling Ní Mhaoláin WEBSITE www.trinitymisc.com EMAIL trinitymisc@gmail.com
Desperate Need for Catharsis Katie Clover
28 Conventional Attractions: Anime, Comic and Gaming Conventions in Ireland Matthew Corbally
29 Remembering Philip Seymour Hoffman Ben Collopy
SPECIAL THANKS All at the MIS© Committee, Trinity Publications, Mark and all staff at Grehan Printers, Thady Senior, James O’Connor, Aisling Ní Mhaoláin, The Noel Fortune Orchestra, Maureen Butler and everyone at Trinity Come Dancing 2014 CONTENTS PAGE ILLUSTRATION Michelle Buckley COVER ARTWORK Denise Wilkinson
politically minded
BETTER, FASTER,
STRONGER POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND CAPITALISM By WILLIAM FOLEY Illustrated by MARY-ELLEN CULLINAN
I
t is a curious and probably unique feature of the human species that there is often a gap between our potential and our actual life activity. This is the result of a certain dynamic between the material faculties and capabilities of our bodies and the social and historical particulars of our existence. If it is true that, as thinkers such as Aristotle and Marx have claimed, to realise our human essence is to actualise our characteristic human potential, then the form that this realisation takes is modified according to the given historical epoch. For example, if I were a Celtic bard I would realise my faculty for creating and playing music by penning planxties in honour of my patron. Today, however, I would do so by playing in stadiums to tens of thousands of people. How we realise our essence – the material faculties and potential of our bodies –is defined according to the historical and social context in which we live. Thus far, the variable in this dynamic has been the social and historical context, whereas the biological facts of our body have remained (more or less) constant. The advent of biotechnology, however, has changed the coordinates of this relationship. Potentially, future scientific advances in the field of biotechnology could allow us to “enhance” our natural capabilities.
Future scientific advances in “ the field of biotechnology could
allow us to “enhance” our natural capabilities
”
To what extent this will be possible is unclear – the line between realistic predictions and science fiction becomes more blurred the further we gaze into the future. Nevertheless, many eminent
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scientists are sanguine about the prospects. James Watson, who was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1962 for his role in the discovery of the structure of DNA, is enthusiastic about enhancement: “And the other thing, because no one really has the guts to say it, I mean, if we could make better human beings by knowing how to add genes, why shouldn’t we do it?”
The science of reprogenetics “ would allow parents to “design”
their own babies giving them increased intelligence, enhanced strength and superior physical beauty
”
This kind of human enhancement genetics will most likely be centred within the discipline of “reprogenetics” – a word coined by Lee Silver, a professor of molecular biology at Princeton. In other words, the science of reprogenetics would allow parents to “design” their own babies giving them increased intelligence, enhanced strength and superior physical beauty. If we admit that this is possible, and if we accept that it is ethically admissible to tinker with a foetus’ genome, there are still further moral challenges. The philosopher Slavoj Zizek has identified four “antagonisms” which threaten the indefinite reproduction of capitalism. These centre round the enclosure of new “commons” – the privatisation of what was previously public and shared. One of these commons is the “commons of internal nature”. If reprogenetics is developed into a viable science under capitalism, control over the “biogenetic inheritance of the human race” (ie: the material faculties of our bodies) will be in the hands of privately owned firms. Furthermore, access to genetic enhancements
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politically minded will be distributed disproportionally – those with higher incomes will have greater access. This antagonism leads to two problems. The first one is that biogenetics will entrench class structures. As Bourdieu has pointed out, the education system is one of the primary means through which class is “reproduced”. The upper classes impart their superior cultural capital to their children who then perform better at school, and go on to the best universities and thus the best jobs.
“
Only communism can guarantee that any enhancements of the human essence will be carried out collectively and without the division of humanity and the destruction of universal morality
”
Biogenetics will allow wealthy parents to literally reproduce social class through imparting genetic enhancements to their children which give them a natural superiority over children of the lower class. Yet there is a more radical consequence of genetic enhancement under capitalism. This is spelled out by Professor Lee Silver in his 1998 book Remaking Eden. In the epilogue of his book (written as a sci-fi pastiche carried off with as much grace as you might expect from a professor of molecular biology), Silver sketches the projected consequences of genetic enhancement centuries into the future. Despite the casual superficiality of their presentation, his predictions have a frighteningly logical inevitability. Silver predicts that a radical division will emerge between the “GenRich” – the class containing those wealthy enough to afford genetic enhancements – and the “GenNaturals” – the lower classes who remain genetically “normal”. The upper echelons of society, as well as all athletes, artists and entertainers will be exclusively GenRich. The consequences of this for our very conception of human nature and for our notions of a universal morality are startling. Universal morality, as Terry Eagleton has pointed out, is rooted in the universality of the human body. The human body is of course intrinsically linked to the human essence which is, as established above, the realisation of characteristic human potential. This potential is defined by the material faculties of our body. But the huge
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gulf between the biological faculties of the GenRich and GenNatural would entail, ultimately, a fundamental gap between ultimately different essences. This, as such, would betoken the end of universal morality. Significantly, Silver regards this trend as inevitable and non-preventable for a society which values personal liberty and private enterprise. Even Humanity+, an organisation devoted to advocating the transhumanist agenda, admits that the spoils of biotechnological advancements would be distributed disproportionately, with the lion’s share going to the wealthy. In other words, the radical biological division of humanity along class lines is a product of capitalism. Silver quotes Wells who predicted just such a “splitting of the human species” in his novel The Time Machine. Wells attributes the splitting to “the gradual widening of the present merely temporary and social difference between the Capitalist and Labourer.” To discover the actual social implications of such a development we need to look back to Aristotle who, in The Politics, envisions his ideal republic. In this republic, political
rules are the exclusive preserve of the aristocrats whose natural faculties suit them to a life of rule and the gentlemanly pursuit of excellence in the arts, athletics and philosophy. The subordinate classes are naturally inferior and are capable of only unthinking servitude. This outcome is considered morally desirable by Aristotle, given the radical difference in essence between the aristocrats and the lower classes.
Biogenetics will allow wealthy “parents to literally reproduce
social class through imparting genetic enhancements to their children which give them a natural superiority over children of the lower class
”
In today’s age, we would regard such a society as repugnant, as we believe all humans to be the same in essence. But the development of genetic enhancement technology under capitalism is a clear threat to the notion of a universal human essence and a universal human morality. The logical entailment of such a society is Aristole’s Republic with the aristocrats replaced by the GenRich and the GenNaturals as their subordinates.
will entrench class “Biogenetics structures ” For Zizek, the solution to this new enclosure of the commons is clear: communism. Only communism can guarantee that any enhancement of the human essence will be carried out collectively and without the division of humanity and the destruction of universal morality. Indeed, figures such as Trotsky saw socialism as an opportunity to overcome the “many contradictions” of humanity’s spontaneous evolution. It is clear then that History has not ended in the triumph of liberal capitalism. The attempt to enclose the commons of internal nature will lead to new antagonism and the spectre of communism will return to its old hunting grounds.
William Foley is a Senior Freshman student of PPE
ED-TECH By HENRY LONGDEN
T
his year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas was most striking for what it lacked. The most innovative trend — which was highlighted in many keynote speeches — was the rise of wearable technology. Apart from clear issues surrounding privacy, for a lot of people the idea of telling the time while receiving iPhone notifications sounds a lot like…well, an iPhone. Electronic consumerism could hit new highs through the curved TV - but most probably won’t. So what about the future? A more encouraging trend is the growing impact of software in the classroom: 2013 was a huge year for educational technology (ed-tech). It is an area in its infancy and this year will define its future.
open access course spreads “An the progressive nature of an institution to an international audience
”
At the campus level there is a small, yet growing movement for universities to swap textbooks for tablets, and to offer wireless lectures through open programs such as iTunes U. Some studies have shown podcasts to be a more effective learning vehicle than traditional lectures, allowing students to repeat difficult sections and pick their own study hours. This hits at the heart of what edtech is capable of achieving: provision of an increasingly tailored education for students of varying needs. Success has already been seen at lower levels of education: Salman Kahn, entrepreneur and founder of the Khan Academy, does not see ed-tech as a replacement for contact time, but rather a way of “flipping the classroom”, with instructional videos being viewed at home, and conventional “homework” being done under the supervision of a teacher in the classroom. Just as this has proved successful at the school level, universities should
embrace its advantages. Diminishing contact time with professors could be clawed back, with all basic lectures being made available through pre-recorded podcast. This should be seen as a process of digitally outsourcing the banal, and affording a space for analytical tutorage. Universities will also see growth in reputation: an open access course spreads the progressive nature of an institution to an international audience. As colleges fight to win the recognition of the world’s growing middle class, gains can be made through the “wireless campus”. Education in the US is currently in the lead: Lynn University are handing iPad Minis to freshman students; the Los Angeles Unified Schools District are equipping 655,000 high school students with the same; and Stanford, Yale and Harvard are providing the most popular Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS) globally. Timothy Savage, Associate Dean for Online Education at TCD, acknowledges this trend, commenting that “we welcome the disruptive potential of online learning”, he added that “[there are] a number of pilot programmes either under way or planned”. While this positon is hopeful, it also highlights the slow and cautious nature of European universities. The most important issue facing ed-tech is its ability to close rather than accentuate the education gap between the rich and poor. This is a job for software companies (in keeping programs free, and translating them into accessible forms), and governments providing suitable broadband speed and access to technology. There are increasing efforts to make this a reality; the free use of the Khan Academy boasts 10 million users a month in around 200 countries. Its content has been translated into over 28 languages and offers courses from basic maths to art history. The Khan Academy is being integrated into educators’ systems and is currently partnered with 200,000 teachers worldwide. The running cost is similar to a
medium sized school, with just 52 full-time employees. This program goes through 4 million exercises a day, giving teachers the opportunity to provide more personalised support in the classroom. The tablet computer has given the opportunity for greater computer literacy. Their ease of use and cheap production costs are having an impact in some of the world’s poorest countries. This was initially limited to charitable projects such as One Laptop Per Child, developing systems and gifting hardware to over two million children in South America. These projects have proven a failure in light of more efficient commercial alternatives. Technological improvements run at such a speed that profit-orientated competition will be the future of ed-tech provision. Since MIT developed a $100 laptop in 2006, Microsoft, Dell and IBM have all been concentrating efforts on Asia and Africa, developing more affordable computers which come loaded with educational software. While equal education still seems a pipe dream, the only conceivable way of achieving it is for ed-tech to be supported at both the non-profit and governmental level. At the moment, software growth has largely outpaced hardware provision, but there need not be such a disparity. Ninety-five percent of the world population now own a mobile phone, a statistic that was inconceivable a decade ago. Governments must work with technology companies to make sure their penetration into developing markets is fair, and low costs are not used to monopolise markets dependent on expensive broadband. By embracing ed-tech both on campus and in less developed countries, the impact of MOOCs will be accelerated, and the impact of technology can revolutionise equality of education.
Henry Longden is a Senior Sophister Student of Philosophy and Politics
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politically minded
MISSED CONNECTIONS OF THE
THIRD KIND By TOMMY GAVIN
T
here are some that say that the end of pre-history is within sight. As every smartphone is a camera and 140 character printing press, and google glass and successive surveillance and augmented reality technologies become prevalent and everything gets saved, we will conceivably in the near future reach a point of total history. Everything will be recorded and searchable. There will be indexes of indexes of search algorithms, whose purposes will be to search indexes of indexes. You could entertain a life well-spent devoted to theorising the implications of life in a society under such conditions, but spare a momentary thought for the fact that, somewhere, filed and tagged, will be the sum total of recorded instances of human encounters with Unidentified Flying Objects. In an era where smartphones are already prevalent and the ability to upload video to YouTube is taken for granted, it seems conclusive that we can now rule out the existence of ghosts and other terrestrial phenomena that you might have heard someone’s cousin’s friend having seen.But what of the extra-terrestrial? There’s a lot of space out there, and comparatively not a lot of satellites. Wikileaks and particularly Cablegate; in which classified US diplomatic cables dating as far back as 1966 were leaked, give us a small taste of what the total-historians will have in store. There is one cable from Morocco in 1976, in which Col Housni Benslimane and Maj Mohamed Lissaoui of the Royal Gendarmerie were sent by the King to the US embassy to discuss the sightings of UFOs over Morocco earlier that week. Silent silvery luminous circular shapes moving at slow speeds with intermittent trails of bright sparks had been seen over Casablanca, Marrakech and Rabat. They wanted to know if the USA had any information on the
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incidents, and shared what information they had, including drawings by the Major who was an eyewitness. The Colonel mentioned that the King was personally interested in the matter. So too was the diplomat, and in the cable he sent back to Washington he says “frankly I do not know what to make of these sightings,” and he asks for any information or assistance possible.
Assange has cryptically “Julian referred to cables yet to be released that mention UFOs ” A more recent cable, from 2007, refers to Unidentified Flying Objects, but only to the extent that the Turkish Air Force will shoot them down if they fly too close to the border. The cable relates to advance notice given to the Turkish government of US reconnaissance flights on the TurkeyIraq border. The only other Wikileaks cables concerning UFOs are of summaries from the Japanese media from the Tokyo office, and it seems that the Chief Cabinet Secretary in the government of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda from 2007 to 2008 was prone to complaining publicly about the government’s official view which rejected the existence of UFOs, contra to his firmly held belief. There’s more to come though. Julian Assange has cryptically referred to cables yet to be released that mention UFOs, though he later elaborated that they largely relate to UFO cults such as the Raëlians, who claimed to have cloned a human back in 2002. The British Ministry of Defence recently shut down their UFO desk, but Peru recently reopened theirs, so at least we know that the Central American Los Expedients Secretos X are still being investigated. There have been attempts to reach mainstream consensus, by people for whom
t h a t means consensus that aliens are real, and possibly among us. One such organisation is the Paradigm Research Group, who held their historic “Citizens Hearing on Disclosure,” the implication being that not only is the truth out there, but it is being supressed intentionally. Over forty military and agency witnesses to paranormal phenomenon of an extra-terrestrial nature testified for over thirty hours over three days, before five former members of US congress during the “hearing.” If you take by the word “hearing” that the witnesses were queried under oath, you’d be mistaken, but at least the former members of Congress were compensated for their time with $20,000 each by Paradigm. It is a common assumption among UFO proselytisers that trained observers such as pilots or military personnel make
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politically minded
more credible witnesses, but experience shows that they make the same mistakes as anyone else, being just as liable to jump to conclusions when high altitude military aircraft fly in formation, or terrestrials have set off Chinese lanterns, or even if Venus is particularly bright. Among non-institutional witnesses, Stonehenge and the pyramids tend to get brought up a lot in addition to those evidences, as if alignment with the stars or sunrise point is circumstantial evidence enough to prove not just the existence of higher beings, but also the assistance. It’s insulting to the ingenuity of our Neolithic and Bronze Age forebears, especially when you consider that the stars would have been pretty mysterious for them, and their capacity for figuring things out wasn’t physiologically less than ours. With just a stick, the sun, and the stick’s shadow; it is possible to calculate the solstices, the cardinal points on the compass and the solar day. With two sticks and two people (but importantly still just one sun) it is possible to calculate the circumference of the earth. Without even a single stick, Hipparchus of Nicea calculated the distance between the Earth and the Moon with an error of less than 10%. Perhaps a more compelling question could be of the Dogon people living in the central plateau region of Mali. They have been alleged to possess extremely advanced astronomical knowledge, specifically of the
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existence of companion stars to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. We know through modern astronomy of the existence of Sirius B, a white dwarf invisible to the naked eye. We don’t know if it is indeed a triple star system, but gravitational studies suggest it is possible.
Silent silvery luminous circular “ shapes moving at slow speeds with intermittent trails of bright sparks had been seen over Casablanca, Marrakech and Rabat
”
Their mythology also references a race of supernaturally gifted visitors, not dissimilar to the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish mythology. A book released in 1976 called The Sirius Mystery by Robert K. G. Temple popularised the mystery and is based on the work of two French anthropologists who were puzzled by the astronomical knowledge in the absence of astronomical instruments. Of course it is possible that they came to this knowledge through contact with European astronomers, but to suggest it was through Europeans or Aliens is speculative on both sides (although it does seem kind of weird to suggest knowledge comes either from Europeans or aliens). Neil DeGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist who has also written pop-science books and engages with pop-culture, has addressed the
issue of intelligent life in the universe before, but he is sceptical that we would be able to meaningfully communicate with it if it did exist. The problem as he sees it, is that our definition of ‘intelligence’ is self-appointed. He takes the example of the chimp, with whom we share 98.5% of our DNA. We know that we’re intelligent by our own definition, and that chimps are not, so our intelligence has to lie in that one percent. Maybe the difference in intelligence is also that small. One important mark of intelligence by our own reckoning might be the faculty for artistic expression. The ability to communicate the awareness of existence is really what we mean by intelligence, and that fundamentally is what art is concerned with. If we found life elsewhere in the universe that we recognised as having art, then that could potentially be a bridging point, or at the very least a promising sign of intelligence. For practice, one place we might start looking is the ocean. Ringo Starr, having walked out on the Beatles due to tensions in the group and on holiday with his family in Sardinia in 1968, had a conversation on a boat he’d borrowed from Peter Sellers, about octopuses. The captain told Starr that octopuses are known to decorate the caves they inhabit with shiny stones and tin cans and bottles. Inspired, Starr would go on to re-join the band and write a song about the phenomenon with George Harrison. Octopuses die after breeding, usually at around two years of age. Given that they seem to have some level of aesthetic appreciation, some have speculated that if they lived long enough they could develop culture. That might seem ludicrous, but humans anatomically identical to us have been around for 200,000 years, and we’ve only been behaviourally modern for the last 60,000 years; referring among other things to the origin of language. Perhaps then we can teach the octopus, let them learn from our mistakes. After we’re gone, let their myths tell of a supposed bipedal visitor race. Let the future records of total history at least show that we tried.
Tommy Gavin is a grey alien currently working with the US government.
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
Trinity Come Dancing Exclusive MIS© | 11
voices
INTRO ”The effortless elegance of a piroulette, the underground street style of hiphop and breakdance, the teasing smiles of a burlesque, and the raw sexual magnetism of a tango, danced as if teleported, to an empty Buenos Aires street..” Trinity Come Dancing offers all this and more. First organised in 2013, DU Dance’s flagship charity event brings the glamour of dance to the masses - and an opportunity to see some big names on campus being put through their paces by student professionals! Hosted by last year’s winners, Maureen Butler and John Carew, eight couples danced their way through the evening in style and relative class, hoping to be crowned champions. MIS© was there covering every step, slip, jump and high kick, from backstage to the after party.
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BACKSTAGE TALK Directed by EVA SHORT and AISLING NÍ MHAOLÁIN CONOR O’BRIEN and OILBHE CAHILL REID IRISH DANCING
KATIE RICE and CONOR CADDEN JAZZ
C
T
onor showed himself to be a true showman and professional, bouncing back up from a slip with incredible speed! His energetic demeanour made his quite the presence in the Green Room, despite “murmurings of discontent” early on as he described himself as “disgruntled” with his original hairstyle - a 1920s inspired side parting. All was soon well as the potential fashion disaster was rearranged into his self-entitled “delightful new do”.
MAGGIE O’DONOVAN and CONOR O’MEARA BREAKDANCE
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his dynamic duo had absolute buckets of energy, literally jumping and spinning their way around the Green Room. Conor O’Meara (from Connemara) was thrown into the competition almost by accident - the first he heard about it was when he received a message from Maggie asking when they were going to start rehearsing, and then “one day being added to the Facebook group”! Clearly it was a good call, as their teacherstudent dynamic worked excellently, with ideas flowing and Conor making input to choreography. Their nerves about a particularly tricky move involving a flip were unnecessary, as both brought their A-game onstage and pulled off a fantastic routine.
KATE FINEGAN and IAN MOONEY BURLESQUE
K
ate described herself as “excited but nervous” before the show began, but had entire faith in Ian – going so far as to say he’d outshine her! Ian’s improvement over the course of training was apparently astounding - although to see him up there, I think we can all agree he definitely always had an inner burlesque dancer within, waiting to shine. We can only wait and see if he’ll continue with his new-found talent during his time as Welfare officer - backstage banter suggested that he fill the gap in the market for male burlesque artists, and after their success in placing second, maybe he won’t hang up the velcro trousers just yet…
he great relationship from this winning pair was clear from the off - their banter backstage was a fantastic source of entertainment! Katie threw Conor in at the deep end from the word “go” - their first meeting took place at Katie’s Jazz class, where she set Conor to practicing his pirouettes in the corner, while her students looked on! If this wasn’t enough to establish her noholds-barred teaching technique, she stopped the class at one stage to advise him not to be “so camp” as he twirled around. Despite this baptism of fire, the two clearly developed a great rapport, as Conor even gave curling Katie’s hair a go, although he did manage to burn her in the process - maybe he should stick to the dancing rather than a career in hairdressing. They even took their routine out on the town, ending up performing for a somewhat bemused but appreciative crowd at the Czech Inn.
GRACE HEALY and MAX GRIMMEISS TANGO
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race and Max gave a sophisticated and stylish performance of the tango - fitting from these two! Max described Grace as a very obedient student, and enjoyed the teaching process. Grace was enjoyed the experience too, but was amazed at the work and skill that goes into the dance - saying she couldn’t imagine how people manage it professionally - in particular the partner dynamic of tango, commenting on how much easier it is to do the steps alone!
SOPHIE MURPHY and DARREN BYRNE HIP HOP
H
aving stepped into the breach at the very last minute, you could reasonably have expected some nerves from Sophie, but this couple were an absolute riot of energy and positivity. Both Sophie and Darren reckoned they had dealt with the pressure wonderfully, and were ready to give it 111% - cos they were so ready to be #1. Sophie’s DJ Soc background came in useful as she discovered her innate hiphop rhythm, allowing Darren to “extract it from her core”. His intense dancing experience, going all the way up to World Championship level, combined with her more “independent and freestyle” background, brought this charismatic couple to a fabulous 3rd place after only a week of practice!
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voices KATHRYN MCGURK and TOBE ARIZE BALLET
TOM LENIHAN and EMILIE QUIGLEY CONTEMPORARY
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B
iven the task of whipping Tobe into shape, Kathryn described herself as “a military officer”, making up for the month apart over Christmas by putting together a “super strong bootcamp” to really bring out his inner danseur. Ever the fashionista, Tobe was turned out in a sharp shirt and jeans number - even the rigours of ballet couldn’t win over the Fashion Soc events officer’s inner sense of style to a nice pair of tights! The inital shock of being given ballet clearly didn’t faze Tobe as he got to grips with the routine though having confessed to “never going to the gym before”, the introduction of lifts was a bit of a startling request. He clearly rose to the challenge, at first startling the willowy Kathryn with just quite how high up she was - being quite a tall dancer, she wasn’t used to being lifted to such heights!
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alancing the work of SU president with his new dancing career really demonstrated to Tom the amount of work that goes into dance, as Emilie put him through his paces! He expressed relief at not being given the challenge of ballet, admitting that “Black Swan is one of my favourite films”, but he didn’t think he would even be capable of attempting the dance. Tom confessed that when he was given the contemporary category, he had no idea what contemporary dance was (in fact, he’s still not entirely sure) yet he definitely put his own stamp on it with his “innovative” technique, as he abandoned the onesie for something a little less comfortable…
“HERE I AM,
PRAYIN’S FOR THIS MOMENT TO LAST, LIVIN ON THE MUSIC SO FINE, BORN ON THE WIND, MAKIN’ IT MINE... Night fever, night fever...
”
MIS© | 15
voices
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THE ULTIMATE DANCE OFF HIP HOP
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ith only one week to perfect her dance moves, Sophie Murphy, chair of DUDJ and P.R.O. of Trinity TV, confidently took to the stage with the swag and vibrancy which wowed audiences and judges alike. Expectations were high from a musical point of view, considering her personality on campus as resident DJ, and the eclectic hip-hop beats did not disappoint, with classic tunes ranging from Kelis’s Milkshake, M.V.P’s Rock ya Body, Mic Check 1, 2 and House of Pain’s Jump Around. With her cornrows completing her attire, Sophie’s persona was completed by her facial expression portraying her utter concentration and absorption into the dance which was dynamic, entertaining and an all-around joy to watch. Having been brought in as a replacement, Sophie and Darren were not given the opportunity to make a video charting their progress, however, their partnership was evident on the stage, not only with their in sync dance moves (ie. hard to tell which one was the amateur or the professional - and t-shirts which had Milk and Shake on them respectively) but also their exuberance and enthusiasm which seemed to bounce off one another. Coming third in the competition, and being hailed by Ann Maher as the “best matched dancing pair’ in the competition- no mean feat from a woman with over thirty years in the dancing world!
CONTEMPORARY
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he most memorable aspect of S.U president Tom Lenihan’s contemporary dance routine with Emilie is of course, his now infamous strip tease on stage. Baring all for his dance, and more importantly charity, Tom provided audiences with a humorous take on the limitless possibilities that the world of contemporary dance has opened up to dancers and audiences alike. Contemporary dance is all about the alignment and placement of the body in elegant and graceful poses, and Tom himself struck some good poses, providing humorous spins and arms elongations which nicely contrasted with the delicateness of Emilie’s choreography. The piece de resistance, was of course when Tom, removing his white shirt and leotard, revealed a black floral thong, showcasing his dancer’s physique and his literal and physical devotion to the student body.
JAZZ
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UBES auditor Conor Cadden and Katie Rice had the responsibility of opening the night’s festivities and they did not disappoint, resulting in their being one tough act to follow. Donning matching gold tuxedos, Connor and Katie performed their jazz dance to last summer’s anthem- Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines. The choreography was warm and playful, with Conor
purposefully and humorously playing catch-up to Katie’s expert dance moves- a tongue and cheek performance that had the audience asking for more. Their chemistry was tangible on stage and their trust in each other evident, particularly in the execution of the spinning lift. So tangible was their chemistry, the audience cheered and encouraged the couple to end the performance with a kiss- a demand they eventually met when the couple were crowned winners of Trinity Come Dancing 2014.
TANGO
G
race Healy of DUPA and Trinity Arts Festival brought her acting and theatrical experience to this very slick and impressive performance of the tango. The judges described the performance as ‘hot hot hot’, ‘cinematic’ and ‘sensual’. The costumes were great, but it was the emotion both dancers brought to the performance that made it so strong. They danced to Cell Block Tango from the musical Chicago, and brought the dark, seductive side of this song out with their dramatic moves and the intense connection maintained throughout the performance. It ended with a bang as Grace ‘shot’ Max, and pulled a red handkerchief from his pocket.
BALLET
F
or the ballet performance, the audience was treated to the often notorious Zeta Psi Fraternity’s President Tobe Arize, and his partner Kathryn’s stylish and remarkably graceful interpretation of Gene Kelly’s classic Singing in the Rain. Their dance was wonderfully in sync and superbly choreographed, but one was left with the distinct impression that the pair lacked any real chemistry. One also couldn’t help but question Fashion Soc event organiser Tobe’s outfit choice (I mean, where were the tights?) and despite his excellent control on the impressive lifts, he didn’t seem to be particularly light on his feet. Overall, the judges were quite positive, Niall praising the inspired combination of classical and modern, in what Anne deemed the “toughest genre”, but Ronan was unable to resist a frat house jibe at Tobe’s expense when comically remarking on his ability to lift and control a conscious female.
BREAKDANCE
T
he immediate crowd response to this colourful duo clearly highlighted the JCR president Conor O’ Meara’s popularity, with his cheekily confident demeanour (and wonderfully 90s style outfit) endearing him to the audience straightaway. Maggie’s inventive and vibrant choreography was displayed in a high octane sequence of spins, turns and nifty footwork,
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voices combined with slapstick humour and an ingenious mix of hip-hop music. Amazed by their energy and skill, the judges positively commented on the “excellent synchronicity” of the routine, despite a certain judge likening it to a junior infant’s PE class, with Conor as the over-excited schoolboy.
IRISH DANCING
A
n aura of mystic green mist and hazy lighting descended upon the stage to create a suitably Celtic atmosphere for the Irish dance by DUGES chair Oilbhe Cahill Reid, as she and her partner Conor performed to the traditional Riverdance soundtrack. An unfortunate fall on Conor’s part had the potential to ruin their performance, but he recovered so smoothly the audience would be forgiven for thinking the slip was all part of the routine. The result was polished, entertaining and accurate in footwork, which greatly pleased the judges, with the usual exception who deemed it to be unimpressive. His unwise decision to attack Oilbhe’s DUGES status drew a resounding response from the audience.
BURLESQUE
S
econd place winners Ian and Kate raised the temperature with their burlesque number. Starting solo to A Man’s World, Ian threw his gloves and hat into the audience, before being joined by professional dancer Kate whom judge Anne Maher said ‘owned the stage.’ In a humorous but very hot performance to classic Big Spender the two used a number of props including chairs, a feather boa and fans. The performance ended with Ian ripping off his trousers to reveal ‘Full Mooney’ boxers. Jane Shortall praised the performance which got ‘hotter and hotter’ and had ‘entertainment factor in spades.’ The S2S President’s performance had the crowd feeling good, and was an excellent finale to the first part of the show.
MISC TCDancing Team Writers EVA SHORT AISLING NI MHAOLAIN CIARA FORRISTAL KATHLEEN GIRVAN JENNY DUFFY Photographers EVA SHORT KILLIAN O’DWYER Illustration A rendering of Kate Finegan in Burlesque attire By MICHELLE BUCKLEY
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SNAPSHOTS
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voices
DON JON:
TAKING A SUBTLE HATCHET TO YOUR 21ST CENTURY PORN By BEN COLLOPY
N
ymphomania, Porn Addiction, Masturbation Addiction, O verly S exual Media, Unrealistic Expectations, Misrepresented reality. Look at all those wonderful buzz words and growing social concerns, I should have your attention now because that’s the purpose for which these words are created. If you don’t quite understand one of these terms, fear not Channel Four will likely have a completely balanced and not in any way biased documentary on any of them very soon.
After they have found a young “man willing enough to allow
himself to filmed we are presented with a case study which is usually a little cartoonish
”
They make such programmes regularly just to make sure that you can’t forget the dangers of the 21st century and shake your head accordingly at society. To clarify, I’m being a little bit sarcastic and am not in any way denying that these addictions exist, they definitely do, addictions aided by the internet and the vast sticky ocean of porn it contains. That being said, the shows and documentaries (a term I employ loosely here) seem to present us with an exaggerated form of the way in which such addictions affect the everyday lives of those ( generally men if the studies are to be believed) coping with them. The average young male that is presented on Channel 4 is between the ages of 19 and 35 but we are told there are much younger addicts but they couldn’t get the rights to film them. After they have found a young man willing enough
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to allow himself to filmed we are presented with a case study which is usually a little cartoonish. Lads who fidget and twitch like they’re suffering from Tourettes syndrome if they don’t get of f within the hour. Men who have to stop what their doing and find the nearest bathroom before t h e y
explode. Then we are treated to the courageous spirit routine, each bares his soul to the camera (often hand-held) breaking down and weeping, telling us how they’ve suffered for so long. One even goes so far as to say that he now literally understands what heroin addicts go through... after only one day not masturbating. What I’m trying to get at is that the unrealistic expectations that cause this addiction are doing the same thing for those who are addicted by creating an image that simply isn’t accurate. These documentaries also rarely give the young men a voice. The audience is able to understand their plight with the assistance of a 30 something narrator with the most neutral accent in England.
There’s only a few things I really “ care about in life: my body, my pad, my ride, my family, my church, my boys, my girls… and my porn
”
So what does Joeseph Gordon-Levitt and a film he released over 3 months ago have to do with any of this? In my opinion it’s one of the first yet best attempts to deal with any of the issues raised earlier and portray the reality, or fundamental disconnection with it, that they cause. On the outside the satire intended in this film is obvious Jersey Boy meets Jersey Girl, small period of hardship, play b oy changes ways, big romantic pay-off. Simple, except that it really isn’t. Don Jon, as GordonLevitt is known in the film, is a man who, as far as he is concerned, has life all figured out; There’s only a few things I really care about in life: my body, my pad, my ride, my family, my church, my boys, my girls… and my porn. The last one is the most important one. It’s actually the only thing
that Jon really cares about despite what he might tell himself. He gains no satisfaction with real women because it never matches the visceral, hyper-charged version of sexuality that he has found in porn. This is the core message of the film, that the media has warped how the average male views sex and everything to do with it. Scarlett Johannson’s character, Barbara, exists to show the way in which women have been conditioned to take a no tolerance approach to romance. Jon must fill the specific parameters of a love interest that Barbara has come to expect through Rom Coms and Romantic Films. Gordon-Levitt himself has stated that this is the film’s true intent in various interviews; It’s a story about how media sometimes leads us to treat people more like things than like people and I’ve always paid a lot of attention to media, t.v., movie...especially in the last few years I’ve been hearing it a lot ‘’Why can’t my life be like that movie or why can’t I find somebody like you in that movie?’’ Both sides being shown stops the blame for such misconceptions from being placed on gender and stops GordonLevitt’s critiques of such things as sexist or misogynistic (or at least it should). How is this any different to something that Channel 4 would do? For starters it’s not in the least bit sanctimonious or righteous in the way it looks at Jon’s lifestyle or views. It is not glaringly obvious that there is anything wrong with the way in which Jon lives his life. He spends time with family, clubs with friends and sleeps with beautiful women regularly. It is only as the film continues and the cycle repeats itself (cleverly edited and shown by Gordon-Levitt, who utilises the same music for every girl Jon Sleeps with, and constantly has the Sunday NFL game blaring in the background of every family dinner) that it reveals itself to be empty. The most effective part of all this is that he doesn’t even realise it. Jon carries on not changing or growing for the vast majority of the film. This obviously changes upon meeting Jullianne Moore’s character but before this we see just how heavily Jon’s life is affected by porn, media and masturbation. At Jon’s lowest point Gordon-Levitt gives viewers a portrait of him that is simply uncomfortable to watch. He now masturbates as often as he can, claiming with a hollow pride that, ‘’Could I hit eleven when I was with (her)?... no definitely not’’. This is all shown to the audience in a strange stop-motion style with
Jon simply sitting in front of his laptop as day-time passes into night-time. The result of this is that he disengages with life, his entire routine-body, pad, ride, family, church, boys, girls and porn, begins to fall apart. His workouts are more strenuous, his relationship with family becomes strained and his friends fall by the wayside in favour of watching more porn.
He gains no satisfaction with “real women because it never
matches the visceral, hypercharged version of sexuality that he has found in porn
”
By the end of his porn binge, Jon is a shadow of his former self and in no way the ‘’Don’’ that the audience was presented with at the beginning. Gordon-Levitt never directly preaches that such things are bad in the film, there is no glaring lesson to be learned.
His workouts are more “ strenuous, his relationship with
family becomes strained and his friends fall by the wayside in favour of watching more porn
”
By constantly showing Jon’s routine and then subtly tweaking it the audience simply feels his misery, his arrogant monologues on the wonders of porn, whilst exaggerated by the New Jersey accent, show the audience just how much he believes his own bullshit. You could probably write a thesis on the ways in which v critiques the modern view of media and its pervasive presence in everyday life. It affects his father, who claims in front of his wife, he doesn’t believe in love, his mother who believes in love so much that she cannot see her failed marriage and his sister who is never seen on screen without being glued to her phone. My argument is simply that this is the first film that deals with the problems facing sex and relationships in the 21st century from the point of view of those who are actually involved in them. This point of view, however, is one that is completely disconnected from the way it is controlled by media, especially porn.
Ben Collopy is a Senior Sophister student of English Literature.
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NEVER LET ME LIVE:
UTILITARIAN SCIENCE AND SOCIAL CONDITIONING
N
ever Let Me Go (2005), by Kazuo Ishiguro, is perhaps one of the more interesting science-fiction novels of the last decade. Narrated by one Kathy, the novel describes her childhood experiences in a not-so-typical English boarding school Hailsham, which places a huge focus on physical health and artistic achievement at the expense of necessary life skills, as well as her tumultuous friendships with Ruth and Tommy, two other ‘students’ at Hailsham. Eventually it is revealed that the children are in fact (SPOILERS!) clones, created with the sole purpose of donating as many organs as possible for the benefit of normal humans, and that Hailsham was an ultimately futile effort to prove the ‘humanity’ of the clones through their artistic output and so guarantee more humane treatment of them. When they come of age, the three friends are sent to the ‘Cottages’ (glorified holding cells for the clones until they are old enough to ‘donate’), where they attempt to find meaning for their lives through their relationships with each other and prolong the time they have before their final ‘donation’. Part of what makes Ishiguro’s novel so interesting, as a literary and a sci-fi novel, is that he has little interest in the science behind cloning and organ transfer, but rather focuses on the interior attitudes and
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By MATTHEW CORBALLY
emotional processes of Kathy and her friends (as related through her narration). This decision, while a non-traditional one for someone writing in the science-fiction genre, works in the novel’s favour. Not only does it enhance the emotional quality of Never Let Me Go, it allows the reader to become all the more invested in the central question of the character’s fundamental humanity. Throughout the novel, the friendships and romances of Kathy, Tommy and Ruth are juxtaposed with their increasing awareness that that they are basically disposable meatbags, utterly dependent on a system that will ultimately harvest their organs and hasten their eventual ‘completion’ while giving them the illusion of freedom and agency.
The horror felt by readers “ for the situation of the clones
is heightened by the fact that, for the most part, the clones are accepting of their fate, seeking at most to prolong their donation but not avert it completely
”
For all that Kathy tells the reader about her joy in finding a cherished tape, her affection for her friends and her naïve hope that she can delay her donation through her
art (and later her genuine love for Tommy), the reader is aware that she is ultimately not considered worthy of respect and dignity by the society which she is part of, and that they only value attributed to her by the ‘guardians’ of Hailsham and the larger world is in the quality of her organs. The horror felt by readers for the situation of the clones is heightened by the fact that, for the most part, the clones are accepting of their fate, seeking at most to prolong their donation but not avert it completely. Ishiguro presents a subtly terrifying view of a dystopian society which, tempted by the utilitarian benefits of a populace made healthy by constant organ transplants, has resolved to exploit an artificially created populace and to deliberately ignore the basic fundamental humanity of these clones, a process which the clones have been continually conditioned to accept not just as natural but as a desirable fate. By demonstrating the ultimately futile attempts of Kathy to struggle against her internalised categorisation of organ donor, and the lengths to which society will go to dehumanise those whom it needs to exploit for its prosperity, Never Let Me Go presents a chilling portrait of organ harvesting and socially conditioned capitulation in an exploitative system.
Matthew Corbally is currently taking a Masters in Popular Literature.
CATHERINE By Matthew Corbally
C
atherine, devolved by Atlus Software in 2011 for the PS3 and Xbox 360, is a rather odd game that still deserves attention today. The game operates on two levels which are linked within the plot: one has you living in the real world, dealing with the pressures of marriage and cheating, and the other has you pushing and climbing blocks in a nightmare to avoid a gruesome death. Catherine is interesting in that it is focused on adult relationships, with your own sexual morality reflected in the games morality meter. Zany, challenging, and with some... interesting views on gender, Catherine is a game to be frustrated, shocked and satisfied by.
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
T ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG by Madison Bowlby
U
bisoft’s latest Assassin’s Creed instalment, focusing on 18th century pirates, brought little to the table in terms of new gameplay, making it very familiar to those fans of the older games – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The highlight of the game is probably the time spent at sea, with the challenge of simultaneously steering a ship and firing your cannons accurately making for a challenging yet fun time. As usual, the game is stunningly beautiful and although it’s no Dark Souls, some of the challenges and levels can make you rage-quit from pure unadulterated fun.
By Donal Foley
he Desolation of Smaug (TDOS), the second part of The Hobbit trilogy, takes up where An Unexpected Journey left off, with Bilbo, Gandalf and the company of dwarves fleeing from orc hunters. TDOS has the advantage over the previous instalment in that the extensive backstory has already been established, so we can simply dive straight into the adventure without the extensive scene setting of the last film. In contrast to what the internet will tell you, the overall story stays faithful to the book, with some mild changes in tone to the house of Beorn and Laketown scenes. The major additions to the story include the White Orc story arc (moved forward in time from the extended universe), Gandalf ’s adventures away from the dwarves, and a romantic subplot involving the new character of Tauriel, played by Evangeline Lilly. Overall, much of the action has a more serious feel to that of the first movie, which was somewhat cartoonish at points. A main weakness of the story is a reduction in focus on Bilbo and his character development, compared to the first film, often making him a glorified straight man to the intrigue around him. Overall, a fun, action filled romp worth the ticket price.
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SONS OF THE
ANAR “S By CIARA FORRISTAL
omething happens at around ninety-two miles an hour…. suddenly you’re not on the road, you’re in it”. This statement, from Kurt Sutter’s Sons of Anarchy, would not seem out of place in the pages of Kerouac’s On the Road, or Hopper’s iconic film Easy Rider, as the formative and bracing experience of the open road has been, and continues to be, a staple of both literature and popular culture.
and freedoms of speech “Diversity and thought, were actually the result of conceived separation, not integration
”
This idea of the frontiersman, in the infamous forms of Dean Moriarty, Wyatt (Captain America) and more recently Jax Teller and SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original) are a truly unique American creation with no European equivalent or precedent. Propagated by Frederick Jackson Turner’s ‘Frontier Thesis’ (1893) in which he claimed that the American character and spirit are the consequences of their interaction with the geographical expansiveness of America, the idea of the frontier is synonymous with the American dream. Cherished ideals such as self-determination and tolerance “came stark and strong and full of life out of the American forest”, the dark underbelly of which continues to enthrall and excite literary and cinematic audiences.
The frontiersman fears and “distrusts federal authority ” Ironically, the existence and example of America as the melting pot of cultures, ethnicities and traditions, was due to Turner’s ‘safety value theory’, which states that diversity and freedoms of speech and thought, were actually the result of conceived separation, not integration. The expansiveness of the frontier provided geographical outlets into which antagonists and their conflicts could expand, thus preventing full-scale violence between social and economic forces.
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FRONTIER/ THE FRONTIER OF
CHY
The American nation could tolerate mutually hostile viewpoints as long as there was free land so that their differences did not lead to bloodshed. However, as the population increased and land became scarcer, the safety valve became sealed off and Americans were forced to find ways to live with their differences within an enclosed space. In Sons of Anarchy, the dangers of this enclosure are evident in the simmering conflicts that are brought to the boil in the fictional town of Charming, California. SAMCRO are in perpetual conflict with their Latino counterparts, the ‘Mayans’, their African-American allies “The Niners”, the Ayran Brotherhood in the form of “The Nords”, all of whom are trying to crave out an identity, sustain their viable trade in either drugs, prostitution or both, within the same enclave of their territory. Needless to say, drive-by shootings, cold-blooded assassinations and prison time, occupy a prime position in this series. Moreover, these motorcycle clubs are based primarily on race and ethnicity, giving weight to the still inherently separatist nature of American society in which Sons member Juice, is given an ultimatum of co-operating with a C.I.A investigation in return for the sheriff keeping quiet on the revelation that Juice’s dad is in fact African-American.
Something happens at around “ninety-two miles an hour….
suddenly you’re not on the road, you’re in it
”
The club eventually removes this legislation from their club rules; however, it is only Juice’s attempted suicide and the discovery that he has betrayed the club, that awareness is raised to the need to question such underlying foundations, before they further harm the development of society and its members. However, the brutality of the gangs holds up a mirror to the capitalist society that has its origins in such savagery from avaricious cattle barons to the wolves
of Wall Street, both of which are portrayed to us in the series.
“
The true outlaw finds the balance between the passion in his heart and the reason in his mind. The solution is always an equal mix of might and right
”
‘The Nords” are affiliated with the white supremacist lobby group League of American Nationalists who plan to buy up the land in Charming for the development of big business, whilst “The Niners” are supported by Damon Pope, a property magnate still willing to get his hands dirty in cocaine distribution. The series shows that the sense of refinement and civilization of society is, to a certain extent, a façade, burying the darkest aspects and base instincts of ambition and greed that are inculcated in the very nature of the American psyche. Furthermore, American democracy, particularly the notion of the exceptional individual, Turner argues, was the result of the individual’s experience of the frontier. Democracy resulted in the construction of a libertarian individual and the production of centralized Federal power, which are mutually exclusive. The frontiersman fears and distrusts federal authority, and in turn the federal authority itself, for the sake of social and economic harmony, seeks to limit unregulated individualism. These opposing views are best seen in the portrayal of the frontiersman who stands on the threshold of two opposing worlds, that of savagery and civilization, acting sometimes as mediator or interpreter between races and cultures. They are considered the most effective instrument against savagery and anarchy, their methods of prevention, inevitably, lead to their exclusion from the very society that they protect, as John Teller in Sons of Anarchy states “The true outlaw finds the balance between the passion in his heart and the reason in his mind. The solution is always an equal mix of might and right.”
Unregulated individualism is detrimental to society, with civilization requiring only a small injection of savagery to survive. In Sons of Anarchy, the savagery of the club is seen in their subversion of the idea of manifold destiny by their seedy and illegal means of earning revenue through gunrunning and drug-muling for the Galindo cartel. However, the dichotomy of law and disobedience is blurred in Sons of Anarchy to such an extent that the chief of police simultaneously protests both his impartiality and allegiance to the club that maintains civil order in a town rife with unemployment and industrial inertia.
“
Unregulated individualism is detrimental to society, with civilization requiring only a small injection of savagery to survive
”
John Teller in Sons of Anarchy states, “We came to realize that when you move your life off the social grid you give up the safety that society provides. On the fringe, blood and bullets are the rule of law, and if you’re a man with convictions violence is inevitable.” The American Dream still features heavily, albeit subconsciously, in American literature, film and television. Its emphasis on tolerance, individualism and democracy draws attention to the limitations and subversion of these cherished ideals. The ‘frontier’ concept pushed boundaries, both geographically and artistically, and created a nation, psyche and reservoir of characters that are human, fascinatingly flawed and utterly riveting.
Ciara Forristal is Junior Sophister student of English Literature
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T
he Halloween season; when our foremost desire (with the exception of seeing how many sweets a human being can consume before an explosion occurs) is to sit down in a darkened room in front of a screen and try to terrify ourselves. I refer, of course, to the slew of horror movies which we watch in a vain attempt to input jeopardy into our otherwise banal lives. The need to scare ourselves is evidently one that has been prevalent throughout the decades, but the ways in which we do so have evolved as our fundamental psychological anxieties have changed.
Torture porn has overtaken its “ roots in seedy B-Movies and taken centre-stage in modern horror ” While it is true that changes in censorship laws throughout the latter half of the twentieth century have had a huge impact on box-office successes, I think there is an argument to be made for the cheapening of horror as a genre when looking back over the biggest blockbusters of the last decade. Torture porn has overtaken its roots in seedy B-Movies and taken centre-stage in modern horror. The trope of extreme violence in films such as The Human Centipede and the Saw franchises has become so ubiquitous as to warrant Joss Whedon turning his sardonic eyes towards it in the clever, self-aware Cabin in the Woods. It is easy, perhaps, to see the 1973 classic The Exorcist as the catalyst for bringing torture porn from the dark fringes of the cinema into the warm glow of public acceptance. The public outcry surrounding The Exorcist upon its release not only cemented its own reputation, but opened the doors to a host of similar films as well. It performed phenomenally well at the box office, and is still the highestgrossing R-rated movie of all time. It is certain that, without the notorious scenes of violence in The Exorcist, we would not today have the Saw movies. The vomiting, crucifix masturbation and female deformity which are so starkly depicted in The Exorcist must be considered the precursors to the brutal scenes of dismemberment in modern torture porn. The enormous popularity of movies where people are punished in cruel and often unthinkable ways is perhaps indicative of our own deep-seated neuroses and our need for catharsis, based on the notion that it is better for bad things to happen to people on-screen than to us or our families. The question I wish to pose here, however, is this: does gore truly scare us? Graphic scenes of punishment certainly shock us, but does infamy really relate to terror? Has
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HORROR OF
A DESPERATE NEED By KATIE CLOVER
HORRORS
FOR CATHARSIS
the gratuitous violence of the B-Movie eclipsed tension-building and characterisation in our horror blockbusters?
It is something akin to a modern “freak show, a display of deformity, which fascinates and perplexes us ” We seem to have come a long way from the sinister smile of Norman Bates to the piercing screams of a Saw victim as she is butchered in some new and inventive way, but I would argue that we have come backwards. The ‘less is more’ school of horror seems to have been relegated to the dark realm of the indie movie, while the big sellers are the ones which feature bestiality, dismemberment, and evermore realistic fake blood. The emphasis seems to have shifted from the old-fashioned ‘good scare’ of the ghost story to an attempt to disgust the viewer, to make them feel almost violated. However, this sense of dirtiness does not equate to actual terror. Indeed, it seems to show the film industry exorcising its own fears and neuroses. With the advent of torrenting and free access to information, seeing films in the cinema is becoming more and more irrelevant to many people. By staying true to movie series and genres which are known to cause controversy, the horror industry remains ahead of the curve. I, for one, find this to be a shame. There is something uncomfortable about watching these movies: the name ‘torture porn’ itself should give some indication of the connotations behind our fascination with such films. It is something akin to a modern freak show, a display of deformity, which fascinates and perplexes us. There is a lot which can be done with shock value, but really frightening someone, I believe, takes more than that. Hitchcock films are good illustrations of this point. The shower scene in Psycho may be one of the most repeated clips in all of horror cinema, but there is a reason for that. Hitchcock turned the creation of suspense into an art form, showing us very little of the actual blood and gore, while arguably making his films more terrifying as a result. So, here it is, the crux of my issue with modern horror blockbusters, and with torture porn as a concept: the human imagination is a far better tool for terror than any saw or hammer. Gore in movies may be a diverting voyage into the grotesque, but ultimately it is never going to scare anyone as well as the horrors they can invent just by closing their eyes.
Katie Colver is a Senior Freshman student of English and Spanish TSM
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CONVENTIONAL ATTRACTIONS: ANIME, COMIC AND GAMING CONVENTIONS IN IRELAND By MATTHEW CORBALLY Trinity and run by our very own Gamers Soc for March 7th – 9th, and MCM Comic-Con, the first Irish corporate convention which will be held in April, with other popular conventions including Eirtakon, Warpcon, Akumakon and Q-Con. I’d recommend Googling a few names and seeing if you can attend.
Going to an event where “ EVERYONE is a nerd of some kind is a surreal experience ”
A
s the editor of this section and nominal ‘ultimate geek’ of MISC, I’m somewhat ashamed that I’ve left it till the 3rd issue to write an article about Irish fan conventions. Fan conventions, which usually focus on areas like anime, gaming, science-fiction, fantasy and comic books, are huge events in nerd culture, with some of the bigger conventions attracting thousands of attendees. Featuring events like celebrity panels and signings, costume competitions, gaming tournaments, nerd merchandise halls and areas for online artists and creators to interact with their fans and sell their art, conventions offer something for everyone. While most people are aware of conventions like San Diego Comic Conic and Penny Arcade Expo, I’m always greeted with surprise when I talk about conventions in Ireland. Most of the cons here are relatively small affairs, run by college societies and enthusiastic volunteers, and usually focus on anime and/or video and table top gaming. Of particular note is LepreCon, located within
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Part of the reason that I decided to write about fan conventions is because of how much sheer unadulterated fun they tend to be. Having a chance to see your favourite actor, producer or internet personality on a panel, to ask them questions and maybe even drink with them afterwards, is incredible. Furthermore, for all that nerd culture is becoming more mainstream, it is still something that is largely solitary or limited to small groups. Going to an event where EVERYONE is a nerd of some kind; where people are discussing and dressing up as their favourite fictional characters, where you are guaranteed to find someone who shares your interests, is a surreal and perhaps even transformative experience for people used to being outsiders in mainstream culture. There are some negative aspects to the con experience, such as large expenses for tickets, food and merchandise, and a tendency for volunteers to substitute geeky enthusiasm for organisational expertise. In the end though, I would recommend that everyone try attending a convention at least once, if only to experience a radically different social world to the one we inhabit every day.
Matthew Corbally is currently taking a Masters in Popular Literature.
GONE HOME By Robbie Molloy
Gone Home, a story about a woman exploring her family house for clues to her disappeared family is my favourite game of the past year. For hours I was enthralled, I couldn’t leave the computer. You’ll be scared when you play Gone Home. You gently peek around corners, open doors and look away from the screen. One of the main areas of the game I left till last to explore, as I was too terrified. Most importantly, this game will affect you emotionally. The plot comes through excellently voice-acted letter readings, which build up a picture of the character’s lives. It’s gripping, heart-warming, and tragic at times. Whatever kind of gamer you are, you’ll find something interesting here.
REMEMBERING PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN ‘I do many many things, I am a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist, a theoretical philosopher but above all I’m a man’’
T
his line is spoken by Lancaster Dodd from the film The Master, a character embodied by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The line in itself seems cheesy and melodramatic, or it would have if it were spoken by anyone other than Hoffman himself.
Good-looking people don’t have any spine. “ Their art never lasts. They get the girls, but we’re smarter ”
It also serves as a fitting synopsis of his career showing the quantity and versatility of the range of characters that the late actor played on screen. Since his death on the 2nd of February a deluge of tributes and condolences have come from actors and celebrities many lauding him as one of, if not the greatest actor of his generation. My attempts to do the same would be hollow. I can’t make such a claim, I’m woefully ill equipped to do so. It would be very easy for me to say that he will be sorely missed and that we will never see his like again, sadly at the risk of sounding callous I can’t really claim that either. I don’t know if he was a good man or if he was one of the finest actors we’ll ever see. What I can say in full authority is that he was certainly one of the best that I have ever seen. His death is something that is rapidly being surrounded by haze of drug and infidelity rumours. As a result his career and its highlights are taking a back-seat. His career is proof of his rare talent and all the reason one needs to mourn his passing. He will always be remembered for many of his leading roles, Truman Capote in Capote, Father Brendan Flynn in Doubt and Caden Cotard in Synedoche, New York to name but a few, but in my opinion some of the greatest acting he ever did came from his work in secondary and minor roles. If other actors took roles like Lester Bangs (Almost Famous) or Freddie Miles (The Talented
Mister Ripley) they would simply fade into the background as a plot device or memorable cameo. Hoffman on the other hand took these characters and made the audience believe that they led their own full life, filled with problems and victories, off-screen. Lead actors were often forgotten in the moments when they had to share the limelight with Hoffman. Think Lester Bangs telling William Miller the nature of being a music journalist and the traps inherent within; that’s because we’re uncool. And while women will always be a problem for us, most of the great art in the world is about that very same problem. Good-looking people don’t have any spine. Their art never lasts. They get the girls, but we’re smarter. He pours his soul down a telephone wire and the audience gets a glimpse into just how hard this lesson was for him to learn and how lonely it had left him. In his minor role in Boogie Nights as Scotty J., a gay porn film crew member, he manages to find a moment of genuine heartbreak from a character that is meant as comedic relief when he pleads for a kiss with his unrequited love Dirk Diggler; ‘’Please let me’’. This was Philip Seymour Hoffman’s greatest talent he made sure that any character he played be they big or small, left the audience wondering how they became the way they are and what became of them after the credits. Despite the overall quality of any film he was in, be it good or bad, Hoffman himself elevated his roles to a level that demanded respect. His death means that such genuine and human performances, that can only be classed as diamonds in the rough, are a little scarcer and that, for me, proves that his loss really is something to regret.
Ben Collopy is a Senior Sophister student of English Literature
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AUNT FIRECROTCH
AGONIES UNRUSTLE YOUR TROUBLES
with Aunt Firecrotch
“Never let a man take you to the pictures before your twelfth promenade” “When assailed by inappropriate fantasies, a gentleman will always sneeze tellingly”
“Cocaine should preferably be taken in conjunction with one’s afternoon tea” AF
“Aunt Firecrotch may in fact be the new black” The New-Dork Times After 9 hours of intense labour, and a two month recovery period, Aunt Firecrotch has successfully returned from her yearly wax, and is now bolder than ever. Despite her busy schedule of nail painting, gin drinking, and alternative gardening, she has read your agonies carefully, and has answered all with the usual loving warmth and sweet understanding for which she is best known.
Q: Dear Aunty Fi,
I am writing to you because my life as a relatively interesting human being is coming to a rapid end. It is fourth year for me, sadly. Soon I too must graduate, no doubt you will have experienced this yourself back in the Dark Ages, and enter the self-perpetuating drudge of adulthood, taxes, monogamy and ennui. Aunty Fi, you seem to be a woman whose mind has been darkened by cynicism and vulgarity. I am almost certain that you were not always like this. How did this happen? And when? Was it, as I fear, the result of your graduation ceremony, its grisly aftermath? The food cannot possibly have been that bad. I hope never to become like you. There must be another way. My options cannot simply be lobotomised caterpillar vs cynical wretch. There must be another way to be an adult. In any case, you remind me of my late Aunt Marge. She was awful. Help me avoid the catastrophe that is you. Yours sincerely, An admirer.
AF: Dear Annoying-Little-Up-Start, Now my dear, I realise that the stress of fourth year must be getting to you, but if only you were half as good at constructing a sentence as you are at throwing shade then we might 30 | MIS©
have something to work with. You know, the only thing Aunt Firecrotch despises more than poor grammar and syntax is reaching the end of a litre bottle of gin after a morning spent reminiscing about her time spent as the number one recipient of booty calls in the Western Hemisphere for a period in the 1970s; however, I would not wish for anyone else to possess the same curdled spirit that I have, so I shall help you. You are correct in assuming that I was not always like this, and yes my graduation ceremony did contribute to the replacement of blood in my veins with cyanide. I won’t give away the year of said graduation but know that cars had not yet taken to the streets, sheep still grazed on the green and women were not yet allowed into the college. I – dressed as a man and with a natural full beard – took to the podium to receive my diploma, yet upon taking to the steps, I tripped upon my gown and tore it asunder revealing my sizeable bosom to those gathered: think of it like Carrie but with tits. I was laughed out of the exam hall and ever since that day my eyes have been opened to the inner cretin within every human being – especially men – and I have vowed to never again expose myself in such a way, as well as have the last laugh on the human race. (Yes, this is a hint at my plans of coming world domination through a gradual tainting of the water supply with gin). I’m not entirely sure what you mean by a lobotomised caterpillar, but I presume you mean to live in a state of cocooned ignorance. Well, you’re going to get some real talk now: no comedy, no persona; the truth. I am too old and too insignificant, I am too jaded by the 20th century; but you are not. You can still effect change in this world, you and your generation. Throughout my life, I have lived for myself because that’s what I was encouraged to do and now I am a lonely old woman. Do not make the mistake the people of my time were fooled into making. Now be off with you, I have a gallon of gin to be finished with by four o’clock this afternoon and I can’t be spending any more time on this trivial nonsense from some entitled Trinity student whose notion of hardship is someone getting their order wrong in Starbucks. Yours sincerely, Aunt Firecrotch.
Q: Hello Aunt Firecrotch, So I went to cut my hair yesterday and this stupid woman, who would not listen to me (I only wanted to dye my hair a nice aburn hue), insisted on cutting all my hair off because she thought I was ugly anyway. WHAT. THE. FRYING. FROLLOK. Can I kill her?? Whoops sorry, I mean, can I SUE her? That bitch cut ALL MY HAIR OFF AND THEN INSULTED ME TOO. Aunty Fy, you seem like a rationally driven woman, I need your help. Where can I get legal advice without paying for it? Do you have any training in a legal background? Best, #BaldingHamster
AF: Dear BaldingHmster,
My dear, I have always been one to adapt to the circumstances in which I find myself. For instance, at the Battle of the Bulge, Eisenhower and I – in bed at the time – were woken by a shell coming in through the roof. From then on there were no cushy indoor sports on the agenda, only the harsh winter: I became a master of urinating on my legs and beating myself raw with nettles by the end of it. Now, unless you have an alien head, I suggest that you discard these murderous notions and work that bald look; just go out there and slay. If, however, you can’t do this, I have a much better plan of attack than legal action. Why not simply break into her house in the dead of night, use a little chloroform – which I am willing to provide – and then use electrolysis on that woman’s head, eyebrows and all: it’s the follicle equivalent of salting the earth of your annoying neighbour’s garden after they insist on planting those bloody tulips which you hate because their sight and smell reminds you of a Dutch ex-lover who had a fetish for them. . . Anyway, I really do not encourage legal action: it is costly and often fruitless. If you are able and willing to continue with this plan of action, contact me. Actually, I will contact you: I know where you live. Yours sincerely, Aunt Firecrotch
Q: Dear Aunt Crotch on Fire HAH. I thought you might enjoy that, people always find me so funny. Anyway, there is this girl with short brown hair in the library, looks a bit like a ballerina or Kate Moss with brown hair. I think she’s from Clare, and she keeps on sitting in the area where I sit. Sometimes she actually sits opposite me, but never looks at me directly. Once she accidentally (or was it?) brushed her foot against mine and then whispered “sorry”. Yeah. I know. There was this one time when she was giggling at her phone and then looked at me. Was she texting about me? I mean, its not like I’d do anything about it anyway for now, it needs a few months to really set in I think and maybe who knows we’ll be at the same night out, maybe Trinity Ball, although that’s a bit big, but anyway it will probably happen soon on its own, right? Girlfriends tend to fall from the sky when you are least expecting them. Cheers #ManInDungarees
AF: Dear ManInDunagrees, From what I have just read, you are clearly a timid little boy who does not have the adequate testicular endowments to simply approach this woman in a sober light and express your interest in her. I bemoan the current state of the dating in this country: why does everyone need to be so drunk that they get Steve Buscemi eyes or mistake their underwear for a toilet? In my day, everything was much more cordial. A man – or woman – would express their genuine, and sober, interest in you and invite you on a nice civil date; then you’d invariably go off together and get so high on coke or peyote that you’d forget your own name, but that’s not the point. Just tell this girl – in a non-serial killer type fashion – that you wish to court her. She will love it. . . Or she’ll think you’re a fugly up-start who shouldn’t have the audacity to approach her. Either way, you’ll be out of limbo and know where you stand. Yours sincerely, Aunt Firecrotch
Submit your latest agony to Aunt Firecrotch @ trinitymisc@gmail.com. And please, pick a pseudonym, nobody wants to know it was you.
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