first peek
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"I didn't know that was really a thing, but I don't see a huge problem with it."
With 600 miles from Calgary to Vancouver, I had more than enough time to reflect on the havoc running away from home had created. Watching the sunset from the back of my taxi to a crackling playlist of bhangra music, I sat quietly and wondered if home would be there when I arrived, and if I was even worthy of returning. On the pages of a recently purchased graphic novel, the Dark Knight faced a fate not unlike my own. Lost in time, Bruce Wayne
had thrust himself into an impossible situation for which success was seemingly unobtainable; much like myself, he too needed to find a way home but did not know the way. Waiting for my plane to arrive, I read Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne to find escape in my time of
greatest sorrow. But instead, I found something greater in the hero’s long trek back to Gotham: a path to redemption and forgiveness. By the time I turned the final page, I had arrived in Vancouver. Both Batman and I had finished our journey in unison. We had been pushed to our brinks, but we had both grown stronger as a result of our venture, both finding a way home in the process. Today, my Batman graphic novel sits upon a shelf with hundreds more like it. It’s commonly misconstrued as a miniscule sliver in an ever-growing collection of superhero merchandise, when it and other works have become so much more to me.
The world of superheroes is not just a fandom for me; it is a religion. Whether it’s the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man struggling to juggle his myriad responsibilities, the Green Lantern Corps pushed to their mental and physical limits, or simply the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen teetering on the edge of good and evil, there’s always been something for me to unpack in the world of capes and domino masks that helps me in my daily life. And every bit of it has been an integral part of making me the man I am today. These tales, as tall and extravagant as they are, have offered me more poignant anecdotes and complex situations than I could've ever anticipated. Their persistence today has a worldwide effect not only on myself, but also on others who seek both guidance and redemption in their struggles. Superheroes don’t just depict humanity’s strength, but also our potential. Superheroes challenge us to be the best we can be. They dare us to soar higher and to persevere even in the face of defeat. They inspire us to be the most heroic versions of ourselves. And without them, I know I would be truly lost. There are days when I wake up in the morning feeling paralyzed by the weight of my past failures to such a degree, I could swear that a kryptonite crystal was pressed against my chest. On those days, surrender feels too strong to resist. It feels inevitable. But because of superheroes, I endure. Because of them, I fight through the pain and take one more step, even if it is agony. I learn to keep moving forward amidst fear, and always believe in the power of justice, hope, and love. All you have to do is look just under the surface to find something you or anyone else can identify with. Although they may be just pencil and ink on splintered panels of paper, superheroes are always coming to my rescue and teaching me to believe in the most important element of the life-changing miracle machine: myself.
Morgan Lechner Second-year health sciences
“I guess it's the same as asking your friends about assignments or quizzes and tests if they took [the class] the year before you."
Samira Prasad Second-year health sciences
"I think they should be allowed to [sell notes] — because it's their own writing, they worked hard on it, and if we're going to buy someone else's textbooks [that they wrote], it's okay if we can sell our own."
Manvir Sihrta Third-year business
“I think it's a pretty good idea. [. . .] You might as well help others get a good grade if you're going to get one, too."
Manjot Gill First-year health sciences
“It's a nice idea, because you're helping other people around you."
Sharan Kooner First-year criminology
4 News
Jamal Dumas / Print News Editor
news@the-peak.ca
SUMMER SPORTS
With two positions on the board of directors currently vacant (president and faculty of environment representative), the board discussed having a by-election for both positions in the fall semester at their most recent meeting on Thursday, July 7. General consensus determined this was the best path to take, as it fits most accurately with the board’s existing bylaws. Should it come to fruition, it will likely happen the in the fourth week of the semester after a two-week nomination period and a subsequent twoweek campaign period. There is potential for a general referendum as well.
SFU hopes to join in on the NCAA’s fastest-growing sport by launching its own NCAA beach volleyball program as early as 2018 or 2019. The initiative to bring a beach volleyball program to SFU has been spearheaded by women’s indoor volleyball head coach Gina Schmidt, who has wanted to establish a beach program since it was recognized as an official NCAA championship sport in 2015. The tentative plan for the program is to start small, and to pull from current indoor players and coaching staff. Currently, only a women’s team is planned to be introduced at SFU, as the NCAA does not yet sponsor men’s beach volleyball. Beach volleyball is relatively inexpensive to implement compared to other programs, taking roughly $100,000 to $150,000 to implement, with operating costs between $35,000 and $50,000. As such, the Department of
Recreation and Athletics’ goal is to build sand courts on the Burnaby campus, to be used for the program, as well as by recreational groups and the SFU community. The courts and the program would eventually be able to generate revenue themselves according to SFU Athletics, as the courts could be used to hold beach camps, leagues, and tournaments. Currently, the unused tennis courts by the visitor’s parkade are being proposed as a location for sand courts. In general, the basic skills and concepts in indoor and beach volleyball are alike. However, the two sports differ in the number of players on each team (two for beach, six for indoor); the outdoor elements that beach players face, such as sand, sun, and wind; and the different strategies required. Besides allowing current indoor volleyball players the opportunity to play both indoor
and beach, a beach volleyball program could also give SFU huge advantages in terms of recruiting prospective athletes. Schmidt noted, “Currently, beach volleyball is not a sport sponsored by the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity League), so it would make us unique in that regard. “The NCAA indoor season (August to December) is different than the CIS season (October to March), so athletes could play indoor in the fall semester and beach in the spring semester.”
Schmidt also noted that the large pool of high school athletes in BC and across Canada who presently play beach volleyball could be a good source from which to draw when building a new team. “If we were the only school in Canada providing the opportunity to play beach in college, I'm confident there would
be a lot of interest in our program,” she added. Because of the limited number of universities with beach programs on the west coast, SFU would also have the notable opportunity to play top Division I schools with well-established beach programs, such as Pepperdine and UCLA. With 55 schools currently offering an NCAA beach volleyball program, the sport shows no sign of slowing down. In Canada, the two hotspots for beach volleyball are here in Metro Vancouver, and in Toronto, where the national team training centre is located. Schmidt concluded, “Even five to six years ago, beach was just something young kids did for fun in the summer. Now there are beach clubs, camps, and full time training for athletes interested in specializing in beach. “With at least three Canadian beach teams qualifying for the Games in Rio, I can see the sport continuing to grow in popularity.”
The board is debating the implementation of an "alcohol policy," which would put restrictions on clubs using funding for alcohol. Key considerations included whether grant or core funding should be used on alcohol. It is the board’s view that events with alcohol exclude students under 19, and board documents cited “instances where student unions use all their core [funding] on alcohol.”
Students who are missing the Highland Pub will be excited to know that there are plans to have an SFSS summer pub night, which would take place on Thursday, July 28. The tentative plan includes a live DJ, as well as snacks for all attendees. After last year’s summer SFSS pub night attracted about 200 students, the board is hoping that even more will show up to this year. Despite the pub’s closure, the board is banking on students missing the campus watering hole, and said they expect up to 300 to attend.
News
An SFU professor’s research will soon let you enjoy a bike ride with loved ones — even on opposite sides of the world. Carman Neustaedter, an associate professor in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology, is reimagining the way we stay in touch. His research is being conducted through SFU’s Connections Lab (cLab), a research group focused on human-computer technology of which he is the director. Beyond Skype and FaceTime, Neustaedter wants to enable people to share activities over long distances. This could include going on a hike, playing sports, or visiting a museum — all with the help of a sophisticated mobile video communication system.
Neustaedter’s study, Be With Me: An Immersive Experience for Long Distance Couples takes long distance dating to a new level, allowing for partners to “[share] their daily activities, experiences, and an understanding of each other’s physical space.” While the published study is focused more on romantic partnerships, Neustaedter says the technology is also applicable to families and friends hoping to connect over greater distances. As a part of the study, two people went on bike rides in different areas. Users were equipped with gear to wear on their head that combined a smartphone decked out with a 360 degree camera and Google Cardboard so that each cyclist could see each other’s surroundings and expressions. They could switch between viewing their own surroundings and their partner’s.
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July 11, 2016
When one cyclist stopped to admire the view, the other could see the same thing, as well as the smile on their friend’s face. Neustaedter calls this a "parallel experience," where both individuals are doing the same activity at the same time, but in different places. The same technology can be used to create a what he terms a "mixed experience," where one individual communicates from home while the other does an activity. This unique approach creates real time, two-way, interactive communication, combining the benefits of existing technologies like Skype and GoPro. Neustaedter hopes his work will bring friends and family together in ways that overcome distance or mobility. “That’s what we’re really trying to do — to enable people to do things with their loved ones regardless of where they live in the world,” he said. He predicts social and accessibility benefits for people like distant family members, longdistance partners, and international students. Neustaedter is one of over 50 SFU faculty members funded through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s Discovery grants. The grants contribute $11 million for SFU research. There’s still a lot of work to do before this technology becomes accessible to the public. In addition to cost and infrastructure, Neustaedter acknowledged both safety and privacy concerns that have stopped technologies like Google Glass from being widely used. “You need to design it so that it takes away people’s anxieties and concerns about the social consequences about technology,” Neustaedter said. Neustaedter’s work promises to bring people together in new and interactive ways, with the technology to make distance disappear.
Fall 2016 Courses GSWS 204-3 Sex and the City
Mondays: 14:30 — 17:20 at Harbour Centre
Dr. Muller Myrdahl
This course explores the sexual politics of urban spaces by examining questions such as: What are the explicit and implicit ways that certain forms of sexuality (as well as sex acts and gender expression) are promoted or policed? Whose bodies - and which practices - are managed? How and where do these forms of management take place? The course examines various aspects of the urban form (including but not limited to: the built environment, social relations, laws and policies, oral histories, and memorial landscapes) to investigate the ongoing conversation between cities and the intimate lives of their residents. Please note: this course asks students to consider explicit content - sex acts, not just sexual identities - in order to think through the mutual production of cities and sexualities.
GSWS 318-4 ST: Political Representations of Women in Film and Literature Wednesdays: 9:30 — 13:20
Dr. Kotsovili
This course reflects on past and present representations of women in a wide range of writings and films produced in N. America, Europe, the Balkans and Latin America. The objective of the course is to analyze the selected visual and textual narratives so as to reflect on the specific social contexts and the prevailing cultural and gender norms. Specifically, it will examine: i) the impact the national and political contexts have upon the individual women, their personal histories, political engagement, memories and identities, ii) their own agency and tales of empowerment. It will offer a critical analysis on the continuities and discontinuities of women’s representations while reflecting on post/modernity, gender, politics, philosophy, theory and broader contemporary debates.
GSWS 323-4 STT: Gender and Performance
Tuesdays: 13:30 — 17:20 at Harbour Centre
Dr. Colby
During this course, students will study plays and films about writers and historical figures in order to learn the structures of drama that they themselves will use in researching and writing a play based in the autobiographical materials of a figure of their own choosing. In a respectful workshop environment, students will refine their plays and perform a scene from their own work at the end of term. In addition to the creative component of the course, we will consider various theoretical aspects of performing gender and identity, including strategies of self-narration, the formation of fictive selves, and the performance of identity in everyday life.
GSWS 350-4 Public Policy for Women Thursdays: 13:30 — 17:20
Dr. Muller Myrdahl
In Canada, profound shifts are occurring in the ways that women and gender inequalities are treated in public policy. The progressive changes that characterized the results of earlier feminist action have been undermined: the issue of gender equality has been all but erased from government focus and action. This course will address the reasons behind, and responses to, these changes at different scales of government (e.g., municipal, provincial, federal). The course will also interrogate how policies are explicitly or implicitly gendered and racialized, and will identify what characterizes public policy that meets women’s needs. The course will expose students to current public policies and their relationship to women on a wide range of topics (including, but not limited to, child care, economic security, policing, and safety). An integral part of this course is student research into and analysis of existing public policy.
All GSWS course outlines available at: www.sfu.ca/gsws
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News
Jamal Dumas / News Editor
news@the-peak.ca
NOTICE OF ELECTION THE PEAK PUBLICATIONS SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS REQUIRES TWO COLLECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES
REQUIREMENTS:
DUTIES:
● Member of at least one collective (The Peak!)
● Attend one board meeting per month for two semesters
● NOT an employee of the Peak Publications Society
● Communicate concerns and requests on behalf of the Peak Collective
● NOT an officer of any Student Society, or member of any governing body of the University
● Assist in financial and other decision making
Nomination period open until 4:00 p.m. July 19. Each candidate’s nomination must be signed by at least five (5) members of the collective. Please prepare to give a small speach at 1:30 p.m. on July 20 in MBC 2900. Questions? maia@the-peak.ca
The SFU Advocacy for Men and Boys (SFUAMB) club decided to speak up about the 'quiet crisis’ known as the gender discrepancy among those who commit suicide. In an event held at Harbour Centre on July 3 entitled “The Suicide Sex,” the club brought in speaker Dr. Rob Whitley, the principal investigator of the Social Psychiatry Research and Interest Group at the Douglas Institute’s Research Centre and an assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry at McGill. According to the most recent Statistics Canada data from 2012, there are approximately 4,000 suicides a year in Canada, and roughly 75 per cent of those are committed by men. Whitley began his presentation by tossing out a few of the platitudes surrounding the stigmas of male suicide — “men are stubborn; men are self-defeating; men don’t talk about their feelings” — before promptly dismissing them. “If you came here to listen to me say that men have to be more like women, that’s not what I’m saying,” said Whitley. He focused the majority of his talk on the causes for male suicide, including major life transitions that men can go through and how they may feel as though they have lost their purpose. He identified divorce, unemployment, retirement, and bereavement as some of these aforementioned life transitions. Another major cause Whitley addressed is the socio-economic pressure men often face, acknowledging that status and material possessions put a lot of pressure on men. “I would say that status is an issue in suicide for many men, and that we live in a society where status is defined unidimensionally,” he said. “Sadly, [this is] usually related to material things, cars, watches, clothes, job — and maybe I’m romanticizing things, but in times past, status was also derived from community involvement and just being a decent, upstanding person.” He expressed that a lot of the newer jobs of today don’t have the same meaningful impact as those in the past, and touched on how this could affect men’s perceptions of the work that they do. “Being a working man — a miner or a fisherman — was a very honourable trade. It was an important job. Mining gave you energy for the country, fishing
gave you food for the country. We’ve decoupled the profession from the social importance. With respect to these people, we’ve got thousands of people working in marketing and public relations,;what do these jobs actually contribute towards society?” Towards the end of his talk, Whitley discussed potential ways of addressing the suicide epidemic. He said that Canada needs an anti-suicide national strategy, which would help on the macro level for the country. On a more individual level, he stressed that there needs to be more availability in mental health resources for men, as well as more representation for men among health care professionals trained to deal with such issues. He pointed to programs like Men’s Sheds as a newer kind of resource that could be more beneficial for men. Men’s Sheds started in Australia, and is a place where men can get together and do activities like woodworking projects, bike repairs, and other social events organized specifically for men. Whitley added that some men may prefer that to counseling, as they might feel it helps them more to do than to talk. He did stress that different people respond to different treatment, and the goal is just to have more resources for all men to allow them to choose the mental health care they receive. Ultimately, Whitley suggested that though alternative resources should be made available, men dealing with suicidal thoughts should not hesitate to seek help from all available resources.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, there are resources available to you.
Burnaby: 778-321-4615 Surrey: 778-782-8022 Vancouver: 778-782-5200
Anywhere in BC: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) Mental health support BC-wide: 310-6789 Vancouver: 604-872-3311 Howe Sound and Sunshine Coast: 1-866-661-3311 TTY for the hearing- and speechimpaired: 1-866-872-0113 Online chat for youth: www.YouthInBC.com Online chat for adults: www.CrisisCentreChat.ca Youth Space text chat for those under 30: 778-783-0177 Emergency line: 911
Opinions
Adam Van der Zwan / Opinions Editor
July 11, 2016 opinions@the-peak.ca
Rules for donating now target trans* women Courtney Miller Peak Associate
Truth be told, I get a little protective of my notes when scouring eyes peer over shoulders and onto my personal class materials during lecture. Maybe I’m too uptight and I should ease off my exam mode during regular class time, but I am a firm believer of the phrase “You get out what you put in.” And this is especially true in the case of taking proper and personal notes during class to help achieve a kick-ass grade at the end of the semester. A recent article in Australia’s The Age investigated the buying and selling of class notes online, following the success of a University of Melbourne student named Alastair Weng. Weng, who is incredibly talented and organized, also sells his notes to other students online. According to him, this allow him to “[help] students understand some weird concepts” while also bringing in a little bit of income on the side. To me, buying notes to study just seems like a cop-out, and makes a student who has purchased these notes seem lazy. I get it: life gets in the way, time runs out, and suddenly it’s 3 a.m. and you still have no idea what weeks eight to 11 were
about. Essentially, you are cheating the system and paying someone else to do the work that you are supposed to do. As a self-proclaimed keener, I do make the effort to go to every class and take my own notes, not only because I’m paying $177.39 per credit hour, but also because it is the right thing to do. Instead of wasting time (and money) to seek out notes from others, why not just buckle down, go to class, take some notes, and study them?
It's clear that this trend is not unique to Australia. Note-selling has become a hot market in the United Kingdom, the United States, and even here in Canada. There are many websites available to help students sell their lecture
notes to desperate students at affordable prices. A quick search turned up that SFU students are also supplying their own notes on various sites. One website in particular allows students to access a vast wealth of notes from about 90 different SFU programs, with specific notes for courses in those programs. Having this easy way out perpetuates the idea that we don’t have to work hard because there will always be something to fall back on. But what guarantee is there that the notes someone else took will work for you? With no context of what went on during the lecture that day, it might be hard to put the words on the paper together. Further still, what if (God forbid) the professor changes their lecture material? That would throw those notes and whatever money you spent on them, down the drain. And even if the notes do work out, how well will you really learn the material when someone else has already done the work for you? The benefits seem to be far greater for those writing up the notes than those using them to pass. Don’t waste your money by buying notes while also spending money taking classes — sit down, roll up your sleeves, and write some damn good notes that would make your mother proud.
I have been donating blood since 2013, and it deeply saddens me to hear that Canadian Blood Services (CBS) will be adopting a complicated new protocol on August 15 with regards to blood donations from trans* people. Dr. Mindy Goldman from CBS told the CBC that the new protocol “recognize[s] that [trans* people are] a group of Canadians interested in participating in blood donation.” The dark truth, though, is that the new policy is just another way to discriminate against trans* women who’ve undergone gender confirmation surgery by preventing them from donating blood for one year after the procedure. We’ve been through this kind of thing before, namely with CBS’s former ban on donations from gay men who had had sex within five years. The good news is that CBS has finally smartened up somewhat by lessening the wait period for these men to one year. Still, the donation protocol is nowhere near as practical as it should be. Having been a registered donor for most of my eligible life, I’m familiar with the tests, warnings, and security questions asked during every donor screening. I completely understand the importance of being careful about donating blood. Dr. Goldman called trans* women a particularly high-risk group, given that an estimated 27.7 percent of Canadian trans* women live with HIV, as the CBC reported. The policy is being implemented because 30-50 of the over 400,000 registered donors identify as trans*. That’s 0.00125 percent at most, and sure, there may be some more individuals who don’t identify as trans* yet — but that number is still extremely small. Show me the need for a policy impacting a group of people that constitutes a
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tiny percent of the registered donor population, and I can show you needless and discriminatory rule-making. The discrimination is aimed at trans* women because of the policy’s focus on gender confirmation surgery. Dr. Adrian Edgar, a trans*, queer, and reproductive health expert, told the CBC there’s no proof that gender confirmation surgery directly affects the safety of trans* people’s blood. As CBS’s website explains, the organization tests all blood collected for diseases. Since the tests are imperfect, additional precautions are necessary because of “window periods,” which occur after infection but before the current testing can detect the virus. However, the focus of the policy is on surgery, not sexual relations. It doesn’t seem like the policy is necessary, and the CBS even alludes to this idea on its eligibility requirements webpage, which states that undergoing any type of surgery generally doesn’t impact a person’s ability to donate, just the medical condition that sparked the surgery. They further clarify that one only needs to be fully recovered and feeling well before donating. If the donor received blood transfusions during the procedure, then they have to wait 12 months before donating (as goes for any blood transfusion services). In plain language, this suggests that the surgery isn’t the issue, but rather the reason for the surgery is. In other words, the gender confirming surgery isn’t the issue; the trans* identity is. If you don’t think that’s discrimination, then maybe you need to reevaluate your perspectives on equality. The new policy reinforces two common feelings within the trans* community: that of not being valued, and of not being seen as part of society. It supports the erasure of trans* identities while hiding behind a fake podium of support and recognition. Shame on you, CBS.
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Opinions
Adam Van der Zwan / Opinions Editor
opinions@the-peak.ca
up a snack, a group of men entered the mall a good distance behind me. They abruptly became very loud and rowdy, and so I walked a little faster, as I had no interest in what they were saying. Catcalling is not okay. By that, I mean whistling and shouting unnecessary sexualized comments at people. It also illustrates serious problems in the way people interact with one another, and it’s time to clarify some things. Catcalling is harassment, and for many women it happens regularly. That leads people, particularly men, to think that we
should be fine with it, or just shrug it off. I know a lot of people justify catcalling with “Well, maybe you were asking for it.” This is simply untrue, and I know that first-hand. I was at SFU Surrey campus one Tuesday morning. For those of you who don't know, the campus is inside a mall, and as I walked down the stairs to the food court to pick
Or, more specifically, the stalled potential of the popular cell phone case called OtterBox. Don’t misunderstand: my lavender case is a beloved and key player in the fight to keep my iPhone from befalling the same fate as its poor, traumatized predecessors. But I feel we’ve stopped short of a level of quality to match the exorbitant amounts of cash we invest in our cases. Why stop at protection in a variety of colours? Why can’t I have an OtterBox modelled after the faces of famous
Canadian politicians? What about ones modelled after famous pieces of Renaissance art? When someone cute asks for my number, I want the power to hide my butterflies behind a static Mona Lisa smile. If you love your consumers, OtterBox — and I hope you do, considering we keep your cushy Colorado-based operations running while eschewing the starving artists producing aesthetically superior knock-offs — then I’d like to request that you please answer to the public’s needs.
Then they started yelling: “You in the jeans, why you walking so fast? Girl, where are you going?” At this point I realized they were talking to me. I looked back, and because they were pleased to get a reaction out of me, they became even louder, spewing more vulgar comments. No one else in the mall said or did anything. Let’s begin with the fact that
It’s 2016, which means yet another year of celebrating cute animal videos and otherwise commodifying living things for our comfort and amusement. It should be no surprise that this is the latest in security measures. Don’t want your screen cracking? Shelter it in a clump of soft, cuddly mammals. Scared of water damage? Considering the otters will already be fighting over precious aquatic real estate while cooped up in that box, your device likely won’t even be in
catcalling makes most women feel highly uncomfortable, especially when those catcalls comefrom a group. It makes many of us feel the need to walk in the other direction, to cross the road, or to just avoid the harasser at all costs. The fact that someone is making vulgar comments to a person they don't know leaves women in fear of what could possibly happen if they chose to keep walking down a certain path. A lot of people will just advise you to ignore them. Well, that’s far easier said than done, as this kind of harassment can be very hard to ignore. If someone is yelling at you from across the street with “Hey girl, nice legs! Well, you could at least say ‘thank you’,” how do you expect me to ignore that? I’ve been singled out in front of everyone, and now I’m being expected to accept a ‘compliment’ that I didn't want in the first place? What is wrong with you? I don't need to be told that I look good in my outfit. I know I look good, and that’s why I put it on. I’m not saying that women don't like to be complimented, but it must be done in the right way. Why can’t you just politely walk up to me and say that I look nice, or just keep it to yourself? I am in no need of your approval. Why am I forced to think twice before wearing something that may cause unwanted attention? It just makes me and other women feel highly self-conscious. It’s dehumanizing and verbally abusive. Dear catcallers, please hold your tongue, because I don’t care what you think.
the running for a turn in the morning shower. Worried that friends will glimpse sensitive texts from your ex about all that stuff you left at their apartment? Your team of waterborne ninjas will guard your secrets as zealously as the SFSS conceals the contents of in camera meetings. Treat them with love, and when the rest of your squad is too busy to slide into your DMs, you’ll have better friends to keep you company.
Features
Tamara Connor / Features Editor
features@the-peak.ca
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10 Arts
After touring through Germany and the UK, Winnipeg band Yes We Mystic are excited to return home. “Touring Western Canada is our favorite because that’s what’s familiar to us. It’s where we started,” Adam Fuhr, lead vocalist and guitarist, said. The band have made a dynamic statement with their latest effort, Forgiver. Prior to the album’s release, they ran an interesting campaign in 10 different cities. They put up posters asking people to text the answer to “What have you been unable to forgive?” to a number on the poster, along with their album heading scrawled across the poster. It was brilliant brand marketing on their part, allowing them to connect with people on a broadly relatable subject and introducing the public to their folktinged indie style. They certainly made Canada Day especially rad for Vancouverites who saw them live at the Biltmore Cabaret, bringing forth an exceptional live performance. I have never heard such
a seamless transition from recorded to live sound. The passionate and intense way each of the band members performed completely captivated the crowd, who were unable to keep from swaying to the music. The only way I can describe the energy of the band on the cavernous stage of the Biltmore Cabaret is that it was as though each member was literally throwing themselves into their instruments.
My favourite moment was when keyboardist Jodi Plenert played an intense verse on the cello, then actually threw aside her bow in order to play the notes on the keyboard just in time.
Jess Whitesel / Arts Editor
arts@the-peak.ca
The album, which plays on the theme of betrayal and forgiveness, made for a beautiful, nostalgic, and orchestral set. Combined with a couple of rock covers, the concert met every expectation in the crowd. Fuhr and Keegan Steele collaborate in creating the songs, typically with Fuhr composing the music and Steele writing the words. “For inspiration we draw from things we like just as most musicians do, but we also try to draw from things we don’t like,” Fuhr explained. “For example, we’ll try to take a sound that is off-putting or has become a cliché over the years and use what was once good about it to make something fresh and new.” It is clear that Yes We Mystic have come a long way since their start and has a really great team of dedicated musicians. “Keegan and I were in another band in high school and it was a mess but lots of fun,” Fuhr said. “When the band broke up in a very dramatic and high school way, we decided we weren’t ready to quit music just yet.”
The Secret Life of Pets is easily distracted and prone to tangents, like a dog that suddenly chases after a ball. Directed by Yarrow Cheney and Chris Renaud, The Secret Life of Pets imagines what your domesticated critters are doing while you’re away. The story centers on Max, an only pet whose owner rescues a stray dog, forcing the pampered terrier to share his space. When Max and his new roommate Duke get lost and picked up by an underground group of stray animals, they have to find their way back home before their owner returns from work. What makes The Secret Life of Pets exceptional is also what makes it frustrating: it isn’t on a leash. Because there are no rules, there isn’t a rigid structure, and we leap between plot points with random occurrences rather than psychological motivations, which is in large part because most of the characters act purely on instinct. When Max and Duke are threatened by a snake, a pile of bricks fall from the sky, then an entire wall. It’s something you might see in a Looney Tunes sketch, but within the confines
of a feature-length film. The villain has motivations, but he quickly forgets them; there are character arcs, but they happen abruptly. The story is really just a framing device for a series of set pieces and funny situations. The Secret Life of Pets puts us in the manic headspace of an animal. Thankfully, the film is committed to its comic ideas if not its thematic ones. Visually, we see things through a pet’s point of view: skyscrapers, cars, and people appear as though they’ve been squished to be tall and skinny, which is what you could imagine seeing if you lived your life two feet off the ground. Tonally, the perspective is disjointed and upbeat, and there is a sort of slapstick logic to a lot of what happens. The jokes are simple in structure: do the opposite of what’s expected. A fluffy bunny is evil, an old dog with wheels for back legs is wicked fast, and a posh poodle in a luxury apartment rocks out to heavy metal when his owner is away. Authored by the studio behind Despicable Me , The Secret Life of Pets is high-energy with a short attention span. It indulges in its creator's best and worst impulses: skillful comic timing and lazy humour. This is a unique, flawed, enjoyable, and exhausting film. Although it’s devoid of meaning or feeling, there exists a bombastic, free-running spirit inside. The Energizer Bunny would be jealous.
Arts
July 11, 2016
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It’s hard to believe that Last Year Was Complicated is Nick Jonas’ third solo album — I feel like I don’t hear much about the guy aside from “Jealous.” I don’t find a lot of originality in this album. It sounds like something from last year’s top 40. Not so complicated, Jonas. “Champagne Problems” and “Don’t Make Me Choose” sound like they could be the Weeknd, with some slight octave shifting, and “Touch” is a Bruno Mars knock-off. Jonas does do some experimenting, like on “Voodoo,” which is groovy and exotic. “Under You” might be my favourite off the record, but maybe that’s because of the Taylor Swift I can hear. “Unhinged” is a solid ballad, but it’s hard to tell with all that synthesizer. It’s not a bad album. But it’s also nothing we haven’t heard before. – CM
Black is Dierks Bentley’s follow-up to the wildly successful and overall enjoyable Riser. Black is good, though not quite on the same level as its predecessor. However, it is a lot more cohesive on the whole. No track stands out, either in a good or a bad way. It’s a concept album that embodies the rollercoaster of what a relationship is. Overall, the songwriting is solid. The lead single off the album, “Somewhere on a Beach” is not the best lyrically: “I’m getting sun, I’m getting some, and I ain’t slept in a week.” It’s almost tragically catchy. The whole album has a feel of emotion, without seeming too personal. “Black” opens the album with a little sexiness, but the duet with Maren Morris, “I’ll Be the Moon” has pristine harmonies and deals with the dreaded love triangle. Meanwhile, “Different for Girls” goes through a heartbreak from the perspectives of both a guy and a girl. – CM
There’s a moment near the end of “Rideback” — the opener on Hannah Georgas’ new album, For Evelyn — where the soft saxophone line becomes a blaring moment of noise, which sounds great in context but is also incredibly unsettling. After she sings, “What if the best times are all up? / What if it’s just the ride back now?” it makes sense. This album is about pushing forward amidst uncertainty and anxiety, and doing your best to find beauty and meaning in it. However, this album is Georgas saying that despite the best intentions, the unknown can still take over sometimes. This theme is conveyed beautifully over Georgas’ matured synth-pop sound she’s developed since 2008. Standouts include the heartbreaking “Don’t Go” and the self-doubting “Waste.” The emotional impact is as poignant as how Georgas decides to personify it through her music, and this album perfectly takes up the space that otherwise can hang in the unwanted moments. – NR
If you’ve seen a romantic comedy before, you know the plot of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates : boy meets girl in quirky circumstance, things go wrong, things get deep, things get worse, everyone has a coming-of-age moment, the leads save the day, and — if you’re lucky — it ends with a dance number. What makes this movie stand out is that it’s actually funny. The film starts with the greatest visual representation of expectations versus reality that I’ve ever seen, kicking off the plot early and somewhat haphazardly. As the titular Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) search for the perfect girls to take to their sister’s wedding, we meet Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza), out of work waitresses who are not in the best place in their lives. When the girls see the viral news story about two brothers trying to find dates to take to Hawaii, they hatch a plan to meet and trick them into taking them on an all-expenses-paid vacation. There were three things about this movie that surprised me, the
first of which being that Aubrey Plaza wasn’t the best character in the movie. Going into the showing, I was convinced that if anyone could save a movie like this from being a total shit show, it was Plaza.
However, her character was poorly written, her acting felt forced, and her chemistry with the other characters was nonexistent. There are brief moments when Plaza’s true nature shines through — her best scenes by far come halfway through the movie — but they are few and far between. The biggest mistake this movie made was thinking Plaza could convincingly play a character that unironically says “gurl.”
The second surprise of the movie was how good Efron and Devine were together. These two aren’t the most likely pair, but their ability to play off one another is undeniable. Efron does have his lacklustre moments — especially in early scenes with co-star Kendrick — but overall, his character is really entertaining. Devine is the star of the movie, bringing every bit of comedy chops he has. Though the two are better together, Devine doesn’t need any help getting laughs on his own. However, the biggest surprise of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates was that it was actually pretty good. Was it the most original movie out there? No. Mike and Dave will not be receiving any nominations come awards season, but it’s a fun way to spend a night out at the movies. You’ll laugh, you’ll feel — the line “I used to think I was destined for great things” hit a little too close to home — and you’ll learn an important lesson that you probably should have already known: don’t try to find a fucking wedding date on Craigslist.
12 Humour
Justin Stevens / Humour Editor
humour@the-peak.ca
Anyone who knows me personally knows that one of my greatest passions in life is good food. Legend has it, in fact, that like some sort of modern-adaptation gender-swapped Demeter, I emerged from the womb with a cornucopia in one hand and a pumpkin spice latte in the other. Bearing that in mind, watching fine meals go to waste is, understandably, a sore point. I’ve fasted for Ramadan since the seventh grade, and grown up with my parents’ stories of working to escape poverty in a new country. I’ve undergone serious emotional upheavals due to Pretty Little Liars’ sharp decline in quality with little besides cinnamon swirl coffee cakes and green tea frappuccinos to comfort me. Those experiences have shaped me into a particularly vicious defender of the rights of all that is delicious. The social etiquette engineered by a patriarchy that seeks to drive every single one of us to regret eating that extra cherry pie has silenced my blazing desire for justice on myriad occasions. I’ve seen close friends of mine drop Tim Hortons goods and chuck them away despite no actual food-floor contact having been made. On a field trip to the Chamber of Commerce to watch yet another politician wax lyrical about what they want us to believe are the “real issues,” I noted numerous unrepentant one-percenters abandoning plates of New York cheesecake because the colour contrasted with their perfectly sculpted buns and made for a suboptimal Instagram #foodporn post. Look, I won’t bring the starving residents of developing countries into this. In fact, I have far too much respect for their daily struggles to so much as speak of them in the same sentence as the sycophants of extremist cuisine capitalism whom I criticize. But I ask those of you who can afford to spend $50+ at The Keg and trash half your dessert to at minimum consider the feelings of the petit bourgeois who settle for Superstore’s trusty tubs of heavenly hash ice cream. That iced capp you just clumsily fumbled? Not one bit of it kissed dirt, you cotton-headed ninny-muggin. If it was good enough for you when you bought it, it’s still good enough for you now! Your “ending is better than mending” attitude is the reason we’re probably all doomed to an artless dystopia of social castes and hallucinogen addictions. If you mean to forsake everything that you drop out of some bizarre scruples, then by God, start with that course you decided to take in a later semester (I promise you round two is probably not going to be any better), or that stale top 40 mixtape of which you’re probably so proud. And you know what? I bet Drake, Sia, and Selena Gomez all finish every last bite of their dishes and tip well to boot.
As a student in the tiny department of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies (GSWS), I get to be in the most engaging, thought-provoking, and entertaining classes every semester. Here are four tell-tale signs that you may be a GSWS student.
1. You become a feminist unicorn. Sniffing out discrimination, maiming misogyny with unicorn horns, and stomping out sexism with our hooves is what we do best, to achieve equality for all
genders. We also wear sparkles, because we are fucking unicorns.
2. You become critical of everything. Remember that popular song by The Weeknd? Have fun pretending that those misogynistic lyrics don’t exist. Do you still love it anyway? Yes, of course — but that critical lens, once open, shall never close again!
3. You’ve been targeted by an anti-feminist Twitter troll.
Ah, behold the typical ramblings of anti-feminists. With their keen talent for vulgar language and missing a point, get ready for comments such as, “Oooh. . . the big bad patriarchy boogeyman is out to get you??” Insert eye-roll here.
4. You love being completely aware of the gender norms that people follow. Well, somebody told me that I can’t do something because of my gender again. Please excuse me while I go all Judith Butler on you and send those norms down to hell.
Alternatively, find some goddamn coordination if it helps you sleep peacefully. I understand the three-second rule doesn’t work for every scenario, but at least try to develop the grace, balance, and elegance necessary to cherish the spoils of your labour. Tell yourself that you deserve better than wasted, uneaten Twinkies. With sincere love, and hope and confidence in my heart that you’ll change for the better, A morally infuriated social crustice warrior,
Peak Associate
Humour
You may notice that we white people seem to ask for a whole load of stupid holidays. What most people don’t know is that we white people have a plethora of frivolous holidays that we have yet to drop your way. Here’s a list of some other ones we’re getting ready to advocate for.
Reverse Racism Remembrance Day Can you remember all those times someone has referred to
July 11, 2016
you as a cracker or honky? Well, I can remember all three! We would like to make November 12 a day to remember all those racist insults non-white people have ever thrown our way, with a moment of silence followed by a solemn performance of the “Chicken Dance.” Take that, reverse racism!
— it’s time for the most basic day in history! February 6 is a time to celebrate your inner basic bitch or bro. This is an excellent time to head on over to Starbucks and chant “OMG I CAN’T EVEN!” as you sample a cornucopia of caffeine-infused beverages.
Bring Your Minority Friend to Work Day
Tired of everyone assuming you only have white friends? We feel your pain. On March 12, show up those generalizing assholes by bringing that one minority friend Basic Bitch/Bro Apprecia- you have to work. Whether it's your tion Day black friend who struggles to maintain a smile while you say the NWhip out your Uggs and sip word during a Drake song, or that your pumpkin spice lattes, people Asian friend who you make fun of
for not being able to use chopsticks properly. You know you aren’t a racist, and fuck anyone who says otherwise!
Vent Your White Guilt Day: Many white people in this world totally aren’t racist at all, and just really mean well — and on May 27, by God, are we going to remind you all for the millionth time. So everyone, don’t be threatened if some white guy walks up to you to apologize for slavery, even though you’re actually Persian. We need to remind you that we feel really bad about a lot of shit, even if we don’t remember exactly who we did what shit to. Look, the point is we feel really bad, guys! Can’t we just all get along?
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Deliberating On Who is White Day This is the most important day for white people, because it’s the day we decide who is in the ‘club.’ Originally reserved for WASPs only, eventually we finally got around to bringing Irish, Italian, and Spanish people into the fold. So on June 25, get ready for us to figure out who's in and who's out. In the ‘40s Jewish people weren’t in vogue, but now they’re white as hell! And in the present day, anyone who’s Muslim is seen as some brown person who’s potentially a terrorist. So come on in and celebrate the lottery of who is least likely to get profiled in Western countries based on race! Woohoo!
14 Photos
Alexa Tarrayo / Photo Editor
photos@the-peak.ca
Diversions
Maia Odegaard / Business Manager
July 11, 2016 maia@the-peak.ca
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LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
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16 Last Word
Tamara Connor / Features Editor
features@the-peak.ca