Misc | Issue 24 by Salient

Salient

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Final Issue of 2016

Issue 24

Misc.

Vol. 79

STRESS FREE STUDY WEEK MONDAY 17 OCTOBER TO FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER

Don’t let study week get you down, VUWSA’s here to keep you well fed and stress free

Free breakfast and lunch everyday

8am - 10am, 11:30am - 1:30pm

Kelburn, Pipitea, Te Aro

WHAT’S ON FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH Everyday 8am to 10am, 11:30am to 1:30pm

Kelburn: VUWSA, Level 4 Student Union Building Te Aro: Common Room next to VS1.27 Pipitea: Law School Common Room, Old Government Building

MONDAY 17TH

SPCA puppies! Kelburn, The Bubble, 1pm to 2pm Lego with CanDo The Hub courtyard, 2pm to 4pm (In the Hub if rainy) Science Society Cram Session PHYS, CHEM, ENGR & BTEC (100-200 level), CO228, 10am to 3pm

TUESDAY 18TH WEDNESDAY 19TH

THURSDAY 20TH FRIDAY 21ST

EXTRAS

Science Society Cram Session BIOL & BMSC (100-200 level), CO228, 10am to 3pm SPCA puppies! Pipitea, RWW126, 1pm to 2pm Science Society Cram Session MATH (100-200 level), CO228, 10am to 3pm Science Society Cram Session ENVI, ESCI, GEOG,(100-200 level), CO228, 10am to 3pm Kitten Inn’s Café The Bubble, Kelburn, 10am to 11am Science Society Cram Session STAT & COMPSCI,(100-200 level), Memorial Theatre Foyer, 10am to 3pm SPCA puppies! Te Aro, Wednesday 12 October, 1pm to 2pm Rec Centre Fitness Studio $1 entry for Group Exercise and Fitness Studio all week!

www.victoria.ac.nz/students/get-involved/recreation- services/timetable

Contents Features

On Optimism

JonBenét

Ten things I wish my friends knew about being Māori

Speak for yourself

Opinion 17

I Wrote for Salient for Four Years for Dick and Free Speech

Stop Liking and Commenting on Your Mates’ New Facebook Friendships

News 6

Salient by the numbers

Class of 2016

Double arson in Wellington central

Regular Content 14

Gee Mail

Film

One Ocean

Games

Māori Matters

Notices

Books

Single Sad Postgrad

Theatre

Visual Arts

Puzzles

Music

Editors: Emma Hurley Jayne Mulligan

Editors' Letter has been a blessing. Katie Meadows, you’re a fucking legend, enough said. Dana, thanks for somehow running the film section alongside your honours. Cameron, your pieces each week made the world of games accessible for even us. Cassie, your reviews were precise and powerful, and always helped us find our next book to read. Jason, thank you blowing your advertising sales target out of the WATER; thanks for the banter, the support, the legs, and the unpredictable smart/casual wear. Sharon, you killed it and you’re a hero to all sad single people. Matt, you were flawless and we learnt a lot from you. Brodie your column was our soul food. Joe, thank you for faithfully delivering magazines and sports columns, and thanks for the flowers. Etta, your writing has been so powerful. Visual arts editors, you are among the leading art writers and critics in New Zealand and talented artists in your own right. Theatre writers, you gave the underground theatre scene a chance to shine. News writers, it’s a tough, messy, demanding thing to turn a piece over as fast as you had to. Thank you for sticking to the grind and delivering the good stuff each week. Opinion writers and feature writers: your bravery, your craft, your imaginations brought our themes to life. We wish we could thank every single one of you. We feel honoured to have worked with so many talented people. Your willingness to send through your words, time and time again, is a feat you should be proud of. We are so proud of you. These words affected people; whether your piece touched one person or thousands. For us this year we wanted to go beyond the dominant narratives that tend to be most heard. To give space to new stories and voices. We’ve done what we could and you, our readers, are the judges of our successes. Some may be left wanting; this is a reality. Thank you to everyone. We know this whole thing isn’t a personal thing, this isn’t for us, this is for Salient as an institution, for all students, for you—the student who found a home in these pages, who looked forward to a new Salient every week. Thank you.

It’s been a week of lasts. People sending in their last column, their last feature, their last news story. Saying their goodbyes. It’s our last issue and somehow we are here. With our small team of (under)paid staff and around 230 volunteer contributors, Salient, for this year, came to life. We are indebted to you all. You people made Salient what it has been this year: all 24 issues, 1160 pages, and 91,000 copies. Thank you to everyone who encouraged and supported us, and to the people who gave us shoulders to lean on. Thank you to the people who were right by our side through it all, unflinching in their support, there to celebrate the peaks and pull us out of the pits. Thank you Kate Robertson, Ella Bates-Hermans, Tim Manktelow, there’s no bond like going through this experience together—we can’t imagine having done this without you. No one saw our every moment quite like Ella did. She was there when we were bleary eyed first thing Monday morning and strung out on Fridays. She took our vague ideas and helped us shape them into concrete ones, and made one of the most consistently beautiful magazines in the country. She saw us crying, freaking out, hysterical in the early hours of the morning. Walking into the office each morning to Ella was a privilege. Kate, from the first week you were interviewing politicians, chasing stories, and raising the young news writers. Your enthusiasm, energy, and brazen confidence pushed us—we pissed people off and challenged them and it was worth it. Your uncompromising support was an asset to us and we can’t wait to watch you kill it out there, no matter what you choose to do. Tim, your ability to pull apart sentences and your meticulous eye for grammar and style made you one of our pillars. You balanced our crazy ideas with reason and came in every sunday to do the website upload. You held together the cracks, you are a genuinely great person. Finn, we don’t know how do you do it: you manage to take our loose themes and churn out certified-bangers every single time. Faith, your words challenged us and our readers alike: you spoke your truth and tackled real issues. Laura, to see your words blossom each week has been a pleasure and to have had you as part of our team

Emma & Jayne xoxo

Hits on Salient.org.nz:

515,910 Issues produced:

Number of emails sent:

Fridges we went through:

Total number of pages:

1160

Copies of Salient printed:

91,000

Number of contributors:

2486

Times we missed our deadline by a mile:

230

Hollingsworth, Adeline Shaddick, Ahorangi Rawinia Higgins, Akuhata Keefe, Alasdair Thank you to: Abe Keating, Alex Feinson, Alex McGill, Alexa Zelensky, Ali Kaye, Alice Lyall, Allandria Puna, Amalia Louisson, Amber Bunnin, Amber White, Annaliese Wilson, Anthony Wanakore, Aoi Yao, Aria McInnes, Ariana Simcock Rēweti, Aurora Akauola, Autumn, Belinda from SMP, Benjamin Johnson, Benjamin Lister, Bent, Brodie Fraser, Bronwyn Curtis, Caitlin Attenburrow, Callum Devlin, Callum MacRae, Cam Price, Cameron Gray, Carrisa Corlett, Cassie Richards, Catherine Nelson, Cathy Stephenson, Celia Wade-Brown, Charlie Hann, Charlie Prout, Charlotte Forrester, Cheska, Chrissy Brown, Christian Haereroa Webster Romer, Claire Harris, Claudia Jardine, Cole Hutchinson, Corey Spence, Dan Fraser, Dana Williams, Dani Pickering, Danica Soich, Daniel Leask, Daniel Ralphs, Dion Rogers, Donna Patterson, Dr Feelgood, Duncan McLachlan, Elise Lanigan, Ella Bates-Hermans, Ella Steele, Ellen Barg-Walkow, Emilie Marschner, Emily Fatu, Emma Hurley, Eve Kennedy, Faith Wilson, Feminist Law Society, Finn Holland, Finnius Teppett, Francesca Crutchley, Gates Henderson, Geneveine Wilson, George Grainger, Georgette Brown, Georgia Smith, Grace Carroll, Grace Faletutulu, Graeme Edgelar, Grant Guilford, Gussie Larkin, Hamish Popplestone, Hana Pera Aoake, Harri Robinson, Harriet O’Neill, Harry Boyd, Harry Culy, Hayden Donnell, Haylee Read, Haz Forrester, Hekia Parata, Hekiera Mareroa, Henrietta Bollinger, Henry Bennison, Hinemaia Takurua, Hineteariki Parata-Walker, Ian Anderson, Isaac Brodie, Isaac Laughton, Izzy Carson, Jacinta Gulasekharam, Jack Bonnor, Jack Branthwaite, Jack Woodbury, Jackson James Wood, James Churchill, James Keane, Jamie Madhavan, Jamie Yeates, Jason Sutton, Jayne Mulligan, Jazz Kane, Jen Smith, Jennie-Louise Kendrick, Jess Lim, Jess Scott, Jesse Mulligan, Jesseallen Te Awhe-Raston, Jessica Brown, Joe Morris, John Barclay, Jon Drypnz, Jonathan Gee, Jonathan Stevenson, Jordana Bragg, Joshua James, Justin Kim, Kahu Haimona, Kahu Kutia, Karli Rickard, Kate Baxter, Kate McIntyre, Kate Morten, Kate Robertson, Katie Meadows, Katy Groom, Keith Ng, Kimberley McIvor, Lara Daly, Laura Bernard, Laura Duffy, Laura Toailoa, Lekk Porter, Leo Elliott-Jones, Leo Langridge, Lily McElhone, Lily Paris West, Livné Ore, Louisa Beatty, Louise Rutledge, Lucy Wardle, Luka Cowley, Lynette Johnson, Madeleine Ashton-Martyn, Malik Priestly, Mandy Te, Margot Mills, Mark Bernard, Marta Simonetti, Mathew Watkins, Matt Plummer, Matthew Collier, Matty Reeves, Mckenzie Collins, Meriana Johnson, Mihimaraea Parata Gardiner, Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, Miss Demeanour, Molly McCarthy, Morgan Fowler, Moya Mclennan, Naomi Peacock, Nathaniel Manning, Navana Matthews, Ngai Tauira, Nick Sinclair, Olivia Day, Ollie Neas, Olly Clifton, Ophelia Wass, Orion Holder-Monk, Paris Hilton, Patrick Hickey, Paula Lausin Clay, Petera Hakiwai, Pip, Poppy McIver, Preya Gothanayagi, Puck, Rahera Dyall, Raimona Tapiata, Rakaitemania Parata Gardiner, Rhys Stannard, Rob Barratt, Rob Yates, Robbie Whyte, Rory Lenihan-Ikin, Rose McIlhone, Ruby Hansen, Ruby Joy Eade, Ruci Tueli, Salote Camam, Sarah Batkin, Sarah Dillon, Sarah Robson, Sharpay Yuheng Xu, Simon Gennard, Simon from SMP, Sina Ah Sam, Siobhan O’Connor, Sophie Giblin, Sophie Sharp, Sophie Wynn, Tamatha Paul, Tamsin Grigg, Tanja Schultz, Tara Officer, Tawhai Moss, Taylor Wanakore, Te Owaimotu Crawford, Te Pō Hawaikirangi, Te Ripowai Higgins, Te Wehi Wright, Teresa Collins, Theo Barnard, Thomas Rawiri, Tik, Tim Grgec, Timothy Grigg, Tim Manktelow, Tom Danby, Tori Sellwood, Tyler Jackson, UniQ, V-ISA, Vic Books Cafe, Victoria University cleaning staff, Viveka Nylund, VUWSA, VUWSA Women’s Group, Wellington Tremayne, Wiliame Gucake, Wira Gardiner, Yvette Velvin, Zoe Claasen.

nt ’s e i l a

Class of 20 16

Most likely to say one thing and do another Grant Guilford—posterboy for change who never quite delivers, but nice dude.

Headline of the year “Turns out Salient is a disgusting travesty”.

Best yarn “Students Mistaken For Backpackers”—that time the uni fucked up and students ended up in bunk beds.

Most underpaid The cleaners, the security staff, and librarians—shout out for keeping the university running.

Biggest cock block VUW Communications Team. Currently ghosting us harder than your latest Tinder bae.

Most viral article “If You’re From Waimana Why Are You White?”—Kahu Kutia.

Phrase we would like to never hear again “Student Friendly Wellington”—haunting us in our sleep, thanks Jono.

Biggest mic drop “Bros101: Introduction to Brogressive Politics”—Cool Guy Madeleine and Tough Guy Mills.

Worst behaviour Massive Magazine.

Most Feels Article “Anywhere But Here”—Tim Grgec.

Lecturer of the year Dougal McNeill, a vocal staff member with a good Twitter presence.

Worst Error When we printed the crossword answers instead of the crossword; when we wrote “Contributor of the wee.”

Worst secret keeper Andrew Little, for letting a policy around postsecondary education slip on Salient FM.

Most last minute contributor Rakaitemania Parata-Gardiner.

Most tragic and single Sharon Lam.

Tweet of the year @DavidSlack: “Bad Salient. Bad, bad Salient. Sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done.”

Best opinion piece “Victoria University is Failing Its Queer Students”—Alex Mark.

Fucboi of the year Alex Winiata. The University of Waikato wannabe student politician bragged, “if I had one vote for every girl on this campus I’ve shagged, I would get this role easily.” Ew.

Best media coverage “Is Sir Neville Jordan The Biggest Dryballs in New Zealand?”—Hayden Donnell, The Spinoff.

10.10.16

You can study longer, YAY

News

Kate Robertson

Aunty Helen unsuccessful Head of the United Nations Development Program Helen Clark has been unsuccessful in her bid to be the next Secretary General of the United Nations (UN). The UN Security Council unanimously voted for former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres. Clark received eight ‘discourage’ votes, six ‘encourage’ votes, and one ‘no opinion’. Three vetoes were used against her by members of the Security Council’s five permanent members. Guterres received 13 ‘encourage’ votes and two ‘no opinions’ from the 15 members of the UN Security Council, putting him ahead of all other candidates. Clark released a statement shortly after saying “Antonio has the knowledge and experience to lead the United Nations well, and I wish him every success.” She added that she “deeply appreciate[d] the full support I have had throughout my campaign.” Guterres served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995-2002. Following that he became a member of the Club of Madrid, a non-profit organisation made up of former prime ministers and presidents who work to promote democracy and change in the international community. Clark’s previously active Snapchat ‘Helen4SG’ has not been updated since the announcement.

Double arson in Wellington central

2016 VUWSA Treasurer-Secretary and 2017 Treasurerelect George Grainger has resigned from the role for 2017. The resignation comes just two weeks after Grainger won the position on next year’s executive. Grainger wrote on Facebook that the “demanding role” has seen him go “up to and beyond my limits this year to give the Association what it needs,” putting his resignation down to his overcommitting and “giving too much.” With regard to the now vacant position, 2017 VUWSA President-elect Rory Lenihan-Ikin says that “without the time to properly conduct a by-election before the end of trimester in 2016, the 2017 Executive will appoint an acting Treasurer in 2017 until a by-election can be held as soon as practicable in the new year.” VUWSA President Jonathan Gee said he understands George’s reasons for resigning and “wishes him all the best for the future.” It has not yet been confirmed whether Dayle Vavasour will run for the role after coming in second place to Grainger in the recent election. Grainger says he will handover and train next year’s Treasurer, so VUWSA hopefully won’t go under. 08

Jessica Morris

Early Tuesday morning, October 4, two separate arson attacks took place in Mount Cook and Te Aro. 47 year old Robert Vernon Phillip Mackie has been arrested for one of the incidents and is now facing seven charges of arson and one charge of burglary. The Wellington Area Commander, Inspector Chris Bensemann, reported that the man was caught during an attempted burglary. Mackie’s charges include setting fire to ten rubbish bins which were leant against buildings, including several restaurants on Courtenay Place. One council worker required medical treatment for smoke inhalation following the incident. At 2am, the same morning the bins were set alight, a couch was set on fire on the front porch of a Nairn Street residence. The fire grew quickly and then spread through the front of the house. One resident said they leapt through a “wall of flame” in order to escape the blaze. Eight fire trucks were called to put out the blaze which partially destroyed the house. Police are still investigating the Nairn Street arson and were “following strong leads to identify those responsible.” Senior Station Officer John Mansford said that smoke alarms helped alert the residents of the Nairn Street property in time.

Grainger gone

Kate Robertson

Victoria University is in the final stages of approving extended library hours across all three campuses. The current plan is to open all libraries from 8am to 12am, Monday to Friday, and from 10am to 10pm on weekends. The university are aiming to have the changes implemented by the third trimester. VUWSA President Jonathan Gee says “VUWSA has pushed for extended library hours for a long time and it’s great that this is finally happening.” “Students just want to have a quiet space to study and this proposal will make that happen. If implemented, this will be a great win for students and will contribute immensely to their academic experience.” The idea of extending library hours was first floated earlier this year. It was discussed in Library and Information Services Committee meetings prior to being put before the Academic Board. Finer details around whether or not students will be allowed access to libraries on different campuses, as well as issues regarding security, access to services, and staff availability, are yet to be confirmed. Gee and University Librarian Janet Fletcher are currently working together to ensure that this change is as smooth as possible for students.

10.10.16

What’s in a name? That which we call racism. Elers defended this view and stated that it is “irrelevant” that it happened “a long time ago” because “the past has an influence on today” and it is “important that it’s discussed.” A number of academics at the university have chosen to take a neutral position on the issue—including Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori and Pasifika Dr Selwyn Katene— but have stated the debate is an important one. Reactions to the idea at Victoria University (VUW) are divided between students and staff as well. The VUW head of history, Associate Professor Jim McAloon, said the good and the bad elements to Massey’s legacy should be remembered together and the name should not be changed. Massey University spokesperson James Gardiner said the matter had not been raised formally with the university, and can not be properly considered until this has been done.

Alex Feinson

Massey University Communications lecturer Steve Elers has called for the name of the institution to be changed. This comes after Elers uncovered racist comments made by the university’s namesake, William Ferguson Massey, during his term as prime minister from 1912-1925. The two statements in question read: “New Zealanders are… the purest Anglo-Saxon population in the British Empire. Nature intended New Zealand to be a white man’s country” and “I’m not a lover or admirer of the Chinese race. I… insist on very drastic legislation to prevent them coming here in any numbers.” Palmerston North Massey University Student Association (MUSA) President Nikita Skipper says the reactions from students have been strong and varied. Some students argue that because the comments were made in the early 20th century they are of the time and not an issue today, while others said the statements made them “physically cringe” and that a name change is necessary. Skipper has said these statements “clearly make some people uncomfortable” and that it “shouldn’t be swept under the carpet.”

10.10.16

Rugby nothing but Rough

Quiz 1. What year did Lemony Snicket’s final installment of A Series of Unfortunate Events, The End, come out? 2. The singer MØ, known for her hit “Final song”, is from which European country? 3. Which Looney Tunes character pops up at the end of each episode saying, “that’s all folks!” 4. The End, a web-based computer game launched in August 2011, deals with which big issues? 5. Which Biblical book does the Apocalypse appear in?

McKenzie Collins

New research has revealed New Zealand secondary schools are failing to teach rugby players valuable social and mental skills. Research carried out by the University of Canterbury’s Dr Blake Bennett found the focus on technicalities sacrifices what otherwise makes the sport worthwhile for young males. Bennett’s study looked into both New Zealand and Japanese programs and he discovered significant differences. New Zealand coaches focused intently on “skill development and discipline,” while Japanese coaches spoke of “character development, tenacity, and a range of social benefits.” Blake remarked that few New Zealand coaches showed interest in adjusting their training schedules for the sake of empowerment. Japanese training sessions were structured upon “sieshin,” an ideology which promotes the strengthening of the mind through physical activity. Coaches hoped the result would be a determined approach to hard work. The chief executive of College Sport Auckland, Dave Currie, argues the study is looking too far into the purpose of sport. From what he recalls, the most noteworthy benefit of school sport, aside from keeping an individual active, was to make friends.

Society’s sponsorship cancelled after injury

6. The TV show Freaks and Geeks finished its run after how many seasons? 7. Who wrote “everything has to come to an end, sometime” in their novel The Marvelous Land of Oz? 8. Which famous TV show ended with the family gathering in a diner and the main character looking up at the door before cutting to black? 9. What is the referential title for the ongoing extinction event of species during the Holocene Epoch? 10. A picture of Frodo Baggins’ face after throwing the One Ring into lava is used for what meme? 1) 2006. 2) Denmark. 3) Porky the Pig. 4) Death, belief, and science. 5) Book of Revelations. 6) One. 7) L. Frank Baum. 8) The Sopranos. 9) Sixth extinction. 10) The “It’s over, it’s done” meme. 10

Thomas Croskery

A stunt that caused serious injury has resulted in two major sponsors withdrawing their sponsorship of the University of Canterbury Engineering Society (ENSOC). DB Breweries and insurance company MAS pulled their sponsorship after an engineering student lit his hair on fire and jumped off the roof of his flat into a pool in September as part of his candidacy for the ENSOC executive. A spokesperson for DB said they were “absolutely devastated” and would never knowingly support such an act. MAS were unaware of the initiation and said they would never condone it, terminating sponsorship immediately. Police have spoken to the student’s family and would not investigate further. ENSOC requires candidates to notify the AGM adjudicator of their stunt before filming. The stunt is designed to “prove to the audience that you are the best man or woman for the job, and the lengths you are willing to go for the betterment of the club.” Stunts causing injury are not accepted. Candidates are also asked to consider the long-term consequences of their stunt. Following the accident ENSOC scrapped the stunt requirement for 2017 executive hopefuls and footage has been deleted. The university declined to comment.

10.10.16

Victoria University researchers have found that several sponge species presumed threatened by climate change are likely to survive. The study was conducted by PhD student Holly Bennet, associate professor James Bell, professor Simon Davy, and Dr Nicole Webster, and examined four great barrier reef sponge species and their physiological responses to rising ocean acidification and sea water temperature. The research found that the four species are sensitive to predicted ocean warming, however this sensitivity minimises under ocean acidification for sponges who obtain their nutrition from symbiotic organisms that receive their energy from the sun. Research also found that sponges exhibited better tolerance to ocean warming in their early life stages than their adult counterparts. The research gives insight into how some future ecosystems may function and provides knowledge for future coral sponge regime shifts.

Victoria Takes Learning Global Victoria University has joined in partnership with edX, a large non-profit open online course provider, to make higher education opportunities more accessible to people wanting to learn. Victoria will be launching three “massive open online courses” within the next three years. The courses will consist of lectures no longer than seven and a half minutes and will be supplemented by readings and other resources. The technology platform was founded by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was created “by universities, for universities.” Victoria University Provost Professor Wendy Larner says “it will be a chance for us to collaborate with other edX universities, which are some of the best in the world, to deliver courses.” “It will increase our reputation internationally in teaching and learning, and will also help is to expand our digital capability across the board,” she adds. Victoria’s first open online course will be Antarctica Online, taught by Dr Rebecca Priestly and Dr Cliff Atkins from the Faculty of Science. Priestly says she is “delighted to be able to share Antarctica Online with the world through the edX partnership.”

Jessica Morris

Matthew Collier

Spongebob will be okay

Tragedy strikes UC hall occurred in a busy part of the year for students, with end of year exams and assignments looming. Students and staff have been advised of the support services that are available to them. Where to get help Lifeline: 0800 543 354 Depression Helpline (8am to 12 midnight): 0800 111 757 Healthline: 0800 611 116 Samaritans: 0800 726 666 Suicide Crisis Helpline (aimed at those in distress, or those who are concerned about the wellbeing of someone else): 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Youthline: 0800 376 633, free text 234, or email talk@ youthline.co.nz.

You’ve Graduated...now what? Work USA: Exclusive 12 month visas to work in the USA for NZ students & recents grads!

To learn more visit www.iep.co.nz or call 800 443 769

Saeran Maniparathy

Last week emergency services attended to the sudden death of a female student at the University of Canterbury’s Rochester and Rutherford Hall. Police have confirmed that the death is not suspicious and have referred the matter to the coroner. Police will not confirm the cause of death. The university said in a statement that the incident was “a rare and tragic accident.” An individual at the hall who was close to the victim said “she was one of the most caring and thoughtful people I’ve ever met. She always made my day so much better.” Rochester and Rutherford Hall is a predominantly first-year hall. The university’s acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Hamish Cochrane said the university was very aware that this has

Summer Courses

School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations November—December 2016 FHSS 104 Special Topic: Historical Wrongs and Human Rights Atrocity, violence, persecution, warfare and injustice form part of the record of human history. So do attempts to redress such wrongs. The course examines historical case studies of oppression of many sorts based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, class and sexuality. Alongside these we will examine the emancipation movements, revolutions—violent and peaceful—and legal changes born from such oppression, which continue to shape our culture and society. Changing historical ideas of freedom and liberty and internationalist notions of humanitarianism and human rights form a third course theme. INTP 212 Special Topic: Threat and Response: The Politics and Law of International Security This course surveys the political and legal aspects of a number of international security issues. By focusing on specific threats to national and human security—such as interstate conflict, terrorism, human rights abuse, humanitarian crises and mass atrocity—the course considers how politics and law respond to protect states and individuals in the international order. PHIL 107 Philosophy of Media and the Arts An introduction to the philosophy of art, focusing on philosophical issues concerning popular culture, film, fiction, music and the visual arts.

PHIL 209/309 Special Topic: Political Philosophy East and West This course looks at various forms of the Western Liberal tradition and challenges posed to it by various thinkers in early China, including Confucius, Laozi, Mozi, and Han Fei. Of particular focus will be the relationship between human nature and political philosophy and the role of morality in politics. INTP 430 The Politics of International Migration This course explores how international migration—voluntary and involuntary, legal and illegal—is reshaping national and international politics. International migration will be examined for its effects on international security, human security, electoral politics and multicultural politics. Attempts at the national, regional, and international level to manage international migration, especially refugee and illegal migrant flows, will also be studied. INTP 441 International Political Economy This course covers the main theoretical perspectives and issue areas involved in studying international political economy (IPE) and supports student-led research into a more specific topic in IPE. The course concentrates on the political factors that shape international economic processes and explores some social consequences of the development of capitalism.

January —February 2017 STRA 536 Special Topic: Allies and Adversaries: Understanding Strategic Relationships This course investigates contemporary strategic relationships from alliances to rivalries. It asks whether even potential adversaries can have common interests or whether different value systems make some partnerships impossible. The course raises important questions for New Zealand’s security policy globally and in the Asia–Pacific.

November 2016 —February 2017 HIST 234/318 Special Topic: Histories of the Modern Middle East This course introduces the twentiethcentury history of the Middle East with a focus on Arab, Persian and Turkish national experiences. Lectures explore ideas of political legitimacy: the course examines the collapse of the Ottoman caliphate, European colonial empires, secular republicanism, socialism and the rise of Islamism.

School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations Email hppi@vuw.ac.nz Website victoria.ac.nz/hppi

Maori Matters One Ocean

Rakaitemania Parata Gardiner 2016 has been a busy, challenging, and, ultimately, rewarding year for tauira Māori. We successfully hosted Te Huinga Tauira; thanks to the hard work of the Huinga Komiti, headed by the unflappable tokotoru tapu, in conjunction with NT and all the tauira that carried out their vision. Manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga were in full force during those hectic days as we welcomed 300 tauira Māori from around the motu to participate in kapa haka, sports, and political activity. Te Hōhaieti o te Reo Māori have established a popular weekly radio show on Salient FM that has acted as an effective tool for the promotion of te reo me ōnā tikanga. It provides a platform for tauira to get out of their comfort zones and try something new in the name of celebrating all facets of what it means to be Māori. Ngā Taura Umanga put on an excellent night at this year’s Tatai Hono that gave tauira the chance to engage with successful Māori across a range of fields. From Iron Māori to photography, to slam poetry and more, it was an invaluable opportunity to network and foster mutually beneficial relationships with inspirational Māori. Ngā Rangahautira created Ngā Kaiaronui (NK), a group that forms educated opinions on contemporary Māori issues by making written and oral submissions to select committees for the reform of legislations, particularly those affecting Māori. NK put forward an oral submission on the Ture Whenua Māori bill presented by three of its members earlier this year. All in all, we’ve achieved a lot in 2016. To our first years and newbies across the board, thank you for all that you bring to the table. The fresh energy, enthusiasm, and near indecipherable bants is necessary for the growth and continued success of our associations. To those on the komiti whakahaere of all of our Māori associations, y’all are pumpers. The minimal sleep and maximum stress over the year is rough but ultimately leads to the improvement of university life for all tauira Māori, so, thank you. To the whanau from Te Herenga Waka and Te Kawa a Māui, thank you for your continued support in all tauira endeavours. Thank you for feeding, guiding, and strengthening us as we navigate the challenges of university. We farewell Te Ripowai Higgins and wish her all the best, we thank you sincerely and endlessly for all you’ve done over the years. Ngāi Tauira AGM Wednesday, October 12, 5.30pm at Te Herenga Waka Marae.

Laura Toailoa Shout out to the loyal readers of this little slab of Salient. Shout out to everyone who has written for One Ocean— it’s been an honour sharing this space with you. Shout out to those who ventured out of One Ocean and wrote in the “mainstream” part. Shout out to the staff who after all these years still dip into Salient every now and then hoping it’s a good year. Shout out to everyone who shared One Ocean on Facebook and Instagram, reaching the eyes and minds of those not at university, not in Wellington, not in New Zealand. Shout out to the academics trying to find ways to decolonise research and academia for inspiring us to think and write critically and courageously. Shout out to the activists who keep fighting when their causes aren’t #trending. Shout out to our parents who have made all the sacrifices to ensure we have the opportunities that we often take for granted. Shout out to my parents for being proud of me even when I’m sure a lot of what I do makes you uncomfortable. Shout to my fellow Pasifika Students’ Council executive members for listening to me stress out when I don’t know what to write and for encouraging me when belief in myself wavers. Shout out to my brother who in 2010 told me to start a blog, thus practicing the art of oversharing. Shout out to J. Cole, Kings of Leon, Vaniah Toloa, and Rihanna for being the background music of most of what I write. Shout out to everyone who has fed me this year—every meal, snack, and halved burger has meant the world to me. Shout out to Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa for my cinematic highlight of 2016: Three Wise Cousins. Shout out to all the students—from first year to PhD— for making it through this year. Whether it was a blink of an eye for you, or a slow and painful crawl to the finish line, you never gave up. Don’t give up. And a massive shout out to Emma and Jayne for sending that first email in January inviting us to be a part of this magazine every week. It has been an absolute pleasure, thank you. 14

Boy Bye

Gee-mail Jonathan Gee VUWSA President

Thank you, and goodbye.

this, I dedicate my first thank you to my beautiful 2016 executive. You’ve poured your heart and soul into this year. It’s been an immense joy to work with such passionate individuals. Our successes have also been, in no small part, due to the support of our dedicated staff and volunteers. Thank you for your commitment, patience, and graciousness in lending a hand when it’s inevitably needed. There are so many student leaders and representatives to thank. Ngāi Tauira, Pasifika Students’ Council, VUWLSS, VicCom, Science Society, STUDIO, PolSoc, UniQ, CanDo, Women’s Group, V-ISA, club leaders, faculty delegates, class reps—student life would not be the same without you. It’s when I have worked alongside you that I’ve really felt the strength of student voice. I want to acknowledge some of my colleagues at Victoria. I say colleagues because while we have disagreements, I’m heartened to see VUWSA valued as partners by many university leaders. Thank you to Grant and the Senior Leadership Team for your attentiveness and respect when I’ve raised student-issues this year. To Pam Thorburn, Jenny Bentley, and your respective teams at Student Academic Services and Campus Services for your openness to changing things to improve the lives of students at Victoria. To Allison Kirkman, Chris Eichbaum, and the lively members of Academic Committee for the many laughs, “robust” discussion, and support over the last two years. Honourable mentions go firstly to Emma, Jayne, and the Salient team—thank you for going above and beyond. To Fleur and the VUWSA Trust for all your guidance and support. To Juliet and the Vic Books team for my daily caffeine fix. To Timothy Grigg, Darel Hall, Jackie Anderson, Gerard Hoffman, and Eve Bain for all your personal support to me this year. Finally (I promise this is my last thank you lol), I want to thank YOU, the student. My job doesn’t exist without you. Thank you for making my 2016 so, unbelievably, worth it.

Wow, so here we are. The last week of Trimester Two. Congratulations on making it to this point. University life isn’t easy and no doubt you’ve experienced ups and downs this year. I’m sure you’ve grown to be a better person for it. For me, I’ve reached the final leg as VUWSA President and I can’t help but reminisce. I expected this year to be hard, but not this bloody hard. It’s been one hell of a year and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. Here are some highlights: 1) Launching the next chapter of VUWSA You approved our Strategic Plan 2017-2021 at this year’s AGM. We reaffirmed that we exist to get the best deal for students and we’re well on track to advancing our goals. 2) Creating a student friendly Wellington A turnout of over 300 at our Mayoral Debate, getting students enrolled to vote, and committing numerous council candidates to Fairer Fares and Rental WOF—we’ve set the groundwork for a student-friendly Wellington. 3) Building a stronger Association Securing $50,000 to fund our budgeted deficit, opening our Pipitea office, gaining the highest voter turnout in VUWSA election history—we’ve grown this year and have become stronger for it. 4) Engaging more with students Introducing a monthly newsletter, teaming up with UniQ and V-ISA to put queer support and international student support on the university’s agenda, partnering with VicCom to grow our Pipitea engagement—we’ve reached out to countless students this year. One of the hardest things you learn about VUWSA is that the biggest things take more than a year. You do what you can, then pass the mantle onto the next executive. For

Desig

anted! W r

Salient is looking for expressions of interest for the role of Designer for Salient 2017 Adobe Creative Suite experience essential email editor@salient.org.nz

Study Religious Studies this summer! “If I went back to college today, I think I would probably major in comparative religion because that’s how integrated religion is in everything that we are working on and deciding and thinking about in life today.” John Kerry, US Secretary of State (August 2014)

RELI 108 The World’s Religions

Religion creates communities, actual and imagined, and harnesses powerful motivations, both individual and communal. Religions impel people to go to war and to strive for peace; to kill and to heal; to hate and to love; to include and exclude; and to produce sublime literary, artistic and musical works. See the online course finder for the course prescription www.victoria.ac.nz/courses Course coordinators: Dr Michael Radich and Dorcas Dennis 5.30–7.30pm, Mondays and Tuesdays, 14 November–22 December 2016

Sharon Lam

I Wrote for Salient for Four Years for Dick and Free Speech

nothing but baby food and used Tinder as a laxative. I uncovered the bond between dudebros and freemasons, and the secrets of finding love in Wellington—something which Cupid has punished me for ever since. I hope you’re all grateful. And finally this year. I reached what I considered the apex of magazine positions—a regular columnist. With Single Sad Postgrad I romanticised myself as a sexless, bespectacled, Asian student version of Carrie Bradshaw. With hard hitting pieces like “Crying Underneath A Giant Gollum” and “Boys (I Never Dated) But Am Definitely Over”, I was able to cover all the important issues I couldn’t before. But with my Master’s thesis terrifyingly due in a few months, this very piece marks the end of my time with Salient. And even though seeing people turn straight to the Sudoku makes it feel like I am talking to myself, at least I have really enjoyed talking to myself. I still have no idea how many people read what I write and if it extends beyond the friends whose throats I shove it down. What I do know is that, no matter how small it may be in the wider sense of the world, it has still felt good to consistently express myself over the years. To gratuitously remind you of my Grandmother who fled communist China, this is a privilege I’m constantly aware of. Even today free speech is not universal. It’s something I appreciate and don’t take for granted, even if not immediately obvious in a piece called “Everybody Loves Dick”. Yet it’s only recently in history, and still only in select societies, where a woman of colour can write about dick so openly in a publication without serious backlash. Hence my commitment to student media. Even though it may often seem very boring (just between us, sometimes I just skip to my own writing and forget to read the rest), it remains one of the freest forms of free speech. No way would Stuff or even The Spinoff (trust me, I’ve tried asking) let me write at length about Survivor or my bowel movements. So farewell Salient and thank you for having me. May your editors continue to be cute. Thank you for letting me write about dick and for the one time it led me directly to actual dick. One dick in four years is pretty good, right?

For four years I’ve seeped, both overtly and non-sequiturly, my life into the pages of Salient. I’ve written about getting diarrhoea, faking an orgasm just for myself, the one night stand that I am still in love with, my Grandmother fleeing communist China, and confusing brunch with bleach. Along with eating fruit and watching Project Runway, this makes Salient one of the very few long term commitments I have stuck with. But why? Why have I been so loyal to the floundering field of student media all these years? Does anyone even read Salient anymore? Our time together began in 2012 when I was struck by two things. First, how thin the paper was compared to Critic, and second, how cute the editors were. Soon I was picking up copies each week just to look at their photo accompanying the editorial. Eventually I submitted crude collaged cartoons to them and, when they accepted a few, my heart fluttered. Yes, I have always been this romantically pathetic. In 2013 I graduated to Visual Arts editor, despite my complete lack of artistic experience. I wrote embarrassing try-hard phrases like art is “an unfussy form of happiness.” The first pieces I wrote make me cringe now, but back then it was exciting to have a weekly page in print that was overseen by myself. It felt like a baby step towards something, even though I still don’t know what that something is. Similarly to the way misguided couples take a break thinking that it will save a relationship that will never work, in 2014 I took a break from the magazine. After flicking through the first copy of the year I didn’t read a single one afterwards. I still don’t know why exactly (let’s be honest, I probably just didn’t find the editors cute). In 2015 we kissed and made up. Things quickly became serious. I returned to my Visual Arts post, continuing my well informed critique of all things art with advice like “put tortoises in the pick n mix” and even interviewed an undiscovered local artist—myself. Despite completely poo-pooing the integrity of the ever-so-sacred Visual Arts section, I got bumped up to Feature Writer. For the first time in my life I was being paid for spewing out sentences! Crazy! It would become the year I “found my voice” per se, as in I started making a lot more dumb jokes and became a lot more self-indulgent. I ate 17

On Optimism Brodie Fraser

think we are in the majority. Much of the humanities and social sciences is about removing your normative assumptions when writing and researching. I struggle to do this. If I am exploring and writing about something that I have experienced I cannot remove these experiences from my work. I cannot be neutral. Growing up poor, queer, and a woman are inherently part of who I am: I am not going to take a step back from that in my academia. I also struggle being cooped up in my ivory tower, removed from the lived experiences of my work. It is easy for those of us in universities to forget about life beyond the institution. I feel as though I need to always be reserved and to ensure that I am not perceived as being too emotional for an academic setting. I really dislike this; there is nothing inherently wrong with being emotional. The classes I have learnt the most from have been the ones where I am given the space to explore my lived experiences and their relationship to course content. For me, university is about expanding our knowledge. By

There are a lot of contradictions and tensions to navigate in our lives. Part of being human is to have different parts of ourselves and our worlds at odds with each other. And so, part of being human is to also learn how to explore and accept these feelings. Earlier in the year I took a personality test. It told me I am an INFJ-T; that I have an “inborn sense of idealism and morality.” It struck a chord with me and I’ve spent a lot of time ruminating on this idea. This idealism and sense of morality, I think, is what helps me to navigate the tensions that arise in my life. One of the main tensions I have been trying to navigate is the dichotomy of growing up in a relatively poor household and burrowing myself in academia. I find that the majority of people I tend to be surrounded by do not have similar life experiences as I do. There is slightly more disconnection between their politics or academia and their life experiences. For me the two are intrinsically linked. I know that there are, certainly, academics who build their work off of their life experiences. I just don’t

Winter and it’s had such a positive effect on me. Silly, I know, that a social media account can have such an influence. But so many of her tweets have such gentleness and understanding in them. Some of my recent favourites include “woke up feeling super grateful for air” and “you know that feeling of things suddenly becoming less heavy without changing? that’s called inner strength and we have an infinite amount.” So I am taking this gentility and compassion and trying to consciously bring it into my everyday actions. I like to think I already possessed these qualities but there is a difference between possessing them and consciously embodying them. Idealism alone can only get us so far, though. It’s all well and good to believe that there’s hope for our doomed planet, but there has to be follow through. We can’t afford to sit idly by. This promotion of individualism that neoliberalism is so fond of has got to stop. Collective action is the key to realising our idealism. Don’t get me wrong, we won’t be able to create lasting positive change overnight. Change takes time. Plus activism is tiring and burnout is rife. So we need to find a way to not only work together, but to look after each other together. I believe we’re capable of this. I have two overarching goals: to restore our planet to good health and to eradicate inequalities. Neither of these are likely to be achieved in my lifetime, but I’m okay with that. Why, though? Why should I spend my life fighting for something I’ll never see achieved? I think this is where the “sense of morality” part of my personality comes into play. A belief that we can do and be better. We deserve better and those come after us deserve better. I recently had a dream about snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef; I grew up in a region where the reef was easily accessible. I woke up sad. It’s been eight years since I lived there but I still have the fondest memories of days spent splashing in warm waters and discovering types of fish I had never seen before. I feel comforted by the gentle rocking of a boat on the sea, by the smell of the salty air, by the depth and richness of colours in the ocean. My sadness came from an understanding that there are children who will grow up with a bleached shell of the reef and not get to share many of the delights I was fortunate enough to experience. So now there is a question of how to take this sadness and create something positive out of it. I don’t have any kind of answer about how this will be achieved, but I have faith in myself. There is often a distinct separation between our beliefs and our actions. I believe in ethical consumerism and yet much of what I buy is not fair-trade. I believe we all need to reduce our environmental footprint and yet I still have long showers and create rubbish. I try, don’t get me wrong. But I am not perfect. I think much of my idealism, however, stems from an unshakable belief that we are all perfectly capable of unifying our morals and our actions. We can do this. I believe in the softness of moss, the calm of sunshine, the healing nature of laughter. I believe in my mother’s optimism that everything will work out. I believe in myself and, most importantly, I believe in you.

learning of other’s lived experiences we surely expand our knowledge? I am still navigating how to unify my experiences with my academic work, but I think I am doing it justice. Studying politics, particularly at a post-grad level, makes it easy to fall into a trap of being cynical. The more I learn the easier it is to give up hope that our generation will be able to bounce back from the harm caused by decades of unfettered capitalism, environmental degradation, constant war, and so on. It is bleak, don’t get me wrong. I’ve spent most of the year interning and working at parliament. The more time I spend up in Bowen House the easier it is to become despondent at just how little gets done—both in government and opposition. Launching a campaign takes time, getting answers from the government is increasingly hard, and often it’s a struggle to get any advocacy work done. I once spent an afternoon replying to over 150 anti-abortion emails that had been sent to the MP I work for. That was hard—I bought a bottle of wine on my way home that day. And yet my idealism persists. Call it naivety, call it stubbornness, call it what you like. I still believe there is cause for hope. I still enjoy digging into dense legislative documents and pulling out areas that could be improved. Finding issues with the system and suggesting ways to improve it. This year I’ve been able to work on a campaign highlighting how ACC could work better for survivors of sexual abuse. I’ve helped look into the Evidence Amendment Bill and worked on some Supplementary Order Papers to try and make the bill better for those giving evidence in sexual abuse cases. This feels like tangible, albeit incremental, change to me. Surely these small changes will one day amount to a larger change? Make no mistake, this idealism does not always manifest itself in positivity. Having dealt with poor mental health for longer than I care to think about, I am not always the most positive person. When you live with depression and anxiety it is difficult to see positives. My anxiety alerts me to everything that could ever go wrong and my depression tells me that everything is pointless anyway. Idealism is difficult. Observing the world, expanding your mind, and exploring our sense of belonging can, sometimes, bring about a pervasive sense of dread and despair. The more inequities you begin to see, the easier it is to give up. Why bother trying to make things better when there is so much wrong with the world? But there is reason to hope and people are not inherently evil. My favourite poet, Anis Mojgani, has spoken about what he refers to as the inherent nobility in all of us. He quotes Bahá’u’lláh—“noble have I created thee.” This is such a delightful and gorgeous thought. Noble have I created thee! Imagine if we embraced this idea. Imagine if we all knew of the nobility housed in our souls. I’d like to think, perhaps, that this knowledge would make us more aware and more conscious of our actions. That this underlying sense of being infinitesimal, yes, but of also being noble, ran through us all. This year I discovered the Twitter account of Yuna

Image drawn by Katie Meadows

JonBenét Katie Meadows

pieces of paper at the bottom of the stair case. Skimming the first and reading that her daughter had been taken she flew into a panic. Screaming, Patsy ran back up the stairs into JonBenét’s bedroom and found it empty. Her wails grew louder as she ran to Burke’s room, though the boy was sleeping safe in his bed, and at this point John woke up and his hysterical wife directed him towards the ransom note. Despite explicit instruction on the note not to involve police at the risk of JonBenét’s life, Patsy called 911. “We have a kidnapping [...] There’s a note left and our daughter is gone.” After hanging up she called several of the Ramsey’s close friends to come over immediately, even the pastor from her church, and they arrived along with Boulder county police—a thoroughfare of people treading through what was a fresh crime scene. After an extremely brief search through the Ramsey’s expansive home, the group gathered to await a promised phone call from the kidnappers at 10am. When the call never arrived, John and his friend were instructed to look through the house again. Moments later a scream was heard through the house as John ran up the stairs carrying his daughter’s body wrapped in a white sheet having found her on the floor of the wine cellar. He placed her on the floor as Patsy ran over and threw herself over JonBenét’s body, pleading with Jesus to bring her back to life. Autopsy results concluded JonBenét died from strangulation via a “garotte” fashioned from string and a broken paintbrush, however a blow to her head that happened up to two hours prior to this was fatal and would have killed her had the strangulation not come first. There were also signs of sexual assault with the same paintbrush, and further indications of ongoing sexual abuse. The Ramsey’s behavior after JonBenét’s death was definitely strange. In the case of a child’s disappearance, or murder, suspicion always falls on family members and it is considered routine to investigate them to eliminate them as suspects. By all accounts the Ramsey’s actions after calling 911 ensured that the crime scene was compromised and, from the beginning, the Ramseys were non-compliant with law enforcement and wouldn’t agree to be interviewed until three months after JonBenét’s murder. While they refused to co-operate with police they did a round of highly publicized television interviews,

On December 26, 1996, six year old JonBenét Ramsey was found brutally slain in the cellar of her parent’s lavish home. For many the case is infamous and has become synonymous with unsolved crimes, in particular because JonBenét’s murder had enough salacious detail to hold mainstream interest in a post-OJ America that lusted for a new scandal. The images of a young, pretty, white, blonde girl dolled up in frilly dresses and makeup were destined for the tabloids, with her family being alleged of creating a paedophile’s dream in their daughter. Twenty years later, the question of who killed her remains polarizing. For me my interest comes from reading true crime tales online; though I’m loathe to admit it, I am an avid reader of Reddit’s r/UnresolvedMysteries/ and often find myself lost in a late night black hole of Wikipedia pages. Along with my morbid fascination comes a strange sense of familiarity with JonBenét: we were a similar age and both grew up in the 90s, we both enjoyed singing and crafts, we both were young when we felt pressure to be who we were not, and we both endured horrible things. But I survived and JonBenét didn’t, and now I feel an obligation to her story. JonBenét Ramsey was a vibrant and happy girl and those who knew her would say she was always making others smile. Born August 6, 1990, she lived with her family in the quiet town of Boulder, Colorado. JonBenét’s father, John Ramsey, owned a successful computing company that had just made its first million. Her mother, Patricia ‘Patsy’ Ramsey, was a former beauty queen from West Virginia and she hoped to pass on her love of pageants to JonBenét, who at the age of six had already won several child pageants. JonBenét’s older brother, Burke, was a diligent boy scout and fascinated with planes. From the outside the Ramseys were the perfect family: wealthy, well-liked, and successful. They had many friends and it was rare to hear a bad word about them, except perhaps from those jealous of what they assumed to be the Ramsey’s perfect suburban lives—that was until JonBenét was murdered and the decades-long story of intrigue and public fascination in the hunt for her killer began. The official story for the night of December 26, 1996, is as follows: Patsy woke up shortly before 6am as the family had plans to fly out later that day to visit John’s older children. Descending the stairs she noticed three

involve himself in the case out of narcissism, and when I read through threads he had posted in he was erratic and clearly delusional. His confession caused a spectacle but there were many inaccuracies in his story, including no drugs being found in JonBenét’s system during autopsy. Karr was dismissed as a suspect after it was concluded he was not in Colorado at the time of the murder and it was speculated his confession was an excuse for extradition from Thailand to escape imprisonment there on his previous charges. Other suspects have included Chris Wolfe, a local who was turned in by his girlfriend after she saw him react strangely to a news story about the murder, and Michael Helgoth, a loner who had committed suicide the day of a televised press conference stating that law enforcement were close to closing in on the killer. Both were cleared, as all other potential leads have been. From the days, nights, weeks, and months I have poured into this case, what follows is my personal theory on what truly happened to JonBenét and, to me, is the most logical sequence of events given what I know: The Ramsey’s left their friends’ Christmas party around 8pm, stopping on the way to drop off presents at other houses while the children were in the car. John says he carried JonBenét out of the car and put her to bed, after which Patsy put her into her bed clothes. John went downstairs to the basement and helped Burke set up a gift he had received earlier. Patsy claims she stayed up a little longer than usual packing clothes for the family’s trip the next day, but I believe she was slightly tipsy from the Christmas party and fell asleep early. John went to bed soon after and if Burke went to his room, he did not go to sleep. Bored, he woke up his sister to see if she wanted to play and tempted her with a snack—one of her favourites, pineapple. During autopsy pineapple was found in JonBenét’s digestive tract indicating she had eaten it one to two hours before her death. In the Ramsey’s kitchen a bowl of pineapple and milk, along with a glass with a teabag in it, was found (an attempt at making ice tea). While fruit and milk (or cream) would make a good snack, pineapple curdles milk and, along with an oversized spoon in the bowl, I believe this indicates the meal was prepared by a child. Both Burke and JonBenét tried the pineapple but left it largely uneaten when they didn’t enjoy the taste. Burke’s prints were found on both the bowl and glass (Patsy’s were also found, but I believe they would be from stacking dishes). It has long been maintained that nobody in the Ramsey house left their rooms after Burke was put to bed but the pineapple places JonBenét and Burke in the kitchen at this time. The siblings go down to the basement to play, where they find some wrapped presents that Patsy had organized for their ‘second’ Christmas in Atlanta. Burke decides to unwrap these gifts and JonBenét is upset with him and says she will tell their parents. Angry, Burke grabs a nearby flashlight and strikes her over the head. JonBenét is instantly knocked unconscious and her breathing and pulse all but stop. Burke tries to wake her but she remains still. He then prods her with a part of his train and is still

including a public appeal on CNN on January 1, 1997. John chided those who believed they were guilty of the crime while a heavily medicated Patsy begged viewers to “keep their babies close.” The Boulder Police Department began to strongly suspect that someone in the Ramsey family had murdered JonBenét and staged a faux-kidnapping scene; the court of public opinion seemed to agree. Little focus was placed on Burke, age nine, as under Colorado law a person under the age of ten can not be tried for murder. It was theorized that Patsy had killed JonBenét in a rage after she had wet the bed one too many times, or perhaps that John had been sexually assaulting his daughter and the abuse escalated to murder. A closer look at the three-page ransom note, bizarre in both language and length, showed many similarities to Patsy’s handwriting and contained phrases she was known to use. The paper and pen used to write the note were both found in the Ramsey home and had been returned to their original placements. John seemed unemotional and was caught booking flights out of Boulder for his family shortly after finding his daughter’s body. The Ramseys have always insisted on their innocence and after Patsy died of ovarian cancer in 2006 neither John nor Burke changed their story. Homicide detective Lou Smit is a proponent of the “Intruder Theory” and speculates that someone broke into the Ramsey house through a window in the basement and then went upstairs to JonBenét’s bedroom, either incapacitating her there to kidnap her or luring her back downstairs. Next the ransom note was written and the killer took her down to the basement intending to smuggle her inside a suitcase off the property, but when this proved too hard or time ran out she was strangled and her body abandoned while the intruder escaped back out the basement window, ransom note forgotten. While the window was broken, during questioning John claimed to have broken the glass himself months earlier after he had locked himself out of the house. In photos a scuff is seen on the wall under the window that could potentially be from someone climbing in, but around the window sill there were undisturbed cobwebs though the window was too small for these not to have been damaged while entering. Smit also theorizes that marks found on JonBenét’s body were left by a taser gun, but there is no further evidence to support this and the marks were also found to match points on a toy train belonging to Burke. In 2006 police took 41-year-old elementary school teacher John Mark Karr into custody after he confessed to the killing of JonBenét. Karr had been living in Thailand and was facing child pornography charges at the time of his arrest. He claimed to have been in Boulder on Christmas Eve, 1996, and that he drugged and sexually assaulted JonBenét, but maintained her death had been accidental. Karr was obsessed with JonBenét and had long professed his love for her online under the username “Daxis” in early net forums devoted to the case. Upon his confession many users asserted they did not believe Karr had committed the murder and he simply wanted to

at this point the results of JonBenét’s autopsy had not been determined and the blow to her head showed no external signs of trauma. While such an extreme act by a child would often indicate further violence later in life, it’s possible Burke’s rage disappeared after he eliminated the source of it: JonBenét. By all accounts he has lived a normal albeit secluded life, graduating from college in 2010 and working as a programmer in Atlanta. I’ve tried to find more about Burke’s life online and found only vague mention of him being “friendly” and having girlfriends, interspersed with Vimeo and YouTube accounts of remotecontrolled airplane test drives. With the 20th anniversary of JonBenét’s death approaching this Christmas, there has been a slew of documentaries bringing unseen evidence to the public, sparking a public re-interest in the case. While a lone CBS series was announced in April this year, it arrived in September amidst a flood of sudden specials by Dateline NBC, A&E, Investigation Discovery Network, and a threepart interview with Burke Ramsey on Dr Phil—his first ever media interview. The A&E special was firmly behind the Intruder Theory (and made with heavy involvement from John Ramsey), while Dateline and ID tried to present a broader view of the case (though the latter entertained a crass interview with John Mark Karr). The CBS special gathered a team of forensic experts to reexamine all available evidence and constructed recreations of key rooms in the Ramsey household, unanimously concluding that Burke killed JonBenét. I was most excited for the Dr Phil episodes, with teasers that seemed to promise a noholds-barred interview and when the full episodes aired they were an armchair detective’s dream. Burke stiffly smiled and laughed his way through details of his sister’s brutal murder. In a huge slip he even admitted to being downstairs after everyone had gone to bed, something that seems damning given the prior insistence that this never occurred. However it was not long until I learned the Ramseys and Dr Phil share the same lawyer, Lin Wood, and in a last-minute additional episode Dr Phil was quick to put Burke’s behavior down to awkwardness. A Lifetime channel adaptation, Who Killed JonBenét?, is set to air early November and is eerily narrated by the ghost of JonBenét à la The Lovely Bones. If she was still alive today JonBenét would be twentysix years old. What would she be like? Who would she have become? We will never get to know and her story will not end until her killer is found, and having spent so much time on her case I get the feeling too much has been kept quiet for that to ever happen. I know I will continue to speculate, and my version of events could change if we are finally told more about what happened that night, but all I can really do is hope that one day justice will be served. Unfortunately justice for JonBenét seems just as unlikely now as it did back in ‘96, when police and the public alike found themselves baffled by the horrific murder of a six year old girl on Christmas night.

unsuccessful in waking her. Finding himself alone and curious—books found within the house indicate that Burke was having behavioral issues—he perhaps begins to examine his sister’s body, even inserting a paintbrush into her vagina. He then constructs a “leash” out of rope and a broken piece of the aforementioned paintbrush, ties it around her neck, and drags her body around the room (JonBenet enjoyed playing ‘kitty’ and this could be seen as a twisted incarnation). The rope pulls taut and the strangulation kills JonBenét. A neighbour of the Ramsey’s reported hearing a scream from the property between midnight and two in the morning. There is no doubt that if someone screamed within the Ramsey house the family members would have heard it. While many propose the scream to be that of JonBenét, I think it’s more likely to have been Patsy. Upon waking up after falling asleep early she goes to check on her children and discovers they are not in their beds. Knowing that Burke enjoyed playing in the basement, she heads down to see if they were there and finds an unconscious JonBenét accompanied by an unfazed Burke, and lets out a scream. Piecing together what has happened and seeing the rope around JonBenét’s neck and possibly the broken paintbrush from her molestation, Patsy sends Burke to bed and wakes up John, and they try figure out what to do—their son has murdered their daughter and they are faced with losing their now only child. What follows is a frantic attempt at a cover up. After wiping her body and the weapon down—the flashlight believed to have been used in the blow to JonBenét’s head was found completely wiped clean, including the batteries inside—they began to write the ransom note. It took a few tries to get it right—several ‘practice’ notes were later discovered—as the Ramsey’s came up with a story of kidnapping subconsciously inspired by thriller movies, with several lines from the note being taken indirectly from film scripts. Patsy calls the police at a time that would fit in with the day’s plans and then the chaos begins. I think John and Patsy intended to remove JonBenét’s body from the property but, when time ran out, she was simply hidden to be found later—stashed in the dark and windowless wine cellar. I believe the events of the night of JonBenét’s murder were a series of tragic accidents, where a jealous sibling acted out and when faced with the scene two parents united to protect their only child. If John or Patsy were involved in their daughter’s death I don’t think either would hesitate to turn the other into police; the Ramseys did not seem close at the time and they each hired separate lawyers before talking to police. It would be necessary that they keep Burke away from questioning until they could properly coach him on what to say, while also reiterating to him that he had not done anything wrong and he would be okay. In an interview with a child psychologist thirteen days after JonBenét’s murder Burke is asked if he knows how his sister died, he responds with “I know what happened to her” and mimics the motion of striking someone hard on the head from above—but

We are not equally oppressed. There is no joy in this. We must speak from within us, our own experiences, our own oppressions—taking someone else’s oppression is nothing to feel proud of. We should never speak for that which we have not felt.

—bell hooks (but I actually first encountered this as my friend Leilani Visesio’s Facebook status update).

rself u o ry

Spea kf

So this is the last time I’ll be writing for Salient and I know y’all are gonna miss my on-fleek musings on everyday life and politics, but don’t cry too much, I’m the next Kanye so I’m not dead yet and you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram if you really miss me that bad. We could write about anything we wanted for this issue and I was like mean, but was also like woah. It’s like you’ve gone out for lunch in this mean ass foodcourt and so there’s all this choice and then there’s all this pressure to choose the very best one, and yet your instincts are telling you all these conflicting things so you end up just getting a cheeseburger. This was gonna be the cheeseburger. But I hate to break it to ya, it’s not. Cos as much as it’s tempting to write palatable bullshit, I feel like I’m fundamentally betraying myself when I do so. It’s not my responsibility to be generous as a writer, a female writer of colour for that matter. I don’t have to explain anything to you; don’t have to write political shit all the goddamned time like you want me to; don’t have to ground my writing in the sensual feminine sensitivities that you crave from me: as one of few voices of colour, difference and minority in this magazine—that is my implicit role. In any white institution that I’m involved in these and more are the

Faith Wilson 24

‘meaningful’: about my culture, about being a minority, etc. ad nauseum. It’s my passion to speak about these, but that is not without a tax on my mental health and wellbeing. As I said, these ideas didn’t just come naturally to me. I had to work, still have to work, to think in new ways. And I’m constantly being called up for saying things that in my ignorance I didn’t realise were wrong. Which is part of the learning process. If I can unlearn, so can anybody.The information is out there. There are people you can talk to. Books you can read. Youtube videos. It’s not up to those who have already suffered at the hands of systemic racism and colonialism, who have had to go through the often agonising process of learning their own sovereignty, to have to explain it to those in positions of privilege. I’ve heard so many people saying, though, that they’re scared of asking for fear of being cut down, or criticised, or told they’re wrong. Well buddy, the road to enlightenment is difficult. And yes, there are likely to be painful stuff ups along the way. Your pride is gonna take a hit. Your perception of the world might drastically shift. It did for me. Yet, quite frankly, I have basically zero sympathy for white peoples’ tears against the backdrop of years of system and overt racism in New Zealand. Do not however confuse this is some kind of permission to, once ‘woke’, speak for identities that aren’t your own, or think that you have a right to an opinion, or to preach about things these once learned. That is nobody’s right but the person who has experienced it. This is however an entreaty to educate yourself. To be aware of the privilege of your path. To consider the trajectory of your voice, and that someone else’s might benefit from taking that position instead of yours. My responsibility then is to myself. To tell truth as I see it. To call bullshit when I see it. To be open to being called out when others see it in what I say. To be truthful to my story. And then those who might identify with aspects of my story, might feel encouraged to start to tell their own. So here we are, back at the foodcourt. I’ll sit down at one of the tables outside McDs and I’ll start talking. And most people there will probably ignore me, or look at me weirdly, or tell me to shut up even. And I’ll keep doing this, until someone else, someone who’s been too scared or disempowered to say anything, will vibe with my words, will tell me that they’ve got a story too. That they’ve been outside and have something to say. I’ll give them the mic. And then I’ll sit down for a feed with the rest of the crowd, listening to voices that matter.

things expected of me. Which is why last week I wrote some bullshit about being hungover. Because sometimes I HATE that burden of responsibility. But it’s not just a burden I can shake off. Once you step out of the foodcourt and realise there’s more to life than cheeseburgers, nasty butter chicken, and St Pierre’s sushi, it can be hard to go back in. So long story short, once I had seen and realised ways that oppression has seeped into Aotearoa like an oil spill, I chose to keep saying shit. I’ve probably talked about this point a lot in my writing, but I’m gonna whip you over the faces with it. For me, saying something, standing up for the causes I believe in, not backing down when the white patriarchy and matriarchy make you feel powerless, is a social responsibility. That’s my decision, based on my own personal experiences of it and against it. It’s grounded in shit I’ve seen and been part of, and in my own struggle to get out of it. At the same time I feel that it’s a social responsibility, it doesn’t mean that I’m responsible to you to explain these matters. Decolonisation, indigenous rights, white privilege—these are things I think about on the daily. Like every decision I make is in some way influenced by these factors. And that’s really fucking hard work. I too was born into white mainstream society. I too learnt how to be racist so that racism felt normal, even against my own people. I learnt to admire white female beauty; I absorbed capitalist identity ideals, learnt that beautiful and thin women are more successful and desirable, and that being brown is only hot when it’s exotic. Surprised? Just because I was born with brown skin it does not mean I was born decolonised. I was born into the same world as many of you and it is because of the issues I face with my skin colour that I decided to unlearn and, now that I have started, I know that this process of unlearning is something that will continue for the rest of my life, as long as I stay committed to doing so. This does NOT mean that I’m the go-to voice for speaking on ‘diversity’ issues, minority issues—read: anything non-mainstream white. This does NOT mean that I even have to have an opinion on that, although clearly I do. The point is that this is all massive emotional labour for me. Any gesture of this, like my writing this article and addressing you directly, is an act of generosity. It is reaching out and trying to help you understand even though that is not my obligation. Each time I’m called on to speak there’s the expectation that I’ll say something

Ten things I wish my friends knew about being Māori. Trinity Thompson-Browne

I wish my friends knew that I’ve been classed as white or Pākehā and asked “are you Māori?” so many times it makes me want to scream.

I wish my friends knew that when they ask me what “percentage” of Māori I am—half, quarter, or eighth—they make me feel like a human pie chart. I don’t know how people can ask this so nonchalantly, but they do. So I want to let you know: this is a very threatening question to many Māori. With the subtext of “your Māoritanga is quantifiable, it is measurable out of 100% or in fractions,” it feels very dehumanising being asked this and it hurts. A lot. So many Māori already feel estranged from their roots and culture, unable to bridge this gnawing chasm of distance internally. So when you ask me “how much Māori are you?” you’re adding an ocean of salt to the wound. If you’re struggling to get where I’m coming from, maybe this will help. Imagine Te Reo is a person: Kia ora, I’m Te Reo and I grew up in Aotearoa. Along with her is her best friend, Ahurea (culture). Now I didn’t grow up with Te Reo. She was a distant cousin that dropped by to say kia ora every Christmas, but that was about all I saw of her in my childhood and early adolescence. Ahurea I saw a bit more of. She was the neighbour that lived down the road from me. Sometimes we’d play outside before dinner time, but then my family moved away and I lost touch with her, and after we moved I didn’t see Te Reo at Christmas either. Now I’m in my 20s and I'’e moved back to my childhood town in the hopes of reconnecting with Ahurea and getting to know Te Reo. Our reconnection is pretty strained at the moment though; that whole ‘it’s not you it’s me’ thing. I struggle to bring myself to knock on Ahurea’s door because when I look into her eyes all I feel is guilt for not keeping in touch. I’m happy to see her, don’t get me wrong, but there’s this constant feeling that she resents me and that I didn’t go a good enough job staying connected. With Te Reo it’s even worse because she’s a part of me I never really knew. And while I’ve moved back specifically to reconnect with them, that doesn’t erase the deep sense of guilt or disappointment I feel inside. Even though they’re a part of my story, there is no way to get back the years we didn’t spend together... To those who ask, “how much Māori are you?”

The best way to put this is that it feels like my culture, not you, is asking that question. It’s as if the eyes staring at me are those of Ahurea, asking point blank, “are you Māori?” Or bluntly stating, “you don’t look Māori” / “You’re white.” It makes me think, am I not Māori enough to be recognised by my own people or Pākehā friends? Has Ahurea rejected me? Is it because of my Pākehā upbringing? Every time someone asks this question, or states the obvious, these questions and emotions are rehashed. It’s totally not on anyone to figure this out because people aren’t mind readers but, if you have friends who are Māori and don’t look it, just be aware that this could be something they too feel but are unable to express.

I wish my friends knew that my Kapa Haka group was sometimes laughed at during our performances at assemblies and end of year high school ceremonies. It’s why I’ve never gone back to it; I left Kapa Haka the day high school ended. The worst part was I loved it deeply. It made me feel free, confident, passionate, and proud of who I am all at the same time. But there’s something about people lowering your culture in their minds, to the degree where they see it as an object they can ridicule without remorse, that really deflates a person. Their laugher embezzled the love I had for my culture and filled me with shame for trying to express it. I can’t bring myself to go back to Kapa Haka yet, but I will. This piece is one of my attempts to bridge the breadth of space between Te Reo, Ahurea, and I.

I wish my friends knew that there is a struggle all Māori share silently: the struggle to express our culture in a way that doesn’t bring back the hellfire of colonisation all over again.

I wish my friends knew that Māori don’t get special treatment.

Please pause on this one. Ngāi Māori, like a lot of indigenous cultures, have had our land, language, and culture all stripped ruthlessly close to the bone. You may say, “yeah yeah, stop playing the victim card, I know all this.” The truth is, you don’t. If you’re not Māori you may know the words, but you haven’t walked every step of your existence with this reality hanging over your identity. For Māori this is our life, our pain, and the culmination of all our suffering summed up within a sentence. Yet we choose to rise up and rebuild our culture and identity, one step at a time. Not all of us do and it goes back to that sense of irreparable distance between us and our culture that many Māori feel, which, plain and simply, colonisation created. Has to be said. Moving forward, it takes time for an injured sense of cultural identity to heal. Leaders of Ngāi Māori stood up back then, creating a safe harbour for our people to start this healing process one person at a time. As modern Māori, we take up this responsibility too, building on our ancestors’ paradigm and empowering others to begin healing. However this isn’t the easiest thing to do when people keep saying “your language and culture are useless,” “your language is dead,” or, the best one, “your language is on the verge of extinction.” All of which people have told me, to my face, unashamedly. And I am certainly not the only one. Ask any one of your Māori friends and I guarantee they’ve have a similar experience. It’s a never-ending battle to be Māori and not stifle it, but it’s so worth it. For those who don’t or are yet to reach out to Te Reo or Ahurea, e hoa that’s okay, kai a koe te tikanga. How you do that is up to you. We’re all on this journey together as one body with many parts, each with our own confidences and insecurities. This is my first attempt at creating peace between two vastly different parts of who I am, so I feel you!

This is a touchy one because, for a lot of people, that is legitimately what it seems like and I get where you’re coming from. If you say this to me I won’t cringe or argue with you. I understand the line of thinking that led you to that assessment. So let me translate what may appear as special treatment into analogies that illustrate a perspective more accurate. Think about the credit card you still have handy but are trying to pay off and ditch because #realtalk it’s doing you no good. When you buy something that money isn’t just gone, it’s money you have to get back twice. Once to break even after spending it, twice to get you back to the same balance you had before you spent it, and that’s not even counting interest! However you chose to spend it and that’s the natural consequence of your decision. Think of the friend / boyfriend / girlfriend / parent / authority figure / sibling that didn’t just break your trust, but completely obliterated it by doing something so awful you try every day not think about it. Something hardly anyone, if anyone, knows. Their actions caused you a world of pain. Years later, when they’re saying “c’mon that was sooo long ago, get over it” or “why are you making such a big deal out of this? Move on with your life,” you’re still a million miles away from forgiveness. They hurt you. They don’t get off so easy. What transpired between our two cultures, between Māori and Pākehā, in many ways is like this—a relationship that went terribly, terribly wrong on a grand scale, with many multitudes making up either side of the relationship. It’s a given that working through this won’t be as simple as finding a ‘2 + 2 = 4’ solution. Relationships are messy, often without clarity, and it takes time to process and forgive. However instead of having two people working through the pain, we have thousands from both cultures having to deal with the original hurt on top of the repercussions it generated. Can you understand where I’m coming from? Actions have consequences. The perceived special treatment of Māori is a consequence of the original pain and an absolutely vital step to helping Māori heal and move forward. This does give rise to the question: when is enough, enough? But think, when was enough, enough to forgive the person that placed an unbearable measure of pain on your shoulders? Did it happen overnight or over a series of years? Because that’s the answer. Years. Slowly but surely we’re getting there though, so take heart! We’ve come a long way since colonisation.

I wish my friends knew that when they try on that accent associated with Māori from a lower socio-economic background they become responsible for why the stereotype still exists. I wish my friends knew that just because I’m Christian doesn’t mean I’m okay with subtle racist comments, regardless of whether they’re aimed at me or not. Your words hurt as much as everyone else’s.

I don’t feel like this one needs too much explaining. Be responsible for what you say and consider the impact it’ll have on others if you do choose to speak. Some people may think something along the lines, “if they say it themselves, then it’s okay for me to say as well.” So I want to stamp that one out from the get go. No, no it is not. Do you think Māori called each other “n****” or any other offensive word before colonisation? Why would anyone feel the need to address themselves or their friends using a painfully racial term associated with slavery, mass genocide, and countless other atrocities? Well, because if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. If they can’t stop you from calling them derogatory names or mocking their accent, they may as well recycle it as a form of in-group expression. At least that way it’s used to create solidarity rather than distance and segregation. That’s my take on it anyway. So, again, be responsible for what you say and be a part of the answer, not the problem. If you’re Pākehā, don’t use derogatory terms when referring to your Māori friends, and Māori peeps, try not using them too. You’re the one that teaches people how they can and can’t treat you. So, if you’re not okay with it, set the boundary and stick with it (easier said than done I know, but you’ll thank yourself for it).

The Bible itself says: “The plain moral fact is that words kill” (Matthew 5:22 MSG). So please don’t assume that our mutual love for Jesus can compensate for any form of racism. It doesn’t. Our sole job as Christians is to love God and love others. To walk into a church and hear “hey blackie” or some other unbelievably racist remark is dumbfounding. Please, friend, you are responsible for your words, use them with care.

I wish my friends knew that saying Māori words properly really makes a difference to me. It makes me feel like my culture and language is valued. I wish my friends knew that I learn about other languages and cultures to compensate for not completely knowing what it means to be Māori. While I love my language and culture, it’s nice to delve into a culture that knows who they are and who they aren’t, and who have reclaimed that which colonisation stole and be themselves proudly. Just being honest. A lot of Māori are still in the process of figuring this out, myself included, and even writing this article has helped me massively. As you read this I hope it empowers you to look at some of the big identity questions we all face as Māori. 28

I’m a big fan of anyone who says Māori words correctly, especially if you’re Pākehā—go you! You’re a total legend! Keep doing it because, believe me, people notice and it’s so nice to hear the commonly mispronounced ones said properly. Also totally not bagging anyone that doesn’t, and it’s never too late to learn! Just ask any Māori friend how to say it and they’ll most likely be stoked you’re making the effort.

I wish my friends knew that as the majority they have more power to shift the negative stereotypes and racism against Māori than I do. I watched a video recently that really illustrates this point well. A lady has a sister-in-law who’s white and she is black. They go to a supermarket and the clerk talks happily to her sister as she buys her groceries. She herself, as a black woman, is given major cold shoulder treatment in comparison and made to jump through a lot of hoops to get her groceries. Her ten year old daughter notices instantly and begins crying, obviously upset. Then her sister steps in and calls the clerk on her racially-based differentiation of treatment. Being white, her sister uses her influence to raise the standard and creates a wider impact than perhaps she would have as a black woman standing up for herself. It’s the same here. As the majority you have the most power to change the status quo and to help improve attitudes and the standard of treatment towards Māori, which in some places, believe it or not, is still really, really bad. While I may have the ability to say I’m Pākehā without anyone batting an eye, I’m not going to. My childhood and adolescence are marked with countless words conveying the same message—your culture and language are dying—which is why I will never say I am Pākehā first. I am Pākehā, but I am Māori first because it is through this lens I have experienced the world.

Study Classics this summer! CLAS 212/312 Antony and Cleopatra

A close study, through history, literature and art, of the lives and careers of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, with special attention given to their legacy both in the immediate aftermath of the age of Augustus and also in modern literature and art (including film and television). One hundred percent internal assessment. Taught by Professor Jeff Tatum 1–3pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 14 November–23 December 2016

Stop Liking and Commenting on Your Mates’ New Facebook Friendships Tim Grgec

her”; “Defiantly [sic] a pornstar with that name”; “On to another one already @tag [every single male they know].” Phwoah! Chat! The whole point is to draw attention to the new friendship usually for a few reasons. Firstly as a sign of acknowledgement. A “she’ll do” nod of the head as you sip your Tui at the rugby club. Secondly in a playful act of primordial jealousy; it’s to try and ruin your mate’s chances of having sex, or a romantic engagement, with the new female friend. The millennial-lad cockblock. Nice. Thirdly it’s to insinuate the two friends have slept together. Get around the bro, he may or may not have had sex! What a champ!

Lads, lads, alllll the lads! I’ve spent the last two to three years trying to unlike, unfollow, and unfriend lad shit on Facebook. I’m working towards a newsfeed nirvana. A place of solace—free of Veitchy on Sport posts, ‘leg day’ jokes, and Cleavage Thursdays. But if Facebook has done anything for sociology, it’s proved that sexism continues to thrive in 2016. I can’t escape it and I don’t really call people out on it, which means I’m still very much a part of the problem. Privilege is complicated. As a white, middle-class, able-bodied, cisgender male I’m aware that I’m among the most privileged group in society. This also means my opinions aren’t as readily dismissed. Guys might take me seriously. They might even listen to me, unlike the countless number of female writers who face abuse, patronising explanation, and gendered hatred from men just for doing their jobs. There’s a new wave of ladness taking over Zuckerberg’s algorithm. It’s guys liking and commenting on new friendship notifications, namely when a male befriends a female. You know what I mean: “Male Friend and A Female are now friends. Yesterday at 21:33.” Here are some examples I’ve seen of guys commenting on a new opposite-sex Facebook friendship: “Would finger

Whatever the reasons, it’s all just a bit of banter, eh? It’s a trend that is at best obnoxious, at worst sexual harassment, and hugely problematic. From what I see, the befriended woman is never referred to by name or acknowledged as a human-being. She’s an object of amusement. Another one of your mate’s sexual prospects. 30

can be passed off as qual bantz. Man talk that women don’t understand. Any expression of insult is dismissed as women being too sensitive, or overreacting. This evades the issue entirely, placing blame on women for their response or emotional reaction, meaning you can go back to your sweaty lads’ huddle without having to reflect on what happens outside of it. Just because you were joking around and didn’t mean to offend anyone doesn’t make you free from responsibility. There’s no wriggling out of this one, mate. You’re still being hurtful. Beatrice, working in journalism and communications, reminded guys making jokes about women that, “it’s also not funny if the girl isn’t laughing about it.”

It doesn’t matter who she is because any female is “fair game.” Chicks. 4 da b0iz. According to Kate, a librarian and English literature graduate, “it’s honestly the weirdest thing that there’s this conversation happening [on Facebook] about the befriended woman that she is supposed to be a silent observer to.” “Guys commenting on new friendships about women they don’t even know just shows that all of the Facebook privacy stuff is kind of redundant.” Imagine what it might be like when, every time you befriend a guy, your Facebook profile—i.e. your face, body, sexuality and gender presentation—becomes public property to be evaluated and commented on. Just because your profile picture and cover photo are available for anyone to see doesn’t mean you want hordes of dudes rating you from their man caves. Elise, a design major at AUT, said that “even though the guys’ Facebook comments are in good humour, it’s still annoying to be judged on exterior values.” Imagine with every new male Facebook friendship all his mates infer that you’re sexually interested in him (which assumes the woman even has sex with men, or wants male attention at all). Elise added, “I hate that they [guys commenting on her Facebook friendships] just assume I’m a potential hook up; something disposable.” A woman accepting you as a friend is not an entitlement. She’s not a possible conquest. There are countless reasons why two people of the opposite sex would become Facebook friends: platonic friendship, professional relationship, sheer politeness—to name a few. Romantic or physical attraction is only one. So settle down with the rampant sexual innuendos, fellas. Just because you’re keen by adding her, doesn’t mean she’s keen by accepting you.

Girls do it too, though! Yep, they do, but to a way lesser extent. Judging from my newsfeed there doesn’t seem to be mobs of women armed with sexist one-liners and infinite supplies of @friend tags marauding every new friendship. Here are the only examples of women’s comments I could find: “Cute guys”; “<3 <3 <3.” While the essence is the same, in the sense of bringing awkward attention to the two friends, there’s no feeling of harassment and objectification. Hannah-Kate, a psychology and arts student, added that women joining in on the fad “might also in itself just be girls following suit: girls trying to be like the lads.” I’m not trying to obstruct the continuation of species. Sure, members of the opposite sex befriend each other on Facebook and become romantically involved. Adding someone as a friend on Facebook can be a form of flirting and flirting is great—but it takes two. A pack of 40 dudes liking every post and recycling the same sexually aggressive remarks isn’t flirting. It’s creepy. Kate points out that “groups of dudes on Facebook are also intimidating.” “You know that penetrating that dudebro group mentality to actually defend yourself, or the girl involved, is just going to be a waste of time.” If you’re genuinely happy about a friend’s new Facebook friendship, like and comment away. But why is it always opposite-sex friendships? Why does it never happen when your mate befriends a guy? Maybe because that doesn’t adhere to heterosexual romantic tension. Because that would be, like, ‘gay’ or something. Believe it or not, women actually exist outside of men’s sexual desires. Liking and commenting on new Facebook friendships at the expensive of degrading women is gross. On Facebook the intimidation and embarrassment is there for everyone to see. It’s a reminder that we live in a society that values women entirely on their looks: the same society that thinks “blue balls” is a genuine medical condition, or that Eve tempted Adam (even though they didn’t have apples in the ancient Middle East). Respect for others should come above bants with the boys. Women suffer enough day-in and day-out bullshit harassment as it is. Maybe think about how they feel next time a new friendship pops up on your newsfeed.

Won’t she like the attention? The women I asked certainly don’t. Emily, a law and arts student at Victoria, explained that on one of her new Facebook friendships, “another guy I didn’t know tagged a guy I’d slept with.” “I felt awful.” She compared the act to catcalling, though “the Facebook thing feels worse because the audience is so much greater.” When asked about the Facebook trend Aesha, a geography graduate based in Europe, replied, “it’s getting old.” “It’s shit when guys do it to someone where it isn’t obvious how they met and it could be a family friend or something. Like, the girl wouldn’t get the joke and wonder why these boys are taking the piss.” But these women clearly just need to chill out and take a joke, right? Nah, bro. Lad culture is harmful because it hides behind the defence of good-faith and humour. It’s all a bit of harmless fun, where casual objectification and sexism

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Single Sad Postgrad Sharon Lam

Single Sad Goodbye

I’m the saddest girl in town! Lmaoo! So unfortunately no, there is no twist ending where everything has been fictitious. It’s all, sadly for me, very real. I have purely used this student magazine as my personal diary. If you’ve been here for the whole ride, or even a single sentence, then thank you from whatever is left of my starved heart. It hasn’t been a very exciting ride, lacking in drama and hot romantic leads, so for that I apologise. I was really rooting for Tom Hardy to swoop in as well. But at least for you it’s just a quick read from time to time, whereas for me the lackluster storyline is my entire life! Haha! So what’s next? I have absolutely no idea. For the first time in six years I have to actively think about What To Do With My Life, which I have been dealing with by repressing all thoughts that regard my future. Romantic prospects remain at zero and in a worse state than the beginning of this year if anything, because at least back then I had delusional hope instead of what I have now, crushed crushes. But hey! At least I have the new season of Survivor! Everything will be fine! So goodbye my reader, goodbye my friend. Hopefully it’s come across that “Single Sad Postgrad” is clearly a sarcastic, over-the-top, moniker because obviously the writer is “I Can’t Believe She’s Single, Definitely Not Sad, Seems Like A Really Cool Postgrad.”

If you’ve ever seen the show Ugly Betty you’ll know that America Ferrera is off-show incredibly beautiful and the makeup crew had to try really hard to make her look “ugly.” The same with the first part of the Princess Diaries where, even through her bushy hair and monobrow, Anne Hathaway is obviously prettier than most people. Has it been the same with Single Sad Postgrad then? Has this been a Lonelygirl15 situation where I’ve led you to believe that I have a very dull, lonely life when in fact it’s all been made up? That each column has been typed out by my Patrick Dempsey-lookalike boyfriend whom I dictate them to? That I am in fact a social butterfly and that I’ve gotten each idea from laughing at people who are sadder and lonelier than myself? Let’s begin with ‘single’. Although this part is true, I unbiasedly cannot believe that it is. Sure, perhaps I am emotionally unavailable and likely to feign sleep instead of returning oral. But if you just took the time to know me then you’d learn that my apartment has a rainfall shower and a fridge that makes ice. What more could you want? Secondly, ‘sad’. Well if ‘sad’ means crying in every single movie for no apparent reason and feeling a constant emptiness due to a loss of any form of thrill in life then, sure, I’m ‘sad’! Haha! And if by ‘sad’ you mean feeling an overwhelming Sartrean-nausea all the time and only finding blips of joy through schadenfreude then, hell yeah,

The Arts Section 37

Visual Arts

Music

39 Music 40 Film 41 Film 42

Games

43 TV 44

Books

45 Theatre

The Arts Section is sponsored by:

Ruby

Louise

Peak: Shannon Te Ao winning the Walters Prize

Peak: Mike Heynes, News of the Uruguay Round, 2016

Louise and I spent last Friday night huddled around our phones and ipads, anxiously refreshing twitter feeds and wine glasses, waiting to hear who would take out NZ’s biggest contemporary art prize. When Shannon won it was feverish, there were shouts and hugs, this is how I imagine people feel when we win the rugby. Shannon is someone I admire as a friend, artist, and teacher. He makes work that is empathetic and sincere and this is exciting. Shannon has moved many people with his work Two shoots that stretch far out and I am not surprised this year’s judge agreed. Congrats mate, enjoy your $50,000.

One of my favourite exhibitions this year still has to be Mike Heynes’ News of the Uruguay Round, shown at Enjoy in February. The shonky, re-constructed, international film and television production company logos investigated the ongoing legacy of 1994 legislation on our television and movie industry—a conversation that sat perfectly alongside concerns over the TPPA—and further questioned what effect a lack local content on our screens and airwaves has on our formation of national identity. Fan art at its best. Pit: Double feature The first half of this exhibition would be one of my 2015 highlights, but sadly I found John Ward Knox’s bodies of water (failing) at Robert Heald to be one of this year’s biggest disappointments. The world does not need another series of oil paintings that abstract and objectify the female body. However my trophy for the worst art moment of 2016 goes to James R. Ford. Your are not God. Artistic interventions in public space can create beautiful and subversive moments, but the poster paste ups proclaiming Ford as a deity read as an arrogant, egotistical statement of underserved (self) endorsement. As an advertisement for an accompanying exhibition, nothing about that statement made me want to see the show.

Francis Upritchard’s appropriation and remaking of artifacts (e.g. taonga) in Jealous Saboteurs was pretty uncomfortable, but one work stood out—not in a good way. Among the hippies, soothsayers, and jesters sits one nude black body, made out of pantihose with exaggerated features. Unlike the other works which seem more ambiguous and nuanced in their representation of “historical figures,” the work is crude an objectified caricature, placing the black body in a historic past—an exotic other. Its was interesting that there didn’t seem to be any public discussion of it… certainly nothing from City Gallery or Upritchard.

Lucy

Robbie

Peak: Jay Hutchinson, Turn left at the end of the drive, 2016

Peak: Harry Culy, The Gap, at Precinct 35

Spray painted asphalt, tagged electrical boxes, and graffitied weatherboards—Jay Hutchinson transformed Enjoy Public Art Gallery into his driveway. Turn left at the end of the drive, which exhibited in May, compiled five textile based works that replicated segments outside his home on Riddiford Street in Newtown. Hutchinson highlighted the intimate observance of his surroundings by referencing tags and graffiti markings in which he then hand embroidered onto fabrics. These were then turned into the physical objects that he walked past everyday and are recognised as geographical self portraits. The intimacy within his work is a reflection of the attention to detail of his diverse environment, as well as his skill and technique. The work took 18 months to complete with every individual stitch replicating the fine textures of concrete, woodgrain, and paint. Once an avid graffiti artist, while living in Dunedin, Hutchinson has developed an art practice based within this subculture. The temporal nature of this art form is understood by Hutchinson, with the series working as an ephemeral documentation of something that no longer exists on the streets of Newtown.

Walking into Precinct 35 this morning reminded me of how alive the Wellington art community is currently. I’m not certain, but I think Harry Culy’s The Gap might be my favourite show of this year. The work is soft, gentle, and meditative, giving you room to think! I wondered whether they were all shot in the same place (they were) and, looking through the exhibition catalogue, there was another clue. Turns out there is a beautiful story of a man who lived near ‘The Gap’—a cliff on the coast near Sydney that is renowned for suicide attempts—saving people’s lives, offering tea, and a warm safe space. The stairs up to the cliff are also coincidentally called Jacob’s Ladder, which also happens to be a Biblical metaphor for the space between heaven and earth. I could go on and on. A gem of a story, warm fuzzy vibes. This is what art is about. Pit: Billy Apple, Great Britten!, at Chch Art Gallery I’ve never been so bored in a gallery. Famous white male NZ artist celebrates NZ land motorcycle racing / design hero. Don’t get me wrong, John Britten is an incredible designer and engineer and he deserves attention. But holy. We do not need a whole exhibition made about his bike, checkers, and race track graphics. That was literally it. So dumb.

Pit: I used up all of my 200 words writing about Jay’s work, sorry. 37

Visual Arts

Peaks & Pits

Pit: Francis Upritchard, Dark Figure, 2016

Best so far by Kate Robertson 2016 has been an interesting year for music. There have been some real highs (read: Blood Orange’s Freetown Sound, David Bowie’s Blackstar, and the much frothed over Frank Ocean return), but there have also been some real dry spells (what even happened in July?). So here we are, wrapping it all up in October, reflecting on a handful of the highs, and just pretending that the lows didn’t happen (ie. that Charlie Puth album). Read on for a broad, but by no means exhaustive, highlights reel.

Music

Song: “Higher” Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen Album: Emotion Side B PSA: It is very cool to be a Carly Rae Jepsen fan in 2016. Not only did the songwriting machine release one of the best pop albums of 2015 (Emotion), she’s managed to follow it with a Side B that’s almost as good as the real thing. Carly Rae walks a very fine line between candy pop perfection and absolute trash, but pulls it off like no one else.

Song: “Fill in the Blank” Artist: Car Seat Headrest Album: Teens Of Denial Don’t let the ‘indie rock’ label deter you. A coming-of-age album that’s hella appropriate for 20-something university students stumbling their way into adulthood via drugs, alcohol, bad decisions, and a general “what the fuck am I meant to do with my life?” feels.

Song: “CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!” Artist: Justin Timberlake Album: Trolls Dad-pop might just be one of pop music’s greatest subgenres. Commonly found on high rotation over at More FM, dad-pop is the stuff you can’t help but sing along to, no matter how hard your body tries to fight it. “CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!” crosses all demographics, generations, and political ideologies. As your dad would say, “It’s a bloody license to print money.”

Song: “Cranes in the Sky” Artist: Solange Album: A Seat at the Table Solange’s new album is so good people might finally stop prefacing her name with “Bey’s little sister.” Another in a string of protest albums to hit a nerve with audiences in 2016, A Seat at the Table juxtaposes heavy lyrics with dreamy and whimsical melodies—something only a Knowles sister could pull off so effortlessly.

Song: “I Need You” Artist: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Album: Skeleton Tree Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ latest album Skeleton Tree is Cave’s gutwrenchingly painful response to his son’s death in mid-2015 and it will cut you to the core. It’s the same old Nick Cave, but with a weight on his shoulders that could only come from immense grief. If you really want to roll yourself pirate a copy of the accompanying film he made to avoid doing any press for the album, One More Time With Feeling.

Song: “Closer” Artist: The Chainsmokers Album: Closer The most polarising song of the year and your problematic fave, “Closer” has been known to make or break friendships. Yes, those with even the most basic knowledge of music production will rip these guys out for making lazy dance music, but shouldn’t we instead be congratulating the duo on tricking the world into thinking their music is much more complex than it actually is? 38

Song: “Nice Guys Finish Thirst” Artist: Name UL Album: (Choice)s If you ever needed proof the the NZ rap and hip-hop scene is going fire, this album is it. With the Silver Scroll Awards recently shining a light on just how undervalued the genre is on our shores, Name UL feels like an artist about to shake the industry up. Easily the country’s most skilled rapper with lyrics that will start a conversation and an oh so current sound, Name UL will be playing in the international arena with the big kids in the next 18 months, easy.

Song: “The Bird” Artist: Anderson Paak Album: Malibu Sweet sweet Anderson Paak can do no wrong. Malibu goes down so damn easily and will get you through your summer job picking fruit in rural NZ. Several years of collaborating with big names in hip-hop and RnB haven’t gone without influence, and have undoubtedly helped Paak craft a sound that finally feels like his own. If you’re still not convinced, Father of the Nation John Campbell is a fan and therefore “The Bird” should probably be our new national anthem.

Song: “Hold Up” Artist: Beyonce Album: Lemonade If anyone you know needs this elaborated on, tell ‘em boy bye.

Drunk music review Review by Kate Robertson Kate Robertson accidentally got drunk on a Sunday afternoon and re-reviewed an album she’d already done a reasonably good job of writing about sober.

Topograph

Thomston 4/5

Thomston 7/5

If the name Thomston means nothing to you, now is the time for you to tap in and start paying attention. After months of build-up NZ’s newest soon-to-be-superstar’s debut LP Topograph is now available on all platforms, and it’s a 13 song moody alt-pop dream. There’s something very raw about the autobiographical nature of Thomston’s music. A storyteller, he’s lived through enough emotions for all of us combined and could quite well forge a successful career as a poet if music doesn’t work out. Opening with the echoey instrumental “Survey (Preface)”, Thomston sets the tone of the album with an intro that could bring a tear to your eye and proceeds to roll effortlessly into the achingly beautiful “Float”. From there the listener is taken for a journey through love and loss, all the while being prodded with a bunch of emotions coming-of-age humans know all too well—fear, vulnerability, anxiety, and the unknown. The album moves in rolling waves. Nothing is disjointed and everything feels exactly where it’s meant to be. You can feel that everything is there for a reason. The songs are effortlessly haunting, filled with depth, and intense as fuck. Thomston is yet to put a foot wrong: his perfect social media has created him an incredibly cool brand, he’s moved in on an already over-saturated genre but been able to bring something much more complex and thoughtprovoking, and has won the hearts of his fans—a must when you acknowledge the fact that dedicated fans are the driving force behind any artist. His music is current, but will land across a number of demographics. There’s something for mums, dads, sex friends, and best friends. If you stumble across someone who passionately despises this album, they’re not worth your time—even a moron is capable of appreciating the emotional labour an album such a this requires.

The new Thomston album is rad. Thomston is a 20year old boy genius who is managed by Lorde’s old management team Saiko Management—he is a baby Lorde (but not really cause he’s probably still older than her). Riding the NZ/AUS synth-pop wave, Thomston is less synthy than other people around at the moment (like Theia, Glades, Broods, and others) which is cool because it’s kind of everywhere right now, but his music is still super tight with quality production value. Like so fucking good. He’s already got heaps of fans all over the world, but if you jump on the bandwagon now you can probably still pass it off as being on the first wave of fandom and brag about it to all your friends in two years’ time when he’s taking over the world. “Float” and “Birthmark” are the best songs on the album because there are heaps of feels. “Float” was released as a single prior to Topograph’s release and has one of the year’s most cinematically beautiful videos. 10/10, would recommend. “Birthmark” is great not only because of feels, but also because it has a booming chorus that is super powerful and dramatic against the chill verses. As someone who is perpetually single, and only really deals with fucbois, these songs still cut deep despite being in no way relatable. “Collarbones” was the banger that set it all off back in 2015 on his first EP (Backbone); an EP he followed with moody Spotify successes “Burning Out”, “Motley Crew”, and the most beautiful of them all, “Window Seat”, features indie it-girl Wafia. Almost all of these are on Topograph which is fantastic. Topograph is a super cool album and Thomston is a very talented dude. Even if you don’t like this kind of music you should listen to it anyway because he is from New Zealand and if you don’t you are not being patriotic and may as well go buy yourself a Wallabies jersey. 39

Music

Topograph

Reviewing 2016—The Not So Great. Review by Finn Holland

Warcraft

I’ve lumped these two together because they both have the same problem—they lack ‘wow’ factor. Both contain redeeming qualities in the acting and visuals department, but the compliments stop there. Both products were evidently rushed and suffered deeply for it. Batman v Superman was a sloppy mish-mash, with one decent action scene and virtually no compelling drama. Suicide Squad was cut to hell in the editing room, leaving a product that lacked plot, pacing, and character arcs. It’s all too obvious that DC’s first priority was to make a product to be consumed, not savoured.

With each passing year two things become increasing obvious: Lord of the Rings is about the only full-on fantasy series worth watching (I know, Harry Potter is great, but I’m talking about hard-core fantasy—like bloody Dungeons and Dragons) and that video games just do not translate to the screen at all. Warcraft cements both of these things. The effects are laughable for the majority of the movie, with the exception of several of the Orcs, and the human characters are all poorly written with equally bad acting to round it all off. Sadly, even though I saw this on opening day in a near empty theatre, it made a tonne of money in China, so the awkward and abrasive sequel set up at the end will probably go ahead.

Angry Birds

Dishonourable Mentions

This year yielded some truly brilliant animated films. Zootopia was fantastic, Kubo and the Two Strings was poignant, and even Kung Fu Panda 3 was plenty of fun. Enter Angry Birds, a film four years behind the game trend and aimed at children under five. The animation is nauseatingly bright and epileptic to keep children still for ninety minutes, but pacifiers belong in the aisle of the supermarket where I hopefully won’t end up for another decade or so, not in the cinema. The humour is also awful. Sexual comedy is great, but not in a kids film. When Josh Gad’s character suggested they solve the egg crisis by “getting busssssssyyyyyy” with the ladies I didn’t so much chuckle as gag. Also I swear they suggest Sean Penn’s character Terrence is a serial killer and murderer of women. Watch it and tell me I’m wrong.

In the category of ‘biggest disappointments’ there’s a tie between The BFG and Jason Bourne. Both left a lot to be desired and the mediocrity was heartbreaking. In the ‘our fears were confirmed’ category is Ghostbusters, which committed the cardinal sin of being brutally unfunny. Not an awful film by any measure, and one that could have worked had a little more thought and effort been put in. Lastly, in the ‘I forgot that came out in 2016’ category is The Huntsman: Winters War. Yeah, I reviewed this and I can’t even remember what I said about it.

Film

Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad

Now admittedly, unlike the best films, I did not seek out bad movies this year. Still, I did not take into account any external factors (hype, trailers, casting) when weighing the merits of the film. I just straight up didn’t like them.

1. 10 Cloverfield Lane

This still stands as the most visceral movie experience I’ve had this year. All three actors gave fantastic performances, and the filmmaking was brilliantly restrained but absolutely batshit nuts when it called for it.

2. Sing Street

This is the Irish musical equivalent of Rocky. John Carney (the man behind Once and Begin Again) managed to cover the entire emotional spectrum: from glee to grief to poignancy to fist pumping triumph—the result is irresistible.

3. Hunt For The Wilderpeople

This movie isn’t just a good New Zealand film, it’s good full stop. It’s very funny and unabashedly fun, with the interplay between the infamous Ricky Baker and Uncle Hec forming the film’s heart and soul, without being afraid to deal with darker themes. My fingers are crossed for ‘egg’ references in Thor: Ragnarok.

4. The Witch

This may not have been the scariest horror movie of 2016, but it’s undoubtedly the most expertly crafted. The very definition of a slow build, The Witch is creepy to its core with not a single jump scare to be found.

5. Deadpool

It may seem pointless at this point to say that Deadpool was great, but I’m still going to. Visually inventive, violent and offensive; it was superbly memorable (in a genre which is quickly becoming forgettable) which is even more impressive given its small budget.

6. Zootopia

What Inside Out did for child psychology this film did for prejudice and race relations, brilliantly paralleling our own world. Disney continues to make bold, original choices when they could be rolling out Frozen 2, Frozen 3, and Frozen: Olaf’s Cool Adventure.

7. Like Crazy

A small Italian film from the NZIFF. This is one where you are guaranteed, like critics always say, to “laugh and cry.” The work between the two leading ladies was some of the best chemistry and acting I’ve seen all year.

8. Kubo & The Two Strings

Stop motion animation reached a new high with Kubo. Filled with beautiful imagery, it is an exciting adventure in a marvellously realised world which never ceases to be exciting, as well as charmingly off-beat.

9. A Perfect Day

This was my second favourite film from the NZIFF; a dark comedy based around four aid workers in the Bosnian crisis of the 90s. The film balances hard hitting war imagery with clever comic relief and the balance is perfect.

10. The Nice Guys

Pretty much no one went and saw this film, which is sad because I’d happily rock up for six more sequels. As if the seedy underbelly to 70’s Los Angeles wasn’t going to be fun in the hands of Shane Black (writer of Iron Man 3 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang).

Honourable Mentions:

Obviously there were more than ten films worth watching this year. These are some others worth checking out: The Jungle Book, Captain America: Civil War, The Conjuring 2, Finding Dory, Everybody Wants Some!, Star Trek Beyond, Captain Fantastic, Green Room, Swiss Army Man, and Lights Out. 41

Film

Reviewing 2016—The Best Of

Review by Finn Holland

2016 was an interesting year for film. The blockbusters may not have delivered, but this year yielded plenty of indie gems and the horror genre also did particularly well. With that said, here’s what I’ve enjoyed the most so far this year:

The completely meaningless Salient Game Awards for 2016! by Cameron Gray

Game awards are usually turgid affairs, filled with meaningless waffle about how awesome games are and a bunch of men in suits pleasuring themselves over how they’re totally artists and not at all soulless, out-of-touch, corporate stooges who take pride in nickel-and-diming.

The #FucKonami Memorial Award for Dodgiest Games Company The two-man shit factory called Digital Homicide are possibly the worst games development company in the history of the industry. Not only are their games halfbaked shovelware cobbled together from pre-bought assets, their complete inability to take criticism has seen them them sue games critic Jim Sterling for over $10 million and attempt to file a subpoena for the information of 100 Steam users in order to sue them as well. Valve rightfully swung the banhammer and removed all of DigiHom’s games from Steam not long afterwards; hopefully they won’t come back.

To that I defiantly say nay! If I’m going to give out some awards, I’m only slightly serious about, they will be ultimately meaningless in the larger scheme of things, and it’s not all going to be sunshine and rainbows. Let’s do this!

The “No Refunds” Award for Biggest Disappointment

Games

Without a doubt, it has to go to No Man’s Sky. I was one of many who had the misfortune of getting unreasonably hyped for the ambitious space sim, and I feel for those who believe they were ripped off. My 3/5 was based off of a first impression and I got increasingly bored waiting for something even vaguely interesting to happen. Since launch, Hello Games have fallen silent, the player base on PC has dropped dramatically, and the game’s marketing is under investigation by the UK Advertising Standards Authority for being potentially misleading. Oh dear.

Wellington Tremayne’s Game of the Year (so far) Miss Tremayne is an... interesting person, to say the least: her favourite game of the year, Alice: Madness Returns, came out five years ago! But if Dunkey can have Super Mario Bros 2 as his GOTY fourteen years running, then I’m cool with that. In her own words: “Alice is a psychological horror game that is beautiful, violent, and, quite frankly, a pain in the ass. The game is magnificently difficult, even for seasoned players. Still, the twists, turns, and metaphorical underpinnings of Madness Returns are fascinating.” Good luck back at Mount Holyoke, Wellington!

The “Garme Jurnalizm” Award for Best Games Writer Who Isn’t Me The British Khaleesi of Butts Laura Kate Dale takes the gong, specifically for her work in breaking the news of the PS4 slim model. Mostly because it was actual investigative journalism, which is a rare beast these days in the gaming industry. She risked quite a bit to get the story out and it was great to see it come to fruition when the official announcement came. On top of all this she did it just a couple of months after undergoing gender reassignment surgery, of all things; how’s that for diversity?

Cameron Gray’s Game of the Year (so far) There is only one choice for me. I’ve sunk the most time into it; I’ve had the most fun with it; I’ve talked about it more than any other release this year. I’ve got a poster on my wall with one of the characters and a Pop Vinyl figure of the same one, a rarity for me. It is the one and only OVERWATCH! Go ahead Blizzard, stick that on the back of the box.

Louis Theroux: Savile Review by Katie Meadows

sick, the young; those too intimidated by who he was to say anything. One of the most interesting parts about Savile is that it is the first of Theroux’s many documentaries where he turns the lens on himself. While he has always been a presence in his films, his reflections on bizarre American subcultures are a far cry from the questions he must ask himself in how he was duped by Savile for so long. After the filming of When Louis Met Jimmy Savile and Theroux maintained a “friendship” for several years, meeting up when their paths crossed and going out for pizza. Given what we know now about Jimmy Savile the footage shown seems to clearly depict a narcissistic predator who took joy in what his power let him get away with. A clip of Savile visiting BBC offices shows him dressed in a mesh singlet and running shorts, lavishing attention on the young women working, and making lewd comments on their appearance. At one point he says he needs to change outfits and begins to undress in front of the women while they look down and away. Theroux says at the time, though he was uncomfortable with Savile’s behavior, he and those present took it to be a part of his “public” persona—an eccentric older man with a sly tongue. Throughout the documentary Theroux struggles to deal with knowing that he contributed to this facade, having been in a position to ask much harder questions of Savile and perhaps even have found out the truth, maybe even putting a stop to the abuse. But if the film shows us anything it is that Jimmy Savile was a master manipulator, a man who lived his life on camera and knew just how to present himself to those watching.

On April 13, 2000, BBC2 aired the first episode of television-journalist Louis Theroux’s new series When Louis Met… featuring one of Theroux’s childhood heroes, Jimmy Savile. At the time Savile was a British icon, known for his long career in broadcasting and his estimated £40 million of contributions to charity. Savile died October 29, 2011, and it was less than a year before the real Jimmy Savile was revealed to the world: a prolific sexual predator, paedophile, and sociopath who had assaulted, abused, molested, and raped hundreds of women and children over six decades. While the British public tried to reconcile their fond memories of the children’s television presenter with this new monster, Theroux tried to figure out what he had missed in the time he had spent with him. Louis Theroux: Savile is an exploration of the dazzling power of celebrity and wealth and an opportunity to give a voice to some of those Jimmy Savile silenced for so many years. The details of the abuses that Jimmy Savile inflicted on his victims are hard to stomach, incredibly difficult to read in print, and even harder to hear from those that suffered, but Savile is an important piece of filmmaking in that we confront these horrors and a society that hid them for so long. A large number of Savile’s victims were patients at children’s hospitals, many of whom who were disabled or even comatose. One woman speaks of falling into a fire, burning her hands, and waking up in hospital. She saw Savile jogging outside her window and upon making eye contact he turned towards her, lunged through her window, and assaulted her while she was unable to push him away due to her injuries. The confidence Savile possessed was astounding and it seems, like most predators, he was adept in finding “perfect” victims—the

The Salient 2016 Summer Reading List Cassie Richards

With the end of study looming and buckets of free time on the horizon the important question is: what are you going to read (when you’re not on Netflix)? We have a few suggestions for all kinds of readers.

My Brilliant Friend (#1 Neapolitan Novels)

Books

Elena Ferrante

A Little Life

The Secret History

Hanya Yanagihara

Donna Tartt

This sprawling novel has been up for some major awards in the past year and, despite not cinching the top shots, it has become a firm reader favourite. A Little Life follows four male friends in New York City postcollege, pursuing success and fighting demons. Be warned, however: this story packs a notorious emotional punch and is not for the faint of heart.

If you find yourself starting to feel homesick for the study life this summer break maybe you should delve into Donna Tartt’s first novel, which follows a group of Classics students at a Vermont college who take their syllabus a little too seriously. It’s a gripping and disturbing tale of collegiate murder which seeks to explain not who, but why.

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo

Cat’s Cradle

How Did We Get Into This Mess?: Politics, Equality, Nature

Kurt Vonnegut

George Monbiot

You’ve never read any Vonnegut, you say? You should change that right away by picking up this perfect little novel about humanity, religion, and global destruction. If that sounds too heavy for your tastes you should know that Vonnegut is a master of deadpan humour, so it’s not entirely all doom and gloom.

Monbiot is a British writer and a columnist for The Guardian known for taking on political and environmental issues. This book, with its very apt title, is a greatest hits collection of his essays and articles from the last few years. Read for the intellectual stimulation and/or to feel pissed off about everything.

Fun Home

So Sad Today

The Rehearsal

Alison Bechdel

Melissa Broder

Eleanor Catton

This graphic memoir follows cartoonist Alison Bechdel through her awkward formative years and at the same time tells the story about her late father. It’s a funny, poignant, look at sexuality, family life, and becoming your true self, with plenty of nerdy literature references thrown in.

Melissa Broder is the woman behind the Twitter account @sosadtoday; a chronicle of anxious-depressive musings (she’s also a poet). This is her first collection of essays and broaches such topics as depression, anxiety, obsessive relationships, and her vomit fetish. A raw, funny, fearless book that is sometimes scarily relatable.

Before The Luminaries, and her literary fame, Eleanor Catton wrote this novel about a student/teacher scandal at an all-girls high school. It’s been turned into a film this year, with a screenplay by Emily Perkins, and if you’re a book-before-the-movie kind of person you’ll want to get on to this.

Amy Schumer Whether you’re heading to see her in Auckland this December or consoling yourself by binging Inside Amy Schumer clips on Youtube, this is probably a book you’ll want to read. It’s a memoir told in essays and is just as funny as you would expect from the trail-blazing comedian.

This series, translated from Italian, has become an international sensation and yet nobody knows the true identity of the author. (Is that you Franzen?) They follow two friends, Lila and Elena, beginning with their childhoods in 1950s Naples. Once you’ve started you won’t be able to stop, so it’s a good thing there are no pesky essays to write.

The Salient Theatre Awards 2016

Wellington has been graced with a heap of theatre this year: from good, to interesting, to ugly. The stand out shows for us were bold and ambitious; they were challenging and reflective of the times. We believe that theatre which leaves the wider community buzzing with conversation is theatre that WINS! We want to congratulate these shows and highlight how each one has encouraged us to keep making art that catalyses conversation. Here are our top picks for 2016!

by Ophelia Wass, Ruby Hansen, and Adeline Shaddick

Best Theatre Experience

Strongest Performer

Jekyll and Hyde Director: Leo Gene Peters

Vanilla Miraka Playwright and Performer: Hayley Sproull Director: Jo Randerson

Hold onto your hats (or your picture-frames) because this show will not let you recline leisurely in your seats! From the minute we stepped into the theatre we were showered with affectionate compliments and tantalising offers of wine. This was a seductive 21st-century spin on the 19thcentury novella that included the entire audience hiding under a blanket of tulle and audience members being asked to play crucial on-stage roles in uncovering the blonde-wigged, and evil, Mr Hyde.

Vanilla Miraka was on at BATS during late September. Hayley Sproull engaged us from start to finish. Fully present, she embraced her flailing awkwardness as she scrambled to connect with her Māoritanga. Using stand up, sketch, and original song, Sproull’s honest and very brave storytelling had us feeling uplifted; a sentiment that she herself found through sharing her journey with us.

Best Design

Best Narrative

The quintessential Kiwi father-and-son relationship is presented from a fresh perspective. The play is structured as a series of 18 stanzas that traverse the playwright character’s (James Russell) quest to understand his father (John Landreth) and all the idiosyncratic, rugby bloke, stuff that comes with him. Knighton, a VUW Graduate, interprets Finnius Teppett’s poignant script by offering both the awkwardness and the warmth of this father and son connection. The play is honest and explores common themes in a new light.

This show was a stand out on many levels and the blend of Te Reo Māori and New Zealand small-town jargon resonated with many. Each technical element complemented the performers and their powhiri-like introduction to the mythical narrative. The ensemble beautifully and intensely danced a haka-like sequence on the real grass that coats the floor, all punctuated by the sound of purerehua and drums. Later a shadow screen invited us into the magical-mundane realm. Jason Wright’s sound design was impeccable and Glenn Ashworth’s lighting design sung. Winner.

Best Audience Interaction

Strongest Message

Perhaps, Perhaps…Quizas... Playwright: Gabriela Munoz Performer: Gabriela Munoz

If There’s Not Dancing At The Revolution, I’m Not Coming. Creator and Performer: Julia Croft Director: Virginia Frankovich

Using no words, only her facial expressions, gestures, and sound effects, Gabriela Munoz chose a different audience member each performance to be her groom for the evening. We followed Munoz and the lucky fella around through the wedding ceremony. What is most special about this piece is that Munoz captivates the audience from the get go and manages to make the groom (whoever it may be) appear as if they have rehearsed together months prior to the performance. It’s magical! If Gabriela Munoz is ever performing somewhere near you, DEFINITELY GO!

In a world bombarded with pop culture and misogynistic bullshit, Julia Croft exploits the male gaze and turns it into a loud fuck-you celebration of women’s endurance. It made us angry and excited in the best kind of way. Our personal favourite moment was when she danced to Sia whilst pumping confetti through her vagina gun. Best piece of feminist art. Hands down.

Theatre

The Fence Playwright: Fran Olds Director: Luke Hanna and Fran Olds

My Dad’s Boy Playwright: Finnius Teppett Director: Ryan Knighton

Puzzles

This week's crossword solution can be found on page 34

Made by Puck

Crossword: 'Walking Through Walls'

ACROSS

Hard Last week's crossword solution

Target goals Good: 24 words Great: 28 words Impressive: 32 words

Last week's solution is GREEN, the colour of Regent, Oxford and Bond Streets on a Monopoly board. The winner of the VicBooks voucher is Liam D.

1. Yellow, in Te Reo (6) 4. Everlasting (8) 8. One of seven in 'Se7en' (3) 9. Gives up (6) 10. Task that takes forever, slangily (4,4) 11. He stabs Han Solo (spoiler alert!) (4,3) 14. Entertainment company whose logo is the flying bike from 'E.T' (6) 15. Like antiques (3) 17. Character who flees from the figures in the shaded squares (6) 20. Where you might find 17-Across (6) 24. Van Gogh had one, famously (3) 25. Japanese island where Nagasaki is (6) 26. Crime boss played by Vincent D'Onofrio on Netflix (7) 30. Representing (8) 31. Like someone who didn't skip leg day (6) 32. Snatch (3) 33. It's in your way (8) 34. White noise (6) DOWN 1. Inuit vehicle (5) 2. Dungeons and Dragons race that, unsurprisingly, gets proficiency in Intimidation checks (4-3) 3. This is Salient's 24th (25th, if you count O-Week) (5) 4. Enjoying (4) 5. Like some poetry readings (4-3) 6. Added 200% to (7) 7. Enjoying (6) 12. Small dog's bark that sounds like an affirmation (3) 13. Zero (4) 16. 'Zero ____ Thirty' (4) 18. Thomas ______, priest who wrote the 'Summa Theologiae' (7) 19. Title that means 'Great Soul' in Sanskrit (7) 21. Maine's capital (7) 22. Horror director Roth (3) 23. Brandname that became a generic term for snowmobiles (3-3) 27. Feet in sonnets (5) 28. 'Bye Bye Bye' band (5) 29. Fairytale bad guy (4)

Contributors

About Us Salient is published by, but remains editorially independent from, the Victoria University of Wellington Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association (VUWSA). Salient is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA). Salient is funded in part by Victoria University of Wellington students through the Student Services Levy. The views expressed in Salient do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, VUWSA, or the University. Salient is printed on environmentally sustainable paper, and with vegetable ink, and is completely FSC approved. Complaints People with a complaint against the magazine should complain in writing to the Editor at editor@salient.org.nz and then, if not satisfied with the response, to VUWSA. (But this is the last one so fuck you.)

Editors Emma Hurley and Jayne Mulligan editor@salient.org.nz Design and Illustration Ella Bates-Hermans designer@salient.org.nz News Editor Kate Robertson news@salient.org.nz Chief Sub Editor Tim Manktelow Sub Editors Ali Kaye Bronwyn Curtis Matty Reeves Distributor Joe Morris

Feature Writers Brodie Fraser Faith Wilson Katie Meadows Trinity Thompson-Browne Opinion Sharon Lam Tim Grgec

Read Salient online at salient.org.nz Contact Level 2 Student Union Building Victoria University PO Box 600, Wellington 04 463 6766 Printed by SMP, Wellington.

Section Editors Cassie Richards (Books) Dana Williams (Film) Ophelia Wass (Theatre) Ruby Joy Eade, Lucy Wardle, Louise Rutledge, Robbie Whyte (Visual Arts) Katie Meadows (TV) Contributors Jonathan Gee, Laura Toailoa, Finn Holland, Rakaitemania Parata Gardiner, Ruby Hansen, Adeline Shaddick, Puck.

News Reporters Alex Feinson Jessica Morris Saeran Maniparathy McKenzie Collins Alexa Zelensky Thomas Croskery

Advertising Jason Sutton advertising@vuwsa.org.nz 04 463 6982 Social Media fb.com/salientmagazine T: @salientmagazine I: @salientgram S: salientmag

VUWSA is looking for expressions of interest for the 2017 Salient editor/s.Â We want to see your vision of Salient 2017.

This job is a paid position starting in midJanuary and ending in late October. The job involves putting the magazine together, liaising with contributors, managing a group of paid staff and volunteers and engaging with the student body.

You must have strong written communication skills & have experience in creative writing or reporting. Previous experience editing media orÂ volunteer work in student media is preferable.

Send your expressions of interest and vision for Salient 2017 by Friday 14 October at 5pm to associationsecretary@vuwsa.org.nz

Job

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