April 2023

Nurturing Self-Worth Instead of Seeking External Validation

Why We Can’t Stop Scrolling: How Social Media Exploits Our Brain’s Reward Systems to Keep Us Hooked

Finding Moments of Daily Joy While Managing Academic Pressures

Saying Goodbye to Netflix

Reflecting on an Applied Study with The Meliorist WrittenbyDalyUnger

I am a procrastinator, a notorious deadline-pusher, and a hyper fixator. I can hardly maintain the due dates assigned to me by my professors, so it only makes sense that I would pioneer my own course in which I am solely responsible for my education. Awfully ambitious of me, I know. Applied studies are an excellent way to meet your degree requirements while conducting an exercise in academic independence. You draft your own syllabus and coordinate with professors and employers to create a course that will challenge you and provide you with on-the-job experience in a field related to your degree. Many students complete applied studies off-campus. However, I found myself uniquely positioned to become part of The Meliorist staff for the Spring 2023 semester in an investigative writing role.

My experience writing for The Meliorist began in the Fall of 2022 when my interest in the Russo-Ukrainian war put me in contact with a family of refugees arriving in southern Alberta. I wrote an article for The Meliorist detailing efforts that indi-viduals in Lethbridge and the surrounding area are making to bring refugees here. I shared the story of the Syrotin family, who had fled war-torn Mariupol in search of safety in southern Alberta. It was a passion project, a self-motivated effort to shed light on the people around us saving lives, and a story that I hoped would make Ukraine feel a little closer to the University of Lethbridge.

From that freelance article, I discovered the applied studies program, and eventually, my writing position here. I had few expectations going in. I figured that my experience with academic writing would give me an upper hand. In reality, I had bitten off more than I expected. When asked to write a reflection on my time with The Meliorist, I found myself thinking about who I would recommend this opportunity to. Being a writer left no room for my procrastination and deadline-pushing tendencies. I was required to make and meet goals in a timely manner. Additionally, writing investigative pieces for a publication differs entirely from academic writing. Instead of long days in the library, I found myself knocking on doors, making phone calls, following leads, and being a general nuisance in my search for interviews and statements.

It proved to be a rewarding experience for me, though a great challenge. So, would I recommend an applied study with The Meliorist? Yes, although not to everyone. I learned a lot of valuable lessons about journalistic practices and ethics, the behind-thescenes of a publication, and about my own ability as a writer. The people I would recommend this opportunity to are those who can see themselves being passionate about a story, who can overcome their procrastination tendencies, and who are prepared to be responsible for their educational experience. An applied study is a challenge, but journalism is a field worth challenging yourself with. The freedom provided by a student publication, such as The Meliorist, yields an outlet for creativity, expression, and learning that is only limited by yourself.

By Francis Weller

Contributors

Benjamin Wiebe

Daly Unger (applied study student)

George Parsons Turcotte

Jorge Tsudoku

Rukshi Sundararaj (backcover)

Kianna Turner Editor-in-Chief

Andres Salazar Writer

Blaine Badiuk Business Manager Han Slater Assistant Editor

Janise Michel Designer

Cailin Williams Social Media Coordinator

Laura Oviedo-Guzmán Writer

Lauryn Evans Writer

Shawn Funk Writer

The Wild Edge of Sorrow

Combat sports are some of the oldest athletic activities in human history. Ancient Greeks were passionate about developing their skills in early forms of wrestling, the Roman empire celebrated combat of different forms in the colosseum, and China was the birthplace of a large number of Asian martial arts that later inspired other styles such as karate and taekwondo. Martial arts have been an important part of humanity’s sporting history, with it now gaining popularity thanks to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. To put it simply, people have been interested in creating a combat sport that helps develop and display one’s skills in fighting and the strategies behind it.

The past couple of years has seen the growth of a new combative scene. Since the explosion in MMA’s popularity, new organizations are trying to develop new ways to bring new combat sports into people’s minds. Spend enough time on the internet and you will find what some are trying to push as the newest supposed combat sport: slap-fighting. The rules are simple; two people stand facing each other with a table in between them, and they take turns slapping each other across the face until one can no longer continue or the fight goes to a judge’s decision. As crazy as it sounds, this new form of competition has seen occasional bursts of internet fame. While at first glance, many thought of this as a dumb activity from mostly Russian and Polish media circles, slap fighting is now receiving unprecedented media attention. This year, UFC president Dana White presented the beginning of the world’s premier major slap-fighting promotion, Power Slap (Brooks, 2023). Now being shown on TV and with even a live event in the books, this has prompted combat sports athletes, enthusiasts, and media to ponder: is this a new combat sport?

To understand where slap-fighting is now, it’s important to look at some of its beginnings. Slap-fighting has popped up on occasion in internet video platforms and viral meme boards for the last ten years. For the most part, most videos of slap-fighting competitions were rarely more than a couple of drunk people shooting amateur-quality videos of smacking each other as a game. It seems that somewhere around the mid-2010s, slap-fighting started to modernize. As slapping competitions grew, they stayed mostly as small, organized events, usually in Russia.

However, as platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube kept growing in popularity, many slap-fighting groups and small organizations began to post videos and do some advertising online. This sparked small clips that would sometimes go immensely viral (Cocksedge, 2019). For a couple of years, slap fighting stayed as just that, small, organized events with limited crowds in small areas of Eastern Europe. It eventually grew to the point that western promoters began to take notice of slap-fighting and decided to bring it over to Western Europe and North America. From here, we saw the beginning of organizations like the Slap-Fighting Championship and even a one-time event hosted by Logan Paul and Arnold Schwarzenegger. As small clips kept going into viral popularity, it was only a matter of time before a large organization took notice of the activity and decided to make it into one of the newest combat sports. This is where Dana White, president of the UFC, entered, announcing the beginning of Power Slap, the biggest professional slap-fighting league in North America. It’s important to note that slap-fighting and organizations like Power Slap have received immense criticism, especially since its beginning as a professional pseudo-sport.

Training for slap-fighting usually involves dynamic weight training. Medicine balls and weight training moving the muscles along the same path as a slap are commonplace. Of course, hard sparring is not a common form of training, but in some cases, two participants will partner and simulate the slap fight, using pool noodles instead of striking each other with their hands, as you would in a competi-tive setting. Competitors in slap fighting will also focus a lot of their training on developing the muscles in the neck to absorb the shock of the slap they receive. As far as defensive training goes, slap fighters will practice clenching the muscles in their neck and jaws in different positions and at different times to lessen the effect of any strike. As simple as it originally seems, the athletes claim there is a certain com-plexity to attaining and using good quality slapping technique. For their slap to be as effective as possible, fighters must carefully keep their feet planted, turn their shoulders and hips, and calculate the angle of their slap to hurt their opponent and avoid accidentally com-mitting a foul. It’s honestly crazy to think about how much thought some of these competitors put into the quality of their slap.

By far, the biggest criticism against slap-fighting relates to traumatic brain injury. Media and professionals in the world of sports science have condemned slap-fighting due to its risk to fighter safety and the likelihood of traumatic brain injuries.

Written by Andres Salazar

Whereas sports like boxing, MMA, kickboxing, and so on allow the other fighters to protect themselves by trying to block strikes or evade them entirely, slap-fighting rules dictate that should a fighter flinch or attempt to block the strike with a shoulder, a penalty would be given. In this sense, slap-fighting almost incentivizes the lack of protection against an oncoming strike.

Critics of slap-fighting, including neuroscientists, have voiced their concerns over the possibility of developing permanent and severe issues in the brain, such as CTE (Dawson, 2023). Chronic traumat-ic encephalopathy (CTE) is an unfortunate consequence of many combat sports and more traditional sports with high levels of forceful contact, such as football. CTE is an irreversible consequence of long-term repeated trauma to the head, leading to the gradual deterioration of the brain, which causes memory loss, lack of motor skills, and trouble speaking, among other symptoms (McKee et al., 2009). While most contact sports attempt to mitigate traumatic brain injuries through the use of helmets and gloves to lessen the effects of the blows to the head, the only way to participate in slap fighting is by directly doing the thing that many sports organizations are trying to avoid, strong, unprotected, and repeated blows to the head. Even when compared to MMA and boxing, slap-fighting seems more dangerous, as other combat sports also focus on strikes to the body and submission grappling, unlike slap-fighting’s rules which only allow strikes to the head.

Unfortunately for Power Slap president Dana White, there hasn’t been a big wave of support. Writers for news publications such as The New York Times have condemned slap-fighting and White himself for his role in the growth of the sport’s popularity. Even inside the combat sports media sphere, the opinion of disapproval is almost entirely unanimous. Well-known combat sports media voices on websites and news outlets like MMAFighting and MMAJunkie have called Power Slap stupid and ridiculous. Journalists and critics continue to condemn Dana White’s new organization, in large part due to Power Slap’s debut coming shortly after White was caught on camera slapping his wife during a New Year’s Eve party (Brookhouse, 2023). With that all being said, Dana White has continued to push forward with the sport’s growth, stating that the ratings and viewership numbers have been consistently impressive across all their media platforms (Nambiar, 2023).

Even after Power Slap crowned its first set of world champions, public opinions on the sport have remained mostly negative. A look at the comments on almost all of Power Slap’s media platforms will reveal people making fun of the competitors, the organization, and the activity itself. Across platforms, people are even refusing to call it a sport. Power Slap is going through official means to conduct its events by employing licensed and reputable combat sports referees and being sanctioned by government-ruled athletic commissions (Martin, 2022). However, it seems that people still struggle to recognize it as a sport. For most of the public and media, slap-fighting is nothing but an event where two people slap each other for the entertainment of others. While that technically fits the definition of a sport as a competition between two parties involving physical movement to achieve a goal, it’s hard to find anyone to call it a sport with pride.

Power Slap’s first major live event March 11th, 2023, saw multiple competitors become the first world champions in their weight

categories. The future of slap-fighting seems unclear. On the one hand, it seems that everyone aside from the odd media outlet thinks slap-fighting is nothing but a ridiculous pseudo-sport that will fizzle out soon enough. On the other hand, organizations like Power Slap and Slap Fight Championship claim that their ratings and viewership are as high as ever and will continue to grow, with Power Slap already preparing for a second live event in Abu Dhabi (Harkness, 2023). Slap-fighting is trying very hard to cement itself in the world of athletic competition. While the entire combat sports media sphere is trying its hardest to ignore it and hoping that it dies out soon, slap-fighting may be here to stay as the newest, strangest, and most controversial combat sport.

Resources

Brookhouse, B. (2023). “Dana White slaps wife during physical altercation on New Year’s Eve: ‘There is no excuse’.” CBSNews. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/dana-white-slaps-wife-during-physicalaltercation-on-new-years-eve-there-is-no-excuse/.

Brooks, K. (2023). “Face-slapping league turns heads as it looks to become next major U.S. sport.” CBSNews. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https:// www.cbsnews.com/news/slap-fighting-power-slap-league-dana-white-sport/.

Dawson, A. (2023). “American neuroscientist and concussion expert slammed slap fight-ing, just as the brutal sport makes inroads in the US.” Business Insider. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/ american-neuroscientist-and-concussion-expert-slammed-slap-fighting-just-as-thebrutal-sport-makes-inroads-in-the-us/amp_articleshow/97101456.cms.

Harkness, R. (2023). “Dana White doubles down on ‘incredibly successful’ Power Slap, reveals plan to ship season 2 to Abu Dhabi.” SBNation. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from https://www.mmamania.com/2023/3/10/23633730/dana-whitedoubles-down-incred-ibly-successful-power-slap-reveals-plan-to-ship-season-2-toabu-dhabi.

Martin, D. (2022). “Dana White’s Power Slap League gets approval from Nevada Com-mission, first event planned for late 2022.” MMAFighting. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/10/18/23411138/dana-whitepower-slap-league-gets-approval-from-nevada-commission-first-event-planned-forlate-2022.

McKee, A. C., Cantu, R. C., Nowinski, C. J., Hedley-Whyte, E. T., Gavett, B. E., Budson, A. E., Santini, V. E., Lee, H. S., Kubilus, C. A., & Stern, R. A. (2009). “Chronic traumatic encephalopathy in athletes: progressive tauopathy after repetitive head injury.” Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology, 68(7), 709–735. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC2945234/.

Nambiar, A. (2023). “Dana White claims Power Slap League viewership is at par with NBA, reveals social media numbers.” Sportskeeda. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from https://www.sportskeeda.com/mma/news-dana-white-claims-power-slap-leagueview-ership-par-nba-reveals-social-media-numbers.

Ancient Avians helped shape our culture.

Written by Jorge Tsudoku

My colleagues have been reluctant to look for the roots of human culture terrestrially. They claim our civilization finds its origins in the stars. I must disagree. I believe they are right to look up, but they looked too far. I looked up too, but I didn’t see spaceships and aliens, I saw flocks of seagulls, murders of crows, solitary eagles, and speedy falcons. I suggested in my last book, Dancing in the Sky, that we owe much of our culture to the bird species. Singing, dancing, flight, intricate mating rituals they all came from birds. I argue in my book that the evidence for my claims exists, albeit, in very diluted forms, in our contemporary songs and dances. I received a lot of push-back for these claims, yet I feel vindicated by a recent discovery in the Swiss Alps of an entombed ancient Avian mummy and a cryptic tablet that suggests that our origins are extra-pedestrial.

The new species of avian has not been identified, but it has been carbon dated, putting an age of the mummified bird at approximately twenty thousand years old, predating every known human civilization. While the infor mation on this “new” avian species is still in its discovery phase, a lengthy inscription on the sarcophagus has been partly deciphered and suggests that intelligent ancient avians were responsible for significant contributions to human culture. Only a few fragments of the deciphered sarcophagus text have been leaked.

The text is cryptic. What does it really mean, and who wrote it? It is written in a crude Sanskrit, still recognizable to most Mesopotamian scholars. It can’t be known who the scribes were, but I believe it was written in reverence to the last intelligent avian who they immortalized through mummification. This avian was representative of an intelligent species who taught the ancient people about the world. Therefore, the purpose of this tomb was to thank them for the gifts their knowledge has brought. It is suggested in the text that humanity is to become the new torchbearer of civilization and culture until one day we too run out of vitality and have to pass our knowledge onto

the felines who will take our place when we die off. I would expect a similar embalming and mummification process to accompany our last human than the one we afforded to the last ancient avian.

Avian influence still penetrates our culture, yet many do not recognize it. It is in our music, our dances, our costumes, our theatres, in our pass times, and hob-bies too! For example, birdwatching might seem very unreasonable, yet it comes from a deeply ingrained psychological program that predisposes us to revere birds. The acid dance (momentary flight) is also quite irrational, but if viewed through an avian-centric lens, the purpose is clear; the dancer is quelling an overpowering urge to fly, borne, no doubt, from the liberating effects of LSD on the brain, allowing the user to tap into their early-modern ancient avian inspired brain to ill effect.

Today’s bird species pale in comparison to their great ancient avian ancestors, but the elegance and gracefulness of the ancients’ essence may still be understood through contemporary bird song and dance. I have tried, in my book Dancing in the Sky, to understand human culture through the behaviour of contemporary avians, but perhaps a further study might investigate the similarities between contemporary avians and humans with the purpose of drawing some general conclusions about the culture of this newly discovered ancient avian race.

Remember to find my book Dancing in the Sky on Amazon, it’s available at Chapters too. I will be doing a signing at the university bookstore soon, but please don’t show up if you haven’t bought, or do not plan on buying the book. I will announce the date on Twitter. Tweet. Tweet.

References

Tsudoku, J. (2023) Dancing in the Sky. Mesopotamia Press.

I pity the fool who made it this far.

Four Razors to Sharpen your Decision Making

Written by Shawn Funk

A philosophical razor is a rule of thumb that you can use to fast-track your decision-making by shaving off unlikely conclusions or avenues of thought. It is important to note that these rules don’t offer proof, so they can be easily dismissed by others in a serious argument. Still, they help you narrow the options in your mind, hopefully leading you to a quicker, more efficient, and in some cases, friendlier outcome. Sometimes it is appropriate to use a razor as a starting point for an investiga-tion, then widen your parameters if the truth eludes. Enjoy!

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle

This economic axiom suggests that 20 percent of inputs are responsible for 80 percent of the outputs, meaning that not all inputs are equal; some inputs will lead to greater output while others will yield less (Guy-Evans, 2022). Shave off the inputs that are slowing you down. Identify and act on vital inputs that maximize your efficiency. When studying for a test, reading the entire textbook word for word is about the worst thing to do. It is better to focus your reading on core concepts and formulas rather than trying to remember everything. Similarly, when you are crunching for time to clean your apartment for a get-together, you focus on the most disgusting parts of your area with the hope that no one will discover how much of a slob you really are. Identify and focus on the areas that give you the greatest return; save the rest for later, you will get to it.

What you see is all there is (WYSIATI)

In Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman declares that “what you see is all there is, “or WYSIATI for short (Kahneman, 2013, p. 85). This is not really a philosophical razor, but it is a good way to hedge yourself against some of the vitriol in the media. In a nutshell, it implores you to suspend your judgment when information is lacking or to probe for more information if it is important. Kahneman’s concept suggests that humans make snap judgements based on readily available information in their heads or immediate environment. Kahneman argues that we do this automatically with a lazy part of the brain that is wired to “jump to conclusions” (Kahneman, 2013, p. 79). Even when information is scant or unreliable, most of us will still use the available information to craft a story, meaning that we will ignorantly pass judgment on the whole based on an insignificant fragment of information that may or may not be reliable (Kahneman, 2013). Why do you think smear campaigns work so well for politicians? WYS-IATI! Save yourself from looking foolish, suspend your initial judgements, and seek out more information.

Hanlon’s Razor: Never attribute to malice that which could be adequately explained by stupidity.

I am sure that if everyone kept this in mind daily, our entire planet would thrive, wars would end, and we would all hold hands. This razor suggests that hate and ignorance go hand in hand and that patience is a virtue we must cultivate. Ever had road rage? Every year there are incidents of road rage that lead to death. You must ask yourself, how could complete strangers be driven to such malice toward each other? Ignorance is often construed as hate, which leads to, well, hate. How many times have you accused the driver in front of you of intentionally cutting you off? Targeted malice? Maybe, but more likely, that person was distracted or just didn’t see you: cool it. Most people are not hateful; they are just ignorant: it’s not a crime; it’s an epidemic. My point is, do not assume the actions of others are borne from malice. You will get it wrong. We all need to have a little more patience for each other. Maybe giving some strangers the benefit of the doubt isn’t such a bad thing.

I will add another related bias called the fundamental attribution error, a principle in social psychology, to Hanlon’s bit because it is similar and equally great. We make this error when we attempt to explain someone’s behavior through their disposition rather than their situational context (Ravindran, 2012). Interestingly, studies have shown that situations are a far stronger determinant of human behaviour than one’s own disposition, giving credence to the adage desperate times call for desperate measures (Sabini et al., 2001). We never know what others are going through, so we shouldn’t profess to know why they act the way they do.

Occam’s Razor: Law of Economy

This principle says that if you have two explanations for the same problem, the simpler one is more often correct (Duignan, 1998). How many times have you told an elaborate lie to your parents and were shocked when they told you what you really did? Sure, some stranger broke in while the parents were gone last weekend. Then they invited their friends over, trash-ing the house. You were at Sally’s place when it happened. Nothing could be done—wait, some stranger broke into your home and then had a party there, really? The parents didn’t need to know Occam’s razor to figure out what actually hap-pened here, but in practice, it won’t always be this clear. Still, always choose simplicity over complexity unless you have a good reason to believe otherwise.

Resources

Duignan, B. (1999). Occam’s Razor. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www. britannica.com/topic/Occams-razor

Guy-Evans, O. (2022, May 12). Pareto Principle (The 80-20 Rule). Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/pareto-principle.html

Kahneman, D. (2013). Thinking, fast and slow. Anchor Canada.

Ravindran, S. (2012). Profile of Lee D. Ross. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(19), 7132–7133. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205295109

Sabini, J., Siepmann, M., & Stein, J. (2001). Target article: “the really fundamental attribution error in social psychological research”. Psychological Inquiry, 12(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1201_01

In the animated movie Wall-E, the Earth has become so polluted and uninhabitable that all humans have been evacuated to a massive spaceship, where they spend their days consuming endless amounts of food and entertainment while robots take care of all their needs. While this may seem like a far-fetched scenario, there are many similarities between the world depicted in Wall-E and modern-day life.

One of the most striking similarities is the reliance on technology. In Wall-E, the humans are completely dependent on technology to survive, from the robots that serve their every need to the massive spaceship that houses them. In modern-day life, technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, from smartphones and social media to smart homes and self-driving cars. While technology has undoubtedly made our lives easier and more convenient, it has also made us more dependent on it, to the point where many people would struggle to function without it.

Another similarity is the overconsumption of resources. In Wall-E, the humans are shown consuming massive amounts of food and other resources, without any regard for the impact it has on the environment. In modern-day life, we are also guilty of overcon-sumption, with the average person consuming far more resources than is sustainable for the planet. From single-use plastics to fast fashion and disposable electronics, we are constantly creating more waste and depleting the Earth’s resources at an alarming rate.

The lack of physical activity is another similarity between Wall-E and modern-day life. In the movie, the humans have become so lazy and sedentary that they are unable to move around without the help of machines. Similarly, in modern-day life, many people spend the majority of their time sitting in front of screens, whether it be for work or leisure. This lack of physical activity has been linked to a host of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Finally, both Wall-E and modern-day life highlight the dangers of complacency. In the movie, the humans are content to live out their lives on the spaceship, consuming and entertaining themselves without any regard for the state of the planet they left behind. In modern-day life, many people are similarly complacent, either unaware or unconcerned about the impact their actions are having on the environment and future generations.

In conclusion, while the world depicted in Wall-E may seem like a distant, dystopian future, it is not so far removed from the reality of modern-day life. From our reliance on technology to our overconsumption of resources and lack of physical activity, there are many similarities between the two. If we do not take steps to address these issues, we may find ourselves heading down a path that leads to a world not so different from that of Wall-E.

Modern-Day Parallels to Wall-E’s Dystopian Future

Written by George Parsons Turcotte

There is very little that isn’t up for debate when scholars talk about the blues; some can’t even decide if the blues are or the blues is; is it singular or plural (Gussow, 2020)? I am saying now, only for the purpose of this article, it is singular. Mississippi, Memphis, New Orleans, Texas, Chicago, Detroit, and New York all played different styles of the blues. Jazz, swing, bebop, soul, rhythm and blues, ragtime, delta, jump, boogie woogie, rap, rock and roll, among others all find their root in the blues. Indeed, the blues takes many forms. So, what is “the blues”? The answer is much more complicated than I originally thought. Indeed, the definition goes beyond the most basic musical definition: a style or genre of music that uses a 12-bar chord progression consisting of three chords I IV, and V (Wald, 2010 p.2), but don’t take it from me, how do the experts define “the blues”?

On a tight stage cluttered with instruments and fully grown men the legendary Howlin’ Wolf ponders the thought: what is the blues?

“A lot of peoples wonderin’ what is the blues. I hear a lotta people sayin’ the Blues, the blues, but I’m gonna tell you what the blues is…When you ain’t got no money and cant pay your house rent and cant buy you no food you damn sure got the blues” (Wolf, 2015).

The Wolf suggests that the blues is a condition relating to economic hardship. Interestingly, he doesn’t address the musical genre at all. Muddy Water’s says this in response to the same question:

“You’re going way back down in slavery times. I wasn’t no slave, but my blues is based on hard times that I’ve had . . . my family was poor, and I had a lot of trouble with women” (Waters, 2018).

Water’s makes a very subtle reference to the music when he says “based,” but does not refer to the music itself; that is, the conventions of blues music (12 bar, pentatonic scale, slide, guitar, etc). Yet, both quotations reflect a similar idea, that the blues is in someway conditional to their experience. Water’s references slavery, I think, as a possible origin for the blues. Hard times are no doubt a common theme.

Hard times is here and everywhere you go Times are harder than ever been before

Skip James, “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” (1931)

Skip’s lyrics not only express hard times, but also a sense of wandering. After emancipation, unemployed African American men were forced to travel to find work wherever they could, no doubt they spread the blues as well (Keil, 1969).

Gussow suggests that the blues are “a way of self-presencing, self-annunciating. They are a way of asserting your identity” (Gussow, 2020, p.47). Muddy’s lyric below is assertive, and possibly threatening, yet there can be no doubt he is announcing his presence.

I’m ready, ready as anybody can be I’m ready for you, I hope your ready for me

Muddy Waters, “I’m Ready” (1954)

Chris Thomas King takes his definition a step further with an etymology of the word ‘blues.’ He argues in “The Blues” that the music itself originates in New Orleans and the term ‘blues’ was a Creolized abbreviation from the French profanity sacre dieu, meaning holy god (King, 2021, p. xv). In New Orleans, blues music “challenged the authority of the church by refusing to conform to its draconian “blue laws” intended to punish non- Christian behaviour,” and was, thus, labelled the devil’s music, or sacre bleu, which is a derivation of sacre dieu (King, 2021, xv). King suggests the demonization of the blues stemmed from

Written by Shawn Funk

the fear of miscegenation as its popularity grew among the white youth. The music “[c]elebrated subversion, discordance, and freedom of expression among Louisiana Blacks whose preordained underclass status, constitutionally, liberated them socially and musically. Blues mocked Victorian prudishness” (King, 2021, xv). The blues, according to King, reacted against oppressive government laws and Christian cultural norms, finding a reference for value in the streets among the underclass rather than from the church. The blues is political.

I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me

You know they killed my sister and my brother And the whole world let them peoples go down there free

J.B. Lenoir “Alabama blues” (1965)

Amiri Baraka, formerly known as LeRoi Jones, is a poet, political activist, and writer. He suggests in “Blues People” that the blues are a revitalizing current that emerges from contemporary folk roots. Indeed, he suggests that African American culture is the spring from which American culture is continually made new. Baraka uses the blues as an ideological hammer to reassert the value that African American culture has brought to the unified culture of America. Indeed, the blues are political. “Blues People, as King states, “was an attempt by Jones to reaffirm that America’s most lucrative and influential art form was Black” (King, 2021, p. 117). Baraka implies that mainstream blues is a dilution of the folk music that originated in the American south and persists to this day across America (in different forms of course), just as it began as a folk phenomenon peculiar to the experience of Blacks in America (Jones, 1963). He suggests that the,

“Blues as an autonomous music had been in a sense inviolable. There was no clear way into it, i.e., its production, not its appreciation, except as concomitant with what seems to me to be the peculiar social, cultural, economic, and emotional experience of a black man in America. The idea of a white blues singer seems an even more violent contradiction of terms than the idea of a middle-class blues singer. The materials of blues were not available to the white American, even though some strange circumstance might prompt him to look for them. It was as if these materials were secret and obscure, and blues a kind of ethno-historic rite as basic as blood” (Jones, 1963, p.148).

The blues is, thus, more than just music. Jones is quite distinctly outlining that the blues is conditional upon the “materials” available, not unlike Muddy and Howlin’ Wolf above. These materials, unavailable to the privileged class, are the way into the blues. The blues is, as Baraka notes, inviolable in the sense that it is a purely African American folk phenomenon rooted in their “personal involvement in America” (Jones, 1963, p.94). Baraka is, thus, asserting the presence of a cultural form that is unique, valuable, and African American. The strange circumstances he mentions seem to me the quest for the “authentic” blues undertaken by record producers and historians of the blues,

John Lomax, Dorothy Scarborough, James McKune, to name a few mentioned by Chris Thomas King in his book The Blues, who attempt to unlock the “mysteries” behind the music, and in doing so relentlessly mythologize it, transforming it into a cultural artifact of a time far gone (King, 2021; Jones, 1963). Yet, as Baraka suggests above, there is no mystery. The blues haven’t gone anywhere; the people who create it are still here, and the “materials” of the blues are ubiquitous.

Baraka, and to some extent King, Wolf, and Waters, are suggesting that the blues is an unadulterated form that comes from the poor country, the city ghettos, and the mean streets; that is, the places where people suffer hard times; the places where the mainstream doesn’t go. These were the places that facilitated the materials of the blues. Baraka states that “blues . . . remains in its most moving manifestations, obscure to the mainstream of American culture” (Jones, 1963, p. 148). In a sense, I think he is suggesting that we might catch a whiff or two about the blues through the mainstream appropriations of it, but in its most “moving” form, the mainstream will never find.

It is generally accepted that the “field shout” was one of the earliest forms of the blues, a proto-blues if you will. Its purpose was practical, mainly to let others in the field know you are present (Keil, 1969; Jones, 1963; Wald, 2010). Perhaps then, in its simplest and most honest form, the blues is a way to let others know that you exist, to communicate your pain, and to keep from feeling invisible.

References

Baraka, A. (1970). Blues people: negro music in white America. Morrow. Gussow, A. (2020). Whose blues?: Facing up to race and the future of the music. The University of North Carolina Press.

Keil, C. (1969). Urban blues. The University of Chicago Press.

King, C. T. (2021). The blues: The authentic narrative of my music and culture. Chicago Review Press.

Wald, E. (2010). The blues: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press.

Waters, M. (2018, December 18). Muddy waters- interview 1979 [Rity Archives]. YouTube. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=qTDfhWTA29I

Wolf, H. (2015, April 17). Howlin’ Wolf talks about the blues 1966. YouTube. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-yX7PkalhZE

In February, the Canadian University Press hosted the eighty-fifth NASH conference at McMaster University. The focus of the conference was student journalism. Alongside some of my peers from The Meliorist, I met with the writers and editors of several other Canadian university publications. The conference was host to panels led by experts and veterans in the various journalistic niches. During one panel, a particularly ambitious editor expressed his intention to move their publication to an entirely digital format. The room erupted into debate as representatives of the other Canadian student publications objected to his decision. The consensus was that physical print, whether as a broadsheet or a magazine, was an integral part of being a publication. Many of the student publications being represented had been in print since their universities inception and attributed much of their readership to students who prefer to pickup a copy at a news stand than to read it digitally. Regardless of how time marches on and new advancements in media emerge, aspects of the tradition remain firmly rooted in our practice, such as print copies. The digital age has revolutionized the world of journalism. Today, an expectation is for news organizations to deliver up-to-date information around the clock to a global audience. With the proliferation of social media and smartphones, it is no longer enough for journalists to simply report the news or to reflect on it. They must also engage with their audience, create shareable and relatable content, and navigate the ethical dilemmas that arise in the fastpaced, hyper-digital landscape.

In the spring of 1972, the University of Lethbridge got its first taste of the computer. As new technology arrived on campus, it was met by excitement and skepticism from students and faculty. InMarch of 1972, The Meliorist published an article titled “The Computerization of Canadian Universities,”which read, “In a very short time, most of the basic parts of the traditional educational institute – the library, the classroom, the professor and the administrator – will disappear from our universities – or at best play a supplementary role in computer-assisted learning” (Wiseman, 1972). Certainly, the class of ‘72 felt that the impending loss of their typewriters in favour of early computers marked the end of everything they knew. Eventually The Meliorist transitioned from printing press broadsheets to amagazine format and eventually adopted online publications to compliment monthly prints.

References Wiseman, I. (1972, March). The computerization of Canadian universities. The Meliorist.

Fifty-one years after the publication of “The Computerization of Canadian Universities,” the field of journalism remains essential, and the computer has not fully eclipsed the library, classroom, and professor. In a hyper-digital age where misinformation runs rampant and many publications turn to the use of AI, the need for quality journalism is more urgent than ever before. Journalists play a crucial role in holding those in power accountable, uncovering stories that might otherwise go unnoticed, and giving voice to those who might otherwise be silenced.

As we look to the future, it is clear that the role of journalism will continue to evolve. Just as the typewriter was forgotten in favour of the computer word processor, journalism and print media will need to keep up with the inevitable implementation of AI, digital formats, and other new developments or be left behind by the unstoppable progress of technological advancement. News organizations must adapt to the changing digital landscape while upholding the core principles of journalism: accuracy, impartiality, and integrity. This means not only embracing new technologies and platforms but also recommitting to the recommitting to the profession’s traditional values. By doing so, journalists can continue to play a vital role in shaping the world we live in, and in helping us make sense of the complex issues and events that shape our lives.

By Benjamin Wiebe

This month, Netflix unveiled its new Password Sharing Policy. The streaming giant, which once tweeted, “Love is sharing a password” has changed their mind and has made it clear that accounts should be localized to households. This new policy heralded the change to Netflix’s login systems in Canada, Spain, Portugal, and New Zealand. Users must set a primary login location where all devices on their account return to once a month to log in. This limitation, of course, can be circumvented by a $7.99 password-sharing fee per profile that is in a different location. Netflix has come under mass scrutiny for this course of action, especially in Canada, for this course of action. This is not helped by the rising subscription cost, the cutting of beloved Netflix original series, and the ever-shifting catalogue of available films on the site.

These changes continue to show just how little Netflix val-ues it is Canadian customers, but more importantly, how little students are valued in Netflix’s ecosystem. Many students move out of their homes to attend post-secondary, and this change adds yet another cost to a population that has many external costs placed on them. Even the ad-supported tier, which should be illegal in my humble art-centric opinion, still charges $5 monthly. And unless a user is willing to pay $17 a month, they are locked into 720p streaming. These subscription services are beginning to resemble cable television, with excessive fees, restrictive channels, and even midroll advertisements.

Students have some options at their disposal. Firstly, as mentioned above, Netflix does allow for password-sharing profiles at a charge of $8 a month per profile. It is yet another price increase for the service, but it allows individuals to keep access to Netflix’s vast library of cinema and television.

The next option, of course, is to pull your business from Netflix. These policy changes have not been rolled out worldwide. They are only tested in select countries. There still is hope that if enough subscribers pull their subscriptions because of this change, Netflix will revert its stance on Password sharing entirely. Other streaming sites are much more user-friendly in that way. Disney+, Apple TV +, Crave, and Shudder do not have such restrictive policies regarding password sharing. In the case of Apple, they actively support Family Sharing (which can extend to members outside of your family) and Apple TV+ has no extra charges for family sharing (as of March 2023). It is worth noting that if Netflix views its password-sharing policy as successful, other streaming services may begin to implement similar systems, as Netflix has frequently been a sign of what is to come.

That said, Netflix is no longer the streaming giant it was in 2013. The arrival of Disney+ and Crave has placed tremendous pressure on Netflix, limiting its library. Additionally, Disney’s day and date release method ensures that Disney+ subscribers have access to the latest film and television from the Mouse as soon as it is released. By comparison, Netflix’s rotating library has always been losing access to films over the past 20 years. It takes a long time to secure newly released films that are not originals created by Netflix. And when it comes to originals, Disney and Apple TV dominate the competition. In 2 years, Disney+ has made hundreds of hours of original television, with new and old characters, with a constant stream of quality and ongoing narratives.

Unlike Netflix, Disney+ series have not been canceled - even the critical failure, The Book of Boba Fett, seems to have a second season in the works. And Apple TV+ has been putting out a constant stream of original films and television, with the critical darling Severance as one of them.

These have nothing on Crave, comprising HBO, HBO Max, Showtime, and other Crave originals. With shows like Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Succession, and The Last of Us, it is impossible for any other platform to live up to Crave’s incredible catalogue. Its price point is equal to that of Netflix’s premium package, but it also supports multiple accounts without any extra fees. Better yet, it does not have a million different payment plans that lock features away for no reason. It has 2 plans, one for those who prefer to watch television on a TV and one for those who prefer to use mobile devices. It is simple to set up, with hundreds of hours of high-quality television and film available to subscribers.

Prime TV is another streaming service available to students. Prime TV is another benefit of an Amazon Prime subscription, with no extra fees. However, it has a limited selection, though the library can be expanded by renting digitally or by subscribing to other tv channels. This is to say nothing of the various films which continue to have theatrical releases or the role that YouTube is playing in the streaming era.

With all these options for streaming entertainment, it’s easy for me to say goodbye to Netflix.

Supercool Ultrafun Summertime Reading List from Hell! ...not really

Written by Shawn Funk

You are doing great if you can read one book a month during your summer break! If you can read two a month, even better. But please, don’t be inspired by the nitwit from Microsoft, who tells everyone he reads 100 books a year; this is impractical. Reading is as much about thinking and imagining as it is about reading the words on the page. Don’t get caught up in quantity. Don’t read a book just to get to the end. Enjoy it as it unfolds in your mind. Passively skimming a book won’t activate your imagination in any meaningful way unless you are a genius like Bill. I digress; dare to add one of the following books to your reading list this summer. Enjoy!

Fight Club (1996)—Chuck Palahniuk

People who rant about this book will often tell you that it glorifies toxic masculinity; others who rant back say it’s a critique of fascism. If only there were a system we could implement to get everyone to come to the same conclusions on matters of order and consciousness. Oh wait, there is; it’s called authoritarianism. Many countries are doing it, and it seems to keep the citizens thinking in unison. Join the party! Joking aside, Fight Club is a tragedy, not a glorification. It outlines the conditions for authoritarianism to take hold and the tragic outcomes for the individuals trapped in such a system. Don’t forget the first and second rule of Fight Club: don’t talk about Fight Club. We clear? Cristal—

Crime and Punishment (1865-6)—Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Russians are a very critical group, and they think, probably much deeper than us, about the conditions of humanity and the underlying concepts and theories that underpin our understanding of the world. You will find in Dostoyevsky’s work a very sensitive analysis of such themes as guilt, morality, justice, love, luck, and chance happenings that set in motion outrageous sequences of events from which there is no return.

Thinking, Fast and Slow (2013)—Daniel Kahneman

For every 100 books you read, there is always one that stands apart, that you return to throughout your life, that changes the way you think about the world and your relationship to it. For me, this book is Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow, a

culmination of his life’s work in human psychology, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics. His research probes how we make decisions and the biases that betray the so-called rational foundations of our understanding. Indeed, he concludes that our minds are wired not for rationality but, instead, for expedience, leading to significant breakdowns in our judgments.

The Stand (1978)—Stephen King

Ever wondered what would happen if a deadly pandemic wiped out 99 percent of the population on Earth, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves for the necessities of life. This idea underpins Stephen Kings’ masterpiece The Stand. Indeed, the battle between good and evil rages across America in this post-apocalyptic thriller. Be sure to find the uncut version; it’s long but well worth the read—a real page-turner!

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (1979)—Douglas Adams Follow Arthur Dent as he hitches a ride across the galaxy with a manic-depressive A.I named Marvin, an alien (who used to be Dent’s neighbor) Ford Prefect, and a flamboyant shit-dis-turber called Zaphod Beeblebrox. This book will provide many laughs, and it is an early meditation on ‘the singularity,’ a concept that Ray Kurzweil posits in his book The Singularity is Near (2005) that suggests a point in time when artificially intelligent machines can create their super-intelligent devices, leading to an intelligence explosion. Don’t Panic!

The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)—Ursula Le Guin

Follow Arthur Dent as he hitche This list would be incom-plete if I didn’t include one of my favorite sci-fi authors of all time, Ursula Le Guin. Her writing is intelligently informed by scholarship in anthropology, feminist theory, cultural studies, and sociology, forming the backdrop for a very imaginative series of books set in the Hainish universe. Among them, The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) is hard to surpass. Not only did it win the Hugo Award for best novel of the year, but it also captured the Nebula Award in the same category, joining a short list of authors that have accomplished this feat. This novel is routinely regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time.

Ninjas are awesome. The shadowy assassins of feudal Japan are a staple in modern pop culture. Ninjas, also known as shinobi, have appeared in the media as the stereotypical dark navy-disguised assassins looking for the target of their mission but have also appeared as supernatural power-wielding students trying to become the leader of their village. In the same way as pirates and knights, ninjas have become synonymous with the idea of a mysterious warrior class during an ancient Japanese era. However, in the same way as pirates and knights in pop culture, some aspects have been greatly exaggerated. Believe it or not, the Naruto (2002 – 2017) series is not a great reference to know what the average ninja was like. While depictions of the shinobi in media like Ninja Gaiden (1988-2021) have some elements of truth to them, they generally provide a different image than that of the historically accurate ninja. While we all love those classic black suit-wearing warriors, learning about the real shinobi might make you rethink what makes them so cool. Here are some interesting things to know about the classic Japanese ninja:

THEIR SIGNATURE SWORD DIDN’T ACTUALLY EXIST

When people think about the weapons used by the ninja, what often comes to mind is the shuriken (throwing projectiles) and a sword that is known as the ninjato. The sword of the ninja is believed by many to be a weapon similar to the katana. However, the ninjato has a straight blade and a square-shaped guard to protect the user’s hands. This blade is seen all over ninja-themed movies and TV shows as the best weapon they had available. However, this speculation seems to be a myth resulting from misconceptions in the media. Historians and scholars looking through the

history of the ninja have found it difficult to prove the existence of this type of sword. While there was a Japanese straight-bladed sword called the Muzori, ninjas used it mostly in the mid and late Edo period of the 18th and 19th centuries. This is an interesting point to notice, as the shinobi are commonly known to have been at their highest prominence during the time of the Sengoku Jidai (1467-1615) (Turnbull, 2002), While this means that a straight-bladed weapon was used for duels and ceremonies, it was not used by the ninja (Tozando, 2010). Instead, the average ninja is believed to have used essentially the same equipment as the samurai did at the time (Cummins, 2012).

THE NINJA HAD CHINESE ANCESTRY

Many have the image of the ninja as something born purely from Japanese culture and combat strategy. While it isn’t incredibly well known, it is widely understood by historians that the ninja would regularly implement Chinese war and espionage tactics into their training and missions. Sun Tzu’s writings about military strategy and philosophy in The Art of War served as the basis for many tactics implemented by many Japanese warring clans (Turnbull, 2017). Specifically, the Iga and Koga, the clans most famous for using the ninja during the Sengoku Jidai, would regularly use Chinese espionage techniques for their intelligence collection (Turnbull, 2017). Writings of historical samurai have been discovered, talking about how the ninja would use Sun Tzu’s strategies directly, Minamoto Yoshiie, who spoke about how he was able to trace enemy movements by noticing when birds would fly away in groups, a strategy ripped straight from The Art of War.

UNMASKED: LEARNING ABOUT HISTORICALLY ACCURATE NINJAS

By Andres Salazar

THE NINJA PROBABLY DIDN’T WEAR THEIR CLASSIC BLACK UNIFORM

For ninjas to reach their fullest potential, they must look the part. A classic Japanese assassin of their kind needs to dawn the traditional black or dark navy robes. The mask is also a must, showing only their eyes. This classic image of a ninja has got to be historically accurate, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case. As mentioned before, the ninja was mostly from various warring Japanese clans, mainly the Iga and Koga clans. Most historical evidence points to the ninja being the samurai of these clans (Cummins, 2012). Trained in the same way as other warriors of the era, the ninja were mostly samurai who specialised in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. As such, it’s most likely that the shinobi wore kimonos, as was typical for the samurai. Furthermore, to properly infiltrate areas of interest, the ninja was known to wear civilian clothing. This fits well with historical documents, which support the idea that the ninjas were excellent thieves . While the samurai are famous for their nobility and honour, it’s important to note that during the war from 1467 to 1615, samurai were known for occasional acts of thievery, especially those employed for ninja reconnaissance missions (Turnbull, 2014). As the number of ninjas decreased after the Sengoku Jidai, the legend around the sneaky assassins grew. Their expertise in stealth and assassinations grew to become exaggerated tales. Later in history, after the shinobi were gone, artistic depictions started to show the stereotypical ninja look (Howe, 2020). In short, while the ninja did exist, they most likely wore kimonos like other samurai of the era.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Everyone loves ninjas. There’s something so incredible about these stealthy assassins that make them the perfect icons of a secretive warrior class from a foreign culture. However, as with most things, they are the victims of great exaggeration. Though, there’s something to appreciate after learning this. This makes the samurai look even more skilled than initially thought. This is only a tiny sample of what there is to learn about historically accurate ninjas. As time goes on, modern historians keep learning about the truth about historically accurate shinobi. Perhaps through more research, the truth about the ninja will continue to be unmasked.

REFERENCES

Cummins, A. (2013). “In Search of the Ninja: The Historical Truth of Ninjutsu”. The History Press.

Howe, C. (2020). “Mythbusting: Who Really Were the Japanese Ninja, and What Gear Did They Use?”. Callum Howe. https://www.callumhowe.com/post/mythbusting-who-really-were-the-japanese-ninja-and-what-gear-did-they-use.

Tozando Editorial Team. (2018). “Sori – Katana Curvature Explained”. Tozando Japan. https://weblog.tozando.com/sori-the-curve-that-captures-the-sharpness-and-beauty-of-the-japanese-sword/.

Turnbull, S. (2002). “Essential Histories - War in Japan 1467–1615”. Osprey Publishing. https://www cuttersguide.com/pdf/Military-and-Uniforms/stephen-turnbull-war-in-japan-1467-1615-essentialhistories-46.pdf.

Turnbull, S. (2017). “Ninja: Unmasking the Myth”. Frontline Books. https://books.google.ca/books?

hl=en&lr=&id=c9hgDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT7&dq=Ninja+history&ots=JvMoWiFiuF&sig=GnGTJQzd-PZeJOI9jR46pqi6YWY#v=onepage&q=Ninja%20history&f=false.

Turnbull, S. (2014). “The Ninja: An Invented Tradition?”. Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective, Volume 9. http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jgi/vol9/iss1/3.

Written by George Parsons Turcotte

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and it has undoubtedly brought about a revolution in the way we communicate, connect and share information. However, as social media use has become increasingly widespread, there has been a growing concern about the negative impact it can have on our mental health, particularly regarding our body image and selfesteem. In this article, we will explore the negative impacts of social media on body image and self-esteem and what we can do to mitigate them.

It is essential to understand what body image and self-esteem are. Body image refers to how we see ourselves and our bodies, while self-esteem refers to how we feel about ourselves and our worth. When we have a positive body image and self-esteem, we feel confident, capable and valuable. Conversely, negative body image and self-esteem can lead to feelings of inadequacy, inse-curity, and depression. Unfortunately, social media can have a significant impact on our body image and self-esteem. One way in which social media can harm our body image is by promoting unrealistic beauty standards. Social media is filled with images of seemingly perfect bodies and faces, which are often edited or filtered to look more appealing. When we compare ourselves to these images, it can make us feel like we are not attractive enough. This can lead to a negative body image, which can further harm our self-esteem. Moreover, social media can be particularly harmful to individuals who have a history of eating disorders or other body image concerns. Social media can trig-ger negative thoughts and feelings, which can lead to a relapse or worsening of their condition. Social media can also make it difficult for individuals with eating disorders to recover, as they are constantly exposed to triggering images and messages.

Another way in which social media can harm our body image and self-esteem is by creating a culture of comparison. Social media platforms are filled with images of seemingly perfect people, who have the perfect body, perfect job, perfect relationship, and so on. When we are constantly bombarded with these images, it is easy to feel inadequate and like we are not good enough. This can lead to feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and depression. Social media can harm our body image and self-esteem is by creating unrealistic depictions of people online through the use of filters, editing, and posing. Social media platforms offer a range of editing tools and filters that allow users to modify their images to appear more perfect. While these tools can be fun and entertaining, they can also contribute to a distorted image of reality. When we constantly see images of people with edited, filtered, and posed bodies, we can start to believe that these images are the norm.

However, the reality is that these images are often far from reality and can be harmful to our self-esteem and body image. They can create an unrealistic standard of beauty that is unattainable for most people.

These images can also promote a culture of perfectionism, where people feel like they need to look perfect all the time. This can be especially harmful to individuals who already struggle with body image and self-esteem issues. It can lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, which can further harm their mental health. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of the use of filters, editing, and posing on social media and its potential impact on our body image and self-esteem. While these tools can be fun, we should not use them as a way to compare ourselves to others or to try to achieve an unrealistic standard of beauty. Instead, we should focus on self-acceptance and self-love, embracing our imperfections and recognizing that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

Social media can also harm our body image and self-esteem by fostering negative comments and cyberbullying. Social media platforms allow individuals to comment and express their opinions on images and posts. Unfortunately, this can lead to negative comments and cyberbullying, which can harm our self-esteem and body image. Furthermore, social media can also contribute to a phenomenon called FOMO (fear of missing out). Social media creates a constant stream of images and posts from friends and acquaintances, making it easy to feel left out and like we are not living up to our peers’ expectations. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and selfdoubt.

So what can we do to mitigate the negative impacts of social media on our body image and self-esteem? Firstly, we can limit our social media use. We can set boundaries and allocate a specific amount of time to spend on social media. Secondly, we can unfollow accounts that promote unrealistic beauty standards and negative messaging. Instead, we can follow accounts that promote positive body image and self-esteem. Thirdly, we can seek support from mental health professionals if we are struggling with our body image and self-esteem. In conclusion, social media can have a significant negative impact on our body image and self-esteem. The constant exposure to perfect images, the culture of comparison, negative comments and cyberbullying, and FOMO can lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. However, by taking steps to limit our social media use, unfollowing negative accounts, and seeking support, we can mitigate these negative aspects.

The online world creates unrealistic depictions of people through the use of filters, editing, and posing. These depictions can contribute to a distorted image of reality, promote a culture of perfectionism, and harm our self-esteem and body image. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of the potential negative impacts of social media and to take steps to mitigate them. By focusing on self-acceptance, self-love, and seeking support when needed, we can navigate the world of social media in a healthy and positive way.

WRITTEN BY ANDRES SALAZAR

We’ve all been there: midterms or finals coming up, not getting enough sleep, not being able to decide whether to sleep or to study for another hour, or not having the time to make yourself a good meal because of it all. As unfortunate as it is, students often fall victim to this pattern. Stress stemming from academic circumstances is an all-too-common story. Having to deal with all of that can also be a real source of frustration for students, especially after the university and professors tell us to get some rest right before slapping us in the face with four presentations in one week and having three midterms in forty-eight hours.

All of this together paints a pretty grim picture. Finding joy in these moments of crippling stress is no easy feat, though not impossible either. Alleviating stress and the gloominess of student life doesn’t always need to be in big events. If anything, sometimes it’s the small things that count. It’s important to take even a couple of minutes to appreciate the things around us every day. Seeing as how we are entering one of the most physically and mentally challenging parts of the academic year, with final exams and assignments around the corner, we, here at the Meliorist, figured it was a good idea to inspire some reflection and some ideas on some of the small, daily things, to look forward to that could help you pull through one of the most pressured-filled moments.

If you ask any student what they miss most when studying for finals, one answer will stick out among the rest: sleep. Resting is one of the most important keys to success and a healthy mind. Unfortunately, that also seems to be one of the first things to be thrown out the window during this time of the year. When the semester gets busy, those small moments where you can get some shut-eye suddenly become as valuable as gold. Be sure to give yourself some opportunities throughout your studying and your planning to get some sleep. Even if it’s only for a fifteen-minute power nap, sometimes

that’s the exact thing that you need to help you boost through the day. There’s not much that makes people feel happier than a solid, comfortable power nap after a busy day at the university.

With all the assignments and exams on your shoulders, it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed and for confidence to wane. A simple mistake when studying can lower your confidence for a while, or the lack of sleep might make you feel like you’re just not in the right space of mind. However, even if you’re feeling down, getting a small compliment from someone can raise your spirits back to a place of happiness. Whether it’s for a nice outfit on the day or some kind words about how you’ve been working hard, small gestures of kindness like that can take away some of the heavy emotions you’ve been carrying. Though, as nice as it is to receive a compliment like that, it can be equally rewarding to send them out to others. This exam season, try giving out some nice words to friends and family who may be going through a rough couple of weeks. Those little moments of support can sometimes be what makes a bad day into a good one. In short, go compliment someone.

To-do lists are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they are an incredible tool for tracking what needs to be completed. On the other, they can be reminders of the things you have been nervous about tackling for the past couple of days. To-do lists can be daunting reminders of the stress that’s on your shoulders. Especially with the busy finals season, sometimes it seems that you have an infinite road ahead of you, and you’re just simply not ready for it. We often look at a partially finished list as incomplete. Instead of thinking in that way, looking at the small steps can be a great source of joy, as well as a reminder that it’s not always about the end result. Look at every step you take, big or small, as a victory. Suddenly, you’ll find your progress to be one of the things that keep you happy and feeling fresh throughout your journey. We’ve all heard of the expression “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and as cheesy as it sounds when you’ve heard it over and over, the philosophy of it still remains relevant.

The pressures of the academic school year are no joke. They can wear down the toughest and the most prepared of students. When that happens, feelings of joy and satisfaction are not easy to come by. Victories don’t always have to be a gargantuan feat of strength or success. Instead, sometimes it’s the naps, the small compliments from a friend, or even the small step towards a larger goal that you need to feel a spark of joy While the stress of finals and assignments is a story that sounds too familiar to most of us, perhaps these examples can help us reflect and refocus on looking at the smaller moments that mean something.

How Social Media Can Contribute to Anxiety and Depression: What the Research Shows

Written by Daly Unger

The theme of The Meliorist this month is broadly ‘technology.’ As you read the various pieces featured in this issue, I hope it begins to paint a picture of the incredibly complex definition that technology has and its ever-presence in our lives. Although the university campus may be where groundbreaking new technologies are founded and implemented, the one that continues to be the most common and impactful in the life of the average student may be social media. A digital web of twenty-four-hour interconnection that makes us closer and more intimate than ever in human history and simultaneously more isolated than ever. Mental health struggles and post-secondary institutions are inextricably linked. The age group most likely to experience mental illness is 15-24 (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2022). That same age range accounts for more than 75% of Canadian students currently enrolled in universities (Statistics Canada, 2010). University campuses have always been places of incredible pressure and academic challenge. The semester leaves little time for the self as deadlines you navigate deadlines and prioritize studying. The proliferation of social media is a form of escapism. Endless scrolling allows students to escape their busy schedules mentally, but at a cost.

Depression and other mental health concerns among people in the 15-24 age range have constantly increased over the last decade (Treleaven, 2022). The rise is correlated to social media’s proliferation. A 2017 study examining 1787 social media users and their mental health demonstrated a strong and significant association between social media use and depression (Lin, 2016).

This is in part due to several factors:

• Eng aging in passive consumption of social media content, rather than actively communicating with others, has been linked to reduced bonding and fostering social connections and increased feelings of loneliness (Griffith, 2022).

• Frequent viewing of polished and perfected depictions of peers on social media can trigger envy and cause people to mistakenly believe that others have happier and more successful lives, leading to a sense of self-inferiority and depression over time (Griffith, 2022).

• Engaging in activities of little meaning on social media could lead to a feeling of “time wasted,” which may have a negative impact on one’s mood (Lin, 2016).

Ultimately, the campus can be a lonely place for students, especially as the semester wears on and your available time for socializing becomes scarce. The severing of social ties can already be detrimental to your mental health, but when coupled with the adverse effects of social media use, it can act as a catalyst to harm students further. In their 2022 study on social media and the prevalence of depression, Griffith, Lee, and Goksel found that the main thing social media stole from young adults was community, “the fundamental aspect of social cohesion and the staving off the societal prevalence of maladies, such as depression, rests upon maintaining social ties within society, which allow for meaningful interactions” (Griffith, 2022).

For this reason, social media in moderation and creating a social support net, especially during the already taxing times of the semester, are crucial for students to remember. The research shows that when times are challenging, the mind needs a community. Whether that be classmates, friends, family, or counselling services, social media is not a safe substitute for the real thing and may actually be contributing to the growth of anxiety and depression.

References

Most Canadian post-secondary students are grappling with mental health challenges two years after the start of COVID-19. (2022, September 26). thestar.com. https://www.thestar.com/news/ gta/2022/09/26/most-canadian-post-secondary-students-aregrappling-with-mental-health-challenges-two-years-after-the-startof-covid-19.html

Treleaven, S. (2022, November 15). Inside the mental health crisis at Canadian universities. Maclean’s Education. https://education. macleans.ca/feature/inside-the-mental-health-crisis-at-canadian-universities/

Griffith, D. A., Lee, H. S., & Yalcinkaya, G. (2022). The use of social media and the prevalence of depression: A multi-country examination of value Co-creation and consumer well-being. International Marketing Review, 39(1), 1-31.

Lin, L. Y., Sidani, J. E., Shensa, A., Radovic, A., Miller, E., Colditz, J. B., Hoffman, B. L., Giles, L. M., & Primack, B. A. (2016). Association between social media use and depression among U.S. Young adults. Depression and Anxiety, 33(4), 323-331.

Statistics Canada. (2010). Trends in the Age Composition of College and University Students and Graduates. Government Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/81-004-x/2010005/ article/11386-eng.pdf ?st=YbcaOt_q

Written by Lauryn Evans

Reaching out for help can be difficult. It can feel scary, vulnerable, and confusing. Sometimes we cannot do things alone and need extra support, yet we need to figure out where to start or who to turn to. Realizing that you need help means you have the awareness to recognize that you cannot do this alone; for that first step, please be proud.

Asking for help often starts with having a conversation - who this conversation is with is up to you. Speaking to someone you trust, feel safe with, and can sit in vulnerability with is important. This can be a friend, a family member, or even someone in your workplace. When we try to contain our emotions by pushing our challenging and unwanted emotions away, all we are doing is creating distance with something that will inevitably come back. These are not experiences that we must go through alone. If you can, lean on your support system and let them help you carry all you are feeling and experiencing.

There are times when we may need more help than what our support system can offer us, which can also be difficult to navigate. While a support system is greatly beneficial, sometimes, we need to seek help from a licensed professional. There is a certain stigma that surrounds mental health, and these notions can make it challenging to acknowledge that we need help and can further inhibit us from reaching out. Seeking help from a professional, such as a therapist, a psychiatrist, or a support group, is a courageous thing to do, and for many of us, it can also be a necessity.

Self-awareness is important in recognizing you need extra support. The Jed Foundation (2000) highlights warning signs for serious mental health challenges:

Warning Signs: Mood Changes

• Feeling sad or “down” for long periods without a specific reason for the feeling, like the loss of a loved one

• Noticeable mood changes from very high, like euphoria, to very low, like deep sadness or depression

• Constantly or excessively worrying about a stressful event or incident

• Feeling empty or apathetic about aspects of life

• Outbursts of anger, hostility, or violence

• Having trouble relating to others’ thoughts and feelings or feeling empathetic and understanding of others

Warning Signs: Behavioural Changes

• Suicidal thoughts or behaviors

• Eng aging in self-injury behaviors, like cutting

• Feeling like you’ve “lost time” or have large gaps in memory

• Withdrawing from friends, family members, or social activities that you once enjoyed

• Experiencing delusions or beliefs in things that aren’t real

• Experiencing hallucinations or sensory experiences that feel real but are not. For example, hearing voices no one else can hear or feeling things crawling on your skin.

Warning Signs: Physical Changes

• Sudden sweating, nausea, increased heart rate, or troubled breathing along with intense worry or fear

• Disturbed sleeping patterns, either sleeping too much or too little

• Feeling fatigued regardless of how much sleep you get

• Noticeable changes in sex drive or sexual activity, including engaging in risky sexual behavior

• Noticeable changes in eating behaviors. For example, restricting your eating or binge eating, feeling fearful of foods for no apparent reason, or having body image issues related to weight or eating.”

While these are warning signs, it does not mean you are in immediate danger of experiencing a mental health crisis. However, they may be used as an indicator of experiencing emotional distress. If you recognize these warning signs, take a moment to check in with yourself and how you are feeling, notice what has been occupying your mind, and feel where these emotions and experiences lay in your body. You do not need to be in an active crisis to reach out for help; resources for mental health does not always function as only a preventive measure but also as self-care. If you feel you need extra support, please reach out for help.

Counselling services:

Phone: 403-317-2845

Email: counselling.services@uleth.ca

Location: Anderson Hall - AH153

References

Mental health warning signs and when to ask for help: Jed. The Jed Foundation. (2021, July 29). Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://jedfoundation. org/resource/mental-health-warning-signs-and-when-to-ask-for-help/

When we constantly seek external validation, we often feel unfulfilled. Seeking validation from our peers, loved ones, and family is a human thing, but it cannot be the only way we create selfworth. External validation not only feels good, but it is also a way for us to get confirmation that we are doing well in life, that we did the right thing, or that how we feel is justified. We often learn to value external validation as children. If you are a parent or have just been around a child in general, chances are you have experienced the “hey! Look at this!” from a child where they do some random (yet typically entertaining) action. You are to respond positively and with amazement. External validation makes us feel good, seen, and worthy. In many cases, it influences our self of sense.

While external validation is often crucial in childhood, it continues to offer us a different value than we get older. If we continue to only rely on others for validation as a means to feel confident in ourselves and for our self-esteem, then we will be met with continuous disappointment. We cannot rely on others to confirm our worth or to permit us to take up space. We need to learn how to nurture our self-worth and how to self-validate individually. Learning to do things for yourself and not others is a major step, and it can be extremely difficult. As children, we often strive to make our caregivers proud and seek acceptance; to be told “I’m proud of you” by our caregivers as children (and even adults) brings us comfort that we are doing good. We must learn to be able to be proud of ourselves and confident in our actions without feeling the necessity for external validation. It is a journey that many of us have been on, myself included.

Our self-worth must be tended to and nurtured through ourselves; we cannot completely depend on others to maintain our sense of self-worth. Self-worth, along with self-esteem, is crucial. These things influence our behaviours and actions, how we carry ourselves, the relationships in our lives, our individual patterns, and our relationship with ourselves, amongst others. I will say that our relationship with ourselves is the most important thing - nourishing our body, mind, emotions, and spirit encourages us to grow. We cannot rely on others to nourish these parts of ourselves alone, but it can be difficult to do this when external validation has been your source of nurturance for an extended period of time. While I do not hold any credentials that make me knowledgeable in this area, I am someone, too, who has been down this journey and still am. I can offer what I have learned from personal experience and through seeing those I love grow into themselves. This discussion requires vulnerability but also the ability to be able to laugh at ourselves as we reflect. Dear reader, I hope you will join me in this reflection and remain open and curious about yourself.

One of the silliest things for me to reflect on is my fashion choices. Like many, I was influenced by what was trending and what others my age were wearing. My knee-high boots and oversized sweaters with elbow patches will forever haunt me more than my emo phase (which I still stand by). When I chose what clothing to buy, I thought about what others were wearing, where they shopped, and how they wore it. When wearing these clothes to school, I would always wonder am I wearing this right? Do I look okay? Admittingly, it was not until university that I truly stepped into myself and explored my fashion more. I learned what feels good to me, what clothes I feel confident in, and that fashion is another way to express myself. Perhaps this may seem simple - to dress for yourself and not others. Yet, this was something I had to learn, and I’m sure others out there are learning this same thing. Now included in my fashion are funky prints that make me happy, fun earrings I have collected from local artists, and of course, my vast collection of groovy socks. 13-year-old emo Lauryn would never have imagined that a pair of her favourite pants would be multi-shades of orange with a 70’s vibe. By exploring fashion, I ultimately helped myself to become more comfortable in my own skin. I value self-expression strongly, and this expression exists in many more forms than just fashion. I have been able to express myself with my creative voice, spontaneous haircuts, and through piercings, and tattoos.

I learned that how I express myself will not always be accepted by others, and that is okay. Yet, I also feel gratification when this happens (me to my parents: “get ready to see your newest least favourite tattoo of mine”). If you have multiple nose piercings or even multiple facial piercings, have you ever been compared to a pin cushion too? It is easy for me to find humour in these situations because their opinions do not affect me, nor do they change my opinion on myself. Most of the time, when people tell me not to do something, it only makes me want to do it more (hi septum piercing and cutting over 15” of my hair off), but I always end up loving these choices nonetheless. Through my journey, I have come to love and embrace change, even when others may discourage it.

Being able to validate myself, not just through external forms as discussed above but also internally created a major shift in my realtionship with myself. It isn’t just about telling yourself that it is okay to feel the things that you do. It is about believing it and genuinely feeling those raw emotions. Of course, being able to do this takes more than just self-validation. For me, and for many others, I needed to work on my internal emotional dynamics in other ways to achieve this. If learning how to self-validate and nurture yourself takes outside

resources such as your support system or a helping professional, that is valid and so very accepted. While this is a journey of developing and nurturing self-worth, it is still a journey you cannot do alone. It is okay to still rely on others when needed. My main point is that you cannot rely on others as your only means of self-worth.

I learned a lot of self-love through my relationships with others and the communities I belong to; I truly do not think I would have learned to love myself without connecting with others. One of the things that I am the most grateful for is having been able to bear witness to the growth of those I love and care for. To see them grow into themselves and also come to love the people they have become and have yet to be. It is a sacred thing to not only be able to share your growth with those around you but also to have your growth recognized and felt by others. As humans, we are constantly and forever changing and growing. I am not the same person I used to be five years ago or even three, and while I can recognize and feel this growth within myself, I know there are people who knew me from back then that will likely still hold me to the person I was then. It can be challenging to only be seen and held to past versions of yourself, but it is not up to you to prove to them that you have changed or grown. People will recognize your growth, or they won’t, but you must be able to recognize it yourself and still hold it to be true even when confronted by others who will never be able to see it.

Letting go of external validation is not easy, and it is difficult when you do not know where to start. Begin with reflecting, and here I will pose 11 questions:

1.When was the last time you did something for yourself and because it felt good for you?

2.How often do you find yourself being influenced by others?

3.How frequently are your thoughts occupied with how others view you?

4.Do you often find yourself doing things for others because it is expected of you?

5.What do you expect from yourself?

6.Are you proud of the person you are becoming? Where do you feel there is room for growth?

7.How have you helped yourself grow, and who/ what has supported you?

8.Are you kind towards yourself?

9.Do others’ opinions and beliefs about you control your own thoughts and feelings towards yourself?

10.In what ways do you practice self-love?

11.What do you love about yourself genuinely?

I hope you take the time to reflect on these questions with curiosity and empathy. Further, I hope that if this article has urged you to recognize the importance you hold external validation to. I sincerely hope you continue this journey after this article and after reflecting on these questions. May this be the start to a journey of learning and discover-ing yourself or perhaps further encouraged you along your journey of self-love, and also one that is healing. I, too, am on this journey with you. I wish you the best.

The perfectionism problem seems more common when speaking with people of the newer generation. Even people I talk with between the ages of 25-30 have expressed feeling overwhelmed by the need to execute tasks flawlessly Why is perfectionism becoming so prevalent in young adults and youth? It seems like more youth are succumbing to the pressures of the progression of society. However, there is more than one form of perfectionism, something that I learned while writing this article. Many scholars have advocated that there are at least three forms of perfectionism, self-orientated, socially prescribed, and other-oriented perfectionism also surmised under Multidimensional Perfectionism (Curran, 2019). What does this mean? According to Dr. Hewitt and Dr. Flett, who developed the Multidimensional Perfectionism model, perfectionism is the direction of perfectionistic beliefs and behaviors (Curran, 2019). When directed toward the self, individuals attach irrational importance to perfection, hold unrealistic expectations, and are punitive in their self-evaluations; known as self-oriented perfectionism (Curran, 2019). When perceived to come from others, individuals believe their social con-text is excessively demanding, that others judge them harshly, and that they must display perfection to secure approval (socially prescribed perfectionism) (Curran, 2019). When perfectionistic expectations are directed toward others, individuals impose unrealistic standards on those around them and evaluate others critically; known as other-oriented perfectionism(Curran,2019). With the different types of perfectionism defined, is there one more prevalent than the others?

How common is perfectionism? How do perfectionistic standards affect our perception of self and others? This article will attempt to answer these questions and examine how many people are affected by the perfectionist mindset and how it has affected their mental health. I will include a disclaimer here of upsetting topics like suicide, discrimination, and self-harm will be noted before going forward; please, dear reader, if you are struggling with your mental health, there are options for you.

The Reality Beset Upon Youth and Young Adults

With the global pandemic of Covid-19 still on the fluctuating roller coaster, it saw an increase in suicidal ideation and hospitalizations for suicide attempts in youth and children (Payne, 2023). The global study was led out of the University of Calgary and co-authored by researchers at the University of Ottawa and CHEO (Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario), where they discovered that visits for suicide attempts rose by 22% compared to rates before the pandemic (Payne, 2023). The team also discovered that depression and anxiety had doubled in children and adolescents during the first year of the pandemic (Payne, 2023). In the article, Payne failed to note the increase in hospitalizations, whether children and adolescents were hospitalized because of living situations, drugs, teenage pregnancy, isolation, or the suicidal ideation of anxiety and depression. The failure to note the reasoning could also not be the fault of Payne, as patients, especially minors, have a right to privacy. The fact is that suicidal attempts and ideation rose a significant 22% during the pandem-ic, meaning that children and adolescents were exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). An ACE is defined as any exposure to abuse (emotional, physical, sexual), neglect (emotional, physical), and/or family dysfunction (parental separation/divorce, a family member with mental illness and/or substance abuse, domestic violence, or family member incarcerated) (Chang, Hewitt, & Flett, 2019). ACEs can profoundly impact adult mental health, cognitive development, and physical adult health, and there can be lasting damage.

According to the Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model (PSDM) and the Social Reaction Model of Perfectionism created in collaboration with Dr. Hewitt and Dr. Flett, childhood adversity or maltreatment is a critical vulnerability factor for developing perfectionistic traits and behav-iors later in life (Chang, Hewitt, & Flett, 2019). Although, Chang, Hewitt, & Flett recognize in their article that the link between ACEs and perfectionism has not been studied at a systemic level yet. However, “according to the PSDM and the Social Reaction Model of Perfectionism, perfectionism develops partly in response to adverse parenting behav-iors and childhood traumatic experiences that, in the past, fostered feelings of despair, shame/defectiveness, powerlessness, and a lack of felt security,” (Chang, Hewitt, & Flett, 2019). So, many children and adolescents during the pandemic experienced an adverse childhood so intensely that it drove them to suicidal ideation and attempts, which could mean a challenging adulthood for them. However, how does this apply to adults struggling with perfectionism?

Set up for Failure?

The ACEs and the PSDM may have sounded all too familiar to some. I am not here to diagnose anyone, let alone provide a diagnosis for anyone reading this article. However, noting how many people express perfectionistic traits because of an adverse childhood is curious. According to a study conducted by McMaster University, “researchers estimate that around three in every five Canadian adults aged 45 to 85 have been exposed to ‘adverse childhood experiences,’ including abuse, neglect, intimate partner violence, or other household adversity” (Rankin, 2021). The study, conducted by lead author Divya Joshi, “said that men reported more physical abuse, while women reported greater exposure to sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, intimate partner violence and living with a family member with mental health problems,” (Rankin, 2021). A more significant proportion of women also reported from the study that they experi-enced four or more ACEs; curiously enough, those who reported greater exposure included people younger than 65, women, those with less education, lower annual household income, and those of non-heterosexual orientation (Rankin, 2021). Dr. Divya Joshi enlightens Rankin by reporting that over 62% of Canadians have reported experiencing at least one ACE (Rankin, 2021). What is incredibly alarming to know is that over half the population of Canada has experi-enced an ACE, and this is not common knowledge to know. How can people function and handle the burdens of ACEs? This is a rhetorical question but a fascinating one to note because ACEs can manifest in someone in adulthood and have severe repercussions on someone’s health.

So, how can perfectionism manifest because of ACEs? Many factors can contribute to whether perfectionism develops. According to the website GoodTherapy, these are some of the factors that can cause perfectionism to manifest:

• The frequent fear of disapproval from others or feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.

• Mental health issues can contribute to symptoms of perfectionism, such as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is important to note that there is a correlation between OCD and perfectionism that has been found to exist. However, not all people with perfectionism have OCD, and not all people with OCD are perfectionists (n.a., 2019)

• A parent who exhibits perfectionistic behavior or disapproves when their children’s efforts do not result in perfection. Some parents may encourage their children to succeed in every area or push perfection on them to the extent that can be considered abusive (n.a., 2019).

• An insecure early attachment. People with troubled attachments to parents when they were young may experience difficulty self-soothing as adults (n.a., 2019). They may have trouble accepting a good outcome if it is not perfect.

• People with a history of high achievement sometimes feel overwhelming pressure to live up to their previous achievements. This often leads them to engage in perfectionistic behavior. Children frequently praised for their accomplishments may feel pressure to keep achieving as they age, which can also cause perfectionistic tendencies (n.a., 2019).

After reviewing the evidence of the detriments of perfectionistic traits and symptoms on an individual’s psyche and physical health, why do we still adhere to society’s brutal nature and pressures? This is an openended question that does not have a correct an-swer. However, with this information in mind, we can take steps to alleviate pressures on one another and create a safe community for all. An idealist belief but a belief that rings with reason and truth. The choice to learn and grow as people will still be an individual’s choice.

If you struggle with mental health problems, please reach out; there is help. I would like to take a moment to talk about GoodTherapy. After extensive research on the website to determine its credibility, I can safely say that it is very informative and helpful in understanding the effects of perfectionism on adults and making others consciously aware of mental health. Mental health resourc-es are available for all, and you can access their online therapy services with certified therapists.

Counselling Services at the University of Lethbridge: Counselling.Services@uleth.ca. (403)-317-2845

Wellness Together Canada: 1-866-585-0445 (free) 24/7 phone counselling services

Distress line of Southwestern Alberta: (403)-327-7905 or 1-888-787-2880

Websites: https://www.goodtherapy.org/ https://www.betterhelp.com/

References (2019). “Perfectionism.” GoodTherapy. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/perfectionism

Chang Chen, Paul L, Hewitt, & Gordon L. Flett. (2019). “Adverse childhood experiences and multidimensional perfectionism in young adults.” Personality and Individual Differences. Volume 146. Pages 53–57. ISSN 0191-8869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. paid.2019.03.042.

Curran, T. (2019). “Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time: A Meta-Analysis of Birth Cohort Differences From 1989 to 2016.” American Psychological Association. Vol. 145, No. 4, 410–429. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000138.

Payne, E. (2023). “ ‘Kids are not alright,’ say authors of study on rise in pediatric suicide attempts during pandemic.” Ottawa Citizen. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/kids-are-not-alright-say-authors-of-study-on-rise-in-pediatric-suicide-attempts-during-pandemic

Rankin, C. (2021). “3 in 5 middle-aged and older Canadians had ‘traumatic’ childhood experiences: report.” CBC News. https://www. cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/adverse-childhood-experiences-study-1.5956525.

Why is social media so addictive?

Social media companies exploit the reward systems of our brain in much the same way as a slot machine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for, among many other body functions, pleasure. The reward system must be continually stimulated to ensure a sustained dopamine release. Wise & Robbie indicate that “[p]eriods of maximal uncertainty of reward delivery cause sustained activation of the dopamine system” (Wise & Robbie, 2020). The uncertainty of reward, in other words, not knowing what your reward will be or when it will come, is the vital mechanism that keeps us in a state of anticipation. Burhan & Moradzadeh indicate that “playing on a machine in a casino there is noted to be an intense anticipatory period. It is at this stage that the dopamine neurons are very active and firing away” (Burhan & Moradzadeh, 2020). It is thus the goal of companies who peddle addictive products to “keep us in the pocket” somewhere between the anticipation of pleasure, and pleasure itself, intentionally creating a feedback loop that leads to addiction.

In 2006, Aza Razkin invented the automatic scroll. The idea behind this technology, says Ramsay Brown, a trained neuroscientist, is to block the narrative function of our brains. Brown indicates that “Our brain naturally sorts things . . . into a beginning, middle and end. If you remove the ‘end’ signal – by using the infinite scroll feature on social media – the brain doesn’t know when it should stop, and so it just keeps going” (Fox, 2018). Autoscroll allows users to surf through an immense amount of content in a short period of time, but Raskin, its inventor, has had his reservations since its launch:

How Social Media Exploits Our Brain’s Reward Systems to Keep Us Hooked

Written by Shawn Funk

“[t]he assumption that making something easier to use is better for humanity was dismantled by that invention. . .I should have spent more time thinking about the philosophy and the responsibility that comes along with the invention” (Cohen, 2021). Auto-scroll exploits the uncertainty factor by lopping off the end of the story. The reward comes when we find that unexpected headline or video, yet the feeling is fleeting, and you continue to scroll for the next reward (like Heroin Hero: you never catch the dragon). This pattern puts us into the dopamine feedback loop that gets us addicted.

The like button was introduced to Facebook in 2009, and later in 2016 “reactions” were added, giving the user more ways to interact with content (Ozanne et al., 2017; Fox, 2018). Research on “liking” behaviour suggested that it is used, in part, to build an image (Ozanne et al., 2017; Eranti & Lonkila, 2015; Swart, 2021). Eranti calls this “face-work.” The creation of the ideal self; “when users are acting (liking, posting, commenting) on Facebook, they are simultaneously trying to build an idealized image or face of themselves” (Eranti & Lonkila, 2015). The “face” of the user requires validation; therein lies the source of the dopamine release. North, a professor of digital social media, indicates that people “are looking for social engagement and validation online, and an emotional twist like using reaction buttons will give more power to that element” (Fox, 2018). A “like” or a “reaction” is a gratifying and vali-dating reward. When you post content, you anticipate others’ responses, uncertainty is high, “will they like it?”. When your content is liked it validates the image you have projected, leav-ing you with a feeling of euphoria that quickly subsides. The like button exploits the uncertainty of reward mechanism too because likes can happen at any time from any person in your friends list. I am suggesting that not all likes are equally liked. A like from your partner might elicit a greater reward than a like from your crusty roommate.

FOMO (fear of missing out) is not a new phenomenon, but it has been linked to many addictive behaviours online (Elhai et al., 2021). Social media companies, by no surprise, continue to capitalize on FOMO. It is, I believe, the reason why notifications were invented. Have you ever tried to ignore a notification from an important source? Why is it so hard? The answer is FOMO. If you have your notifications set to maximum, you might never miss anything again. Constant notifications trigger FOMO, flooding the system with dopamine in anticipation of a reward. The reward, that is, the thing that you almost missed on social media, is uncertain and spontaneously occurring, meaning that the brain is always anticipating the next hit, and when the notification dings, you get your reward, putting you into the anticipation/reward feedback loop that leads to addiction (Burhan & Moradzadeh, 2020).

Algorithms are what hold everything together for social media companies, curating our experiences online by choosing content that aligns with the information they receive based on the groups we are in, the things we “like,” our friends list, etc. (Swart, 2021). Algorithms work in concert

with the addictive features, some of which I have mentioned above, to frame your experience to your preferences. It is interesting to note that as we build our own profiles, Facebook and other platforms are building their algorithmic profiles on us through the information they receive from our activity (likes, posts, clicks, groups, etc.). Eranti and Lonkila (2015) suggest we use social media to create our “ideal” selves, but what happens when that ideal self is consistently reflected back upon us? Do we recognize ourselves in it? What is the significance of this reflection?

The ancient Greek myth of Narcissus carries some weight here because, in a sense, he becomes addicted to his own reflection. Upon discovering his reflection in water, Narcissus became enthralled with what he saw, leaving the real world behind for the fantasy in the reflection. It is told that Narcis-sus loved no one until he met his image. He met his demise staring into the pool of water, unable to avert his gaze. I must ask, why was he so captivated by his image? I speculate that it’s because he had little idea of what he was looking at. He could not process the information in the reflected image, yet he thought it was beautiful. Indeed, he was in love with himself; he just didn’t know it. In a similar way, the information in our personalized algorithm reflects our being through a differ-ent medium. I am suggesting that our personal algorithm is analogous to Narcissus’s reflection. Like Narcissus, our minds cannot process every byte of information in the reflection. Thus, it is not as easy to recognize ourselves in the automatic scroll as it is in a mirror. Nonetheless, we are in there, in a mythological form, and that is why we are so fascinated by it.

The features and underlying algorithms on social media platforms are addictive, and they are made purposely so. Indeed, there is an unmistakable parallel between the images of Narcissus staring into the pond and contemporary folk staring into their phone. It is possible that social media companies have picked up on the fact that what we love best is ourselves.

References Burhan, R., & Moradzadeh, J. (2020, November 27). [PDF] neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) and its role in the development of social media addiction: Semantic scholar. Journal of Neurology and Neurophysiology Retrieved March 18, 2023, from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Neurotransmitter-Dopamine-%28DA%29-and-its-Role-in-the-Burhan-Moradzadeh/03e257521498dfe4639ba82bf88b3e09b276796a

Cohen, D. (2021, June 30). He created your phone’s most addictive feature. now he wants to build a rosetta stone for animal language. GQ. Retrieved March 18, 2023, from https://www.gq.com/story/ aza-raskin-interview

Elhai, J. D., Yang, H., & Montag, C. (2021). Fear of missing out (FOMO): Overview, theoretical underpinnings, and literature review on relations with severity of negative affectivity and problematic technology use. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 43(2), 203–209. https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2020-0870

Eranti, V., & Lonkila, M. (2015). The social significance of t he Facebook like button. First Monday. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i6.5505

Fox, J. (2018). An unlikeable truth: Social media like buttons are designed to be addictive. they’re impacting our ability to think rationally. Index on Censorship, 47(3), 11–13. https://doi. org/10.1177/0306422018800245

Ozanne, M., Cueva Navas, A., Mattila, A. S., & Van Hoof, H. B. (2017). An investigation into Facebook “liking” behavior an exploratory study. Social Media + Society, 3(2), 205630511770678. https://doi. org/10.1177/2056305117706785

Swart, J. (2021). Experiencing algorithms: How young people understand, feel about, and engage with algorithmic news selection on social media. Social Media + Society, 7(2), 205630512110088. https://doi. org/10.1177/20563051211008828

Wise, R. A., & Robble, M. A. (2020). Dopamine and addiction. Annual Review of Psychology, 71(1), 79–106. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-103337

Written by Han Slater

Nothing in this world could prepare you for the gauntlet that is post-secondary. The reality is that post-secondary education is all-consuming and will attempt to swallow your sanity. Depending on the length of your degree, the workload, living conditions, and mental health going into post-secondary, it can be overwhelming. There is something cathartic, though, when you finally cross the finish line, you shed the stress and worries of university life, a sense of relief that you will never have to endure such a life again. The rushing freight train that is the obligations of real life and the reality of the workforce interrupts the euphoria. With a comprehensive university or college education, the workforce should be an easy minefield to traverse, right? Post-secondary education opens doors to jobs that were previously shut. Post-secondary education is becoming a shining beacon of hope that will lead you to a successful career and life. The reality that faces most people that graduate from post-secondary is grueling hours of work, fields not associated with their studies, and lack of benefits or none at all. The reality is that students graduating in a post-pandemic world are fearful for their future careers and lives (Frenette, Handler, & Chan, 2021). A reasonable concern considering the job market has been in recovery for years, and the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a record high of youth and young adult unemployment at 29.4% (Frenette, Handler, & Chan, 2021). How does one stay hopeful going into the workforce? With a decrease in jobs because of the pandemic, will there be a stable return to Canada’s

economy? When leaving post-secondary, many questions come to mind, and the looming anxiety of re-entering society hangs heavy. This article will review the challenges stu-dents face in re-entering the workforce. A disclaimer will be placed here that conversations surrounding the pandemic of Covid-19, the Freedom Convoy of 2022, discrimination, and mental illness will be explored in this article; if this exhausts you, dear reader, please, take time for yourself before reading on.

Post-Pandemic Anxiety

After three years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fourth year is upon Canadians, and the constantly mutating virus forces everyone to adapt or sink. According to the University of Alberta’s Dr. Lynora Saxinger, hospitalizations are on the retreat, but the virus mutates and brings death and disabling conditions (Kaufmann, 2023). With this in mind, how does the Canadian economy continue to adapt to a constantly changing situation? Humans can handle much more than people give them credit; having no knowledge of Covid-19, expediting effective vaccines is a testament to humanity’s technological advancements (Lee, 2023). However, advancements for humanity meant a loss of trust and suspicion around individuals that took steps to work in their chosen field of study. Timothy Caufield is a Canada Research Chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta. He speculates that revisionist history is altering the reality of the last three years of the pandemic (Lee, 2023). In an interview with Jennifer Lee from CBC News, Caufield ruminates on whether “governments will have the political will to act

if a new pathogen emerges” (Lee, 2023). The following is a direct quote from Caufield from Lee’s article “Three years later: What has COVID-19 taught us, and are we ready for the next big threat?”

“There’s so much distrust now. There’s just so much polarization. There’s so much leveraging of uncertain science to really foster distrust in an unjustified manner that it leaves us in a very vulnerable position.”

Truthfully, in my biased opinion, Caufield is correct. After the Freedom Convoy of 2022 drove down to eastern Canada and parked at Parliament Hill, it became a symbol of distrust and civil unrest within Canada. Despite the convoy being smaller in actual numbers, consisting of only 3,000 big rigs and 15,000 anti-vaccine protestors, the significance of the Convoy left a lasting impression on Canadians because of their strange, illegal, and discriminatory display of protesting in Ottawa (n.a., 2022). It is reasonable to determine that when another wave of Covid-19 strikes, or a different strain of a virus, governments will have a more challenging time managing the public and its policies. However, how does this affect the job market and students leaving post-secondary?

Whatever one’s beliefs about vaccinations are, many jobs require individuals to have at least two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Especially if one is to work for the government or local municipalities, two doses of the vaccine is a minimum requirement for job postings. Many may ask why they must be vaccinated to work in governmental systems. It is because most of these positions require close interaction with the public and work with the departmental team that they are applying to. It is reasonable for people not to want to be sick or exposed to sickness in the workplace, and employees and employers are responsible for providing a safe work environment. However, not all job sites require two vaccine doses against Covid-19, and many jobs in the job market do not require proof of vaccina-tion. This is not to take a stance on how the job market should or should not run, but rather this is something that students graduating may face upon re-entering the workforce.

Credentials and Experience

Now that university or college is over, the world is open to you and is meant to be explored with curiosity and a heart full of confidence. It would be if the supposedly open door of opportunity did not lead to a brick wall of confusion and doubt. The problem most graduates face in the workforce is the requirement for experience. Jobs that were supposedly open are gated by the requirements of already having working experience in the field. If one has the credentials and the gumption to commit to a job, should that not be enough to give that individual a chance? According to an article by Kate Morgan of the British Broadcasting Corporation, an analysis of close to 4 million jobs posted on LinkedIn since late 2017 showed that 35% of postings for “entry-level” positions asked for years of prior relevant work experience (Morgan, 2021). That requirement was even more common in specific industries (Morgan, 2021). Over 60% of entry-level software and IT services job

listings require three or more years of experience. In short, entry-level jobs seem not for people just entering the workforce, a strange and backward reality for post-undergraduate students (Morgan, 2021). Attempting to start in an entry-level job is not feasible for many now, despite its entry-level title. According to Morgan, an ever-growing market for internships and students wanting to build their work experience while still in post-secondary education has been increasing. While this is not necessarily bad, many students sacrifice their mental and physical health, trying to balance work, full-time studies, a social life, and their home lives. So this begs the question of what is more important while in school. Is it more important to gain work experience while in school? Or, is it more important to focus on one’s studies and time in post-secondary? I leave this question open to you, dear reader, to discuss amongst your peers and for your consideration.

Conclusion

As Covid-19 policies continue to change and cases reported fluctuate, the job market and the flow of students entering and exiting school will also vary. This article may have provided some daunting insight into the job market and the reality that many young people may struggle after returning to society after spending years in the academic world. I hope not to daunt you or intimidate you, dear reader, but rather inform you of the struggles I wished I would have been enlightened to before reentering society. Covid has altered how the job market will run, and people’s workplace expectations have changed. Some workplaces are more lenient, and some are unreasonable in their expectations. Some workplaces offer bare minimum working hours to be classified as part-time, and some are called parttime and will work you forty hours a week with minimum pay and no benefits. Some of these things are not new, and some conditions have worsened or improved because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I implore you to remember your worth and that life has more to offer than simply working in a rotten environment. Know your worth, and demonstrate it for those to see when re-entering society because you paid for expensive schooling to play in the game that is the workforce.

References

(2022). “Timeline of the ‘Freedom Convoy.’” Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/ news/investigations/2022/02/22/timeline-of-the-freedom-convoy.html?rf.

Frenette, M., Handler Tomasz, & Chan Winnie Ching Ping. (2021). “Leveraging postsecondary student employment into a career: The importance of remaining in the firm after graduation.” Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/81-595-m/81-595m2020002-eng.htm.

Kaufmann, B. (2023). “Entering the pandemic’s fourth year, Alberta deaths surpass 5,600 while hospitalizations plummet.” Calgary Herald. https://calgaryherald.com/news/ local-news/after-three-pandemic-years-alberta-deaths-surpass-5600-while-hospitalizations-plummet.

Lee, J. (2023). “Three years later: What has COVID-19 taught us, and are we ready for the next big threat?” CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/covid-19-threeyears-later-lessons-1.6775259.

Morgan, K. (2021). “Why inexperienced workers can’t get entry-level jobs?” BBC. https:// www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210916-why-inexperienced-workers-cant-get-entry-level-jobs

In the first half of this article published in last month’s issue, I examined the year since the 2022 University of Lethbridge Faculty Association strike through a broad lens. I featured interviews and statements from the University of Lethbridge Students’ Union, the Faculty Association, and from the University president. Examining those three perspectives, a picture began to form of the struggle between a confident and united Faculty Association and an overbearing University administration. The narrative I was told was of a sympathetic Faculty Association fighting for their respect and rights and in the best interest of the students. Though, as I began to peel back the layers and include more voices in my investigation, I found that the circumstances of the 2022 strike and the year since are much more complex than that.

Amy Cran

Amy Cran is a student at the University of Lethbridge and was a member of the Anthropology Club executive leading up to the strike. Her club organised behind their faculty and spent days leading up to the strike participating in a letter-writing campaign, “urging the Board of Governors to reconsider [their] positions and expressing our support for our faculty and university.” Her clubs’ efforts culminated in the kickstarting of the U of L Student Solidarity and Action Council, a group with the goal of “getting information out to students and encouraging them to recognize the power of our collective voice.” This level of involvement gave Cran the unique opportunity of being closely tied with members of the Faculty Association during the strike.

“From my perspective, this was a very difficult time for our professors and one full of a lot of frustration and uncertainty.” Cran spent time o volunteering alongside her professors on the picket line as she felt that the administration’s actions were directly harming her and the faculty. “Like many students, the strike was a very difficult time for me and easily the lowest point of my university experience in terms of my mental health … I was also working as a Research Assistant at the time, and at one point, there were no clear steps for how students would be paid if negotiations went on any longer; those few days of uncertainty definitely caused unneeded anxiety.”

The anxiety surrounding the quality of Cran’s education and the future of her research reminded me of the statements that ULFA president Dan O’Donnell made to me in my last article. O’Donnell’s argument was that while the strike seemed inevitable, by halting research and progress on grants, the administration

Written by Daly Unger

and the board of governors were doing too much.

University of Lethbridge Campus Security

While writing the first part of this article, featured last month, I contacted members of the administration, the board of governors, and the U of L security staff for a statement about the University’s intention in:

1.Hiring external security staff,

2.the cost of hiring that staff for the duration of the strike,

3.the purpose of having them watch the strikers,

4.and clarification as to whose decision it was to bring on this extra help.

In my interview with ULFA President Dan O’Donnell, he shared his frustration with how the Administration and Campus Security handled the strike.

“The university and the board of governors made a number of mistakes,” O’Donnell told me, “one of [their mistakes] I think was the external security, I think it was an attempt at intimidation, and I think it was a mistaken attempt that did far more harm than good to the university … We offered several times to have strike protocols in place to govern this sort of thing, but again, the university had said no to that.”

Since the publication of the first article, the University of Leth-bridge’s Chief Safety Officer supplied a brief statement to me to help shed light on their decisions:

“The safety and security of our campus community are of the utmost importance and private security were enlisted throughout the duration of the labour disruption to augment the work of ULethbridge security officers and ensure the safety of those who were picketing, and those who were required to cross picket lines.

Contracting private security is a common occurrence when events outside the day-to-day operations of the University are beyond the operational capacity of our security team. At no point were private investigators contracted.”

Alex Dodd

During the forty days of the strike Alex Dodd took it upon herself to act as someone that students could get legitimate information from. Dodd had prior relationships with the faculty and many of her fellow students from her undergraduate

and graduate assistant experience in the Fine Arts department. She visited the faculty on the picket line regularly to talk with them about the strike and to hear their perspectives during it.

The story that Dodd shared with me was one I think most U of L students will find relatable. As a student, she was not subject to the challenges that ULFA and the University faced. Instead, the persistent effect of the strike on her is mental and financial.

“It took a severe toll on my mental health, and even though I was an active supporter of the faculty and tried to keep myself busy, it quickly got old,” Dodd told me “The pressure put upon students to come back at the snap of a finger to complete their courses was a pressure I personally felt, and I had to drop a class I wanted to take badly, but that was an elective to handle the load of classes I had to have.”

Anonymous Faculty

I spoke to five professors from five different University of Lethbridge departments who experienced a very different strike than the one that ULFA advertised and that O’Donnell told me about. Instead of an exercise in unity and cohesion, these professors felt that the strike was when they lost control of their careers and were forced to participate in a job action that they did not feel was necessary or fair. The faculty members I spoke to will remain anonymous in this article.

“There was no option to say no to the strike,” an anonymous professor told me, “I think it was a manipulative ploy put on the union members. They said, “Yes or no? And if you vote ‘no,’ you’re weakening our position, which means the strike will go longer.”

This professor felt that they were coerced into an unfair position, a sentiment shared by some of the other like-minded professors I spoke to. When speaking to Dan O’Donnell earlier in the semester, he spoke highly of the regular polls that ULFA gave to its members and was proud of the “86% favour” that he says was maintained throughout the forty-day collective action.

“The first day of picketing, I cried; I cried the whole time,” a fac-ulty member told me. “I didn’t want to be there, I was really up-set about the whole thing, and the atmosphere was that you have to be in favour of [the strike].” Unfortunately for those ULFA members involved who were not excited to be there or felt that they had been wronged by their union, they were required to be on the picket line, or help the strike in other ways over multiple shifts per week for the entire six-week duration.

Some of the faculty told me that as they have reflected on the strike in the year since its summation, they have found that ULFA was misguided in its attempts to villainize only the administration. “There were almost no criticisms of the provincial government cutting our funding, for example, or how hard the pandemic was for everyone, but a lot of disgusting personal attacks on the President and Provost. For a couple of weeks, there was a sign on one of the University Drive porta-potties that said “BoG” (in reference to the University of Lethbridge

Board of Governors who ULFA was negotiating with) – not, interestingly enough, “UCP.”

The perspectives of the faculty that I spoke with varied drastically. I found that while some felt completely betrayed and misrepresented, others had nothing but appreciation for ULFA and how they were represented during the strike. The one place where I found the faculty agreed with each other was regarding their general disagreement. “We are academics, it is our job to deliberate and interrogate our own and others’ actions argumentatively.” Another anonymous faculty member told me. “We would be doing this job badly if we ever followed a leader, and complete agreement among a group of academics, essentially paid to think critically, would be a sign of a rather bad group of academics.”

The same faculty member quoted above felt that while it was unlikely that academics would or should ever agree, they found the strike a necessary challenge and something they do not regret participating in. “We went on strike because we perceived that all of these interests were being threatened and that the only way to defend ourselves was to demonstrate our strength and ability to defend ourselves. We were aware that this required us to be united, and we were united in our will to see things through. We still are, should the need arise again. And we still are united in part because we discuss individual de-cisions and make space for various opinions. But also because the faculty’s general perception was that the ULFA leadership acted in good faith towards our interests, attempting to balance the various demands this made on them. At least, that is how I see it.”

Just as in my conversation with ULFA and correspondence with the University of Lethbridge administration, emotions were still high among faculty members. It was clear in talking with some of them that the events of the strike and the way they feel they were treated by either their union or their employers are still affecting them now. What became clear to me throughout my search for a wider array of perspectives is that there is no consensus within ULFA, there is no solidarity in an issue this divisive, and that the “86% favour” that is common in the narrative can do little to represent the true opinions of a diverse academic faculty.

The perspectives of the faculty that I spoke with varied drastically.

Concluding Reflections

The aftermath of the 2022 ULFA strike has brought about a tumultuous year for the University of Lethbridge, marked by division and conflict. Despite the passage of time, distrust and friction continue to plague the relationship between the administration, student body, and faculty association. The emotional wounds inflicted during the strike have yet to heal, and those on campus have been slow to forget the perceived wrongs they endured during the period of collective action.

My interviews with the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association revealed a union that remains steadfast in its pursuit of respect and the recognition of its demands. ULFA President Dan O’Donnell and his colleagues continue to express frustration with an administration that has been inflexible and sluggish in its response to the union’s demands.

As I delved deeper into ULFA, however, I discovered a more complex and diverse range of perspectives than the homogenous narrative presented by the union. While the faults and flaws of ULFA cannot excuse the administra-tion’s missteps, including the lockout of the entire faculty and the employment of private security, it is clear that both sides share responsibility for the ongoing dysfunc-tion and stagnation that has marked the past year.

Ultimately, the students have suffered the most from this conflict. Caught in the crossfire of a fight for respect and recognition during economic hardship, they have been forgotten and used by the very institutions that represent them and their educators.

Despite this sombre reality, however, there is hope for the future. ULFA and the administration are undergoing significant turnover and reshuffling, with promising new leaders taking the helm. There is an opportunity for this new leadership to pioneer a direction away from the last year’s stagnation. It is my sincere hope that these individuals will learn from past mistakes, listen to diverse voices, and work together to move forward toward a more posi-tive and productive campus in the upcoming semesters.

References (n.a.). (2023). https://www.ulfa.ca/faqs-for-studentsabout-ulfa-and-job-action/.

The Best and Worst Bathrooms at the University of Lethbridge

Written by Andres Salazar

When mother nature calls, you have no choice but to listen and answer her demands. We’ve all been there, and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. When you gotta go, you gotta go; it’s as simple as that. Going into a public washroom may not always be the most pleasant experience, but it’s something we all must do. Some washrooms might not be anything special, while others have been the source of moments of anxiety

The University of Lethbridge is known for a couple of things: a pretty solid education program, serving pink chicken at Urban Market, and having buildings that were built with different intentions, at different times. There’s actually an incredible amount of diversity within the university’s architecture, with the science building being the image of cleanliness and professionalism, and the fine arts building having classrooms and furniture that look about as old as the university itself. The washrooms at the university also show a good amount of diversity in that sense. As part of the Meliorist’s top-tier investigative journalism, we concluded that students need to know what’s really important: what bathrooms you can trust when nature calls. Here is all you need to know about the best and worst washrooms that the university has to offer.

The Science Building

The science building is where it’s at. These will give you the cleanest, and most hygiene-friendly washroom experience at the university. Because the building is so new, there isn’t much to critique. Everything seems to be very well kept, with the floors and mirrors being nearly spotless. The mirrors in the science building washrooms are also very large, giving lots of opportunities for you to carefully inspect the cleanliness of your hands. Nearly all of the washrooms are also equipped with the latest Dyson drying machines, providing you with the optimal hand-drying experience. The sinks and soap dispensers are also very well calibrated, min-imizing the painful moments where you have to awkwardly shake your hand back and forth trying to get your hands clean. All of this creates a pleasant and immersive wash-room journey. However, nothing in this world is perfect, and the science building’s washrooms are no exception to this.

While they are large and roomy, this seems to be the building at the university with the least number of washrooms. While many have argued that this is due to the building’s size, it is imperative for students to have access to a lavatory station at a moment’s notice.

The UHall/Fine Arts Building

Unfortunately, these are the washrooms that leave the most to be desired. There is, however, credit to be given. Many of the washrooms in the UHall/Fine Arts building are well-maintained and seem clean, despite their age. Many of them also sport classic paper towel dispensers. These washrooms do seem outdated, with them being dimly lit, making for an uncomfortable experience. The biggest issue, however, comes from the fact that many of the sinks, particularly on the sixth floor of UHall, still use the basic rotation-based faucet levers. This unfortunately creates the opportunity for bacteria to build up on the faucet levers that are used by others. These sinks leave you no choice but to use your hands to turn the water on and off, even after you have completed your hand-washing protocol. Even worse, because they rotate to turn the water on and off, you can’t even use your elbow to cleanly use the faucet. In this post-COVID-19 era, many would assume the new motion-sensor faucets would be installed universally, though this does not seem to be the reality. While it is incredible for them to be in their condition, despite their age, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wait until reaching the next section of the universi-ty with better washrooms.

The SU/PE Building

There isn’t much to say here. These washrooms are like the Hyundai of the lavatory industry, meaning that they are decently reliable, while never being amazing. The washrooms are generally kept decently clean, though it never seems to be an excellent choice either, because of their proximity to the biggest and busiest classrooms at the university. Their biggest strength lies in how roomy and big they are. You never really have to wait for people to clear out because there’s always a spot available for you. Though, if I’m being honest, if you have the option of choosing a different washroom over the ones in the PE/SU portion of the campus, you’d be better off going somewhere else. It’s about as simple as that.

The Library

This is where things become more nuanced. The library is the second home of many students furiously prepping for exams or crafting those long essays. People are commonly found reading, writing, eating, and sleeping in the library. As such, it would be expected that students would also have access to top-of-the-line bathroom technology. The good thing is that the bathrooms are in good supply, with them being easily located throughout the library’s many floors. Most of these stations are equipped with the standard issue two-faucet sink designs, with steady streams of well-maintained water pressure to keep those hands squeaky clean. The biggest thing to note, however, relates to how to dry off those paws. While the washrooms are equipped with quality hand drying contraptions, some of the washrooms have been fitted with new mechanically powered paper towel distributing machines. A welcome decision, staying true to the library’s philosophy of a quiet space for studying, instead of those loud air dryers. With that being said, many of these hand towel dispensers are mounted on tripod-style fixtures, instead of the traditional wall mount, as seen with the washrooms in the curriculum lab. While the option between the two drying tools is good, having the paper towel dispensers right by the door makes it slightly cumbersome to walk into the washroom. Efficiency in your movement and strategy in your bathroom journey is critical, and we demand that the paper towels be better placed to ensure the best student library experience.

Students spend very long and very tiring days at the university. We spend all day worrying about assignments and trying to have enough energy to make it through each lecture. Being a student isn’t always an easy task, and nothing makes the day as bad as going into a filthy washroom after already struggling through an exam. Though, as bad as it sounds, it seems like almost every student has felt this more than once. Going into a clean, wellmaintained bathroom is not only good for your physical health but also for your attitude on the day. All of this is why it’s important to find a goodquality restroom and to treat it like a second home base. When mother nature calls, you don’t really have a choice but to listen to her commands. But, you can prepare beforehand by knowing which are the best and worst restrooms the uni-versity has to offer.

Written by Daly Unger

The 2023 University of Lethbridge Students’ Union election closed on March 10th, and the results were announced to the student body the evening of that same day. All of the available positions were filled and those candidates who were successful in their campaigns began the work of assuming their respective offices. All fourteen of the vacant ULSU positions were filled and those elected have already begun began the work of assuming their respective roles. The results of the election and the referendum questions have been made available on the ULSU website. Maleeka Thomas secured the presidential position with a resounding 74% of the vote. Although taking a step back and examin-ing the elections results, it is hard to overlook the otherwise apathetic turnout that the 2023 election saw. Of the 6871 eligible student voters, only 1274 actually took the time to cast a ballot. That means that the individuals representing the entire undergraduate body were chosen by only 18.5% of students. The general disinterest of students toward the ULSU does not stop there. Of the ten positions to fill in the ULSU General Assembly and Executive Council, the “candidate” that took 18.2% of the cumulative vote was the option to pick “none.” Meaning that over 18% of students who actually took time to participate in the election decided to withhold a vote for available candidates in favour of a neutral ballot.

In addition to the low turnout and general apa-thy that the undergraduate student body showed towards Students’ Union positions, the referendum portion of the ballot saw equally low turnout and support. The referendum questions were related to campus levy groups and their future on cam-pus; important questions that influence how these organizations can continue to provide support for students all saw equally lacking attention. Of the five referendum questions, only one passed, and they all maintained 18.5% voter turnout.

For the University campus, March is always characterized by campaign posters at every corner and the sudden emergence of related social media pages.

Yet, the voter turnout remains low. However, 18.5% turnout is comparatively high compared to the last three ULSU elections which, perhaps partly due to COVID and the Faculty Association strike, saw turnout as low as 12%. Low voter turnout is not a new trend on the U of L campus, but in fact part of our institution’s legacy. If you lookthrough fifty years of The Meliorist archives, you will find an article similar to this one published shortly after almost every ULSU election. Articles such as, “Politics of Irrelevance” (The Meliorist, 1971), “Student Apathy Worse” (1972), and “Students Are Only Apathetic Because They Feel Powerless” (1973). These articles are as relevant to the campus today as they were when published five decades ago. They contain comments on voter apathy, a look at the legitimacy of a Students’ Union elected by less than a quarter of the schools population, and questioning what the SU will do differently.

Voting in the 2023 election took digitalform. An email was sent to all students containing apersonalized link which allowed them to cast their ballot. The entire activity could take a student as little as two minutes. However, the figure of 18.5% seems to say that two minutes is still too much. By the time March arrives the aforementioned marketingmakes itsdebut, the atmosphere on campus is opposite of a passionate and involved student body. The University of Lethbridge suffers from low student involvement on its best day. Amidst paper deadlines, long library hours, and final exams in the latter half of the spring semester, allocating just two minutes to cast a vote in an election that one may not already be interested in can seem like an overwhelming burden. The trend of low voter turnout in ULSU elections is long-standing, yet the polling format persists.

References

2023 Official Election Results (2023, March 10) ULSU https://elections.ulsu.ca/2023-official-election-results

Politics of Irrelevance. (1971, February). The Meliorist. Student Apathy Worse. (1972). The Meliorist. Students Are Only Apathetic Because They Feel Powerless. (1973). The Meliorist.

As voter turnout fails to represent even a quarter of the student population, I am left wondering what the future of the Students’ Union will look like, if any change is on the horizon for the election structure, and how long it will be before even the stalwart 18.5% stop taking the time to care.

The Meliorist. (1971, February). Politics of Irrelevance.