Volume 23, Issue 6 — February 2024

The Sputnik,We Orbit Around You. News, pg. 3

Sports, pg. 6

STUDENTS’ UNION NHL PROPOSES A 2024 ELECTIONS WORLD CUP THE TEAM PREPARES FOR NEW CANDIDATES

HOCKEY FANS HAVE MIXED REACTIONS

Volume 23, Issue 6 - February 1, 2024 Arts & Culture, pg. 8-9

Opinion, pg. 12

The Infinitum, pg. 14

IS SPEED DATING COMING BACK?

BLACK JOY AND SUFFERING

LOVE AS LINES OF CODE

HOW DEATHS ARE SEEN AS A SPECTACLE

A SHORT STORY ABOUT LOVE IN COLOURS

SAY BYE-BYE TO SWIPING A SCREEN

LOVE, LEGACY & RESISTANCE The Valentine’s Day Issue

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

Chocolate and a teddy bear

02

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

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THE.SPUTNIK

Editor’s Note: Word choice matters UMAYMAH SUHAIL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

People have always cursed and complained about bias in the media.

Especially recently, Western newspapers are constantly under fire for racist reporting on any issue involving people of colour. Over these past few months, I’ve started to realize just how much of this bias is true and to what extent one-sided media coverage is a reality in newsrooms today.

In January, the public found out that CNN has had a policy for years where journalists reporting on Israel and Palestine must run their content by the newspaper’s Jerusalem bureau before publication. Although the policy is in place to ensure accuracy, the bureau falls under the Israel Defense Forces’ censorship rule that stops articles “unfit or unsafe” to print. To obtain a press pass in Israel, foreign journalists must sign a document and agree to conform to the censorship’s rules.

CNN also started regulating the type of language staff can and can’t use when reporting on the violence in the Gaza Strip.

In Canada, retired Humber College professor Jeff Winch filed four complaints to CBC last year

about the platform’s coverage on Gaza. He said he noticed CBC reporters use terms like “murderous,” “vicious,” “brutal,” “massacre” and “slaughter” solely to describe the Hamas attack.

By December, CBC’s senior manager of journalistic standards Nancy Waugh responded to the professor.

She said the way Israel and Hamas kill civilians varies in proximity and thus, warrants different reporting. For example, Hamas fights “handto-hand” with civilians while Israel drops bombs on them from kilometres away. Winch said this was a terrible answer and he doesn’t think the “language should have to do with the comfort of the person delivering death.”

In November, eight U.K.-based BBC journalists anonymously wrote a letter to Al Jazeera that said the British newsroom holds a double standard when it comes to how certain civilians are seen. They said terms like “massacre” and “atrocity” are only used to describe Hamas’ actions responsible for the Oct. 7 attack in Israel, even though the Israel Defense Forces have killed a rising toll of 26,751 people in Gaza. The letter said the attack that killed around 1,200 Israelis does not justify the “indiscriminate” killing of Palestinians and the BBC “cannot fail to interrogate” that logic.

It also pointed out that Israeli

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NIYATI PANCHOLI / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

A protest for Gaza in Brantford

civilians’ suffering is reported with empathy through funeral coverage and naming victims, whereas there has been “little attempt” to use the available resources and report on Palestinian civilians’ experiences.

A few weeks prior, more than 1,500 journalists across the U.S. signed an open letter calling on American newsrooms to report objectively on “Israel’s repeated atrocities against Palestinians” and to “tell the full truth without fear or favor.” According to the letter, this includes not undermining Arab, Palestinian and Muslim voices while perpetuating Islamophobic, racist and dehumanizing rhetoric, as well as not spreading any misinformation. The letter also calls for journalists to use terms such as “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” to describe the situation in Gaza, as cautiously using lighter language “to hide evidence of war crimes or Israel’s oppression of Palestinians is journalistic malpractice.”

From conversations with fellow journalists at university, it seems like we all collectively acknowledge the drained fight for objectivity in the news. Word choice matters — very much. We must focus on elevating and humanizing Palestinian voices, reminding readers that Palestinian lives are as valuable as their own. However, we still find ourselves indirectly referring to the horrors in Gaza as the “elephant in the room.” We censor ourselves with watermelon emojis online and indirectly refer to the violence abroad during class discussions and meetings without naming any specific states — and I can only wonder why.

THE SPUTNIK  NEWS

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

03

CAMPUS

Students’ Union prepares for annual elections The new 2024-25 team will be elected on Feb. 1 PIPER FORCE NEWS WRITER

The Wilfrid Laurier University’s Students’ Union prepares for elections to vote on the new president and board of directors for the 202425 period.

The election will take place on Feb. 1 at Wilf’s Restaurant in Waterloo following campaigning from Jan. 22 to Jan. 30. Candidates attended both the Waterloo and Brantford campus to campaign at events, such as bingo night at Hudson Public in Branford. All candidates presented their platform and expressed their interest in the Laurier community and how they can improve the campus atmosphere.

Sebastien Corrie, a fourth-year criminology student, worked on the Students’ Union board of directors for the 2023-24 term. He is the first Brantford student to run for president in five years. He said his platform composed of sectors such as student engagement; advocacy and outreach; equity, diversity and inclusion; Greek life and accessible support and services.

“I really want to work and make sure every student has access to the services needed to ensure stu-

dent experience is positive,” said Corrie. “My hope is that no matter who wins, the [elected] president won’t be afraid to incorporate ideas from the other candidates’ platforms to make the most of their time in the role.”

Josh Aube is a fourth-year kinesiology student who worked for the Students’ Union’s programming and services team on the Waterloo campus during the 2023-24 term. His campaign focused on programming for homecoming; sustainability on campus; equity, diversity and inclusion and student support.

“I wanted to run because I think the president is in a unique position where they can make a real change to help bring that sense of community back to Laurier,” said Aube, referring to the decreased sense of community since the pandemic in 2020.

Aube said a large portion of his campaign was focused around student protection on campus.

“I’m really hoping to make sure student rights are protected no matter where they come from,” he said.

Ben Jesseau is a fourth-year strategic management student at the Waterloo campus who worked as

the assistant vice-president of the athletics department for the 202324 term. He focused his platform mainly on three sections. His pillars centred on student experiences, building a stronger community and supporting student leadership.

He explained that a big campaign goal was the Student Experience Fund. “[The Student Experience Fund] goal is to provide funding to student who may not otherwise be able to engage in student life and engagement due to funding reasons,” said Jesseau.

He said his goal as president, if elected, is to limit the divide between the Brantford and Waterloo campuses to create a single, positive community.

“I tried to focus my platform on a multiple-campus level to create a bigger community and benefit both campuses,” said Jesseau.

“Having strong voices from the Brantford campus is a big plan to help that.”

Vishesh Vipin Verma is a fourthyear physics student who has studied under both the Waterloo and Brantford campuses. He explained that the main pillars of his platform came down to financial literacy; equity, diversity and inclusion and

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

Students at an election booth in One Market on the Brantford campus

mental/physical health. His background as an international student from India gives him a personal outlook to some of the goals he wishes to achieve if elected.

“Finances become a burden to students, and I feel no student should have to worry about finances and if they can get groceries,” said Verma. “I want to run programs to teach people to manage

their money better to ensure they aren’t worried about finances.”

The elected president will fulfill the full-time, 40-hour-a-week position for a one-year term. This is from May 1 following the election until April 30, 2025. The Students’ Union is a not-for-profit organization that works in official standing with Laurier.

NATIONAL

Psychology Month is here Canada celebrates its pscychologists each February AYSE ARAS NEWS WRITER

Canada celebrates national Psychology Month each February.

The goal of Psychology Month is to raise awareness about the relevance of psychology in the lives and communities of individuals. This month is designated for psychologists to teach individuals about their practices and educate society on mental illnesses that cause daily distress to many. Psychology month is sponsored by the Canadian Psychology Association and first began in 2005, according to the Association of Psychology Newfoundland and Labrador.

“This is important for society because it affects everything and can give us answers, solutions and hope for the future of humanity,” Emma Holland, a third-

year student double majoring in psychology and criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University, said about the importance of the psychology field. “Psychologists contribute the information that can help shape social programs, policy, education, rehabilitation or anything else that humans might be involved in.”

Psychologists are trained to help individuals with emotional problems and psychological disorders. The psychology profession includes both working as a researcher for the continuous advancement of the field and as a practitioner. February is an opportunity for Canadian psychologists to promote the importance of these practices and aid people in understanding the severity of mental illnesses, which are often invisible. The increasing education on mental health is crucial for destigmatizing mental

KAREN SAVOY / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

disorders and decreasing the hesitation individuals feel about reaching out for help.

In a YouTube video by Dochas Psychological Services from last February, the previous Psychology Month, Canadian psychologist Kim Long explains the purpose of this month and the benefits of consulting with a psychologist.

“We apply science along with a little bit of art and creativity to help you access all of those skills and wonderful traits that you already have in order to live the lives that you are meant to and that you really want to,” said Long.

According to Statistics Canada, the number of Canadians aged 15 years and older with a general anxiety disorder in 2022 has doubled in prevalence since 2012.

After the pandemic, there was a global decline in mental health, which drew the attention of the

public to online therapy. Only 48 per cent of Canadians in this age group living with a mental illness received professional help in 2021. These statistics further display the importance of educating Canadians through Psychology Month as well as the many years that psychologists dedicate to their profession to increase the value of mental health among society.

There are several mental health services available to Canadians on the Goverment of Canada website and for Ontarians at Ontario.ca. For immediate help, Canada’s suicide hotline number 988 is available 24/7.

There are many resources available for Laurier students at the Wellness Centre. A series of workshops are offered by the Wellness Education team to educate students on mental wellness and healthy living as well.

THE SPUTNIK  NEWS

04

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

GLOBAL

ICJ judges make ruling in South Africa genocide trial against Israel A breakdown of the trial from its opening statements to the official ruling

UMAYMAH SUHAIL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On Dec. 29, 2023, South Africa filed a case against Israel and brought forth genocide allegations to the International Court of Justice at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. By Jan. 26, the ruling was decided.

After weeks of statements, documents and other evidence presented to the court, the 17 judges behind the bench, all elected by United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council, have officially ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, keep track of evidence and submit a report on the steps it’s taken towards this in one month. The court did not order a ceasefire.

The court rejected Israel’s request to throw out the case and stated “at least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of

falling within the provisions of the Convention.”

Adila Hassim, a South African human rights lawyer, presented South Africa’s opening statement to the court on Jan. 11. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, another South African lawyer and legal scholar, followed the statement with a speech. He outlined South Africa’s key arguments to support their genocide allegation against Israel.

He said “Israel’s political leaders, military commanders and persons holding official positions” both systematically and explicitly declared genocidal intent, which was repeated by soldiers on the ground as they carried out the “destruction

of Palestinians and the physical infrastructure of Gaza.”

Ngcukaitobi then quoted what Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said two days after the Hamas attack in October.

“As Israel was imposing a complete siege on Gaza, there would be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything would be closed because Israel is fighting ‘human animals,’” said Ngcukaitobi. He added that Gallant told troops he released all “restraints” and “Gaza won’t return to what it was before.”

Irish lawyer Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh represented South Africa and delivered a speech to the court that laid out several statistics on

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / MICHEL PORRO

The trial at the International Court of Justice in The Hague

the current situation in Gaza. She said each day, over 10 Palestinian children will have one or both legs amputated, many without anesthetic, and an average of 3,900 Palestinian homes will be damaged or destroyed. Blinne also said, on average, 247 Palestinians are being killed and are at risk of being killed each day, of which 48 are mothers and 117 are children.

Tal Becker is an Australian-Israeli and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ legal adviser with an expertise in international law.

He delivered the opening statement on behalf of Israel’s defense on Jan. 12.

“The civilians suffering in this war, like in all wars, is tragic. It is heartbreaking,” he told the court.

“The harsh realities of the current hostilities are made especially agonizing for civilians given Hamas’ reprehensible strategy of seeking to maximize civilian harm to both Israelis and Palestinians, even as Israel seeks to minimize it.”

Maryka Van Wyngaarden, a fifthyear digital media and journalism student, said she doesn’t agree with Israel’s arguments.

“They’re basically saying, ‘Ci-

vilian deaths are going to happen, and it’s all Hamas’ fault. It’s Hamas’ fault that we’re bombing refugee camps,’” she said. “I can’t wrap my head around that. It’s like every argument they have is, ‘Well, these civilian deaths are justified because — Hamas’... I don’t think you can justify that.”

Countries in support of South Africa’s case include the 57-member Organization of Islamic Countries, Malaysia, Turkey, Jordan, Bolivia, The Maldives, Namibia, Pakistan, the 22-member Arab League, Colombia, Brazil, Belgium, Slovenia and Spain. Countries in support of Israel’s defense are the U.S., Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and the U.K. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country believes in and respects the ICJ’s processes, but this “does not mean that we accept the premise of the case brought forward by South Africa.”

It has been 117 days since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed around 1,200 people in Israel and the state’s ruthless carpet-bombing over Palestine, viciously killing an ever-increasing death toll of at least 26,751 civilians in Gaza.

LOCAL

Brantford builds new Lansdowne Children’s Centre The new facility will allow for more enhanced services CHELSEA MCDONALD NEWS WRITER

Brantford city leaders announced on Jan. 12 that the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services approved Lansdowne Children’s Centre for a new facility – a long-awaited development for the community.

With this development, enhanced services for youth with physical, communication and/ or developmental disabilities are made possible, indicating a promising future in pediatric care for Brantford residents and surrounding areas.

“The property and the building cannot accommodate any more growth to support delivery of Lansdowne’s rehabilitation, respite, recreation and child devel-

opment services,” said executive director Rita-Marie Hadley.

Hadley said Lansdowne Children’s Centre opened in 1998, with its main site at 39 Mount Pleasant St., out of a retrofitted former school. At the time, only 50 staff were employed, serving less than 1,000 children.

With the rise in local population, growth of staff and additions to government services, Lansdowne now has 115 staff working in this building, several service sites and serves more than triple the number of young people annually.

“By having the right kind of spaces and addressing the crowding at the current building, we can use the appropriate equipment and group service approaches that may result in children being seen earlier and

reduce the long wait-lists for service,” said Hadley. “The new Lansdowne Children’s Centre purpose-built facility will provide flexible, child-friendly spaces designed to accommodate the evidence-based services for kids from birth until they leave school.”

As the demand for these services continue to surge, the Brantford community can find relief in that the new facility will aim to close on current systemic barriers.

“It will be built to meet the needs of our families and our staff,” said director of client services Jennifer Huxley. “We will have space! Space to meet the needs of programs, space for staff to work directly and indirectly with our clients, space to provide programs all in one place with-

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

The Lansdowne Children’s Centre in Brantford

out having to travel to other sites or ‘borrow’ space.”

The new facility also plans to increase opportunities for Wilfrid Laurier University Brantford students, a collaboration that will benefit the community at large.

“Having appropriate space will permit us to continue to partner with post-secondary educational institutions in providing academic placements to introduce students to related careers working with kids with exceptionalities and expose emerging profession-

als to pediatric subspecialities,” said Hadley.

As the Lansdowne Children’s Centre enters Stage 1 of development, dates for construction or expected opening are not yet determined.

“There is no one more keen to be able to announce these dates than our crew,” said Hadley.

For now, community members can anticipate this upcoming advancement to its pediatric rehabilitation services.

THE SPUTNIK  NEWS

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

05

CAMPUS

Students react to universities’ stance on the Israel-Hamas war Students share how they feel about their institutions’ statements regarding the war

CELINA SHAMON SPORTS EDITOR

After over 100 days of relentless carpet-bombing and violent ground invasions throughout all of Gaza and the West Bank, institutions, national governments and communities around the world are now beginning to challenge Israel’s assault on Palestinian civilians.

But many post-secondary students across Ontario do not feel that same sense of momentum within their respective institutions.

Wilfrid Laurier University released a statement on Oct. 9 condemning the attack on Israel, stating that “Wilfrid Laurier University condemns the terrorist attack on Israel and is deeply concerned with the escalation of violence in the region. We stand against violence, particularly acts of terrorism targeting civilians.”

Palestinian-Canadian students Omar Yousef and Yousef Abdo feel that Laurier administration should provide the same support for their Palestinian student body as they would for any other student group.

“I feel like Laurier is not doing enough for their Palestinian students at all, and all they are giving us is a very politically correct response,” said Abdo, a fourthyear biology student who is the social media manager for Laurier’s Middle Eastern Student Association and co-founder of Laurier’s Palestinian Culture Club.

Abdo and fourth-year computer science student Yousef, who is MESA’s VP of finances, co-founded the new club in hopes of “raising awareness for our people and the atrocities they’re facing right now that seem to go unaddressed,” said

Yousef.

When asked if any Laurier professors, academic advisors, teaching assistants or mental health counsellors at Laurier have personally reached out to check in on their Palestinian student body, Yousef and Adbo said that no one has.

For the last four months, MESA and the PCC at Laurier have hosted multiple fundraisers and events centred around fundraising for civilians in Gaza and creating safe spaces for Palestinian students and their allies. “[I] thought that if we made our presence known on campus, there would be some type of interaction between us and the administration at Laurier, but there’s been nothing so far,” said Abdo.

Despite their successful launch of Laurier’s PCC, Yousef and Abdo said Laurier administration have not reached out to the club and expressed any type of sympathy or support despite the escalation of targeted violence against Palestinian civilians.

“I feel like the administration at Laurier has taken a neutral stance on this topic, and they have not offered any academic or mental health accommodations to their Palestinian students who continue to be directly affected by this situation for months now,” said Abdo.

This issue doesn’t just stop at Laurier The university released a second statement on Oct. 14 on the “Safety and wellbeing of the Laurier community.”

“All they had to speak on was the Hamas violence against Israel, but my people have been under consistent attack for 75 years and they never mentioned Israel’s terrorism against us,” said Yousef.

The choice of words used to

CELINA SHAMON / SPORTS EDITOR

Students wearing keffiyehs at the PPC panel event.

CELINA SHAMON / SPORTS EDITOR

Students at the PPC’s first event, Panel for Palestine.

express and describe the genocide Palestinians are facing in Gaza is especially important, said Abdo.

“The language used by a lot of these universities has been very demeaning against Palestinians,” he said. “They have not taken the Palestinian perspective during this time under enough consideration, nor have they taken our emotions into account.”

This seems to be a consistent feeling across Ontario universities and colleges.

The Ontario College of Art and Design, like Laurier, released a statement on Oct. 10 stating that “OCAD University condemns the recent horrific attacks against the civilian population in Israel.”

“OCAD’s statements have been emphasizing that they condemn Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians but have refused to even mention the [almost] 27,000 Palestinian civilians murdered by Israel,” said recent OCAD graduate Sara M. Sara is a Palestinian international student from Amman, Jordan, who studied graphic design at

OCAD and graduated in 2022.

In early November, Sara met with OCAD administration to discuss their recent statements and ongoing involvement in a student-exchange program with Bezalel University in occupied Palestinian territory, Jerusalem.

“I tried to make it a point of education rather than an attack on the university itself because I felt that they were making it a conflict of religion which it is not, and that narrative can be very dangerous to both Muslim and Jewish students on their campus,” she said.

The meeting lasted an hour long, and Sara and her peers were told that administration would follow up and execute their discussion.

Sara never received a follow-up email and was given no response when she reached out after the meeting.

Students, protestors, scholars and allies in support of an unoccupied Palestine are constantly being criminalized, penalized and censored across Ontario due to their support for a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Oct. 13, York University put out a statement saying that they will deregister three student union associations if they did not recant their statements expressing support for Palestinian civilians against the Israeli regime.

“Don’t shut us down and don’t ignore our voices because we will not stop ... be a beacon of hope and offer support to Palestinian students,” said Sara. “It’s a university’s responsibility to ensure all their students are cared for and safe.”

Back at Laurier, Palestinian-Canadian students and their allies are calling for the university to simply treat their Palestinian student groups with the same respect and recognition that is offered to their peers.

“I urge the administration at Laurier University to research the 75-year long history of violence that Palestinians have been subjected to in order to properly understand us and to support and acknowledge Palestinian students as much as any other student body,” said Abdo.

THE SPUTNIK · SPORTS

06

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

NHL

NHL proposes “World Cup of Hockey” The National Hockey League suggests a multinational championship

MITCHELL HARTMAN LEAD SPORTS WRITER

International hockey hasn’t seen a best-on-best men’s hockey tournament in almost a decade, but that may be changing next year.

Not since the last World Cup of Hockey in 2016 has there been a men’s hockey tournament where the world’s top-ranked hockey players faced off against each other. Every year, many international hockey tournaments take place.

This includes the World Junior Championships, a U-20 men’s tournament, the Women’s World Hockey Championships featuring the top women’s hockey players from around the world and the Men’s World Hockey Championships featuring most of the world’s top men’s hockey players.

The only problem with the men’s Worlds Championships is that it takes place during the month of May, which lands at the same time as the NHL play-offs. This means that many players would have to miss the tournament.

On top of this, the NHL’s decision to not participate in the 2018 or 2022 Winter Olympics has resulted in no best-on-best men’s hockey tournament since that 2016 World Cup. All that may be set to change, however, as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman revealed an idea for a four-team international tournament during the 2024-25 NHL season.

“We want to have, starting if possible in ‘25, an in-season international tournament, which wouldn’t be the World Cup but it would be a preview of international best-onbest, with the goal being in 2028 to unveil a full World Cup,” Bettman said to reporters at a Seattle Board of Governors meeting in Decem-

ber.

While some fans are excited to see the potential tournament, many are upset due to the inclusion of just four competing nations, those being Canada, the U.S.A., Sweden and Finland.

“I like that they are trying to bring back the World Cup. This little tournament will be a stepping stone to getting the world’s best players to play each other,” said Spencer McDowell, a Wilfrid Laurier University criminology and Sussex University law alumni who is a Canadian hockey fan. “[However], personally I think it would be a waste to only have four teams participate. They should not consider it a ‘World Cup’ if there are only four teams because that does not represent all the countries that have great hockey teams,” said McDowell regarding the lack of teams included in the proposed tournament.

Regardless, Bettman’s proposed idea has gained

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

Hockey fans have mixed reactions to the new idea.

mixed reviews from fans, mainly due to many top hockey nations such as Czechia, Germany and Slovakia being left out of this tournament.

With the tournament supposedly taking place in early 2025, more information is set to come from Gary Bettman and the NHL.

NBA

A breakdown of the 2023-24 NBA rookie class The National Basketball Association’s new rookies are not to be ignored

CELINA SHAMON SPORTS EDITOR

It feels crazy to say that we have officially reached the halfway point of the NBA 2023-24 season.

Between suspensions, injuries and mid-season trades, there’s a lot to talk about. Though, it’s not crazy to say that this year’s rookie class has exceeded all expectations and more.

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren have delivered in their highly anticipated league debuts.

The San Antonio Spurs’ Wembanyama is averaging 19.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks with a 29.3 three-point shooting percentage. Twenty-year-old rookie Wembanyama previously played professional basketball in France before being the first draft pick in

the 2023 NBA draft.

His impressive shooting abilities and playmaking skills give the Spurs a lot of offensive opportunities. Simultaneously, his high-level efficiency at his size and height provides a huge defensive advantage for the Spurs.

Twenty-one-year-old rookie Holmgren is averaging 17.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game with the Oklahoma City

Thunder.

Holmgren previously attended Gonzaga University where he played varsity basketball for one year before being drafted second overall at the 2022 NBA draft.

Holmgren’s most impressive stat is his three-point percentage average at 39.2. In his first 12 NBA games as a rookie, he averaged 44.2 per cent from three.

Chet plays a large part in

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / JOSHUA GATELEY

From left, NBA rookies Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama

Oklahoma City Thunder’s current second place standing in the West.

It is always nice to see highly anticipated rookies live up and maintain the hype they received in the pre-season.

Though sometimes, it’s even better to see an 18th overall draft pick climb up to a starting position on the previous season’s Eastern Conference Championship team.

Coming from the University of Central Los Angels, Jamie Jaquez Jr. has been nothing but embraced and well utilized by the Miami Heat.

Jaquez holds the top spot amongst all players in the NBA for total fourth-quarter minutes. The 22-year-old Heat rookie has proven that he fits right into Miami’s driven “heat” culture and is a valuable addition to the previous 2022-23 NBA finalists.

The Toronto Raptors rookie Gradey Dick has not been the immediate saving grace that a lot of Raptors fans hoped for, but he

is showing a lot of developmental hope.

The former Kansas athlete was drafted 13th overall in 2023.

Though, his 3.7-point average in the first 22 games of NBA regular season earned him a spot with the Raptors 905, G League team where he found a better rhythm at a 16.7-point average per game and a 25 per cent three-point shooting average.

As the Raptors trade away their 2019 NBA Champions OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, they brought back Gradey for a few games making it clear they are aiming to build around youth like him and Scottie Barnes.

While these three rookies have made an impressive leap into their debut season, there’s still more to see from rookies like Scoot Henderson, drafted third overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, and Brandon Miller, drafted second overall by the Charlotte Hornets.

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

THE SPUTNIK · SPORTS

07

LAURIER HOCKEY

Laurier’s hockey teams play 2nd tournament at Fanshawe College The Golden Hawks headed to London for the game

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

The women’s hockey team player #9 on the ice

MITCHELL HARTMAN LEAD SPORTS WRITER

The Wilfrid Laurier University hockey season is well underway with the second tournament of the year at Fanshawe College on Jan. 25.

Both the men’s and women’s teams are looking to build off solid performances in their opening tournaments of the year, which took place in November at Humber College.

“The season so far has been pretty good,” said Lorna Rynard, a second-year applied health science student and member of the women’s hockey team.

Rynard and the rest of the women’s team are looking to build off their strong efforts in the opening tournament of the year in the upcoming tournament in London.

“We have had more time to work on our positioning when breaking out of our end, which we struggled with in the last tournament,” Rynard added.

On the men’s side, the team is looking to improve on their strong showing in November, which saw the group finish the tournament

with back-to-back wins and a 2-2 record to end the day.

“So far, I believe that this season has been going well and that our team is showing a lot of potential and skill,” said goaltender and fourth-year criminology student Justin Murchison, who stole the show in the final game of the November tournament, surrendering only one goal in a 2-1 victory over Canadore College.

“Everyone is working hard on improving their skills and maintaining an edge needed to win games,” added Murchison. “I think we just have to use our experiences from the last tournament to help us with this one coming up.”

With the hockey season well under way, first-time players on both the men’s and women’s teams have had a chance to learn important skills when it comes to playing extramural hockey.

“A lot of our team is made up of newer guys who were still learning the ropes of the league,” said Murchison. “Now that they know the level of other teams and what’s needed to get a win in this league, it should help us get the results we are looking for in this next [tournament].”

Both teams battled hard in London, with the men’s team finishing the tournament with a 1-2 record.

In their sole victory of the day, the boys took down Centennial College in a 5-2 win, highlighted by defenseman Matthew Chiu and rookie Ethan Firsoff both scoring their first goals as members of Laurier’s hockey team.

On the women’s side, the team played well all day long and while they did not win any games, they did earn the tournament’s Fair Play Award.

Laurier Brantford’s hockey teams look to finish off their strong seasons in the final tournament, which will take place on March 1 here in Brantford.

THE SPUTNIK  FEATURES

08

CULTURE

eed da p s ti Is

ALEXA FORD ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Swipe right, swipe left. How tall are you? How much money do you make? How recently was this photo taken? Swipe, Swipe, Swipe.

Today’s dating scene is flooded with the ease and comfortability that online dating offers. From the comfort of the couch, bus or even lecture hall, one has the power to see prospective love interests right then and there. However, is this form of virtual modern dating really the best option for finding the one?

Apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and Grindr promise a meaningful connection with multiple people without the pressure of meeting in person. These apps are impressive in that they provide their users multiple options for dates. A user can modify their search requirements to fit their exact needs and only speak to a very specific type of person.

With a world of options available at their fingertips, are people enjoying the glitz and glam of online dating still? Samantha Bendo, the owner and operator of Happy Hour Speed Dating, disagrees.

“My stats show that people are just sick [of online dating]. People are open to an alternative because online dating sucks,” she said.

“It is the simple fact that online, people don’t know how to have conversations.”

Happy Hour Speed Dating is a speed dating service started by

eting people in

Bendo that was her brainchild while she was on maternity leave from where she worked as an insurance agent. During this time, Bendo was working at a friend’s bar and noticed how empty it was on weekdays. As a bartender, Bendo also noted that people do not know how to talk to one another anymore. She heard horror stories from her single friends about online dating and she thought, “Can I try this out?”

From there, Happy Hour was born, and it came at a time when people needed connection the most.

“It was very perfect timing because COVID was slowly ending, and people were willing to go on patios,” said Bendo. “The bar gave me an opportunity to try it out, so I didn’t really have anything to lose.”

During COVID, according to a Statistics Canada survey, one in five adults reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety or PTSD. This increased to one in four adults in 2021 and stayed like this for the next two years. Bendo, working at the bar during this time, recognized that “mental health was at an all-time low at that point.”

In addition to wanting to attract people to the bar, Bendo saw this as an opportunity to bring people together and encourage them to meet in real life.

“I create a safe, very relaxed atmosphere where there’s no pressure,” said Bendo.

Since Happy Hour opened in 2020, Bendo has expanded from the City of Hamilton to other surrounding areas like Kitchener and Niagara. In this time, she has

per

so

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seen people at her events share meaningful connections with each other and with her.

“There was a lady who was a widow and she hadn’t dated since her partner had passed away,” she said. “She said to me that she was so grateful for my events because it helped her dip her toe back in and boost her self-esteem, which I

m

c o a m g e n bac i k a k ad o e t s in

has a simple set-up focused on connecting with new people.

Events are posted on Eventbrite and Happy Hour’s Instagram.

People sign up and the cost is $38 for each event. Once an event is full, Bendo sends out a form the night before the event, which is a compatibility test of sorts. It asks questions like, “How do you like

People are open to an alternative because online dating sucks. It is the simple fact that online, people don’t know how to have conversations.

- Samantha Bendo, Happy Hour Speed Dating owner

thought was really sweet.”

Happy Hour’s speed dating

to spend your Sundays?”, “Do you like to travel?”, “Do you want

f swiping from th ec

ou

to have kids?” and of course, the deciding factor, “Do you like pineapple on pizza?”

At the event, guests sit across from one another with cards that have everyone’s names on them.

The guests have five minutes to speak with each other before deciding to give the person in front of them a check mark and move on.

“I always joke that if the five minutes feels very short, it means you’re enjoying the conversation, so you should probably say yes to that person,” said Bendo. “If those five minutes felt like an hour, then you should probably say no.”

At the end of the night, all the cards are handed in and Bendo sees who said yes to whom.

The next day, Bendo will email the guests with the names and phone numbers of the people who said yes to them. From there, it is up to the person to reach out.

Even if people do not make it to the altar or even a second date, Bendo believes that speed dating is worth the time.

“I do think that even if they don’t find their perfect match, just the fact of you putting yourself out there and talking to people that you haven’t talked to before builds a sense of confidence and you’re trying something new,” she said.

Bendo’s speed dating services has events for most age groups.

She has events for ages as young as 23 and go up to 65. The largest age group is 23 to 35, although she has recently hosted her first 50 to 65 age group events and she was pleasantly surprised.

“I didn’t know what I was getting myself into because these age

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ng

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024  09

groups don’t go on the internet, so it’s very hard to advertise to them.

But I’ve done two events and they’ve turned out pretty well,” said Bendo and during these events, she learns more about the dating scene. “AI is going to mess things up because there’s a lot more bots, especially for the people that were in my 50 to 65 group.

They were telling me that they get scam artists all the time.”

In her experience, Bendo said she thinks speed dating is a more rewarding experience than online dating.

“It’s more enjoyable than swiping. You get human interaction, and I think speed dating makes it easier to have a second date because, one, you’ve already met them. They know what you look like and you know what they look like, so you’re not catfished,” she said. “Two, you have already talked so you’ve already broken ice and then three, I think that because you have to choose each other to get your phone number, this sets a positive tone for a date because you’ve chosen each other.”

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Bendo encourages people to come to her events with an open mind and heart, without any expectations of finding a husband or wife. The only expectation should be to have a new, fun experience that is not sitting on a couch swiping.

THURSDAY, FEB 1., 2O24

11

THE SPUTNIK · ARTS & CULTURE

COMMUNITY

Black History Month at Laurier

What laurier is doing to make sure all students feel supported, not only this month but year long or knowledge of these opportunities.

“I know the BSC is planning a Valentine’s Day gala and have two

clubs exists, especially on the Brantford campus where there are a few in-person events, but many of the events are online for those

ating for students. While there is support on campus in academic help and wellness, it isn’t known to many.

SIENNA BILANCIA LEAD ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

As students attending Wilfrid Laurier University, we all want to feel welcome and encouraged by our school and the community that exists within it. There are so many of us that fall into different categories, post-secondary school is supposed to be a place for people to find people who have similar interests and beliefs. A second home, a group of friends that are like family.

This is possible because Laurier has such a diverse student body that is evergrowing. We are all given a chance to learn about different cultures and backgrounds and meet people from all over the world.

This month is Black History Month. There is an opportunity for Laurier to teach and educate its students on Black history. The Black Student Collective is the student group for Black students in Brantford. On the Waterloo campus, there is also a group for Black students called the Association of Black Students. In past years, there have been events going on during February for people to learn, but there has not been enough support

general meetings. Residence is as well and also the academic coordinator for Black students,” said Mercy Autur, a co-president of the Black Student Collective.

Some students don’t know the

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

Different clubs host speeches for Black History Month.

without the means to get to the Waterloo campus.

The lack of support from the school during this month is alien-

Each year, the BSC puts on a gala for students during Black History Month. There are currently no other deals for events this year.

“BSC can be a great club if we were given better support on the Brantford campus,” said Naomi Abolor, the other co-president of the Black Student Collective.

While understanding that Brantford is a smaller campus and not the main campus for Laurier, this may be a valid reason for less resource supports for the smaller student groups. But students on this campus do not agree. The campus is constantly growing, and students should know about the clubs, student groups, etc. that are a part of their culture or background.

“I feel like it would be a bit easier to get in touch with those students who are feeling like there is no Black community in Brantford,” said Abolor about having more available resources. “If we can get in touch with them, it would be nice.”

The best way for groups like the Black Student Collective to get in touch with the Black student population is to talk to first-year students.

Laurier is a large community with two campuses sharing thousands of students. All should feel welcome and have an understanding of what Black History Month is about in February and know how many diverse options there are to find a place to belong for the rest of the year.

LITERATURE

Double trouble Books that have been turned into television shows, that are worth the read and watch KATIE BIRD BOOKS IT UP PRESIDENT

What better books to read than the ones made into a TV series so you can binge the book and the show back-to-back? Here are some recommendations for you!

An absolute must read is Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster through the times of rock ‘n’ roll during the late ‘60s. The book follows Daisy as she is living her life on the LA strip going from club to club. Even though she enjoys the drugs and random hook-ups, there is nothing that she loves more than the music.

As Daisy gets older, important people start to notice her voice.

Daisy is not the only one making it big in the music industry though.

A man named Billy Dunne and his

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / KATIE BIRD

band, The Six, are off on their very first tour and just as they are getting started, Billy’s girlfriend gets pregnant. Billy quickly spirals out of control, leaving him and his band in a tough spot. Daisy and The Six fall into success, through the chaos and struggle, when their paths cross at the hands of a well-known producer. But success doesn’t always last forever, but it

can leave something legendary behind.

Another amazing book with a show that will feed your undeniable obsession after reading it is Normal People by Sally Rooney.

The book begins by introducing two polar opposite characters.

Connell is one of the star soccer players on his school team, he has a lot of friends and never finds himself lacking in popularity.

Meanwhile, Marianne is shy, has next to no friends and is counting down the days until school ends. All starts to change when Connell is picking his mother up from Marianne’s house, where she cleans. Despite the endless differences between the two, they find themselves with a connection that neither of them can resist, but can try and hide. A year later, the two end up in Dublin at the same col-

lege. Only this time, it’s different.

Marianne is fitting in and making connections, where Connell can’t seem to find where he belongs.

Over the years, they stay connected, unable to break their attachment. Eventually, they begin to find themselves on their own paths as Connell starts looking for meaning and Marianne goes through a hard time. Are they willing to take the risk and try to save each other?

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary will have you believing that you can fall in love with someone you have never met. The book follows Tiffy Moore, who has just gone through a hard break-up and is looking for a place to stay. Leon Twomey is in need of quick cash, and what better way than to get a roommate?

Some people might think having one room is a problem when looking for a roommate, but not when

you only use the house for half the time. Leon, working night shifts, only needs the apartment from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tiffy just needs the place to sleep, so desperate, she doesn’t mind only using it from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The deal is they never meet and they change sheets on the bed. Soon, Tiffy and Leon find themselves communicating through Post-it notes that start off as innocent reminders to take out the garbage, but eventually grow into something more.

All these books will have you so invested you won’t want them to end, but lucky when you close the book, it doesn’t have to. Both the TV series, Daisy Jones & The Six and Normal People, can be found on Amazon Prime Video, while The Flatshare is on Paramount Plus.

All three are a must add to your reading list AND watch list!

10

THURSDAY, FEB 1., 2O24

THE SPUTNIK · ARTS & CULTURE

ENTERTAINMENT

Romcoms for the ages

Season of love in the air, what do all the romantics want to watch this time of year?

SIENNA BILANCIA LEAD ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

Romcoms are the type of movie that people may enjoy all year long, but with Valentine’s Day fast-approaching, it now becomes the season of love, meet cutes and stories of romance.

Romcoms are warm feel-good movies that so many of us enjoy watching with friends, a loved one or even on our own in a cozy chair with a blanket, our favourite drink and snack in hand. Romcom movies come in such a wide genre of entertainment. “‘Coming of age’ is probably my favourite, I like the personal growth that brings characters together,” said Nicole Meszaros, a fourth-year English student at Wilfrid Laurier University. There are so many options, from anything

on the Hallmark channel to travel, holiday or coming-of-age movies.

Anytime someone brings up the Hallmark channel movies, you get very different reactions from people. When asked what type of romcom was her favourite, Elizabeth Rinaldo, a senior accountant at Boathouse, answered almost immediately, “Hallmark movies.”

When Meszaros was asked how she felt about Hallmark movies, she replied with, “They are not that good.”

Whether you are for or against Hallmark movies, you must admit that we have all seen one cheesy Hallmark movie that we enjoyed watching but never wanted to admit it. Maybe not a favourite, but a movie you don’t mind watching.

A favourite romcom might be one that you can never grow tired of watching or maybe just a movie that has an actor or actress that you love to watch.

“Reese Witherspoon can do no wrong,” said Meszaros.

If you haven’t already, let this be a reminder for you to start watching your favourite classic romcoms on repeat this February.

When discussing favourite movies, it is clear the best decade of new releases for romcom movies

was 2000 to 2010. Let’s be real, not many people would dispute this fact. The Holiday, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 27 Dresses and so many more. There were so many classic romcoms made in and around that time.

BACHIR MILOUDI / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

Take some time enjoy the classics, maybe watch a new Hallmark movie or rewatch an old favourite.

Happy season of love to everyone.

RELATIONSHIP ADVICE

The following anonymous submission has been modified for readability.

I was on a date with this guy, and we went to his place for dinner. It was very nice, he was a very good cook and everything was going well. We talked for hours and had a lot in common. We ended up going to his bedroom and we began to do some adult activities.

When we were in the middle of

the deed, he said to me, “We have to be a little quieter, my kids are sleeping in the next room.”

I didn’t know he had kids or that his kids were present. After we finished, I went into my car and read my group chat. I found out all my friends got COVID and that I likely had it too. Long story short, I gave him COVID and I never saw him again.

ALEXA FORD ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

ALEXA FORD / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Scan the code to submit your own story!

Wow this was a fun one to read!

I cannot believe he did not tell you he had kids or for that matter, that the kids did not crash this date at

all. Where were they all night?! I am at a loss for words on this one.

I think in this case, the universe worked in your favour a bit. In exchange for him lying to you, you gave him COVID. I sincerely hope he learned his lesson about being truthful and I sure hope you have gotten better at asking some vetting questions at the beginning to avoid this kind of situation again.

THE SPUTNIK · OPINION

12

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

SOCIETY

Black joy and suffering as spectacle A look into how Black suffering is used as entertainment

JADA PHILLIPS LEAD OPINION WRITER

Thomas Shipp. Abram Smith.

Emmett Till. Rodney King.

George Floyd. Philando Castile.

Sandra Bland.

History remembers these names, the countless videos, the photos, the movies, the books, the news segments and the social media posts that publicize their deaths. In 2020, as COVID-19 devastated the world, another pandemic was spreading. No matter where I turned, I was forced to confront the extrajudicial killings of Black men, women and children; people that looked like the people I loved most in this world. It didn’t matter the cost those images had on me, the people I loved or the larger Black community. It didn’t matter that I cried for days or that I couldn’t turn on the news anymore or that I was scared for my friends’ or family’s life. This was the cost of constant attention.

After all, there is no greater spectacle than that of Black suffering. It begs the question: how much are all these images of Black death worth? Your time?

Your attention? Your sympathy?

Your activism?

The more these images are shared, the more people are desensitized to them. It is a vicious cycle that requires relentless violent gory imagery to feed people’s attention. We consume this content without a second thought. The spectacle of Black suffering has no care for who the person was and the life they lived; its only concern is the brutal, traumatic end. Pain is the only lens in which we see and believe these people to be. These images just reinforce for Black people that they’ll never be anything but in pain and suffering because why wouldn’t they be? That’s the only way that the world seems to pay any attention or take anything seriously. You literally have to die to make a point.

I know, as many do, that I’ve been living a pandemic all my life; it is structural rather than viral; it is the global state of emergency of antiblackness.

-Dionna Brand, author

AAs I witness this pain so frequently, I can’t help but contemplate: who is the intended audience of this suffering? What value does engaging in this pain voyeurism accomplish? As Jack Dudley notes in The Body Politic in Pain, “Black pain requires political validation by an ... whiteness all too often unable or unwilling to recognize or respond to that pain.”

It is only recently that with the movements for racial justice — such as Black Lives Matter — the world has stopped to grapple with what the lived reality of a Black person is. Writer Dionne Brand, who is Black and queer, wrote in the Toronto Star, “I know, as many do, that I’ve been living a pandemic all my life; it is structural rather than viral; it is the global state of emergency of antiblackness.”

That said, there is still space for portrayals of Black pain or trauma. As Hugo Canham points out in his article titled “Black Death and Mourning as Pandemic”, “Mourning has a rebellious register that insists on a number of things. It insists on the value of the dead, the importance of cultural practices, and it calls for the disruption of business as usual. Public grievability is a profound act of community resistance. The power of congregation and public gathering assembles a collective demonstration of force and promise of renewal even in the face of death.”

Portrayals of Black pain or trauma have a political necessity.

They assert the significance of the Black experience, ugly parts and all. However, the spectacle of Black suffering has become a low stakes anti-racist statement where non-Black people can espouse Liberal values while giving each other self-congratulatory participation trophies. It’s the same every Black History Month.

It’s either the inevitable viewings of 12 Years a Slave, Amistad, To Kill a Mockingbird or white people engaging in symbolic acts of self-flagellation in penance for racism or tokenistic representations of the Black experience like a fried chicken luncheon.

Black History Month is the only month that asks the question: what does it mean to be Black?

From my experience, Blackness is far from the representations on the news. Blackness is community.

There is a reason why Black Twitter has a Wikipedia page. If Black people don’t have a seat at the table, they just create their own table. If there is one thing Black people will do, it will be to show up for each other.

Blackness is innovation.

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR From left, Jane Desmond and 2023 alum Trinity Wilson at the Laurier International Multicultural Gala

Otherwise, the world wouldn’t have clothes dryers (patented by George T. Sampson — a Black man), furnaces (invented by Alice H. Parker — a Black woman) or traffic lights (invented by Garrett Morgan — a Black man).

Blackness is musical. Black people created or inspired the following genres of music: spiritual, gospel, rumba, blues, bomba, rock and roll, rock, jazz, pop, salsa, R&B, samba, calypso, Soca, soul, disco, funk, reggae, house, Amapiano, hip-hop, Afrobeat, bluegrass and more. If you can sing it or play it, Black people have probably played a part in creating it.

Blackness has a common thread that connects us all no matter where we are in the world.

It is our food, our celebrations, our home remedies passed down from our grandmothers, but most importantly, it is our joy. Blackness is a celebration of life and all the greatness it has to offer. Black joy is powerful. It is a tool for resistance and resilience.

While portrayals of the Black experience aren’t always in the control of those featured, joy is.

Black joy isn’t an escape from reality or a way to avoid tough conversations. In the article titled “Black Joy in the Time of Ferguson” by Javon Johnson, they wrote, “Black pain is used in service of the nation-state because we have been historically constructed as threatening by virtue of being loud, excessive, unruly, illegible, pathological, and outside the comfortable confines of white neo-liberal, liberal, and conservative structures alike.” Black people are a threat to oppressive structures simply for existing. By choosing to be loud and take up space, joy is a way for the narrative to shift from sadness and oppression. It’s a way to take back power after decades of attempts to steal any sort of happiness.

As Kleaver Cruz, founder of the Black Joy Project, said, “Black Joy is not … dismissing or creating an ‘alternate’ Black narrative that ignores the realities of our

collective pain; rather, it is about holding the pain and injustice…in tension with the joy we experience. It’s about using that joy as an entry into understanding the oppressive forces we navigate through as a means to imagine and create a world free of them.”

The Black experience is complex and has a duality of both the good and bad. While the bad is what is popularized, the good should also have just as much of a place in society. Black joy should be the new spectacle solely to make a statement. A statement that violence, racism and injustice are not ideas that should be normalized within society. That the dehumanization of Black people shouldn’t be consumed as one would read celebrity gossip or watch a cooking video.

That’s why Black joy needs to be recentered into popular consumption or else all Black people will ever be is angry, poor, loud, sexualized or dead.

THE SPUTNIK · OPINION

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

13

SOCIETY

Rebel with a cause It doesn’t take much to kick the man in their knees

MITCHELL BALDWIN OPINION EDITOR

Conservatism can best be characterized as a socio-political ideology rooted in the belief that existing power dynamics should stay the same, with the Cambridge English Dictionary defining the ideology as “the quality of not usually liking or trusting change, especially sudden change.”

So, I will propose a simple question. Exactly what about our current social organization is worth protecting so vehemently that an appropriate course of action is to cut education spending, butcher our healthcare system as well as selling off our protected lands to the highest bidder? Here’s the short answer: absolutely nothing.

What some sensationalist personalities, such as Tucker Carlson or Alex Jones, would have you believe is that western society is

under attack from anybody who isn’t traditionalist, white and worshipping Christ. What they’re careful to maintain during their cacophony of vitriolic bluster is a sense of plausible deniability that they don’t directly bring harmful disinformation to the masses in order to cultivate an obedient mass of wannabe heroes, of whom they incessantly parrot the same conspiracy-theory talking points that Tucker Carlson himself perpetuates, before committing acts of terror. It is an undeniable fact that large Conservative figureheads, such as Donald Trump, are inextricably linked to instances of violence and terrorism.

Simply put, to be a rebel is to reject the current social order as being adequate. It’s looking at the world around us and refusing to accept it as it is, demanding more than those in charge are willing to give. With rampant corruption in major industries — such as oil — which used western governments to bomb Iraq for more than 20 years to get a good deal, how could anyone with even a base

level of appreciation for life and liberty not consider themselves a rebel? If you’re concerned that you won’t be able to participate to a degree that has tangible effect, I would like to assure you otherwise.

A simple matter of fact is that social resistance, no matter how small, works. Just look at the strategies McDonald’s and Starbucks are trying in response to their boycotts, with both organizations blaming their financial woes on consumers being swayed by “misinformation” and “misrepresentation” respectively.

These are the tactics of corporate entities that are deeply scared.

It didn’t take large poetic speeches, violent marches or even outright condemnation of these organizations to bring them to their knees. All it took was for one person to decide they no longer wanted to get coffee or food there. Then another and another, one by one, slowly building up into a collective agreement that if you are in favour of the humane treatment of all, irrespective of ideology, past or present, that

you care little for the overblown theatrics of those who don’t really care about the human toll of conflict, you would simply shop somewhere else.

As it stands, it is none too difficult to be a rebel, even if it’s just by changing where you get your coffee or afternoon snack.

So, I implore you, be subversive, be rebellious and advocate your cause to the best of your ability.

If that’s by signing petitions, sign petitions. If it is by changing

SERENA ANAGBE/SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

An anarchist “A”

where you shop, change where you shop. If it’s by sharing information so that those around can make informed and educated decisions, then keep doing that.

Whatever it is that you do to change the world around you, keep doing it. Change has never come from the hands of the apathetic, but from a single person who decided that today was the day they were going to be brave.

ENTERTAINMENT

Barbie was not revolutionary The “Barbie” movie; an illusion of feminism HASNA ISASE OPINION WRITER As everybody was losing their minds over the new Barbie movie, the feminist uproar from social media made me very excited to watch it. I cannot lie, it was a great movie and I don’t regret watching it. I want to note that I loved the soundtrack, there were amazing monologues, I enjoyed the actors and the roles they embodied. Overall, I thought it was a great production. The key word here is production. The movie was a great piece of media and art.

However, I feel like scholars were coming at it from a feminist discourse point of view. While the rest of the society was looking for female empowerment, it coined the term feminism as a synonym. The Barbie movie was far from feminism. My critique comes from what I’ve learned from gender studies, I cannot lie that I was expecting a much more progressive dialogue that could’ve been a full rejection of patriarchy with a mix of trends,

jokes from popular culture and elements of childhood. While part of this was included, I was hoping there’d be a stronger feminist understanding that patriarchy hurts both men and women. But there wasn’t anything revolutionary or new.

For example, the weird or discontinued Barbies were on the outskirts of Barbieland and could not integrate into the regular society. These characters did not get as much personality development as the main white and blonde Barbie. It is worth noting that there was no queer representation, except maybe for Alan and Weird Barbie.

However, that’s even building on toxic stereotypes of gay men and women being bizarre, unnatural and commonly ostracized.

An important concept that the film did not consider is intersectionality. This explains that there must be an acknowledgment that experiences of discrimination within classism, sexism and racism overlap. This means that a group’s or individual’s marginalization can

depend on many social aspects that interact with each other.

The Barbie movie did not care to show the experiences and hardships that different types of women go through within a patriarchal society. I will admit it did have some diversity within the cast. But realistically, the plot centered on the classic white Barbie and her struggles.

Lastly, it did not give voice in how the patriarchy affects men.

Instead, it turned them into idiots who did not know better, which is not a constructive message to our society or the children watching. It shows that men do not know how to use reason or rationality, which perpetuates the idea of “boys will be boys” and strives for no further conversation. By making Ken the embodiment of patriarchy and ridiculing men’s decisions, it closed any kind of constructive or progressive discourse. As a society, we should be able to enjoy a piece of art and equally critique it where its intentions fail.

BACHIR MILOUDI / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

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THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

THE SPUTNIK  INFINITUM

SHORT STORY

Love as Lines of Code Can code learn to develop feelings through colours?

CONNOR PILGER INFINITUM CONTRIBUTOR

As he was always meant to do, Carter thought about love.

This time, he was sitting in a dimly lit, warm café. Rain pattered against the windows, heavy enough that the claustrophobic street outside was obscured and distorted, sometimes seeming halfway through melting, like some bizarre fusion of photorealism and Jackson Pollock. The vendor across the street had retreated inside their door, at times glancing suspiciously up at the clouds, as if trying to glare them into retreat. And yet the storm carried on, the rain pattering down-down-down-downCarter shook his head, clearing his mind as the door opened, the small bell hanging above jingling to signal the arrival of a new guest. He and the café owner looked at the same time as the new customer entered, though when Carter saw it wasn’t the woman he was waiting for, he refocused his attention on the mug of coffee cradled in his hands. He realized, now that he had paid attention to it, that the heat coming off it was starting to hurt his hands. He released his grip and placed them down on the cooler leather, soothing the discomfort as a small lilt of gentle laughter carried over from behind the counter. He turned back to observe the newcomer as she sat on a stool, making casual conversation with the owner.

It was the same sort of conversation one might have with a bartender: lamenting over the weather, the daily trials and tribulations of full-time work and the relief accompanying the feeling

But it was true; she felt ‘red’ for the owner.

of finally being able to sit down.

Carter cocked his head as he observed the interaction. He didn’t hear the words, probably because they weren’t there; it was the intent he was paying attention to, the body language and the direction of the interaction. The new customer had barely taken a small sip of their drink and now it already sat to one side, ignored in favor of the “stimulating” conversation with the owner. The owner, for her part, had poured her own drink and was casually leaning with her side toward the counter, halfturned towards the television in the corner, but still engaging with

the customer who continued to ignore their coffee-ignore their coffee-ignore-ignoreCarter narrowed his focus, blocking out the circular logic again. He observed the customer, the way her face shifted when she looked away or how her eyes never strayed long from the owner’s face, though they did occasionally linger on her hand, pressed flat as she leaned against the counter just a foot away from the customer’s own. The smile was genuine, with just a touch of warmth to it. And the way it seemed to fight its way onto her face, almost half-suppressed and… gently biting her lip? The customer seemed to really be intoRed, the thought rose unbidden, uncontrolled and unexpected. But it was true; she felt red for the owner. Carter could see it now; excited feelings, rising in tandem with thoughts of long nights and stolen kisses, of losing hours or nights together andCarter double-checked her body language and found all the same signs, confirming his suspicions. Red, he thought as loudly as he could, watching the customer’s shape become saturated with the scarlet hue before setting his focus on the owner herself.

She was somewhat older than the customer, though only by a decade or so. Still young for a coffee shop owner, though perhaps it was inherited or received through non-financial means. He still couldn’t make out the words they exchanged, but the customer’s shy laughter mixed with the sly smiles and raised eyebrows of the owner, plus the bantering tone in her voice, suggested some amount of mutual interest, though Carter could tell it was… different, somehow. The sideways glances, the banter, the gentle jabs and prods, almost cat-like in its energy. They were familiar with one another, though they probably hadn’t known each that long, given the age disparity, as the older owner was-older-older-older-olderCarter shook his head again, clearing it away. The owner’s eyes moved towards him, and he watched the face change, the playfulness-Purple-falling away as she remembered she had another customer who had perhaps been observing them just a little too long. Carter felt himself smile politely before turning back to the window and raising the still scalding mug of coffee to his lips. He had stared too long. He’d have to apologize after, he knew better than to make social mistakes like that. Still, he felt rather pleased with himself for quickly identifying the owner’s feelings

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

for the customer. Purple, he thought to himself again, though he didn’t want to look back to confirm it for himself; one social misstep was enough for this visit.

The bell on the door jingled again, and Carter’s eyes moved up as he saw his partner entering the establishment, her coat drenched in rain and gently dripping on the floor. She set it up on the hanger and exchanged a few quick words with the now-violet stained owner behind the counter, probably placing a quick order for herself before she approached the table Carter sat at.

He watched her approach as if in slow motion. Her small smile, her eyes never leaving his, her pace quickening to approach him, the way her hair slightly fell in front of her face as she swiftly pushed it aside before leaning towards him, her eyes closing as their lips meet for just a moment before she pulls away, her eyes opening slowly as if waking from a dream, and he doesn’t even need to wait for her to sit down.

Orange.

And the color floods her form immediately, as if the setting sun was pouring through her every molecule. She sits down and greets Carter, but like before, he doesn’t hear it. Not really. He hears the intent, knows what she’s saying without really registering it, feels her hand gently clasp his own as she relates the events of her day. But that’s all he feels: her hand.

Carter knows it’s happening again; the world ending, the purpose of his wakefulness fulfilled.

He looks down and sees her

orange hand resting against his own, as grey as the world around it, as the world-world-worldworld-world*** Researcher Adams stretched his back as the bar on the screen finally filled up; C4-TR Simulation Complete. He leans forward and reads the results; C4-TR successfully avoided three circular logic errors and accurately identified three out of four behavior patterns. He didn’t need to finish reading to know the result; as usual, the AI couldn’t determine its own feelings because it didn’t feel any. He leaned back again and rubbed his eyes as he heard familiar footsteps come up beside him.

“Simulation done already?”

He heard Caroline ask, her own work, as usual, left behind and forgotten at her desk as she plopped down on a chair next to him in the Created Cognizance Control Centre. It was late enough in the day that they were alone, save the security at the front door and the janitors throughout the floor.

“Yeah, but I’m still not getting anywhere with emotional registration. The color wheel logic helps it with identifying other relationship dynamics-” Caroline held up a hand to interrupt him, “I’m sorry, color wheel logic?”

“Yeah,” Adams replied. “I adapted the program so it perceives everything in monochrome. I’m using colors to fill in other simulated figures after it identifies their current behavior as fulfilling a certain relationship dynamic. So, the customer is all

hot and heavy for the owner-” “But the owner is more just playful and non-committal, yeah, you’ve told me this part before.

What about Carter?”

Adams sighed in frustration.

“The C4-TR program,” he shot a glare towards Caroline as she rolled her eyes, “is meeting with his partner. She’s programmed to feel romantically inclined towards him or ‘orange’, and he’s supposed to reciprocate.”

“So, Carter is able to figure out how other people are feeling, but not himself? I don’t know man, seems like that’s the human experience right there when it comes to relationships.” She smiled playfully at him, and Adams simply rolled his eyes.

“Anyways, I’m finished up for the night. Want to grab a bite to eat? I know a spot.”

“Uhh… maybe next time, I still have to shut things down here. But I want to ask you about something so just wait in the lobby a minute.”

“Sure thing. Just don’t make me wait too long,” she said, a strange hint of… something in her voice as she got up and left the room.

Adams started the shutdown sequence when he saw a notification from C4-TR’s chat program. He opened it up, and it was a monochromatic picture - courtesy of the workstation’s built-in security camera - of his and Caroline’s conversation, with his fellow researcher’s outline stained in purple.

Adams stared at it for a few moments, then decided to grab that bite to eat after all, as he hurriedly left the room.

INFINITUM

THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

THE SPUTNIK  INFINITUM

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SHORT STORY

The dead don’t want to be held A story about love and death, and its consequences

TUSHARIKA TYAGI INFINITUM EDITOR In the life of Angelique, nothing was worse than losing the love of her life.

Amber was everything to her. In life or death, she would be Angelique’s most precious person.

Life isn’t meant to be built for people like Angelique to be left alone. So, she did what was most obvious. Amber must be brought back to life. You can understand that, right? I mean, what would you do in her position? All alone, she felt the world crushing her. Every fibre of her being vibrated with discomfort, her body felt heavy, her eyes stung with every blink. Bile kept climbing up her throat at almost all times. Her scalp raw from the times she had tried to rip

her hair out.

That’s when she met someone who told her the secret. A little secret to bring the dead back. A cure for her grief. Like a manic devotee, she performed the twisted ritual to bring her lover back. Her Amber. Hers.

To have ripped someone from the arms of eternal rest is however a terrible thing to do. I’m sure you can understand, such a thing is taboo for a reason!

Amber came to. Her body being not what it was. Pain and nerves came right back to her like a moving truck. And believe me, Amber knew what that felt like. But here she was, corporeal and forced right back into a shell to walk around this world again.

But you see, the dead are never quite right when they come back. This is, of course, no fault of their own and someone like Amber who had transitioned long ago… Let’s just say it’s harder for someone like her to remain so human.

While for Angelique, nothing was wrong. The disassociation from the plane on life and death made Amber feel like ants were always crawling through her body. When she opened her mouth, the words that came out didn’t sound right. Nothing was right at all. To have been ripped from peace.

What a torture!

Amber’s body began to change. It didn’t rot, however, as days passed, her look began to look like a doll. Her expressions stiff and her voice barely croaked out of her throat. Angelique spent most of her days helping move Amber through life. Sticking close, both due to fear of losing her again and the need to listen closely to the whispers of her lover.

Amber, however, had moments of small lucidity in her tortured life. She could see the spirits no one else saw who were stuck on this plane just like her. Seeing her plight, they would often be trying to separate her soul from the

body. All attempting to help the poor stuck woman. Yet there was nothing the souls could do.

Amber also could see Angelique living like she, herself. Unattached to the mortal world.

There was only one solution now.

Amber whispered one last request; for them to go to a beach like they used to back in the good old days. Angelique, elated by Amber finally making a request, rushed to prepare the two to enjoy their date.

When they reached the beach, Amber made one more request. She wanted them to stand in the water. To feel the cold water against their legs.

Angelique took Amber out to the water, deeper and deeper, until she felt an iron grip on herself.

Amber, with the help of her friends, was going to be freed. The waves came over. Muffling any sounds under the water until there was silence.

The dead don’t want to be held, so let them go. You MUST live on.

OLGA STEBLYK / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

SHORT STORY

Roses are Red, You are Dead Love in the wild

THANDO BHEBHE LEAD INFINITUM WRITER What is morality, where do you draw the line and who’s stopping you from crossing it? I like to think that we all have a code, a nice little list of dos and don’ts, a little voice in the back of our heads that stops us from crossing over to the other side, to that realm where predators and prey roam, that land of lawless men, that ether of absolute freedom. Yes, freedom.

At least that’s how you saw it, right?

You were free, wandering aimlessly with not a single inhibition in sight.

A racing lion sprinting across the savannah, all that mattered was the real world. The burning sun, the gloomy skies, the puddled streets, the golden grasslands. At the branch’s break, your mouth watered, nature’s gifts teeming in sight, waiting for you, begging you to take them!

The rain poured, a blink fluttering, the drop splashing, black on green glaring in melting aqua. Your eye twitched, the sun’s stare searing your sight. Pink tongue hung, saliva dripping, muscles tensing, claws clenching, black on white, bull’s-eye.

Oblivious prey, a single turn, in your eyes she lay. A smile, yours, hers, action!

The red sand stormed at your break, the puddled streets splashing at your feet. Black and white stripes, earth shattering, survival clattering in flee. If only she was so lucky. In the jungle, things are much clearer, you’re either safe or

inches from death, there is no middle ground.

She roamed a different jungle whose trees shot to the sky, piercing heaven in their concrete glee. In this wilderness, the wolves roamed among the sheep, unknown, until it was too late.

“I knew it was you.”

“Oh, look at that, you got me.”

A leap, a clutch, a sigh, a cry. She shoved you, playfully.

“So, have you been stalking me now.......?”

A smile slipped, a grin grinding red flesh.

“And if I was?”

“Then I’d ask why.”

“Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

“Oh, stop it.”

In her laugh, another shove, playful.

Blood dripped, black and white torn to shreds, the lion had killed its prey.

“Well, since you’ve caught me, it’s time I come clean.”

“This should be good.”

“You think so, it seems you already know where this is going.”

“Yes, and the answer’s yes.”

In her laugh, another shove, playful.

Blood scented, black on green, right in place. Your prey’s life hung on a thread, and you’d usurped the fates.

What does it take to make someone fall in love with you? Is it sweet words, lingering eyes, tempting touches or an honest heart? Maybe it’s spotting a glimmering speck in a golden desert, a spotlight in a black auditorium. Whatever it was, you’d mastered it, turning it into a game, a sport, a blood sport.

“So, where are you taking me?”

“To be quite honest, I hadn’t thought this far.”

“What?”

“Seriously, this was a suicide mission.”

“Oh please, I don’t believe you Romeo.”

“So that should make you Juliet.”

“I already said yes!”

“Fine, fine, just making sure I didn’t dream it up.”

“Oh, stop it, you’re such a flirt.”

Another shove. Playful.

“I got it, how about I take sweet Juliet to my castle?”

Oblivious prey, another turn, in your eyes she lay. A smile, yours, hers, action!

Many haven’t mastered love, for the rest of us, it’s a mystery. It can happen in an instant; it can take an entire lifetime. Sometimes it’s but a game of chess, a string of dominoes, every single line, every single smile, every single stare, currency. Now, it was time to cash in.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding, this really is a castle!”

“All it needs now is a queen.”

“Come down now Romeo, this is still the first date.”

“No, it’s the last day of your life, love. After this, nothing will ever be the same.”

“See, such a flirt.”

Another smile, grinning from cheek to cheek, cruel intentions cracking in your eyes. The same eyes that promised the romance of a lifetime. She’d taken a chance, but to you, she’d taken the bait.

“Now, don’t freak out, but I have something for you.”

“Mhhhhhhmmmm, what is it?”

“Ever since I bumped into you, I’ve always wanted to give it to you.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“It’s so cheesy, but in a good way.”

“It better not be a bloody bouquet of flowers.”

“Can’t make any promises.”

“It’s a bloody bouquet of flowers innit!”

You left her smiling. Her pearl white joy jeering at your humanity. I like to think that you thought about it, that your stomach twisted, your heart shattering at what you were about to do.

That you glanced at her and just maybe, you thought to yourself, no, that you would draw a line, that you’d let her go.

But I live in a different world, while you, you live in the real world. A world untainted by lies, the lies of God, the lies of men, the lies of civilization. To you, we have always been and we will always be……... animals. Predators and prey dancing in the jungle of existence, a wilderness so vast it encompasses all of time and space.

“Are you ready?!”

“Come on then, next you’ll be asking me to close my eyes.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea actually.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Yes, go on then, shut them.”

“Fine.”

Blackness swarmed, a drop sinking into the dark depths, drowning in the land of absolute freedom. She was in your world now.

“Surprise.”

Eyes opened; eyes widened.

“IT IS A BLOODY BOUQUET!” You handed them, the final piece slipping into place as nostrils sunk in the scent of lies, sweet little lies. It swooned over her, battering her like a ram.

“Those are really strong, Christ,

pardon my French.”

“That’s how much I love you, Juliet.”

“Whoa…...whoa…. whoa.”

She stumbled, staggering to the ground, the flowers fluttering to the floor, right where she lay.

“I’ve watched you for so long, I’ve dreamt of this moment for ages.”

“What did you – “ “Shhhhhhh, don’t worry.”

Your finger on her lip, her eyes on your eyes, the truth finally in sight.

“I wrote you a poem my dear love.”

She breathed, helpless.

“Roses are red, you are dead.”

She was breathless, you had killed your prey.

As she grinned, you shut her eyes, kissing her lips, tasting death, dead space encircling your rise, just as planned.

She was, I was, nothing more than another tally to add to your count.

The thing is, though, in the jungle, nothing is ever certain. For as fast as prey runs from predators, hunters become hunted.

“Whoa…...whoa…whoa.”

Your tongue swallowed, the kiss of death simmering, its sweet grasp choking the life out of you. You stumbled, staggering to the floor.

“I’ve watched you for so long, I’ve dreamt of this moment for ages.”

“What did you – “ “Shhhhhhhh, don’t worry.”

My finger on your lip, your eyes on my eyes, the truth finally in sight.

“I wrote you a poem, my dear stalker.”

You breathed, helpless.

“Violets are blue, I got you!”

You were breathless, I had killed my prey.

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THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 2024

THANDO BHEBHE / LEAD INFINITUM WRITER

VISUAL STORY

The way I love you View the rest of this piece online BEATRICE O’CONNELL INFINITUM CONTRIBUTOR What is love and how can we express such a complex emotion? “The way I love you” focuses on the most intimate experience two people can share with one another: cooking a nice spaghetti dinner. What did you think I was going to say?

This story touches on the difficulty of conveying such an undefinable feeling and how the words “I love you” aren’t often strong enough.

With raw dialogue and simple drawings, I tried to break down my feelings in a picture book layout in hopes of

capturing the tenderness and childlike giddiness that the couple feels for each other. I also wanted to capture the hardships and uncertainty that come with love’s intensity because in all the ways love is good it can also be painful.

Although this piece is simple and in a lot of ways childish, it means so much to me. I have had the opportunity and gift of experiencing such a genuine relationship and it’s something I will always cherish. I hope others can relate and think of their own experiences as they read. Maybe even use these analogies the next time someone asks, “Do you love me?”

BEATRICE O’CONNELL / INFINITUM CONTRIBUTOR