The Father, The Mother

Written by: Grace Pumpton-Hill Edited by: Laurence Desjardins “Oh, God, who does not exist, you hate women, otherwise you’d have made them different. And Jesus, who snubbed your mother, you hate them more.”  “O Father, Are you listening? I hope you are… Eleven and wondering,  praying in my bed, hands clasped  around my childhood stuffie,        not together as they should be, I believed in it … Continue reading The Father, The Mother

Gender Lessons in Fairy Tales

Written by: Celia Selzner  Edited by: Laurence Desjardins Introduction From damsels in distress to evil witches, female stereotypes in favor of a patriarchal social order have long been prevalent in children’s media. In recent years, gender has become increasingly conceived as a social construct, meaning “an idea that has been created and accepted by people in society” rather than an intrinsic, biological characteristic. Upon accepting … Continue reading Gender Lessons in Fairy Tales

Remembering Dick Cheney’s Grim Legacy of Torture in Iraq 

Written by: Athena Kalaganis Edited by: Abigail George On November 3rd, Dick Cheney, the Vice-president to George W. Bush, died at the age of 84. As the news broke, public figures were quick to sanitize his legacy. Kamala Harris, who received his endorsement for the presidency, described Cheney as a “devoted public servant,” referencing his three decades long career in American governance. Concerningly, many statements … Continue reading Remembering Dick Cheney’s Grim Legacy of Torture in Iraq 

Breaking Bias: Gendered Assumptions and the Legacy of Ancient Female Power

Written by: Amy Xia Edited by: Orli Adamski In 1878, Scandinavian archaeologist Hjalmar Stolpe discovered a grave, later named Bj 581, in Birka, a historic Viking settlement in present-day Sweden. This discovery marked the beginning of a mistaken interpretation of the burial’s contents and the gender of its owner, a misconception that would persist for over 128 years.  Due to a full set of weaponry, … Continue reading Breaking Bias: Gendered Assumptions and the Legacy of Ancient Female Power

Just Take the Pill: The Labour of Contraception Management

Written by: Abigail Francis Edited by: Anya Pan Historically, through media and science, female fatigue has often been pathologized into personality. In these settings, the woman is emotional, moody and overwhelming: these are simply the intrinsic traits of existence as a woman. Yet, recent studies in fatigue, like ones done by Jonathan Sterne, point to something else: female tiredness can in fact reflect the demands … Continue reading Just Take the Pill: The Labour of Contraception Management

Playing Torturer: Call of Duty and The Erosion of Human Rights Norms

Written by: Lauren Avis Edited by: Ashlesha Shringarpure and Louise Deroi With wires strung to his fingers and a hood over his head, he stands precariously on a cardboard box, told that if he were to fall, he would be electrocuted. The story of the Hooded Man, later revealed to be Iraqi prisoner Abdoud Faleh, horrified the public and exposed the horrors of the U.S. … Continue reading Playing Torturer: Call of Duty and The Erosion of Human Rights Norms

Surveillance and Security: McGill’s Response to Student Dissent

Written by: Lauren Avis Edited by: Laurence Desjardins and Louise Deroi On the morning of October 8th,  McGill’s main campus was cast with grey clouds and a tangible loss of energy from the previous day where students were met with armed SVPM guards in riot gear. While the police have seemingly left campus, leaving piles of horse dung in their wake, the perennial watch of … Continue reading Surveillance and Security: McGill’s Response to Student Dissent

Comfort Women and the Politicization of Gendered Suffering

Written by: Amy Xia Edited by: Orli Adamski “I don’t want to hate or hold a grudge, but I can never forgive what happened to me,”  reported Yong Soo Lee, a 90-year-old survivor of the notorious “comfort women” system. She told her story in 2015, retelling her lived experience in the Japanese “comfort stations,” otherwise known as military brothels for Japanese soldiers.  Violence Against Women … Continue reading Comfort Women and the Politicization of Gendered Suffering

Love: to Fall, Feel, Choose, and Exchange: Conceptions of the Undefinable

Written by: Sam Rabie Edited by: Abigail George Love, a Well-Worn Refrain  Love you, two words with such defiant weight enough to drive you mad  defining the undefinable.   And yet, the same two words can be as casual and mundane as morning coffee, a rushed mumble, a formality to end a call. Love: a set of choices and devotions, or the outcome of no choice … Continue reading Love: to Fall, Feel, Choose, and Exchange: Conceptions of the Undefinable

‘I’m getting the hell up outta here’: Black Male Fear and Audience Surrogate Status in 90s-2000s Meta Horror 

Written by: Morgan Delva Edited by: Abigail George Horror media’s complex relationship with Black representation is well-documented, with tropes such as the ‘magical negro’ and the ‘Black person dies first’ being nearly synonymous with the genre. While these kinds of common tropes in the horror genre are often associated with Black men by default, the depictions of Black male expressions of fear are often less … Continue reading ‘I’m getting the hell up outta here’: Black Male Fear and Audience Surrogate Status in 90s-2000s Meta Horror