2 [mitZine v11.

i5]
mitZinefeatures
mitZinestaff
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jonathan Forani
editor@mitzine.ca
MANAGING EDITOR
Taylor Pearce
editor@mitzine.ca
GRAPHICS EDITOR
Jordan Coop
graphics@mitzine.ca
WORLD EDITOR
Julian Uzielli
writers@mitzine.ca
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Taylor Pearce
writers@mitzine.ca
WESTERN LIFE EDITOR
Elizabeth Sarjeant
writers@mitzine.ca
WEB EDITOR
Jordan Pearson
web@mitzine.ca
PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR
Marisa Dametto
promo@mitzine.ca
4
Paper Blogging
Selma Purac
6
mitZine awards
mitZine Editorial Team
26
Political Cartoons
Dan Perdic, PJ Helliwell,
Ryan Hurlbut, Lauren
Nicholson
8
Farewell & New FIMS
Zach Valliant, Jess
Bronstein
9
Dear Digital Detox Diary
Faucher and Class
10
Social Media Week
Elizabeth Sarjeant
11
Summer Internships
Melanie Anderson
12
Kick Your Bucket List
Mitchell Sturm, Jennifer
Stranges
14
Westerns Military
Involvement
Kyla Garvey
15
Counterpoint: Hurons
Controversial Chair
David Conlin
16
Oscars Technical Awards
Jonathan Forani
18
The Rihanna - Chris
Brown Collision
Ademofe Oye-Adeniran
18
Kickstarting Your
Creative Dreams
Christine Tippett
19
Hollywood-ing History
Kevin Hurren
20
Vancouvers Housewives
& Canadian Nationalism
Emily Stewart
21
The Infamy of Fame
Taylor Pearce
22
Robocalls and Rotten
Politics
Stephen Wright
23
Real Food: An Exercise in
Subjective Ethics
Sarah Koopmans
24
Tracking the U.S. through
Southeast Asia
Paul Craig
guestarticle
specialfeature
world
westernlife
westernlife
arts&entertainment
26
Political Cartoons
6
mitZine Awards
mitZinecontents
arts&entertainment
[mitZine v11.i5] 3
So the inside isnt in colour, but were
almost there.
Welcome to the ever-usual innards of
the mitZine. The same splash of colour
is here in each fresh turn of phrase and
critical quip our writers employ, but
behind Dorothys Oz the customary
black and white of these pages looks a
bit stale.
This is the frst mitZine to ever touch a
colour printer. Over the course of its
11 volumes, the black and white colour
scheme was something of a brand for
the Zineearlier this year we even
employed the slogan Its more than
just black and white, and, while a lovely
fgurative jingle, we thought it was time
to kick it literal.
Dorothy isnt slapped on the front simply
as a kind of last hurrah for Volume 11
(that will come). Shes there to display
where this small FIMS publication can
go: thats not to some delusional dream
state where little people sing and horses
are painted purple, but to a metaphorical
Oz from which you dont wake up to
fnd your family deciding what pills will
fx you.
This issue is a kind of Reverse Oz,
unfortunately, but one day you will fip
the mitZine cover open to the wonderful
world of colour. There is no reason the
FIMS publication shouldnt have all the
trappings of a professional publication.
As a faculty that studies media, we
should be putting more money into our
own media. This years staples were the
frst step. The move to colour is not
to place importance on aesthetics, but
to give illustrators more opportunities
and to harness the mitZine with an even
greater level of impact on campus.
FIMS is a faculty that holds a lot of
valuable critical insight, and to continue
our efforts in providing a platform of
free expression, why not throw some
paint on the platform? Next year, in
whatever capacity, grab your critical
paintbrush and make the mitZine a force
to be reckoned with.
Speaking of next years mitZine, I am
happy to announce the Editor-in-Chief
for Volume 12: outgoing Web Editor,
Jordan Pearson. This year, mitZine.ca
saw a major surge in popularity thanks
to Jordans guidance as Web Editor, and
I have no doubt that, as Editor-in-Chief,
he will continue to raise all forms of the
mitZine to greater levels of recognition
and prominence at Western.
As another great volume of the mitZine
comes to a closewith another
ambitious issuethanks must once
again be extended to our dedicated
crop of contributors who prove with
each issue that the talent contained
within these small pages could buckle
the margins at any moment. To my
amazing mitZine StaffTaylor Pearce,
Jordan Coop, Elizabeth Sarjeant, Julian
Uzielli, Erika Fabian, Marisa Dametto,
and Jordan Pearsonyour commitment
and skill has made producing these fve
issues all the more crazy and rewarding.
And as for that last order of business:
hurrah!
editors note. by jonathan forani
Should the mitZine continue in colour?
FIMS Undergraduate Student Fund (USF) committee
wants to know if you like the Zines new splash of colour.
Head to mitzine.ca to have your say!
4 [mitZine v11.i5]
mitZineguestarticle
Do the words on the tablet
difer from my notebook in the
same way that a handwritten
note from a loved one difers
from a text message half-
consciously composed on the
way to campus?

[mitZine v11.i5] 5
W
hen I travel, I
keep a journal.
I pick up a plain
black Moleskine
with unlined pages, and in my
characteristically miniscule
script, I can ft a full forty lines
of writing on each page. I
have favoured these compact
notebooks for as long as I can
remember, and part of me
wonders how much of my
favouritism might have to do
with the brands advertising.
Tere is, afer all, a certain kind
of romance to the Moleskine.
As the companys website
proudly declares, these are the
legendary notebooks used
by the likes of Hemingway,
van Gogh, and Picasso. We are
therefore encouraged to see
these booklets as miniature
storehouses of fragments that
later became renowned works
of creativity. Indirectly, what
the company ofers me is the
illusion that I can partake in
this artistic legacy through my
own meagre scribbling. More
importantly perhaps, the brand
allies itself to the image of the
contemporary nomad, ofering
small notebooks and journals
well suited to the traveller. Maybe
this is why the brand has become
my travelogue go-to.
Recently, fipping through
one of my old, weather-worn
Moleskines, I was struck by the
impact that the physical object
had on me. Te notebook bore
traces of the trip: the shaky script
of words written on long and
uncomfortable bus rides, ticket
stubs sloppily tucked between
well-thumbed pages, and grease
marks from a fsh-and-chipper in
Ireland. Trough the notebook, I
could feel a tangible connection
to the place where the words
were frst written.
For many of you who consider
yourselves modern-day nomads,
the tablet has come to symbolize
the new generation of compact
and mobile writing devices. Sure
enough, a quick look around
any airport lounge today will
have you noticing the number
of travellers who favour tablets,
slipping them out of their ragged
packs as easily as they would a
granola bar. Indeed, many of
the travel blogs I follow now
list tablets as mobile necessities,
along with things like an H.I.
membership and a backpack.
What I wonder, however, is
whether the experience of a travel
journal might change when that
journal is written and stored on a
tablet. When I read through one
of my old Moleskines, what I am
essentially reading is a personal
paper blog, and one that feels
intrinsically tied to my travels.
Flipping through those pages
nostalgically, I can relive the trip
not only through the words
Ive written, but also through the
physical artefact itself through
the creases and the stains and the
scrawl on those pages. Do the
words on the tablet difer from
my notebook in the same way that
a handwritten note from a loved
one difers from a text message
half-consciously composed on
the way to campus? In part, the
medium is the message. And
Im not talking about the tablets
camera and video-recording
capabilities, but about writing
and the object one writes on. I
will likely continue to reach for
my Moleskine, preferring the
nomadism of the page over that
of the pixel.
PAPER
BLOGGING
written by Selma Purac
6 [mitZine v11.i5]
mitZine awards 2012
mitZinespecialfeature
UPPER-YEAR
INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR
FIRST-YEAR
INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR
SELMA PURAC JOHN REED
In a school year that saw lots of
unwanted attention aimed at FIMS,
the word technoculture, or a certain
class of 85%, we pulled together
in support of our degree and our
professors, even as campus buzzed
with judgement. The one professor
that needed that support the most,
we are proud to announce, is once
again the mitZine Award winner for
Favourite First-Year instructor: John
Reed.
When we congratulated Reed via
email, the former FIMS T.A. was quick
to put the awards into perspective:
Recognition of an individual is
somewhat misleading because it
takes a teaching team to run a class,
he wrote. I was a T.A. years ago in
this program, and Ive worked for and
learned from so many great people
here. I continue to learn from them.
For Reed, the mitZine Awards affrm
the beauty of learning, and why we
come to university in the frst place. I
see it as recognition that the material
resonates with the students, he
wrote in an email. This material then
pinballs around with material from
other classes and creates something
greater than its parts. That is the
thrill of education. Its the universe of
ideas that is part of university.
By some beautiful work of fate, we are
excited to honour this issues Guest
Writer, Selma Purac, as Favourite
Upper-Year Instructor. Purac was a
heavy hitter at this years mitZine
Awards, with her course Exploring
Consumerism earning the most
votesin a tough competitionto
be named the inaugural winner of
Favourite Non-Required FIMS Course.
Im deeply fattered, she wrote to us.
Ive been lucky, though. My students
make it a lot easier for me. They dont
seem to realize that they have the
power to make my life a good deal
more diffcult; happily (for me), they
do just the opposite instead.
In the age of RateMyProf, where good
teaching is assumed to be a one-way
street, Purac brings up an interesting
point: the student matters too.
Their engagement and enthusiasm
makes it easier for me to convey
mine, she writes to her numerous
supporters. Moreover, MIT students
often read media in such insightful
and surprising ways; it keeps me on
my toes.
Honourable mentions must be made
to Professors Warren Steele and Tim
Blackmore, who came in close seconds
to Purac and Reed, respectively. For
some more enrollment inspiration, log
onto mitZine.ca for a complete list of
the non-required FIMS courses voted
for in the new category!
Honourable Mention: Warren Steele Honourable Mention: Tim Blackmore
photo credit: Cameron Wilson
As RateMyProf slowly fades out of our digital conscience along with MySpace and Angelfre,
the Second Annual mitZine Awards are back to re-validate the worth of ranking your education.
[mitZine v11.i5] 7
NON-REQUIRED FIMS COURSE OF THE YEAR
MIT STUDENTS COUNCIL MEMBER OF THE YEAR
MIT ZINE CONTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR
MITSC STREET TEAM CONTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR
HADRIAN MERTINS-KIRKWOOD
MIT 2306: EXPLORING CONSUMERISM
KEVIN HURREN
NICO DIPLACIDO
The work of the many talented and passionate students on the MITSC can often slip under the radar and behind the mask of their many
projects, but the mitZine Awards are happy to recognize their work once again.
In a year where eight members received votes from their council peers, Production Coordinatorand former mitZine Editor-in-Chief
Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood pulled off the title of MITSC Member of the Year.
As FIMS and Western struggled with their own branding issues, refected in the Western U name-change and the enlightening (read:
frustrating) What is FIMS and is it working? Rogers Chair discussions, Hadrian deftly guided the MITSC in the right direction. Sidestepping
any potential for a council branding crisis, Hadrian churned out top-notch promotional material for every MITSC initiative. Redefning what
it means to be the man behind the curtain, Hadrian helped bring a fresh and professional polish to the MITSC with his skillful behind-
the-scenes work. Well done, Hadrian!
Late capitalist society is often defned by its monstrous appetite. Indeed, our need to consume plays a central though ambiguous role in
the construction of self and its others in contemporary culture. From Marx to The Donald, from Romeros Dawn of the Dead to Palahniuks
Fight Club, this course explores both the promises and perils inherent in consumption and examines how metaphors of consumption
evoke the potent cultural anxieties of our post-Fordist age. (via fms.uwo.ca)
See the mitZine Online for a complete list of favourite non-required courses.
In this crazy capitalist world, incentive usually boils down to the dollar amount. In the crazy dry world of journalism, traditional conceptions
of incentive boil down to about nothing. When youre a small, free, poorly-funded student zine with a wavering readership and reputation,
incentive cant be thought of in the traditional way. Something keeps our contributors contributing, and were proud to say that each year
they impress us even more.
First-year student Kevin Hurren took the advice of every Get Involved!-spouting soph and rez staffer to heart and frequently turned out
consistently enjoyable work that made producing the mitZine and mitzine.ca such a joy. Congrats, Kevin!
Honourable mention to veteran contributors Sarah Koopmans and Paul Foreign Correspondent Craig, who continue to impress with their
critical insights and sharp wit, no matter what country they write from. Special thanks to Chris Kay for helping tackle the new realm of
mitZine promotions as we continue to defne ourselves as a publication. Looking forward to working with you all again!
This years reincarnated MITSC Street Team was full of intelligent and enthusiastic members eager to shape FIMS reputation on campus.
But Nico DiPlacido especially stood out. His willingness to participate in flming, endless supply of creative ideas, and ability to organize
promotions did not go unnoticed, and were greatly appreciated by the leadership team. Congrats, Nico!
Honourable Mentions: Linley McConnell, Jessica Segal
Professor: Selma Purac
Honourable mentions: Paul Craig, Sarah Koopmans, Chris Kay
8 [mitZine v11.i5]
mitZinewesternlife
As we sit here in The Spoke and write this fnal letter, its hard not to get
nostalgic about the past four years at this wonderful institution. Being a
part of FIMS has been the best thing that has happened to us. We both
have had very different experiences, but the one thing we both agree on
is the uniqueness of this faculty, from the course names right down to the
individuals who fll FIMS classes. You are all such fucking cool people.
To the grads of 2012, we wish you the very best as you transition into
adulthood. Some things just cannot continue when you cant call yourself
a student any longer (or maybe they can, and we just wont put them on
Facebook). Regardless of where life is going to take you, we wish you the
very best! To future grads, we also wish you the best and look forward to
hearing about your upcoming years at Western and in FIMS.
Thank you for a fantastic year. It is because of you that we sang along
to Nozuka, got Inappropriate at Lavish, met and greeted our profs, and
networked with FIMS alumni at Career Day. Thank you for giving us an
unforgettable year.
Please, never forget to FSU.
Sincerely,
Zach Irrelevant President Valliant
Jess Irrelevant VP External Bronstein
hasta la vista, baby.
2012-2013
FIMS STUDENTS
COUNCIL
2012-2013 FIMS SOPH TEAM
PRESIDENT
Jordan Coop
VP EXTERNAL
Kelly Mark
VP COMMUNICATIONS
Sabrina Zavarise
VP ACADEMICS
Elizabeth Sarjeant
VP FINANCE
Aditi Bhargava
VP EVENTS
Anna Peirce
FACULTY LIASION
Kelly Hobson
PRODUCTION
COORDINATOR
Sasha Barkans
MTP REPRESENTATIVE
Jake Kislinsky
MPI REPRESENTATIVE
Jas Irwin
CHAIRPERSON
Kelley Morgan
CHARITY COMMISSIONER
Monica Abidir
ALUMNI RELATIONS
Jessica Pirraglia
MITZINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jordan Pearson
STREET TEAM
COORDINATOR
Stephanie Schoenhoff
HEAD SOPH
Genevieve LaCute
WEBMASTER
Molly McCracken
GRADUATES
REPRESENTATIVE
Cindy Ma
Genevieve La Cute (Head Soph)
Suri Waller (Assistant Head Soph)
Alanna Osborne (Assistant Head Soph)
Taylor Rivers (Assistant Head Soph)
Monica Abadir
Tyler Benning
Taylor Bernier
Rachel Birnberg
Ian Clarke
Emily Duggan
Jeff Duggan
Sarah Ellam
Victoria Ercolao
Karin Freeman
Kelsey Glaser
Meredith Hardie
Carolyn Irwin
Chris Kay
Bridgit Kazor
Caileigh Kyle
Linley McConnell
Rachel Petford
Jessica Pirraglia
Lianne Pitts
Jamie Rajf
Hayley Rudolf
Shayne Sadler
Steph Schoenhoff
Michael Usling
Jenna van Klaveren
Stephanie Whent
Leanne Whitehouse
Hannah Wright
Daphne Wu
Sabrina Zavarise
[mitZine v11.i5] 9
DEAR DIGITAL DETOX DIARY
The nature of this assignment was to remain unplugged for Reading Week, which meant
no Facebook, Twitter, or texting, and to keep a diary of thoughts and feelings while going
into digital detox. I have to acknowledge the courage and dedication of my students in the
MIT 2374G: Social Networking course for having soldiered through this non-compulsory
assignment. What may appear to be deceptively simple proved, in a majority of cases, an
ordeal, and many employed metaphors associated with addiction. Some students would
never opt to do this again, while others expressed self-discovery and higher productivity.
- Kane X. Faucher
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10 [mitZine v11.i5]
S
urpassing mothers, fathers, labour, and
most religious occasions, social media
have a full fve days dedicated to their
celebration. You probably celebrated Social
Media Week (SMW) at some point from
February 13th to 17th simply by updating
your status or liking a meme.
The question is, how and why are social
media being celebrated? What exactly are we
celebrating? According to this years promo
video, Social Media Weeks mission is to
explore how local and regional societies,
cultures, and economies are becoming
more integrated and empowered through a
global network of communication.
Events occurring worldwide during Social
Media Week February 2012 were divided
into categories according to which aspect
of social media they explored. Under
Politics and Government, for example,
Berlin hosted Facebook Revolutions?
The Role of Social Media for Political
Change in the Arab World. Meanwhile, in
Chicago, advertising execs congregated for
When Integrated Marketing Met Social:
Love at First Like in the Advertising
and Marketing category. A quick scroll
through SMWs online event archive
reveals a long list heavy in the categories
of advertising, marketing, entertainment,
business innovation, technology, and even
Networking and Parties.
SMW founder and promotional video
star Toby Daniels promised to spend the
week showcasing some of the worlds
most exciting new business innovation.
Filmed sitting in a conspicuously spacious
conference room and donning a tightly-
ftted business suit, he narrates the better
part of SMWs February promo video.
While Daniels earnestly tosses around such
phrases as collaborative consumption
and networked businesses, mentions
of empathy and global support for
revolutions are not the priority of his
fragmented endorsement.
Its safe to assume that Februarys SMW
conferences were primarily attended
by professionals interested in online
marketing. Despite its value as a marketing
tool, less than 50 percent of all brands use
social media to drive awareness, and only
one in ten brands say social media is a top
three priority, BlueLithium Advertising
laments. Cue Social Media Week, which
FIMS instructor Trent Cruz aptly calls an
industry PR event. The conference series
can also be seen as an awareness campaign
in order to get more businesses on board
the social media marketing train. And what
better sponsor than Nokia, a multi-billion-
dollar, multinational communications
corporation?
Im not surprised there are no panels on
state surveillance of social media from
UK to Egypt or Twitters new censorship
program, Cruz says. Indeed, the rhetoric
used by SMW is exclusively positive about
the effects of social media.
Though the week is never referred to as
a celebration by its spokespeople, this
seems a far more accurate descriptor
than the buzzword exploration. SMW
presupposes that social media are inherently
benefcial, not only as a tool for business
innovation but as a democratic means of
social change.
Alternatively, FIMS Professor Kane
Faucher sees SMW as a mass meme of
me-meism. After all, what are social media
to us if not an excuse for online narcissism,
fostered by wit-confrming retweets, Reddit
upvotes, and Facebook likes?
In September 2011, Facebook declared
an impressive IPO of $5 billion and laid
claim to 800 million users. For us, however,
Facebook is only as large as our personalized
News Feeds. Social media give us the
chance to make our own voices heard, no
matter what were saying. Since we are the
primary producers of social media, SMW is
a chance to celebrate ourselves.
If you think social media are a cause for
celebration, put down this zine, get back on
social media, like more brands, change
your profle picture, and stay tuned for
Social Media Week September 24-28.
Social Media Week and You: A Cause for Celebration?
written by Elizabeth Sarjeant, illustrated by Jordan Coop
After all, what are
social media to us if not
an excuse for online
narcissism, fostered by
wit-confrming retweets,
Reddit upvotes, and
Facebook likes?
[mitZine v11.i5] 11
Summer Internships:
Slave Labour or a Valuable In on the Media Industry?
written by Melanie Anderson, illustrated by Lauren McVittie
T
he academic year is quickly
coming to a close. However
excited you may be to start your
summer, the questions on your mind
will likely include: Whats next for me?
Will I get a job? How?
Internships are becoming popular
avenues for media-related work
experience. Media internships are often
unpaid; however, the majority of jobs
available are located in the Toronto
area. How can you pay rent in Toronto
with no income? The decision with
which youll likely be left is whether
or not to forego the paycheque for
relevant work experience.
The summer after my frst year, I
interned at GlobalTV for a 6-week
unpaid position and I also volunteered
at CHRW part-time for two months
last summer. I will admit, maintaining
the motivation to work every day while
knowing youre not making any money
is diffcult. However, the connections
established and experience gained
is often more valuable. I have been
able to develop media and journalism
contacts, and have confrmed
excellent references for future job
recommendations. I make a concerted
effort to maintain connections with
several contacts at Global, and my
volunteer experience at CHRW led me
to a paid position there last year.
Ive learned that when seeking specifc
experience and hands-on work in the media industry, it may be better
to apply at a small media outlet where youll have the opportunity
to get involved more directly with more challenging projects. The
more prominent media companies stationed in Toronto may be
great places to get your foot in the door, but odds are youll be
assigned to less signifcant tasks, such as doing research or making
phone calls.
Fourth-year MTP student Caroline
Cameron interned at Sportsnets FAN
590 for two summers and at TSNs Off
the Record for one. Its all about getting
your foot in the door, says Cameron.
But she also knows that being an intern
isnt easy: One of the downsides is
that its usually unpaid. When I worked
at the FAN, I worked full-time at another job during the day and
would come to the FAN a few nights a week. There were a lot of
long days, but I knew that it would pay off.
Internships push participants out of their comfort zone, and can
also open eyes to a fast-paced media industry thats always evolving.
The students at Fanshawes TV program have the opportunity to
complete a one-month internship as a part of their curriculum.
Laurel-Ann Hardie, a professor in the Fanshawe TV program,
says its important for students to showcase their knowledge: For
those in the industry its an opportunity to see what youre like,
what your work ethic is, and what your skills are.
Eligible MIT and MPI students have the option of earning an
academic credit through an internship. FIMS Internship Coordinator
Susan Weekes works closely with applicants to refne their rsums
and cover letters for specifc positions. This is an important
ability that helps students recognize past experience and personal
skills that they can offer to potential
employers, says Weekes. It also helps
gauge a students professional readiness in
terms of following instructions, initiative,
and attitude.
Internships work as either a one-to-
one match, where Weekes contacts an
employer to submit a students application,
or by competition. Some positions are
posted, whereupon MIT and MPI students can submit applications
through the coordinator. Students are also encouraged to apply for
internships on their own, whether for academic credit or otherwise.
Weekes advises that internships arent just about earning practical
skills to go along with your degreeyou might learn something
about yourself, too. All experiences help students re-evaluate their
course selection and career goals, she says. An unpaid internship
can save time and money if they decide to set out on a different
path.
Internships push participants out
of their comfort zone, and can also
open eyes to a fast-paced media
industry thats always evolving.
12 [mitZine v11.i5]
We often forget that we come to university around
the age of 18when illegal drinking is exciting and
make-outs count as kills.
When you get to university, you believe that in
the next few years youll have fun and get into
uncomfortable situations that will shape you into
that cool person youve always wanted to be. If you
were to ask First-Year Me what my university bucket
list consisted of, youd likely get the Gazette-friendly
response: attend a varsity game, go to a Rick McGhie
Wednesday, have sex on campus, eat at The Wave, skip a
class, hook up with a TA, go tobogganing down UC Hill, join
a club, make a soph team, et cetera, ad nauseum and so forth.
Ive accomplished many of these standard things over the last four
years (although, my TAs were never into me), and while Im leaving Jacks
Mondays and post-Ceeps poutine behind, it will be interesting to see how that
bucket list helped me.

My four years at UWO (as it was called back in my day), were special for all of the unpredictable moments.
Sure I had a buffalo chicken wrap from The Wave, but it didnt defne my experience here. While I realize lists
help motivate people, they wont help you become a better person by the end of university. If I could replace
your list and challenge you with one task throughout your university career, it would be: meet people. If youre
intelligent and interesting enough to come to this school, so are the thousands of people who join you. You
will always come across people you dislike, but remember what they do for youpushing them away helps
defne who you are. People can introduce you to new things, help you through your academics, inspire you,
and can get you through tough times better than a CLT ever
could.

Go ahead and make a bucket list, but constantly change it.
Adapt some of the FIMS mentality and escape the narrow ideals
of university student life fed to you by the media. If you graduate
happy to pursue a life of numbers, formulas, and structure, so
be it, but never plan for it before exploring elsewhere. Come
fourth year, your list of accomplishments will rarely relate to
challenges set by a bucket list. Jenny and I agree that youll
never know what will mean the most to you in
university when you frst get here, and rightfully
so. As a soon-to-be-irrelevant graduate of this
fabulous environment, I suggest you meet as
many people as you can, and open yourself up
to experiences you might proudly chalk down as
meaningful accomplishments. Finish school, and
re-work that bucket list into something that makes
sense to you. Weve compiled a bucket list that
makes sense for our experiences here, and might
make sense for yours, too:
KICKING
YOUR
BUCKET LIST
intro by Mitchell Sturm,
list by Jennifer Stranges
[mitZine v11.i5] 13
1. Defend "technoculture" as a word but avoid explaining what it m
eans at all costs.
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pam
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ay that youre waiting for the gym
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pend countless hours being Head S
oph, and even longer trying to explain what

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14. Never understand how m
any dance groups are in the UCC. W
here do they
perform
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hy do they like Busta Rhym
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uch?
15. Have self-diagnosed S
enioritisin third year.

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augeen S
tripper, "S
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tart the S
poke's Beer Tour of the W
orld and com
plete only four destinations.
21. Never register your license plate with W
estern and throw out all of your tickets.
22. Never feel com
fortable anywhere south of King S
treet.
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24. S
tart an anonym
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estern-related Twitter account and fail m
iserably.
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26. S
cram
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ester at W
estern to eat at all the
restaurants in London youve always wanted to.
27. Never em
brace the Poster S
ale. Ever.
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.! :.
14 [mitZine v11.i5]
G
eneral Dynamics is one of the largest weapons manufacturers in the world. Between
2003 and 2007 the United States hired over 190,000 similar military contractors
for the Iraq War. The military-industrial complex is frequently discussed in FIMS
and provides an important focal point in questioning the work of the organization and its
disturbing involvement with Westerns Faculty of Engineering.
In December 2004, General Dynamics Canada contracted Western to conduct research on
the composite fracture mechanics, or armour, of the LAVIII, an eight-wheeled, light-
armoured fghting vehicle. Otherwise known as the Stryker, this vehicle was predominantly
used in the Iraq War and in Afghanistan. The GDC website states that the Stryker addresses
todays need for a fast, versatile, and survivable combat vehicle rapidly deployable by C-130
aircraft, and that it enables the soldier to achieve mission success quickly and decisively.
The $800,000 project was unearthed by Professor Bernie Hammond and FIMS Associate
Dean Nick Dyer-Witheford, who, along with other anti-war activists, formed a group
called Counter-Stryker. The groups founding aim was to establish awareness of the
Stryker project and other hidden realities of Westerns military research programs.
FIMS Instructor Trent Cruz, another founder of Counter-Stryker, explains that the group
was concerned about a lack of transparency in military research projects and funding at
the University. The constitution of Counter-Stryker demands
a formalized and public process to openly address concerns
regarding University research funded by organizations associated
with the military-industrial complex, he says.
The group appealed to the University under a Freedom of
Information Request to disclose all military contracts at Western.
Appeals continued annually until 2009. A few of the projects
disclosed included a $300,000 deal with Canadas National
Defence Department, a carbon nanotube technology used to
enhance stealth fghters, and an ultrafne powder technology.
Further information was protected by privacy acts.
Counter-Strykers most substantial task was their pursuit of
instating an ethics review at the University. When Nick Dyer-Withefords proposal to
The Senate was denied, former Vice President of Research and International Affairs, Ted
Hewitt, made the fnal statement: In the absence of national or other comprehensive
guidelines for addressing ethical issues associated with military-related research, any
discussion regarding the establishment of an ethical review body at UWO with the express
purpose of reviewing projects with military implications is premature.
One 2006 discussion panel at a forum for professors, students, and London community
members, asserted that Westerns participation in this contract was a signifcant political
statement that needed to be addressed. Panel member and FIMS Professor Tim Blackmore
said of the Stryker, This is a machine you use to knock over a country to colonize.
Nonetheless, there has been sparse media coverage of this project. Apart from Counter-
Strykers coverage of the issue, only two other articles were published by The Gazette and
The Online Reporter. Counter-Stryker provided alternative media coverage, and its blog and
Facebook group served as a public forum for community members to debate the issue.
Despite these efforts, the Stryker is still being manufactured in London. In October 2011, a
renewal contract was signed by both the London and Edmonton General Dynamics plants
to enhance the LAVIII through a $1-billion project funded by the Canadian government.
Universities are a source not only of new, innovative technologies and the worlds brightest
academics, but of young, malleable minds who are seen as good candidates for military
research. Groups have sprung up at other Canadian universities, such as McGill and the
University of Toronto, in response not only to the militarization of university research but
also to its corporatization.
From April 27 to 29, U of T will host a conference on Struggles Within and Beyond the
Neoliberal University to address the disconcerting trends in university structure, where
topics will include the militarization of the university and the politics of research funding.
In the meantime, groups like Counter-Stryker work to reclaim the public space of the
university and to further democratic conversations surrounding the research and projects
undertaken by academic institutions.
The (General) Dynamics of
Westerns Military Involvement
written by Kyla Garvey, illustrated by Martin Boustany
groups like Counter-
Stryker work to reclaim
the public space of
the university and to
further democratic
conversations
surrounding the
research and projects
undertaken by
academic institutions.
[mitZine v11.i5] 15
COUNTERPOINT:
The Intellectual Cost of a Moderate Academic Chair
written by David Conlin, illustrated by Megan Hackney
A
s I read Aaron Zaltzmans article titled The Ethical
Costs of an Academic Chair, I couldnt help but
sympathize with his concern. Why would Huron
College associate its academic chair with organizations that
have ties to terrorism? Zaltzman provides an interesting
and valid perspective on the matter that is well-thought
through and argued passionately.
There are two sides to every argument, however, and
Zaltzmans is no exception. He accuses groups that
donated the money of being tainted with Islamist ideology,
and consequently proposes that the decision to appoint
Dr. Ingrid Mattson may have been infuenced by these
controversial groups.
Zaltzmans concern about Islamist ideology keeps coming
back to ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. It should be
noted, however, that if Huron were to approach different
Islamic organizations for funding, it would be hard to
escape the Brotherhoods infuence. When the United States
changed its immigration laws in 1965, many Muslims with
ties to the Brotherhood moved to the U.S. and began to
form student organizations, mosques, and Islamic centres.
The political views of the Brotherhood may be
controversial, but they certainly arent the only aspect of
the organization; the Brotherhood has also promoted and
carried out many acts of charity throughout the Islamic
world. In fact, members of the Brotherhood created
both the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and
the Muslim American Student Association (MASA), two
organizations that have played a large part in educating
young Muslims and advocating human rights.
Zaltzmans main focus is not that the funding is tainted,
but rather that these organizations may have played a part
in deciding who to appoint to the Chair. After all, whoever
is appointed will ultimately have control over academic
content. While Huron maintains that their Executive
Board made the fnal decision, Zaltzman takes issue with
the fnal choice, Dr. Mattson. Despite Mattsons reputation
as a committed democrat, Zaltzman warns, she has also
been called an Islamic extremist.
Instead, Zaltzman upholds the Huron alumni groups
suggestion of Tarek Fatah for the Chair. Fatah is viewed
as a progressive and a liberal. His fght for issues such as
gay rights in Islam is certainly admirable, and he is indeed
an important advocate of what the Western world would
consider progress in Islam.
Nonetheless, the decision to appoint Fatah would also
have been met with harsh criticism. In the eyes of many
Islamic scholars, Fatah has earned a reputation of holding
a few extremists to represent Islam as a whole. Whether
or not the accusation is warranted, many believe Fatah has
distanced himself from traditional Islamic thought.
Dr. Mattson, on the other hand, was named the frst female
president of the Islamic Society of North America in 2006,
a platform she used to advocate for human rights and
encourage public condemnation of terrorism committed
in the name of Islam. Though the ISNA was indeed
listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the federal
terrorism trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and
Development, Dr. Mattson was brought in as president
of the ISNA in order to represent the vast majority of
Muslims who do not support terrorism.
In a time of uncertainty and persecution for Muslims in
America, Dr. Mattson has been a voice of reason, explaining
how traditional Islamic values can ft into Western society.
From the perspective of the University, hiring Dr. Mattson
may be a better way to tap into mainstream Islamic thought.
Figures like Tarek Fatah are certainly important for Islam,
but the risk of being seen as out-of-touch with mainstream
Islam is one the University cant afford to take. By hiring
Dr. Mattson, the University gains a Chair with impressive
credentials and with the ability to maintain a connection
with the heart of traditional Islam. After all, learning about
Islam doesnt mean learning about the parts of Islam we
agree with or understand. Instead, we should be learning
everything we can.
Disagree with an mitZine article? Voice your opinion: editor@mitZine.
16 [mitZine v11.i5]
mitZinearts&entertainment
N
erds dont get much respect at the Oscars. In our living
rooms this year, even less. When seven of the frst ten
awards at Februarys ceremony were in technical categories,
living rooms round the world echoed in a collective groan. If
Nielsen had ratings for how many viewers eye-rolled their TV set
within the frst hour, the stats would probably be comparable to
how many viewers tried to cheek-pinch their monitors watching
that kid in KONY 2012. So, lots.
When most people watch the Oscars, they want to see the stars.
When those in the industry watch or attend the Oscars, we assume
they want to acknowledge the work of their colleaguesif they
arent too busy Jolieing, that is. So, what are the Oscars for,
then, if not gawking at celebs gawking at themselves? Hollywoods
biggest night is really just a glorifed celebrity circle jerk, isnt it?
Maybe nerds have no place in the circle
But the Oscars have been changing. Entertainment Weekly flm critic
Owen Gleiberman blogged in January that the Academy seems to
be distancing itself from its past where what was popular and
Hollywood was the focus of the night. Gleiberman thinks that
with the recent Best Picture victories of The Hurt Locker and The
Artist, the Oscars have lost the old Hollywood spirit they once
embodied where flms like Rocky and Titanic prevailed.
Really, this poses the perfect opportunity for the nerds to stage
their revenge. If Gleibermans sea change is a move in favour
of art, then perhaps the art of so-called technical work will have
a place. Opening the show with the Best Cinematography award
meant more than just the fact that wed have to wait through two
hours of intermittently funny presenters for an overstuffed fnal
act of Hot Celebrity. It meant that we had to fnally notice the
nerds. Damn them for looking so normal!
Its about time they get some more credit.
Oscar nights technical awards arent even the really technical awards.
Indeed, there is a whole slew of nerds who arent welcomed to
Oscars main party, but instead are granted a special night where
a fading B-list starlet presents awards for innovation in flm
engineering and design. This year, Milla Jovovich wore glasses to
present the awards, so we know she cares about smart things.
Maybe Jovovich had it right, though. Maybe its time Oscar was
bespectacled.
The 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike brought
more recognition to workers behind the scenes, but for an already
somewhat recognizable crowd of entertainment employees like
Tina Fey and B.J. Novak, the writers eventual win came at a cost
to the many technical workers who hold little to no symbolic
star value in the cultural eyenot to mention, the eye of their
employers. During the strike, the Alliance of Motion Picture and
Television Producers (AMPTP) estimated that the lost wages
of WGA members and the International Alliance of Theatrical
Stage Employees (IATSE), the labor union representing technical
workers, totalled more than $300 million.
Writers were taking a gamble, says FIMS professor and cultural
labour researcher Matt Stahl, but they had a good sense of their
worth. You cant outsource writing work like you can technical
work.
Stahl traces what he calls the symbolic value of writers back
to the industrys move from the East to West coast: Hollywood
studios began hiring well-known writers who had some recognition
out in the world, he says, and they brought that consciousness
with them, where they were then treated like cogs in machines.
Naturally, the WGA was born.
Despite the advantages that IATSE brings to technical workers, the
sad truth is that they hold no bargaining power. Technical artists
are overworked, underappreciatedsome identifying themselves
as no more than wrists in the processand easily outsourced.
Outsourcing has really undermined the power of Hollywood
unions to have an effect on studios, says Stahl.
Where visible faces like Tina Fey have given extra heft to unions
and brought writers to the forefront of creativity, technical artists
are still missing in the equation of stardom and recognition. A
recent viral video called to make one man famous to effect change.
Similarly, in order to effect change in the labour conditions of
technical workers, the nerds might need their own famous face.
For now, theyre still waiting for that euphoric revenge moment
when Freddie Mercury blasts on the intercom of the college
campus that is Hollywood.
Revenge of the Technical Worker:
Why You Should Care about Oscars Technical Awards
written by Jonathan Forani, illustrated by Lauren Nicholson
Outsourcing has really undermined the power of Hollywood unions to have an effect on studios
[mitZine v11.i5] 17
To Be Continued:
Analyzing the Effects of the
Chris Brown/Rihanna Collision
written by Ademofe Oye-Adeniran,
illustrated by Stephanie Whent
A
fter a very public criminal
court case in August 2009,
Chris Brown pleaded guilty
to charges of assaulting pop-star
girlfriend Rihanna. Under this plea
deal, Brown was sentenced to fve
years on probation and 1400 hours
in community service. Those who
thought the Rihanna/Chris Brown
story was over though were evidently
mistaken.
Through the years, despite Brown and
Rihannas persistent expression of
love for one another, people believed
both celebrities would move on with
their lives. Naturally, the tabloids were
there to tell the real storyor, at least,
a version of it. Reports of Browns
Good Morning America tantrum and a
supposed Twitter war between his new
girlfriend and Rihanna made tabloid
headlines. Both singers seem to have
used this publicity to their advantage
by releasing songs easily linked to
their abusive relationship. A year after
Brown was sentenced, he released
Deuces, about walking away from a
bad relationship. It doesnt take golden
ears to realize the song could be about
Rihanna, but it does contain alarmingly
condescending and insulting lyrics
towards the woman in the relationship.
On the other side, Rihanna released
Man Down. In the video, Rihanna
shoots a man after he rapes her, and
is left to deal with her conficted
emotions, showing the toll that sexual
abuse can have on an individual.
Parent groups were outraged that it
promoted violence; if anything, the
video shows that violence only begets
more violence.
The key question is: why do people
care about the irrelevant details of the
tantrums, fghts, and lyrics? Perhaps it
is because this did not just happen to
any everyday coupleit happened to
two celebs who rose to the height of
their career together. After the 2009
incident with Rihanna, people watched
as Browns career spiraled downwards.
The controversy would resurface again
soon though, this time disturbingly in
his favour.
In 2012, Brown was enlisted to perform
at the Grammy Awardstwice. After
the show, a signifcant number of
girls tweeted that Brown could beat
them anytime. Soon after, Rihanna
and Chris Brown released remixes of
their songs together. Chris Browns
Turn Up the Music and Rihannas
Birthday Cake became hits and
reignited the speculation that they
were getting back together, although
their representatives quickly dismissed
this as a rumour.
Some took Rihannas actions as
condoning Browns behaviour. Instead
of moving on with her life, she chose
to sing a song with the very person
that abused her three years ago. Brown
throwing unnecessary tantrums and
releasing condescending songs that
possibly relate to Rihanna can be
translated as an insensitive response
to his actions. Perhaps this is all an
attempt to attain closure and move
on. However, other people see their
actions as disregarding the importance
of issues regarding domestic abuse.
Brown and Rihannas actions send a
murky message, especially to young
women who may currently be in
abusive relationships. Domestic abuse
shouldnt be taken lightly, and girls
tweeting that theyd let Chris Brown
beat them is more than disconcerting.
It is not necessary to pay attention
to every detail of Chris Brown and
Rihannas relationship, because their
actions are based on their choices,
which the public cannot infuence.
People should pay attention to the
messages consumed by young people,
and perhaps provide more alternatives
to help youth realize and defend
the importance of issues regarding
domestic abuse.
18 [mitZine v11.i5]
H
ave you ever had a great idea for
a book, wanted to create a short
flm, or even make a card game
about a velociraptor eating kittens? If you
think you have an awesome idea, lucky for
you Kickstarter.com may actually be able to
make your previously far-fung aspirations
tangible.
Founded in 2009, Kickstarter is the worlds
largest funding platform for innovative
projects that range from art and publishing
to technology and food. Everyone and
anyone is invited to start an endeavour on
this website, from an entrepreneurial guru
to your grumpy old neighbour. In order
to solicit donations, the project initiator
explicitly lays out their plan of action by
explaining their idea, what they intend to
do with the funds, the minimum amount
of money they would like to raise, and the
deadline for reaching that goal. Based on
an all-or-nothing model, if the project is
unable to reach its stated monetary goal
by the deadline, then no money changes
hands.
On Kickstarter, the general public is able
to browse through thousands of ideas and
pledge as little or as much money as they
wish to the different initiatives. In turn,
they get inside access to the projects they
fnance as well as a personal memento of
their contribution. Unlike conventional
investments, Kickstarter allows creators to
keep all ownership rights and full control
over their work. Last year alone, over 25,000
projects were launched with a fundraising
success rate of forty-six percent, and a total
of almost $100 million was pledged by over
a million project backers.
In todays society, money is often a barrier
to creativity. Thankfully, we can all stop
wishing that we had a rich uncle, because
Kickstarter allows cash-strapped, yet
passionate, hopefuls to get their ideas
off the ground. Through crowd funding,
the website allows
creativity to fourish
and fantastic ideas to
become a reality. It
allows unconventional
and small projects
that fnanciers dont
typically invest in to
break through and
attract funds through
the wisdom and choice
of the crowd. By
taking the fnancial
risk out of creativity, Kickstarter has the
potential to make innovation and creativity
more inclusive to all.
Sounds like a creative FIMS students dream
website, right? Not necessarily. If everyone
is able to create projects, then critics may
argue that the overall quality of art may
suffer. However, based on Kickstarters
model, projects have to be impressive
enough to garner the online
populaces support before
they can be produced.
Since successfully-funded
projects are often well-liked
ones, will this contribute
to the dumbifcation of
art? While this remains
to be seen, Kickstarter
has garnered so much
interest primarily because
the website consists of an
abundant number of small
projects that arent typically invested in.
As a result, these alternative projects fght
against the homogenization of creative
culture.
Yancey Strickler, a co-founder of
Kickstarter, reminds us that every project
has a story. Everyone is doing something
meaningful and something they care about,
and we get to follow along and be a part of
it through traditional peer-to-peer sharing.
Kickstarter and other similar crowd-funding
websites may be facilitating the beginnings
of an indie culture revolution by bringing
together people who may not connect
otherwise. It appears as if the accessible
web-based middleman between artists
and the Average Joe venture-capitalist
is just beginning to see the potential of
crowdfunding in the proliferation of artistic
ventures.
Kickstarting Your
Creative Dreams
written by Christine Tippett,
illustrated by
Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood
Thankfully, we can
all stop wishing that
we had a rich uncle,
because Kickstarter
allows disenfranchised
yet passionate hopefuls
to get their ideas off the
ground.
[mitZine v11.i5] 19
T
he curtains have closed, the jewellerys returned, and the glitter has long been swept off the stage of the Hollywood and Highland
Center as the 84th Academy Awards came and went. As classes wrap up here at Western, you may be preparing to spend your
lazy summer days doing the Oscar catch-upthat is, watching the nominated flms you missed in the midst of school. But before
the movie marathon begins, a cautionary tale should be told about this years Oscar batch. Instead of exploring new worlds and
locales, many of the nominated flms chose to draw from history for inspiration. While these flms
at frst seem to be retelling the stories of the past, none are completely innocent of adding or
removing details and creating a number of historical inaccuracies along the way.
Take, for instance, The Help, a flm celebrated for its talented ensemble of female actors. Not
even Octavia Spencer, Supporting Actress Oscar-winner, could make The Help immune to
criticism, as controversy arose over the dialect used in the flm. Set in the South, the flm
replaced the appropriate regional accent with a childlike, over-exaggerated black dialect.
This point, among others, was addressed by the Association of Black Women Historians,
who called out both the book and flm adaptation of the story for distorting and misleading
viewers away from the historical realities of black communities during the civil rights era.
The Association also argued that the incorrect portrayals make the flm less a story about
hard-working, dignifed black women labouring in white homes and more a coming-of-age
fable for its white protagonist.
Speaking of female white protagonists, The Iron Lady is also guilty of having a
selective historical outlook. As a flm about the life of Margaret Thatcher,
the frst female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the 20th
centurys longest-serving British PM, the content was received with
mixed reviews. While the flm tells a truly riveting story about
a powerful individual overcoming both social and political
obstacles, The Iron Lady spends a surprising amount time
painting Thatcher as a fragile, dementia-ridden woman.
Comparatively, the flm spends very little time exploring
how Thatcher received the Iron Lady nickname, as
the narrative trajectory seems to skip over the parts
of Thatchers career where she was criticised as job-
killing warmonger.
The list can go on. Whether its no-mans-land
bromance in War Horse, or the writers of Moneyball
highlighting the performance of one Oakland A
player by ignoring the remarkable trio of starting
pitchers on the team, artistic liberties have
been taken with many flms this year. There is,
however, nothing inherently wrong with this
process. The writers and directors involved
with these flms had no malicious intent in
their projectsfor the most part, they make
flms to entertain. With the collection of
stellar flms produced, they certainly achieved
this goal. While many of the flms seem to
be taken from the history books, at the end
of the day the flms are pieces of art, and
should be viewed with a critical eye. While all
are free to enjoy these award-winning flms,
remember: just as all that glitters is not gold,
all that glitters with Hollywood glamour is
not truth.
Hollywood-ing History:
Masking Truth Through Films Selective Lense
written by Kevin Hurren
While these flms at frst seem to be retelling the stories of the past, none are
completely innocent of adding or removing details and creating a number of
historical inaccuracies along the way.
20 [mitZine v11.i5]
E
very time a successful TV show
debuts in the U.S., it seems a
Canadian counterpart soon follows.
Canadas Next Top Model, Canadian Idol, and
So You Think You Can Dance Canada are just
a sampling of spin-offs, which jumped
the border to the True North strong and
free. The latest to join the list is The Real
Housewives of Vancouver, following the
success of its counterparts in Beverly Hills,
New York City, Miami, Atlanta, New Jersey,
and dont forget the one that started it
allOrange County.
How did the public react to Canadas Real
Housewives import? In a March issue of The
Winnipeg Free Press, Brad Oswald wrote that
shows such as these arent smart shows;
they are unapologetically stupid shows, but
they offer base level escapist entertainment
that many TV watchers clearly cant resist.
While there is no doubt that entertainment
is meant for escapism, should we
escape to shows about the conficts of
overwhelmingly wealthy wives of rich men?
Barbara Williams, the top programmer
of the shows production company, Shaw
Media, seems to think so and is excited to
launch a Canadian edition following the
viewers craving for the show. Likewise,
producer Louise Clark is enthusiastic about
creating a Canadian edition of the series.
However, all of the comments in Oswalds
article demonstrated the users opposition
to the Canadian edition, including one
commenters assertion that the series
consists of nothing more than just a
bunch of women sitting around living off
their husbands money doing absolutely
nothing.
If The Real Housewives of Vancouver is getting
a bad reputation with the public, why are
producers so confdent about this show?
Simple: its all about the money. Its most
likely easier to fnance a Canadian equivalent
to an already successful American reality
TV show. If a show has done well in
the U.S., it is fair to produce an identical
show in Canada to celebrate our national
programming, right? Well, not exactly.
Canadian reality television is not the
answer to the need for more Canadian
programming. As ;aginGiselle Wiedemere
of The Weal argued: Instead of the quick
wit and fake personalities Ive come across
viewing the original American show, I was
bored senseless by the meek and mild
brides of Canada. Likewise, she states
most of these shows have a much shorter
life on air than their American counterparts.
While it is important to engage in Canadian
programming to celebrate nationalism, it
seems we have little choice in television
programs. In fact, there are few shows
alongside teen drama Degrassi that arent
just replicas of American TV. Canadian
music and flm have unique characteristics
that represent our nationalism, so it seems
odd that this is not true of our television.
Regardless, we all know reality TV isnt
real, and that it is just as constructed as
any other entertainment program. Even
so, executive producer of Laguna Beach
Tony DiSanto states while there was editing
during the production of the show, the
chemistry between its stars Lauren Conrad
and Stephen Colletti was genuine. In
fact, he argues anytime you are taking it
to the editing room, you are enhancing it
and editorializing. But we never make up
something that hasnt happened.
The companies can throw around the word
real in their titles, use real locations, and
record the lives of the actors all they want,
but most people arent fooled. Will The Real
Housewives of Vancouver be as successful as
it predecessors, or will it fop like many
Canadian reality shows? If the shows
anything like the housewives that occupy it,
then it wont go down without a diamond-
encr ust ed-acr yl i c-nai l s-as-a-deadl y-
weapon-while-holding-a-Chihuahua-and-
martini fght.
Not-So-Real:
Vancouvers Housewives Turn on Canadian Nationalism
written by Emily Stewart, illustrated by Kristina Rowell
[mitZine v11.i5] 21
I
f you had to sum up fame in six words,
it might look something like this: you
want it until you dont. We live in a
world where Snookis unborn baby is more
likely to take the cover of a major North
American magazine than a Ugandan warlord
convicted of creating a child army, and our
celeb-obsessed societys feverish manhunt
for ffteen minutes of fame continues.
If theres one person right now that could
beneft from resting in the shade, away
from the hot intrusive sun of Hollywood,
it would be Jason Russell. Yes, that guy;
as the co-founder of Invisible Children,
his efforts to make said war lord Joseph
Kony famous through historys most viral
video KONY 2012, propelled Russell into
the public eye, and then unfortunately into
the unfattering lens of TMZ. Overnight he
went from a wholesome role model with
Christian faith, a cute family and dedication
to a cause to wandering the streets of San
Diego naked in a semi-psychotic state
performing a one-manor shall I say one-
handshow. When news broke about his
breakdown, the largest reaction was that
of ridicule, not concern. And although I
count myself included in those whose jaws
dropped when they read the report, I cant
say I was entirely surprised. In the past few
years, in which we have lost Heath Ledger,
Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston,
the celebrity crash has become all too
familiar, even infamous. Before we ask why
this keeps happening to famous people,
the better question is: why are these people
famous in the frst place?
Historically, the concept of fame can
be traced back to the invention of the
star. Richard DeCordova, author of The
Emergence of the Star System in America, argues
that actors didnt one day turn into stars for
their bubbly personalities. Instead, stars
were only established in the early 1900s
when flm studios and the press worked
together to not only make an actors face
and name recognizable, but to foster a
bond between star and public so that the
public was aware of the stars backstory and
privileged to intimate details of their private
life. This insider glimpse into the stars off-
screen activities was meticulously sculpted
by the flm studio and fed to the public
through movie magazines and exclusive
interviews.
Though this type of press still exists
with the Walmart check-out mainstays
like People magazine, manicured images
of stars presented by the press are easily
shattered now by the Internet. With the
rise of the camera phone, anyone can be
a paparazzo and proft off of nitty gritty
images and video of celebrities by selling
them to the highest bidding tabloid
Looking back to Russell, he willingly
brought his private life onscreen. In KONY
2012, Russells wife is shown during the
delivery of their son and intimate home
videos of his children are spliced in between
shots of Ugandas ravaged youth. It has
not only become easy to recognize Russell
by his face and name through KONY 2012,
but his son too: Gavin, the audacious little
boy with bright blond hair and big brown
eyes.
KONY 2012, as a video and a campaign,
relies on the concept and tactics of acquiring
fame. Russell explains in the video that to
spread awareness of Konys crimes, posters
with Konys face symbolically placed beside
Hitlers and Osama bin-Ladens should
literally Cover the Night, in reference to
the upcoming April 20th event.
In the midst of trying to make Kony
famous, Russell himself became, in line
with DeCordovas defnition, a star. The
public could easily recognize this face and
name, were told his backstory and given
access to his private life. After KONY 2012
was released, Russell could be seen on
countless news channels, literally putting a
face to a name for whoever happened to
have not gone on YouTube or partaken in
any form of social media for days. Most
of all, fame seemed to suit Russell: the
former actor with movie-star good looks
who could easily pass for Aaron Eckharts
younger brother.
In everyday conversation, we reference
fame like its an ordinary thing, because
to our society it is. Just like we have been
desensitized to violence through movies,
music, and video games, we have been
desensitized to the oddity that is fame.
Celebrities are tracked and followed day and
night as if they were suspected Al-Qaeda
supporters (in fact, maybe the CIA should
take some pointers from the paparazzi).
We acknowledge how annoying that must
be and sympathize with the celebs, but in
the next breath were casually mentioning
how Emma Stone and Andrew Garfeld
are, in fact, dating in real life (guilty). When
it comes down to brass tacks, the public
worships the select few who are famous,
and Id be hard-pressed to believe someone
who said theyd never wondered what it
would be like to wear the gold slipper for
a day. Fame functions as a form of hyper-
recognition: it works out great when its
good, but when that gold slipper-wearing
celeb slips up, TMZ steps in.
For Russell, who is now in treatment for
his brief reactive psychosis, the greatest
irony is that what made him worthy of
videotaping that day in San Diego wasnt
him slapping the pavement and yelling
expletives at people strolling the sidewalks,
but that he was Jason Russell: the latest victim
of the celebrity crash and prime fodder for
the infamy of fame.
The Infamy of Fame:
Recognizing Jason Russell
written by Taylor Pearce, illustrated by Cameron Wilson
We live in a world where
Snookis unborn baby is
more likely to take the cover
of a major North American
magazine than a Ugandan war
lord convicted of creating a
child army
22 [mitZine v11.i5]
mitZineworld
S
tephen Harper and his Conservative
government have come under fre in
the face of thousands of complaints
made to Elections Canada from voters in
last years federal election. Citizens from
all over the country claim that they were
called by an automated telephone service
claiming to represent Elections Canada,
who provided misleading information
about polling stations in their ridings. So
far over 31,000 complaints against these
robocalls have been fled, mostly from
Liberal supporters who argue that they
were targeted by the Conservative party
and subject to voter suppression tactics
to give Conservative candidates an unfair
advantage.
Robocalls are legal, but giving voters
misleading information isnt. Once the
news broke and more complaints came
fooding in, the reaction came swiftly.
Liberals and New Democrats were quick
to accuse the Conservatives of deliberate
vote suppression. Unsurprisingly, the
Conservatives categorically denied any
involvement with the scandal, but the
condemnation of such dirty tricks spilled
out of the House of Commons. Rallies
were organized on Parliament Hill by
citizens who rightly demanded answers.
There are still many unanswered questions
about the origin of the calls and who is
to blame. Elections Canada is conducting
an investigation to answer some of those
questions. But regardless of the degree
to which the scandal is pinned on the
Conservatives, the now-infamous robocall
scandal will add to the growing contempt
and distrust that Canadian citizens have
for their government, and rightly so. The
robocall scandal is only the most recent
example of the governments breach of
democratic values.
Although the robocall incident has taken
precedent in conversations about the
behavior of Stephen Harpers Conservative
government, there have been other
questionable acts that citizens have taken
issue with. In its March 2012 issue, the
prominent scientifc journal Nature came
out against the Conservatives for restricting
the degree to which federally-funded
scientists can discuss their fndings with
journalists and the press.
In their editorial entitled Frozen Out,
the authors wrote, Researchers [...] are
now required to direct inquiries to a media
relations offce, which demands written
questions in advance and might not permit
scientists to speak. The reaction from
Nature was prompted by the refusal of a
researcher to discuss the details of his work
regarding the effects of climate change in
the Arctic, and a demand that work done
on the decline of sockeye salmon not be
discussed in interviews.
This kind of treatment of scientists is
something you would expect to see in North
Korea, or even China, but it is startling to
see that it is happening here in Canada.
Freedom of expression, especially among
researchers and scientists, is essential in
any nation that considers itself a liberal
democracy. Scientists must be able to speak
freely to the media to inform citizens about
issues such as environmental degradation.
To muzzle scientists is to prevent the
dissemination of important information
which citizens can use to make informed
decisions, such as who to vote for in an
election.
In conjunction with accusations of illegal
robocalls and gagged scientists, Stephen
Harpers behavior within the House
of Commons has further aggravated
Canadian citizens contempt towards
their parliamentary system. He has
discontinued, Parliament twice (known as
proroguing), which is not uncommon.
However, Harpers prorogations have had
questionable motivations behind them.
His frst prorogation in October 2008 was
carefully timed as to avoid a non-confdence
vote in the House of Commons, which
would have resulted in the dissolving of
parliament and a subsequent election. His
second prorogation in December of the
same year, called in order to avoid scrutiny
about Afghan detainees and gain more
power in the Senate, resulted in thousands
of demonstrators gathering to denounce
his apparent disregard for the democratic
process. In addition to prorogation,
Stephen Harper was held in contempt
of Parliament after he refused a request
by the House of Commons to turn
over documents regarding the Afghan
detainees.
In fairness, it is not only the Conservatives
who have apparently forgotten how to
operate a government based on democratic
values. The Liberals sponsorship scandal
that came to light just previous to Stephen
Harpers inauguration as Prime Minister
shook the foundations of trust that
Canadians had, not only in the Liberal
Party, but in Canadian governance as well.
It would seem that Canadian democracy
has gone pretty rotten. With allegations of
misbehavior constantly being shouted across
the House foor, and citizens viewing their
government in an increasing contemptuous
and resentful way, the democratic defcit in
this country is readily declining to the level
of bankruptcy. Citizen apathy is partially
to blame for the rise of such a miserable
state of affairs, so citizen engagement must
be used to fx it. Contempt must translate
into criticism and the disregard we have for
government must be challenged if Canada
is to escape from its political quandary.
Robocalls and Rotten Politics:
Harpers Conservatives Under Fire
written by Stephen Wright, illustrated by PJ Helliwell
[mitZine v11.i5] 23
T
he more popular it becomes to be an advocate
for social justice, the more people care about
ethical practices in all areas of their lives. That
goes for what they eat, too.
With the popular reappearance of local and organic
products on the foodie scene in cities across the world,
the trend is moving increasingly towards more ethical
food choices.
What is ethical when it comes to food? Its
environmentally-friendly, cruelty-free, pesticide-free,
and sustainable. Its vegetables grown in non-toxic soil.
Its animals allowed to exist in their natural habitat. Its
smaller fruit with the occasional brown spot. Its using
all-natural cleaners and feed. Its reducing greenhouse
gases.
Some, such as Canadian charitable organization Local
Food Plus (LFP), would argue that the food ideal is
local-sustainable-organic. On the FAQ page of the LFP
website, the organization indicates that LFP works to
increase the number of local producers who can begin
the journey to sustainability, because human survival
depends entirely on sustainability. Sustainability is the
opposite of a frivolous or favour-of-the-month issue.
For LFP, sustainability is literally a do or die issue.
Local and Organic represent two different bodies
of regulation, inspection, and certifcation for the
Canadian food producer. A local certifcation assures
the consumer that the product was produced within the
province (or group of geographically-related provinces)
in which it is being sold. Organic refers to how the
product was grown or produced: soil qualities, pesticides
used, cleaning products used, and the use of organic
feed for animals, among others.
Producers of organic foods can sell their goods in other provinces
and even other countries. For those that believe putting a superior
product in their body is a more immediate
issue than supporting the local economy,
non-local organic products would suffce.
The Slow Food Canada website describes
ethical eating as ecogastronomy. Its an
attitude that combines a respect and interest
in ecogastronomic culture with support for
those battling to defend food and agricultural
biodiversity around the world.
According to Slow Food, to teach about the
pleasure of the taste of food is the main
way to combat the incursion of fast food into our diets. It helps
to safeguard local cuisines, traditional products, vegetable and
animal species at risk of extinction. It supports a new model of
agriculture, which is less intensive and healthier, founded on the
knowledge and know-how of local communities. This form of
agriculture, the website continues, is the only one able to offer
prospects for development to the poorest regions on our planet.
It becomes obvious that to speak of food is not only to speak
of the quality of food or the environmental impact of the food
business, but also the economic impact with regards to those that
work in the international food industry. Would a signifcant food-
buying shift from supermarkets to farmers markets once again
leave migrant workers struggling to support their families? Leave
truck drivers unemployed? What do we value
most as a societyshort-term employment
for a few or the long-term and multi-planed
impact of sustainable and healthy food
practices for everyone?
Granted, eating is a personal choice and
subject to personal values, but the scope
of healthy extends beyond one persons
body image or grocery list to environmental
and agricultural sustainability worldwide.
It incorporates issues such as farmers
livelihoods, small local businesses, air quality, soil quality, pollution,
the prevalence of fast-food corporations, and the adaptation of
children to highly-processed foods, which in turn leads to obesity
and a myriad of health problems.
Choose local, choose organic, or choose to make your own
favourful meals using fresh ingredientswhatever ethical
means to you. Just consider choosing real food.
Real Food: An Exercise in Subjective Ethics
written by Sarah Koopmans, illustrated by Sabrina Zavarise
What do we value most
as a societyshort-term
employment for a few or the
long-term and multi-planed
impact of sustainable and
healthy food practices for
everyone?
24 [mitZine v11.i5]
I
n 1945, the French returned to Southeast
Asia to re-occupy their colonies. Since the
people of Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia
had yet to arrive at a point where they
could build better guns than Westerners,
the French graciously accepted the task of
bringing to these backward people (French)
governance, infrastructure, and pastries; and
all this for the insignifcant price of their
natural resources and self-determination.
Even though still reeling from their time
under a cruel foreign occupation, the French
bravely managed to pull themselves together
in order to continue their self-proclaimed
mission civilisatrice.
It was heavy, this White Mans Burden, but
les jaunes would be enlisted to help bear it.
A few months before the French returned in
force, however, Ho Chi MinhVietnamese
intellectual, nationalist, and *sharp intake
of breath* communistand his cadres had
basically overrun Vietnams administrative
government buildings and declared
themselves, the Vietminh, new rulers of an
independent Vietnam.
After a period of uneasy cooperation and an
unsuccessful talk in Paris, the Vietminh were
formally ousted from power just 15 months
after seizing it. Furious, the Vietminh called
for a war of national resistance, and from
the Vietnamese people came a food of
grasspaddy support.
By 1949, popular resentment against the
French got so bad that the normally-rigid
administration, in an effort to placate the
Vietnamese, established an indigenous
puppet government headed by the malleable
Vietnamese Emperor Bao Dai.
No one was placated; the war raged on.
On the battlefeld fortunes ebbed and
fowed, but the support for Ho Chis
Minhs continued to rise steadily along with
the human and material cost of the First
Indochina War. Its true, the French were
killing more of the other guys than the other
guys were killing the French, but there were
less of the French to begin with (most of
them were still in France, you see), and
more importantlythey were also running
out of cash. Its expensive, you know, losing
wars around the world.
And so the Americansnouveau-riche after
the Second War and just a tad imperious
started funding the French War effort
(80 percent of it, at one point), so as to
guarantee the markets freedom over that of
the Vietnamese.
In 1954, the French capitulated.
The splitting of Vietnam was the result
of the 1954 Geneva Accords: a treaty in
which Franceeffectively beaten in a costly
and ultimately futile confictagreed to
withdraw from Vietnam. The country was
to be split (temporarily) in two: Ho Chi
Minhs communists were awarded North
Vietnam while the South was to be ruled
by Bao Dai until 1946, when nation-wide
elections would be held to unify Vietnam
under one government.
Emperor Bao Dai (whose government has
always been weak and unpopular) picked
Ngo Dinh Diem to be his Prime Minister for
political reasons rather than for leadership
qualities. France would soon be leaving
Southeast Asia, and Bao Dai hoped to woo
the Americans (and their money) with his
choice of Diem, an American sympathizer
and a virulent anti-communist.
It worked.
Now, what Im going to make very plain
hereafter is that the government of
President Diem was a bad government.
He wasnt a communist, its true, but that
doesnt mean he wasnt authoritarian,
repressive, or corrupt. Initially, it seemed
possible for Diems South to prove itself
a workable alternative to Ho Chi Minhs
Northcertainly many American public
fgures were content to baste Diem with
undeserved acclamationsbut very quickly
things started to go very badly. And then
they got worse.
Now, the frst thing to understand is that
Diem was not a good choice for a leader.
Neither the French nor the Americans
thought very much of him: He was
known to be very distrustful, unable to
compromise, and a borderline fanatical
Catholic (Vietnam, by the by, was at this
time 80 percent Buddhist). So that became a
fundamental problem once he became sole
ruler of South Vietnam. The good policies
he implemented didnt work, and the ones
that did work werent good policies.
One of Diems frst acts of governance was
to resolve the confict between him and Bao
Dai. Very quickly both leaders agreed that
each would prefer exclusive power, so in
1955, Diem held a super-democratic election
to determine who would lead the South. 133
percent of Saigon turned up to vote and
Diem won by a landslide. In October, Diem
declared himself the new President of the
Republic of Vietnam.
The nation-wide election to unify Vietnam
never happened, of course, because there
was a chance it might be fair.
Diems land reform was a good policy
that failed. This is crucial. During French
colonialism, a small percentage of wealthy
individuals owned most of the land. In
the 1950s, most Vietnamese were farmers;
land reallocation was important to them.
Purportedly a strict piece of legislature,
Diems land reform was inconsistently
implemented and plagued by corruption. By
1960, 2 percent of landowners still owned
45 percent of the land. This ineffective
policy cost Diem most of his rural support.
Another problem was that Diems
government privileged Catholics. Catholics
would be often promoted, Catholic villages
received more aid, and Catholics paid less
taxes, for example. U mad, overwhelming
Buddhist majority?
Militant History:
Tracking the U.S. through Southeast Asia
written by Paul Craig, illustrated by Jordan Coop
Third-year MIT student Paul Craig is on a full-year exchange at Nanyang Technological University in
Singapore. While abroad, he has travelled through Southeast Asia, exploring Vietnam, Cambodia, and
Thailand. This is what he learned.
[mitZine v11.i5] 25
After a few years, the governments
unpopularity soared like a B-52 and the
North-backed National Liberation Front
(a.k.a. the Viet Cong) didnt even need
a scandalous display of government
brutality to win over droves of rural South
Vietnamese. But it came anyway.
On May 8th, 1963, during the celebration of
Vesak (the most important annual Buddhist
holiday), police shot into a crowd of
Buddhists waving Buddhist fags. Religious
fags (except Catholic ones) were technically
prohibited in South Vietnam, and eight
monks are killed.
During the next few months, Buddhists
staged a series of escalating non-violent
protests and the government responded
more ruthlessly to each one. In August,
coordinated government troops attacked
a number of pagodas in South Vietnam.
The pagodas were vandalised, 1400 monks
are arrested, and hundreds of monks
disappear.
Wait. So the Americans were directly funding
a foreign government that shot peaceful
protestors? How does the 1963 American
government respond?
Well, obviously the crackdowns are
unfortunate PR, and the offcial US
response is to issue a call for reconciliation
between Diems government and Buddhists.
But what really worried them was that the
Diem administration freely admitted to
considering peace with the North.
Privately, the Americans threatened to cut
off aid to South Vietnam, and behind the
scenes they covertly signalled to dissidents
that they were open to the possibility of
a coup. It was inconceivable to the U.S.
government to negotiate with communists;
if that was Diems plan, then he would have
to go.
In November, Diem was assassinated,
and for the next two years high-ranking
Vietnamese military offcials desperately
grasped at power like a bar of wet soap
before a more severe military junta took
control and was able to retain it for a decade.
With the NLF making major gains in the
South, in 1965 the US brought in its own
military, inficting incredible amounts of
destruction on both of the Vietnamsas
well as Cambodia and Laosover the next
eight years.
However, incapable of making any
meaningful progress no matter how much
shit they blew up, in 1973 the Americans
made like the French: ils ont quitt. Two years
later, the South fnally surrendered to the
North.
In 1975, Vietnam had fnally achieved both
independence and national unityfrst
claimed by Ho Chi Minh 28 years earlierat
the price of millions of Vietnamese lives, as
well as the billions of dollars it had cost to
kill them.
In summary, President Diem was a widely
unpopular fervent Christian ruler whose
inept government (totally reliant on US
aid, by the way) soon dropped all pretense
of democracy. And this was really the best
government the South ever had. Successive
governments were military-run, and all were
notorious for infghting, policy reversals,
rampant corruption, and deep-set paranoia.
So why, then?
Why the 500,000 American soldiers
trudging through Vietnamese jungle? Why
the 15 billion tonnes of explosives the U.S.
dropped into Indochina? Why the $3 billion
in funding Frances Colonial War? Why the
$7.5 billion in economic aid that it took
to keep the Republic of Vietnam afoat,
or the $15 billion in military aid? Why the
$111 billion in total (or $738 billion in 2011
dollars)?
The American compulsion to support South
Vietnamwhether the autocratic Diem
regime or the confusing succession of coups
and counter-coups that followedwas
totally baseless if looked at pragmatically.
There was simply no reason to prop up
South Vietnam: it was repressive, it was
incompetent both as an administration and
as a military, and it was unsupported by the
majority of indigenous Vietnamese.
However, considered ideologically instead
of pragmatically, there is an answer:
Communism.
Both North and South Vietnamese
governments had their shortcomings
(criticisms over land reforms, tortures and
executions,s uppression of political rivals;
both governments were guilty of the same
transgressions), but while the communist
North was an indigenous government with a
plan for the future (including social reform),
and overwhelming popular support, the
South was really just a sustained debacle that,
no matter how bad it got, wasnt communist.
The Americans did what they did not
because it was right, but because they had to
beat the communists.
And thats almost the point of this article,
but it isnt quite.
What I want to talk about now is this
idea that we as a democratic, modernised,
sophisticated, and (yes, lets just admit it)
superior Western culture, are right. That
were the good guys, and the other guys are
the bad guys.
Communism, for example, is a bad guy.
Thats what weve been told, right? And
sometimes thats even true. The Khmer
Rouge were pretty horrendous while they
were around. And North Korea doesnt
seem like too brilliant a place to live either.
But those communist regimes are awful
because theyre individually awful regimes,
not because all communist regimes are awful
regimes.
Consider China. Chinas economy is growing
by leaps and bounds while those of most
Western nations recede painfully. Chinas
Communist Party has planned economically
for the long-term and, in the short term,
theyre doing very well. This is the same
China whose communist government is
currently pursuing reforms towards greater
liberalisation, and whose human rights
recordwhile troublesome to Western
commentatorsdoesnt really concern the
vast majority of Chinese.
Its because of their propaganda, you say?
Brainwashing? Theyre taught from an
early age to privilege Chinese values and be
suspicious of Western infuence?
How are we any different?
Lets look at Vietnam. Despite the colossal
destruction of the American War (as its
known in Vietnam), and the economic
disruption of the USSRs collapse in 1991,
Vietnams Communist Party instituted an
extremely effective economic reform that
combined traditional communist economic
planning with aspects of the free market and
allowed for foreign investment. As a result,
the year-on-year growth rate of Vietnams
economy since the early 1990s has been
consistently around seven percent, and over
the last two decades poverty in Vietnam has
been reduced dramatically.
To visit Vietnam today is to visit a
very modernised country. Vietnam is
picturesque, booming, relatively wealthy
and, unsurprisingly, idolises Ho Chi Minh.
Today, the problem that plagues us isnt
that we still give aid money or offer military
assistance to other countries. The problem
is this barely-contained superiority complex
that was at its worst in Vietnam, but is still
visible today in our framing of international
issues. Theres this insidious Western idea
that, where possible, it is our duty as a
democracy to help non-democracies become
democracies because democracies are better
and that is the case in every case. It isnt.
Just because we live in a democracy, doesnt
mean that everyone else wants toand if
not, we have to respect that. Democracy
isnt the only system under which one can
enjoy a fulflling life. We have a tendency
to disregard people we fnd convenient
to disregard, while at the same time we
ostensibly champion all people. And that,
my friends, is our mission civilisatrice.
the problem that plagues us isnt that we still give aid money or offer military assistance
to other countries. The problem is this barely-contained superiority complex that was
at its worst in Vietnam, but is still visible today in our framing of international issues.
26 [mitZine v11.i5]
mitZinespecialfeature
Political Cartoons
For more than a decade now, the mitZine has given writers a platform for free expression.
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argument. Until now. In our visual culture, it seemed a slight oversight not to acknowledge
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that words, whether verbal or published in a zine, carry a lot of weight. But there's
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These mitZine political cartoons don't tackle any topics that might incite the next great
Muhammad controversy, but we hope they move you in some way. Laugh at them. Write
us a letter. Rip up this zine. Whatever you do, acknowledge the power of the image
.:! : : !
[mitZine v11.i5] 27
.:! : : .:.
illustrated by Lauren Nicholson
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28 [mitZine v11.i5]