Category Archives: Race and Racism
Jewishness in the age of Protective Edge
Trigger warning: graphic violence in the indented quotation that follows Every floor was covered with wounded patients. We were treating the injured in dental chairs, doing surgery on the ground, doing anything we could to save people.” In normal times, Kuwaiti Hospital serves two or three cases a day, usually older women. “Our colleagues weren’t […]
Social Justice Synonyms #6: “Slut”
Welcome back to Social Justice Synonyms! In honour of Hallowe’en, and the problematic conversations that may likely be happening on campus today, this week’s word is slut. The word “slut” has been kickin’ around since about 1450. Though its exact origins are unknown, it started appearing in Middle English around that time. It began as […]
Hip vs. Horrible Halloween Outfits
I get very excited about Halloween. Without a doubt, my favourite part is seeing fun and creative costumes. The one part that has never appealed to me is the horror, because I get scared way too easily. Fortunately, I can usually avoid all things scary. Unfortunately, the most frightening sight is one that is more […]
Social Justice Synonyms #5: “Reverse Racism”
This week’s phrase is reverse racism. The general understanding of reverse racism is “racism” towards white people, by people of colour. Proponents of reverse racism also liken it to oppression of white folks and compensation/revenge for centuries of oppression against people of colour. However, reverse racism does not exist. It does not exist because there […]
Meet the Editors: Urooba Jamal
They said I would get addicted. That once was not enough. That it would lead to more and more as I craved more and more. They were right. As soon as I had my first hit, I haven’t been able to stop since. Feminism was my gateway drug to social justice. It all began when […]
Multiculturalism and Tuition Hikes: How National Branding Rhetoric Works in the University’s Favour
Names and details have been changed to ensure confidentiality. While recently conducting an interview for a sociology course, a respondent happened to illuminate ideas that I felt were especially relevant to ongoing discussions surrounding UBC’s fee increases. In the past couple of weeks, UBC’s proposed tuition hikes aimed at international students and on-campus residences have […]
Who is Subsidizing Whom? Rethinking the “Domestic”/”International” Divide
A few days ago, The Talon UBC released information about UBC’s bold move to increase international undergraduate tuition by 10% and residence fees by 20%. The university’s proposals have been met with outrage. Students are now organizing resistance efforts on a massive scale, with upcoming initiatives that include a mass-teach in on Tuesday, emergency AMS […]
Ivan Leonce’s Teach-In Speech: “That’s not consultation; that’s notice”
Thank you so much for having me speak, and there’s so much to speak to but so little time, so I’m just going to dive right into it and share my thoughts on two things today. The first is on what the university will have you believe is a “democratic” consultation process. A process, in […]
Housing the Privileged: What a 20% Residence Fee Increase Really Means
It has recently been revealed that UBC is planning to increase the cost of its 8-month-term student housing fees by a whopping 20%. This is just one of a number of fee increases proposed by the university slated to take effect in 2015. In a presentation to the AMS, the university explained that this increase […]
Meet the Editors: Justin Choi
Like so many immigrants to Turtle Island, I have several names. I am Justin Choi to some, 최승민 (Choi Seung–Min) to others, and, according to my Scene card, T-Bone Choi (as far as Cineplex is concerned). Though I have come to see Vancouver as a home, I still witness injustice and oppression all around me […]
