Print Edition: April 1, 2015
Mini-misogyny
I was in a pub recently and an older man approached me and my girlfriends. He teased us a little, asking for more enthusiasm in our replies to his jokes.
Another day, I was ordering a bagel and the older man behind me kept insisting that I order cream cheese — and when I didn’t, he groaned good-naturedly as if he had just lost a board game. It is the same kind of “flirting” or “banter” as a man telling a woman to smile — micro-aggressions. This behaviour, although seemingly harmless, is inappropriate. It is asserting your male dominance in the space, and is used to make women feel belittled and uncomfortable. It’s this fundamental prejudice that our generation is trying to eradicate — the idea that a woman’s mere presence is insignificant.
Unexpected guests
One thing that bothers me is when you make one-on-one plans with a friend and they unexpectedly bring along their significant other. I completely understand wanting to hang out with your boyfriend or girlfriend, especially if you only see each other a few times a week, but having a relationship with your other friends is also important. Not only that, but plans were made for the two of you, not for three. After all, nobody likes to be a third wheel. It’s different when it’s a group event and you bring them along, but a one-on-one should remain one-on-one. And I’m not saying friends overrule relationships, but a balance does need to be maintained. Friends will be there when relationships end — just some food for thought.
Soon it will be May
It’s April and next month it will be May. You know what that means: the semester is soon to be over and it’s time to party for four months straight. Well, maybe. I guess some of us have to work — including me. But that doesn’t mean we can’t strive to have a rocking awesome time.
I’ll concede; it might be early to start thinking about summer. But lately we’ve been given teasers of weather to come.
Summer is a time to reset, when everything is just more enjoyable, relaxing, and smells amazing. Summer is essentially freedom from the constraints of grey, dark grey, and light grey, where the sky opens to provide contrast and life.
All you really need to do to have a memorable summer is to not waste a second. Go waterskiing, go hiking, go snake wrangling, because we really don’t know when it will be our last summer before have to grow up and take those responsibilities that suck away our free time.
It’s April, but soon it will be May.
“Room of Requirement” lacking
It was no surprise that the SUB was built with some architectural nods to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. UFV is populated with the Harry Potter generation, and the Student Union pushed hard for a Rowling-esque building. But they bit off more than they could chew with the Room of Requirement.
It’s a great idea — a student who needs a nap will find a room filled with down blankets and plushy pillows, a student who needs a good coffee will find a French press, and a student deeply in debt will find this month’s rent in cash. But there are huge problems with accessibility. Who does the room show itself to? They say it will show itself to you when you’re really in need — but what defines “need?” As the rumours spread, any student with a miserable problem — be it coffee addiction, debt, sleep, or low GPA — will be wandering through the west part of the SUB in search of that golden door. Do we really want students to hope for instant gratification instead of taking action and solving their own issues?
