To burn or not to burn
By: Krystina Spracklin
I’m not someone who has many rituals, but since living on my own, I enjoy lighting candles around my suite after a long day. It’s not just the ambience that dimmed light provides — certain smells recreate the atmosphere of my home and help me escape from the dreariness of Chilliwack.
Since September, my candles have remained unlit. Despite using candles and a Scentsy for months undisturbed, when my upstairs neighbours learned about this little ritual, I started getting bombarded with texts that they were creating an obscene scent and making the entire household sick. Even just one tiny candle lit for a few minutes would apparently leave the smell hovering for days, regardless of if we opened the windows. It’s escalated beyond candles at this point — when I take a shower, I get a whiny text about the smell of my shampoo, and heaven forbid the one time I dared to use Febreze.
During reading break, I learned that the upstairs neighbours will be moving, probably because of all the showers they think I’m trying to torture them with. Whatever new neighbours I get will not be receiving my phone number.
Calling out call-out culture
By:Darien Johnsen
Have you ever had someone publicly call you out for being offensive? Were you embarrassed, angry, or defensive? Chances are you were. Call-out culture is when people criticize each other for offensive behaviours in public places. A common example is when a person accidentally refers to someone as the wrong gender and someone else (as in, not the person being offended) calls them out in front of other people for it. The purpose of this call-out may be intended to correct the person’s behaviour, but I find it often comes off as a way to make the “caller outer” feel better, smarter, and more “woke” than the other person. This is a horrible method for correcting offensive behaviour; it may actually make that person angry or defensive, and less likely to change their behaviour. (In which case that person’s probably a lost cause anyway.) Either way, most people don’t like being offended, offending others, or being publicly humiliated. So next time someone is offensive, pull them aside privately or send them a message and let them know their behaviour or words may have offended/hurt someone — don’t scream it out across the room at a party, even if it’s a room full of friends.
Vacation vacillation
By: Sam Young
This reading break marks the first time in my life that I’ve ever taken a vacation outside of the United States or Canada. As I write this, I’m poolside at a Cuban resort, feeling the sea breeze on my skin and sipping a refreshing cerveza. But despite the beautiful setting, I’m having a surprisingly hard time relaxing.
In the week I’ve spent here, I’ve become increasingly baffled by the enduring popularity of resorts, especially in countries where so many have so little. The all-inclusive lifestyle was never my thing to begin with — I prefer exploring new places over sitting at the beach all day — but I really didn’t expect the level of inequality I’ve encountered here. Cuba is by no means a completely impoverished country, but after driving through dirty streets lined with stray animals and decaying homes, my economic privilege as a Canadian has never been more clear to me (and having butlers and cooks slaving away to cater to me certainly hasn’t helped). I understand that tourism is actually pretty beneficial for those who live in developing nations, but I’m still left wondering: do I really have any right to be here?
Diamonds aren’t my best friend
By:Andrea Sadowski
When I get engaged, I will be sure to make it quite clear to whoever wants to marry me that I do not want to see a diamond ring when he is on one knee. Society has declared that the rule of thumb with engagement rings is to buy one worth three months salary. Let’s say for example my partner is a welder and makes $21/hour. According to this rule that I have no idea who thought of, he has to buy me a ring worth approximately $10,000. Do you know what I can do with $10,000? That can pay for four semesters’ worth of tuition. That can buy two used cars that are immensely better than the one I am currently driving. That can go toward a down payment for a house. I cannot stress to you enough the amount of things I can buy that will be exceedingly more useful than a ring that could potentially get lost or stolen. So please, future husband, don’t buy me a diamond ring. Instead, buy me a pretty, quirky, one-of-a-kind ring off of Etsy, with any uncut gemstone that is not a diamond.
Illustrations: Kelly Ning/The Cascade
Darien Johnsen is a UFV alumni who obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with double extended minors in Global Development Studies and Sociology in 2020. She started writing for The Cascade in 2018, taking on the role of features editor shortly after. She’s passionate about justice, sustainable development, and education.
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
